2017 was the last year of the original, first-generation Vélib’ bike sharing system in Paris. The JCDecaux company, which had run the system since its inauguration in 2007, was willing to continue but failed to win the bidding. The new contract, for the fifteen years from 2018 to 2033, was Read More …

In January 2018 there were construction sites like this all over Paris, where the Vélib’ bike sharing stations used to be. On this one, the sign on the right read: Vélib’ will return quickly! New bikes, new stations, new functionalities. Your Vélib’ station is going to be replaced. We will Read More …

2019 already seems like a time from the distant past, when it was possible to take a train to Paris, stay in a hotel there, walk around in crowds by the river, eat in restaurants and cafés with lots of little tables all bunched together, go to a theater with Read More …

In January 2020 I was proud of myself for getting organized and booking some travel well in advance, including two trips to Paris — trains, hotels and operas — for April and July. For the April visit, I reserved a room at a hotel on the Boulevard Magenta, in the Read More …