Fogeyfication of Paris

[fumobici]

I suppose this was inevitable, given the rising costs of city living > young people being priced out > indoor smoking ban to force the remaining young people into the street at night.

www.nytimes.com/2010/01/11/world/europe/11paris.html?ref=europe

I wonder if even the Pigalle, the younger parts of the 18th and the student district of the 5th are safe? I'm guessing probably not.

[Deleted]

I really feel that this is a clueless analysis by the elderly, who have nostalgia for the nightlife of yesteryear. One of the main reasons that so many places are closing is due to all of the "stuff" that people have at home now -- home cinema, video games, etc. People often go out when they are bored, and people are less and less bored at home. Yes, people also go out to socialize and find sexual favors, but a lot of that is also handled by the internet now.

The articles regretting the decline of café culture or the closing of pubs in London absolutely never mention this new factor of life.

[bjd]

I too find this article rather strange. Not that I go clubbing or anything in Paris, but it seems to be limited to just that, and in a specific area, close to Republique.

The bit about no public transport at night is nonsense -- even when the metro closes, there are night buses. And my daughter used to ride her bike at night so that she wouldn't be stuck after the last subway.

Kerouac, do any young people go to Pigalle? To me, Pigalle is the place that had hookers and tourism for foreign and provincial tourists in old Simenon stories.

The gentrification of Paris has been going on for years, and prices started to skyrocket long before the past decade. There was also a real-estate bubble in the early 90s. I don't know how many students can afford to live in the 5th. The article makes it sound that anyone who can afford an apartment in Paris wants to go to bed at 11. I don't know how many people are at home in front of their computers instead of out and about, but I know that in our neighbourhood, the bars are always full in the evenings. As far as I know, there aren't noise complaints -- but of course, there are no dance clubs.

I often feel that Paris is rather museum-like -- foreigners have this view of the place that is simply unlike reality, and tourism advertising seems to play on this to keep the tourists coming in. Obviously it works.

[Deleted]

Actually, Pigalle is indeed a clubbing area now, even though the historic disco "La Loco" will be closing soon. The Folies Pigalle is one of the main clubs in the city, and the Cigale, the Elysées Montmartre, the Trois Baudets, the Trianon, etc., are all major music venues. It is probably the main area for nightlife for the young at the moment.

[bjd]

Ah thanks. I knew I was out of touch.

[lagatta]

That is a remarkably sloppy article - interviews with a few club owners and neighbours.

The night transportation stuff is just silly - the métro is only closed for a few hours for maintenance, and there are buses: moreover central Paris is eminently walkable for most young people. Yes, it is true that with the decline of the sex trade (that has really moved onto the Internet) Pigalle has become an important club area.

[fumobici]

Good to have some informed perspective, thanks. The NYT is usually a purveyor of better reportage

[Deleted]

That's what I used to think, but just about everything they write about Europe these days is a load of crap, same as Time magazine's reports about Europe. Even Newsweek does a better job.