Comments on: Californians Have Nothing On Parisian Drivers http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/radler/2007/09/californians-have-nothing-on-parisian-drivers/ This is the podcast station for TheNervousBreakdown.com, an online culture magazine featuring authors and artists from around the world. Fri, 19 Mar 2010 23:08:37 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Rebecca Adler http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/radler/2007/09/californians-have-nothing-on-parisian-drivers/#comment-33591 Rebecca Adler Sun, 15 Nov 2009 10:39:54 +0000 http://www.thenervousbreakdown.com/?p=20124#comment-33591 <b>Original Comment Thread Below: </b> 14 Comments » Comment by Kaytie M. Lee 2007-09-23 15:31:36 Traffic Rules - one of the last social contracts we have. May you continue to dodge and weave and double park with no serious ramifications. :) Reply to this comment Comment by Dawn C. 2007-09-23 16:41:51 Those pictures are unbelievable! I feel my road rage rising just looking at them. I’m impressed you’ve adapted so quickly and readily. Reply to this comment Comment by Martyn 2007-09-23 18:00:46 I haven’t really driven in Paris, but I know California gave me at least 3 strokes, especially since Lenore drives like a fucking rally car racer Reply to this comment Comment by Richard Ferguson 2007-09-23 21:18:16 Wow, the next time I go to Paris I’ll definitely have to walk. I have a hard enough time driving around here in LA. Reply to this comment Comment by Doug Mulliken 2007-09-23 22:31:18 HA! the other day, or the other month, something like that, they were re-paving 6th street and they had yet to paint the white lines onto the dark black asphalt. absolute psychosis by all drivers ensued. nobody knew where to be, where to stop, where to start, where to turn… just pure insanity. i feel the french, and the italians and the spanish and the rumanians and the mexicans, would have felt right at home. my high school english teacher always said that your true personality emerges behind the wheel, when you can honk and curse and be an asshole with almost no repercussions. nice post, rebecca. Reply to this comment Comment by Emma R 2007-09-24 02:16:50 Hey Rebecca It’s all true! Every time I visit Paris, I end up in a minor accident in the taxi between airport and hotel. Not that the driver ever considers it an accident. It’s just what happens when you drive while rummaging around in the glovebox for a cigarette. One thing though: the way they can get so close to other cars is by bump parking. The key is not to try not to touch the other car but to get your bumper against the parked vehicle and use that to wedge your car into the gap. Enjoy! Reply to this comment Comment by Rebecca Adler 2007-09-24 04:42:51 Martyn: Wait til you drive with me here. We’ll have to be sure to know where the nearest hospitals are at all times. (kidding). Doug: You have no idea how many times I just want to honk my horn in anger. I usually don’t because it’s when I’m stopped at one of the thousands of red lights in the city. Everyone would think I was crazy. Emma: I’m still not sure I feel comfortable purposely hitting other people’s cars. Perhaps in a week or so… Reply to this comment Comment by Lenore 2007-09-24 09:19:31 i think i’d fit in there. i get pulled over practically weekly. but you just have to say you have your period (if the cop’s a man) and they let you go. the women don’t buy that shit; they give tickets for it. Reply to this comment Comment by Kaytie M. Lee 2007-09-24 11:27:39 Driving in Paris. Sounds like the title of your future travelogue. If, you know, you survive the madness long enough to write it. :P Reply to this comment Comment by Laura Nicole 2007-09-27 10:25:59 Yes! This has finally driven me to stop lurking and start responding to posts. I remember when I went to Paris in high school. My french teacher and I ended up with the rudest taxi driver on the way to our hotel. I had fear in my heart the entire trip. I loved how he only let attractive girls cross the street, too. When I move to Paris, I plan on taking le metro… international driving be damned. Reply to this comment Comment by Rebecca Adler 2007-09-28 14:06:50 Laura: Yay for finally coming out of the shadows! The metro is the best thing EVER! Seriously, if I wasn’t forced to drive I wouldn’t. Last time I was here I considered the metro my own personal stair climber. I lost so much weight by not having a car. Bummer it won’t happen this time. So when are you planning to come to Paris??? Reply to this comment Comment by Todd Zuniga 2007-09-29 10:52:51 Rebecca, this is genius and hilarious all in one. Can’t wait to get there and be hit by a car… Reply to this comment Comment by Laura Nicole 2007-10-04 12:57:44 As soon as possible. Which, for me, means about 6-10 years. Money, college, job… I’ll get there eventually! I hope to visit Paris sometime next year, though! Reply to this comment Comment by Chason 2007-10-29 10:28:04 “They will also park dangerously close to your car, so that you’re stuck in a reverse-forward-reverse-forward mess for about fifteen minutes trying to get out of the space.” ~That photo you had of the cars parked super close together was crazy! In the U.S., it is unspoken etiquette to ensure that the other parked cars around your car have enough room to get out, if no other reason than to avoid someone getting pissed off and clipping your bumper on their way out. If people parked around my car the way the photo you posted shows I’d have no choice but to damage somebody’s car getting out. On a side note, the “Smart” car is coming to the U.S. next year. I read a review of the new models in the paper and they said they are being built in France. The review said the cars get only about 40 miles to the gallon, though, which surprised me because the engines are pretty small. And the base price is around $12,000, which means I definitely won’t be getting one. They are cute, but they aren’t really economical. We’ll see how they do in the U.S. when they arrive next year. Reply to this comment Original Comment Thread Below:

