INTERNATIONALADVENTURE - Northampton Community College

24 NCC ● SUMMER 2007
To Paris, avec plaisir
Intrepid reporters, Sandy Stahl, NCC’s marketing
communications manager, and Melissa Starace, alumni director,
recently traversed the big pond to explore the byways of Paris
with a group of Northampton students. Yes, the Eiffel Tower is
still stupendous. Yes, the Louvre is up and running. And yes, the
Left Bank is still _ on the left. But our gals know the important
facts to bring back to home turf. Below, find seven witty
wisdoms to help you tour the City of Lights:
1. Bring your ATM card. As long as you check with
your bank ahead of time to ensure it works, it’s the easiest
(and often less-expensive) way to get Euros. ATM machines
are all over the city, and there is usually an option to make
transactions in English. Don’t bring large American bills to
exchange because most bureaus will only take $20s and lower.
2. When you encounter the rare elevator in the metro station,
take it. There’s a reason it’s there, trust us.
3. If you have a soda craving, Coke seems to be far more
prevalent than Pepsi. But it’ll set you back $8-12 in a restaurant.
Yes, that’s for one. And no free refills. It’s becoming more
common to see soda served in restaurants, but most Parisians
seem to stick to bottled water and wine.
4. Eat crepes. They’re a meal, they’re a dessert. What’s
better than that? And with the horrible exchange rate, they’re
among the least expensive guilty pleasures to be found.
5. Beware of seedy waiters. Service is generally
included in France, but we’ve heard stories of waiters telling
Americans that the tip is not included. We took this story with
a grain of salt _ until it happened to us. Check the menu before
you pay. If service is included, it will say so.
6. Don’t BYO. If the restaurant you’re at serves wine, order
from the restaurant. We sat next to two Americans who asked
the waiter to uncork their wine. Their service went downhill for
them after that.
7. When having a meal at someone’s house, arrive hungry.
Dinner is an event in France. There were so many courses, we
could hardly waddle out the door at the end of the evening.
(Luckily, the food was wonderful.) And don’t expect to eat
dinner before 8 p.m. It’s virtually unheard of.