New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1900-05-20
A FEW SUGGESTIONS.
SIGHTS OF PARIS THAT OUGHT TO BE
SEEN
SOME HINTS FOR THE VISITOR WHOSE
TIME IS SHORT AS TO THINGS OUT
SIDE THE EXPOSITION.


Paris as to what the city has worth seeing ex-
elusive of the Exposition, and how to see it, IT
is intended especially for the visitor whose stay
is to be short 1t is not a fun and cOmpre-
hensive guide. To attempt anything of that
sort within the limits of a newspaper article
would be idle. There are guides to Paris, and
good ones, but to person whose time enables
him to choose but little from the great feast OF
wonders and beauties which the city spreads be-
fore him these guides sometimes completely
bewildering from their very completeness TO
such few suggestions in brfefer form are likely
to be useful and welcome. They might even be
used to advantage in connection with fuller
guide forming a basis of selection of objects
and places more fully described in a longer
work.
If the visitor whose time is short wishes to be
a good traveller and a good student, the great
danger is that he will try to see too much
Some guide book will tell him how 10 see
Paris in a week. If he follows its directions ne
will be in constant motion through all that time
His vision will. indeed. include a vast amount
of space and a tremendous number OF fascl-
mating objects, but when he is done with theih
he will find that the most of them are confused
and whirIine through his brain in indis-
tinguishabIe tansle, and he can no more tell
what he has seen than he can tell the contents
]
run over between his thumb and finger
Do not try to "do" Paris. He who tries to
do" great city invariably gets done
Choose what you will see. and then see 1t IN
such a way that you will know and remember
it. Bear in mind that Paris Will stay where IT
| is for long time yet; that, although this IS
! the last year of the century il is not the last
| year of the world and that you are going to
Paris again before long, Then YOU can see a
| little of what yot. missed this time, and have
| plenty left for your third visit
| The guide books all tell you what to do when
you arrive in Paris. but you scarcely need such
| instructions if you are intelligent, and you
are or you would not be reading The Tribune
The first thing TO do is to get out of the train
The guides seem to think that you need ex-
| plicit instructions about getting your luggage
| through the customs but you don't You will
not be allowed to go far wrong The guides
appear to fear that you will get your bags past
! the officers without their knowing il, but you
/ will not. That is the officers lookout. and you
can trust them attend to their business. But
you viii need cab Ask the cabnan for his
number before you get in. He Will give it to
| you. a slip with the rates of fare. Put it in
your pocket conspicuousiy. and then he knows
/ that he is in your power, even you are in his,
/ The cab fare by day is from franc 80
| centimes Chat means ] franc 50 centmes)
/ to francs 10 centimeS, according to the
/ style OF carriage that you get. If you hire
/ the cab between 1890 o'clock at night and Is
| o'clock in the morning the fare is from francs
- centimos to 3 francs. Ii addition 10 the fare
whatever it is. you must give the driver -
or 80 centmes for a pourboire That is
supposed to be optional. but if the cabman
does not get it he makes a terrible fuss and if
you DO not give it you VIII get into all sorts Of
trouble The custom is firmly fixed that il
has the force of law Why they do not set the
cab fare 80 centInes higher and let it go at that
is one of those things that American can
ever understand. but they order these things
so much better" etc. "PourbOire" literally
means for to drink" but there is no law against
the cabnau spending the money for the sup
port Of his family if he wants TO, and some of
them have been suspected of doing it. II you
have any real trouble with a cabman call a
policeman That is the thing to do on the Con
tinent Of Europe, no matter what happens II
has not yet occurred to Partisan cabmen and
policemen, according to the latest reports that
they could join their interests and make large
profits on both sides. The French are a simple
people with all their transparent efforts 10 get
all the money that the foreigner brings with
him. But if you do not understand French il
is better to pay the cabman enough to induce
him TO go away, and be thankful that Won are
allowed to be in Paris in an Exposition year
all.
PLACES FOR SLEEPING AND EATING