14 Comments »

Comment by Kaytie M. Lee
2007-09-23 15:31:36

Traffic Rules - one of the last social contracts we have. May you continue to dodge and weave and double park with no serious ramifications. :)
Reply to this comment

Comment by Dawn C.
2007-09-23 16:41:51

Those pictures are unbelievable! I feel my road rage rising just looking at them. I’m impressed you’ve adapted so quickly and readily.
Reply to this comment

Comment by Martyn
2007-09-23 18:00:46

I haven’t really driven in Paris, but I know California gave me at least 3 strokes, especially since Lenore drives like a fucking rally car racer
Reply to this comment

Comment by Richard Ferguson
2007-09-23 21:18:16

Wow, the next time I go to Paris I’ll definitely have to walk. I have a hard enough time driving around here in LA.
Reply to this comment

Comment by Doug Mulliken
2007-09-23 22:31:18

HA! the other day, or the other month, something like that, they were re-paving 6th street and they had yet to paint the white lines onto the dark black asphalt. absolute psychosis by all drivers ensued. nobody knew where to be, where to stop, where to start, where to turn… just pure insanity.

i feel the french, and the italians and the spanish and the rumanians and the mexicans, would have felt right at home.

my high school english teacher always said that your true personality emerges behind the wheel, when you can honk and curse and be an asshole with almost no repercussions.

nice post, rebecca.
Reply to this comment

Comment by Emma R
2007-09-24 02:16:50

Hey Rebecca

It’s all true! Every time I visit Paris, I end up in a minor accident in the taxi between airport and hotel. Not that the driver ever considers it an accident. It’s just what happens when you drive while rummaging around in the glovebox for a cigarette.

One thing though: the way they can get so close to other cars is by bump parking. The key is not to try not to touch the other car but to get your bumper against the parked vehicle and use that to wedge your car into the gap. Enjoy!
Reply to this comment

Comment by Rebecca Adler
2007-09-24 04:42:51

Martyn: Wait til you drive with me here. We’ll have to be sure to know where the nearest hospitals are at all times. (kidding).

Doug: You have no idea how many times I just want to honk my horn in anger. I usually don’t because it’s when I’m stopped at one of the thousands of red lights in the city. Everyone would think I was crazy.

Emma: I’m still not sure I feel comfortable purposely hitting other people’s cars. Perhaps in a week or so…
Reply to this comment

Comment by Lenore
2007-09-24 09:19:31

i think i’d fit in there. i get pulled over practically weekly.

but you just have to say you have your period (if the cop’s a man) and they let you go. the women don’t buy that shit; they give tickets for it.
Reply to this comment

Comment by Kaytie M. Lee
2007-09-24 11:27:39

Driving in Paris. Sounds like the title of your future travelogue. If, you know, you survive the madness long enough to write it. :P
Reply to this comment

Comment by Laura Nicole
2007-09-27 10:25:59

Yes! This has finally driven me to stop lurking and start responding to posts.

I remember when I went to Paris in high school. My french teacher and I ended up with the rudest taxi driver on the way to our hotel. I had fear in my heart the entire trip.

I loved how he only let attractive girls cross the street, too.

When I move to Paris, I plan on taking le metro… international driving be damned.
Reply to this comment

Comment by Rebecca Adler
2007-09-28 14:06:50

Laura: Yay for finally coming out of the shadows! The metro is the best thing EVER! Seriously, if I wasn’t forced to drive I wouldn’t. Last time I was here I considered the metro my own personal stair climber. I lost so much weight by not having a car. Bummer it won’t happen this time.

So when are you planning to come to Paris???
Reply to this comment

Comment by Todd Zuniga
2007-09-29 10:52:51

Rebecca, this is genius and hilarious all in one. Can’t wait to get there and be hit by a car…
Reply to this comment

Comment by Laura Nicole
2007-10-04 12:57:44

As soon as possible.

Which, for me, means about 6-10 years. Money, college, job… I’ll get there eventually!

I hope to visit Paris sometime next year, though!
Reply to this comment

Comment by Chason
2007-10-29 10:28:04

“They will also park dangerously close to your car, so that you’re stuck in a reverse-forward-reverse-forward mess for about fifteen minutes trying to get out of the space.” ~That photo you had of the cars parked super close together was crazy! In the U.S., it is unspoken etiquette to ensure that the other parked cars around your car have enough room to get out, if no other reason than to avoid someone getting pissed off and clipping your bumper on their way out. If people parked around my car the way the photo you posted shows I’d have no choice but to damage somebody’s car getting out.
On a side note, the “Smart” car is coming to the U.S. next year. I read a review of the new models in the paper and they said they are being built in France. The review said the cars get only about 40 miles to the gallon, though, which surprised me because the engines are pretty small. And the base price is around $12,000, which means I definitely won’t be getting one. They are cute, but they aren’t really economical. We’ll see how they do in the U.S. when they arrive next year.
Reply to this comment

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