Over the past two days, my travels have been limited since much of Paris is closed for Bastille Day. However, I have discovered some great Parisian activities unrelated to this blog’s modern focus. For example, I am very excited by Paris’ new rental bike system that was launched on Saturday. With over 350 stations and thousands of bikes, this system allows Parisians and tourists to rent bikes and pedal around Paris, eventually return them to any bike station. This all part of Mayor Bertrand Delanoë’s plan to rid Paris of cars eventually. In fact, Mr. Delanoë is Paris’ first socialist mayor since 1871 and plans to develop more programs and events for the entire city. One such event will begin on July 20th and includes filling the right bank of the Seine with sand in order to create a beach for those who cannot afford to go south on vacation and lessen the cultural divide between French natives and immigrants. I personally support this socialist endeavor and look forward to my beach party.



-Ian
Philip Johnson Glass House Intern