|
Post by kerouac2 on Apr 10, 2023 13:47:30 GMT
This has got to be one of the most photographed areas in Paris, even if it doesn't deserve it. People always try to get the best photos possible, but sometimes the Champs Elysées is having a bad day (or month or year) and won't cooperate. I thought it would be interesting to show it as it is right now, looking really quite ugly but preparing to look its best in 2024 for the Olympics. So I walked from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe, pretty much a disaster. For example I suspect that tourist wanting to take a picture of Place de la Concorde must be renaming it Place de WTF?
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Apr 10, 2023 13:59:49 GMT
There is, however, the Hôtel de la Marine, the spectacular new heritage museum which opened in 2021. I have not been there yet. I next crossed into the Champs Elysées gardens. There is absolutely no park in Paris with so many unused benches. There are no offices, no residences and almost no hotels nearby. It was still morning, so I don't know if people flock to this place later in the day. A lot of the garden was closed off for renovation. This part of the footpath along the avenue is new. Here's what the unrenovated part looks like. But renovation is imminent. This is new and people were flocking there (dare I say streaming?). The Grand Palais is now completely closed for its Olympic makeover.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Apr 10, 2023 15:15:07 GMT
|
|
|
Post by fumobici on Apr 10, 2023 20:03:36 GMT
I, personally, never felt the charms of the Parisian Elysian Fields. The park is nice, but the street itself felt like an upscale shopping mall and little more. The traffic kind of spoils it even for that, however. Maybe a shining new future awaits it, we shall see as all is revealed. I bet you are positively *jacked* about the coming olympics, K.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Apr 10, 2023 20:33:16 GMT
Oh yes, I am so jacked that I have not made any effort to obtain any Olymoic tickets even though I live far too close to a lot of the venues. The only thing that interests me is the fact that my street has been totally torn up to be "transformed" for the Olympics since it is the main street from the Stade de France (and several other venues) to the centre of Paris. So far they have done a lot of the tearing up but absolutely no transformation. They scraped off all of the asphalt because it was contaminated with asbestos (authorised until something like 1997), but that's all for the moment. I kind of like the paving stones from the 1920s or 30s being exposed, but it creates more traffic noise and even the bus bounces uncomfortably over them. They even put new temporary asphalt on the block in front of the school because they probably got a lot of complaints.
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Apr 10, 2023 20:42:47 GMT
I was surprised to see that Sephora has moved to the location of where the Locker Room store was while their own location is being "refurbished." The old location was totally flashy and modern, so what on earth are they going to do? The Galerie du Claridge has completely disappeared except for the FNAC store which wisely moved into the basement right from the start. The H&M flagship store already closed a year ago. This is interesting because the huge Louis Vuitton flagship store is the big building across the street on the left. If this planned for overflow?
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Apr 11, 2023 12:02:39 GMT
|
|
|
Post by kerouac2 on Apr 12, 2023 13:03:29 GMT
In a year, all of this will look different.
|
|
|
Post by htmb on Apr 12, 2023 13:18:28 GMT
Very nice and thorough little report, Kerouac. I wish I could avoid the area, especially after seeing your report, but I need to visit the PSG store to buy a small gift for the physical therapist who was so helpful to me. I found out she was a PSG fan and I’m hoping I will be able to pick up a pen, pin, or other small, inexpensive trinket she might appreciate. Now, after seeing your photos, I’m dreading having to make the trip even more. The Champs Elysées has never been one of my favorite areas in Paris. It’s amazing how much has changed already. I remember taking friends into both the Renault and Citroën showrooms in 2011, and they had a blast.
|
|
|
Post by bjd on Apr 12, 2023 13:26:45 GMT
Definitely not one of my favourite places in Paris, which explains why I haven't been there in years. Boooring! Just big stores, although it looks as though most of them have closed. It looks pretty depressing and that's not just due to the weather.
|
|