Ne manquez pas le dernier métro!

I have a love/hate relationship with the public transportation system in Paris.

It hasn't ceased to amaze me that if you're in the central area of Paris, there's bound to be a metro stop a few blocks away. Hopefully you've bought the Paris Moleskin, a discreet alternative to a gigantic folding map, and can whip it out to find your present location. Quickly identify the closest M, and you'll be there in about five minutes (no promises if you're directionally challenged, accident prone, or a poky little puppy). There are 16 lines, distinctly numbered and colored, and 300 stations. Here's what the map looks like: http://www.aparisguide.com/maps/metro.htm. In St. Louis, if I just miss the MetroLink, I could be looking at a 19 minute wait for the next one. In Paris, 2-5 minutes is standard.

In the month that I've been here, I've taken the bus only two or three times, mainly because the metro is simpler. But it seems very adequate, and one of its big selling points is that you don't have to descend underground at all.

The Passe Navigo is a little card of wonder. It works on the buses, metros, and even with the Velib bike rental system. I feel like such a local when I brush past the tourists fumbling around for their tickets, and haughtily pass my bag over the magic card reader, barely having to slow down.

However...

Why oh WHY does the metro not run at all between 2 and 5:30 am on the weekends??? And stops around 12:30 on weekdays? After an evening of salsa dancing on a boat last Tuesday, I sprinted through the maze of the Gare de Lyon metro stop to try to make the last metro. A minute too late - I walked home.  Considering how many Parisian establishments/events close/end during that dark period, and how many people are still out enjoying the nightlife, it just doesn't make sense. I'm not saying they need to run every 2 minutes, but come on, every 10? Even 15? To save us from paying too many euros for a taxi, or walking too many miles in the middle of the night? The Noctilien (night bus) is sometimes better than nothing, but its service is very limited and its crowd somewhat sketchy.

People on the metro: business men and women, school kids, gorgeous models, mumbling drunkards, and everyone imaginable in between. I don't think Nicolas Sarkozy travels underground very often, but for the majority of the city, it's a completely natural and convenient mode of transport. When a system works, people use it.

My long commutes have become much more enjoyable once I took a cue from the Parisians and started bringing my iPod along. Other popular activities to pass the time: reading the paper, doing last-minute homework, examining the hangnails of those grasping the pole in front of me, or playing "find the most attractive guy in this car" (subtly, of course). But no eye contact. If if such contact accidentally occurs, absolutely no smiling!!! Smiling at strangers in Paris can mean one of three things: you are crazy, you are interested in romantic affairs, or you are a clueless tourist from the American Midwest. Smiling at strangers in the Paris metro probably means you are all three of those things.

So, overall, I'm happy with the transportation system here. It's aggravating at times, smelly, too hot. But for the most part it beats the stress of driving and gets you where you need to go.