Off to Paris

I am now 24 hours away from my month-long stay in Paris. I’ve been busy packing, and assuring that I have as many art supplies that I can fit in my bag, as I’m going to be spending a majority of my time there drawing. I’ve also been preparing for my cycling adventures around the city, and came across a great bike map of Paris. I will be living at the southern edge of the city, and there are three bike paths in the immediate area. The first appears to be a ring road that encircles the city along the Périphérique, the second is a N-S route that terminates at the Pte de Clichy, and the third is also a N-S route that terminates at the Musée des Sciences et de l’industrie at the NE corner of the city. The bike route network appears to be very logical, with multiple ways to get around or through the city. As I don’t know Paris very well yet, I’m not sure why this is, but the Eastern portion of the city does not have much in the way of radial paths toward the center of the city, and instead has a number of circumabulatory paths. It will be interesting to see what it is about the part of the city that has resulted in this differing bike route development. I’m guessing that it is related to the socioeconomics of the area, but it may also be related to the manner in which the urban fabric is constructed here. We shall see!