22. The profusion of florists.
Paris has a very different retail mix than Washington, DC. There are lots more shops dedicated to certain types of food (fruits and vegetables, bread and pastry, cheese, and chocolate) and there also seem to be lots more shops selling children's apparel, shoe repair guys, and ladies who will alter your clothes. I can't figure out what exactly there is less of in Paris than in my neighborhood in DC except for maybe mattress stores. There are certainly fewer Starbucks and CVS drug stores although there are plenty of small brasseries and pharmacies that serve essentially the same purpose.
At any rate, I certainly enjoy the numerous flower shops, all of which have displays spilling out onto the sidewalk. I love having fresh flowers in the house and often regret the amount I spent on flowers for my wedding. If only I had spent that same sum on bouquets here and there! Fortunately, admiring these beautiful displays costs nothing but the time it takes to walk around the block.
5 comments:
I agree Anne...they are always stunning and for a city of apartment dwellers a joy...
especially the small pots ..just gorgeous.
You left out the one thing of which DC has far more than Paris: thieves. If DC shops left stuff on the sidewalk, it would be gone within an hour.
I think it's fair to say that Paris is safer than DC (primarily because there are no guns). That being said, don't write off our nation's capital, a beautiful city in its own right. I lived in DC for 25 years (including in one marginal neighborhood) and was never a victim of crime.
I don't know what it is but they seem to display their flowers and plants in such a way that I find them all enchanting.
I love these, too.
I'm going to be sad to see this series end!
Cheers.
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