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Grandeur and ordinary life coexist without contradiction in Paris. Haussmann boulevards lead to quiet residential streets; palace hotels overlook cafés where locals stop for an espresso before work. The Parisian experience changes entirely depending on what someone seeks from it — couture appointments and Michelin-starred dining rooms for one traveler, bookstores and neighborhood markets along the Seine for another.
Few cities accommodate both with equal ease, and few reward return visits as completely: a traveler who knows Saint-Germain may find the Marais entirely unfamiliar. Paris rarely performs for visitors, and that is part of what continues to make it compelling.
