Champs-Elysees: The Parisian promenade
Aswe’ve had to postpone our travels because of the pandemic, I believe a weekly dose of travel dreaming can be good medicine. Here’s one ofmy favorite memories from Paris— a reminder of the fun that awaits us at the other end of this crisis.
I have a ritual when in Paris. I askmy cabbie to takeme around the Arc de Triomphe two times, then drop me off to stroll down the city’s grand boulevard, the Champs-Elysees.
We plunge into the grand traffic circle where a dozen venerable boulevards converge on this mightiest of triumphal arches. Like referees at gladiator camp, traffic cops are stationed at each entrance to this traffic circus, letting in bursts of eager cars.
I’m ready formy stroll on the Champs-Elysees. I like to say it out loud: shahnzaylee- zay. This grandest of boulevards is Paris at its most Parisian: sprawling sidewalks, stylish octogenarians caked in makeup, concept cars glimmering in showroom windows, and pastel macarons in grand cafes.
Paris’ characteristic love of strolling (a stately paced triathlon ofwalking, window-shopping, and highprofile sipping) dates from the booming 19th century, with its abundance of upper-class leisure time and cash. Donning an aristocratic air, I amble gently downhill to the immense and historic square called the Place de la Concorde. This boulevard is the country’s ultimate parade ground, where major events unfold: the Tour de France finale, BastilleDay
parades, andNewYear’s festivities.
In 1667, Louis XIV opened the first stretch of the Champs-Elysees: a short extension of the Tuileries Gardens leading to the palace at Versailles. The Champs-Elysees soon became the place to cruise in your carriage. It still is today — traffic can be jammed up even at midnight.
A century after Louis XIV, the cafe scene arrived. Cafeswere ideal for both Parisian pleasure-seekers and thinkers, conspiring to share ideas and plot revolutions. That coffee-sipping ambience survives today, amid pop-up boutiques and music megastores. Two cafes, Le Fouquet’s and
Laduree, are among the most venerable in Paris and beloved for their pastel and tasty macarons.
Until the 1960s, the boulevardwas pure Parisian elegance, lined with top-end hotels, cafes, and residences. Locals actually dressed up to stroll here. Then, in 1963, the government, wanting to pump up the neighborhood’s commercial metabolism, brought in theMetro to connect the Champs-Elyseeswith the suburbs. Suddenly, theworking class had easy access. And bam — there goes the neighborhood.
The arrival ofMcDonald’swas another shock. At first itwas allowed only white arches painted on the window. Today, the hamburger joint spills out onto the sidewalk with cafequality chairs and stylish flower boxes.
The nouvelle ChampsElysees, revitalized in 1994, has new street benches, lamps, and an army of green-suitedworkers armed with high-tech pooper scoopers. Two lanes of trafficwere traded away to make broader sidewalks. And plane trees (a kind of sycamore that thrives despite big-city pollution) provide a leafy ambience.
As I stroll, I notice the French appetite for a good time. The foyer of the famous Lido, Paris’ largest cabaret, comes with leggy photos and a perky R-rated promo video.
The nearby ClubMed building is a reminder of the French commitment to vacation. Since 1936, France’s employees, by law, have enjoyed one month of paid vacation. The French, who nowhave fiveweeks of paid vacation, make sure they have plenty of time for leisure.
On the Champ-Elysees, the shopping ends and the park begins at a big traffic circle called Rond Point. Fromhere, it’s a straight shot down the last stretch of the boulevard to Place de la Concorde. Its centerpiecewas once the bloody guillotine but is nowthe 3,300 year old Obelisk of
Luxor. Itwas shipped here from Egypt in the 1830s, a gift to the French king.
I stand in the shadowof that obelisk withmy back to the Louvre, once Europe’s grandest palace, and nowits grandest museum. Looking up this ultimate boulevard to the Arc de Triomphe, I can’t help but think of the sweep of French history … and the taste of those delightful macarons.
Rick Steves (www.rick steves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at rick@rick steves.com and follow his blog on Facebook.