I'm jet lagged, glad to be home, and my head is full of Europe. Every time I leave the USA I think almost constantly about my own country, comparing and contrasting it to this new place I am in.

On this trip to Paris I was overwhelmed by the user- friendliness of being a pedestrian in a big city. We rented an apartment in the heart of the Latin Quarter. Stepping out of our place we were immediately on the street among thousands of people, all going about their business. They are mostly young, all of them thin.

For the two weeks we were there, we walked almost everywhere we wanted to go. At every intersection of even the tiniest alleys and streets, there are zebra stripes in the street. All vehicular traffic stops at these for pedestrians. As well, there are little green 'running man' lights at every intersection. The pedestrians stop when the 'red man' sign shows, letting the cars go by. A pedestrian never has to wait long for the 'green man' sign. It is very clear to all that the pedestrian is king here, no matter what. Parisians respect each other, whether they are in cars or on foot.
People are on the street at all hours of the day and night. Parisians love their streets! They love to shop and look in the store windows and eat at the sidewalk cafes. They buy chocolates and bread, walk their dogs and push children in strollers. They demonstrate for causes and they listen to the public music of swing bands in the squares and in the public transportation. And they respect the rights and spaces of each other in a crowded city.

The sidewalks are mostly spacious, the intersections well thought out. Early every morning street cleaners go out and open the water hydrants. They get out their stiff brooms and clean the sidewalks and gutters. Then the mechanical street sweepers come through to suck up left over debris. By the time the early morning people come out to buy their papers and fresh pastries for breakfast, the ancient streets are pristinely clean of last night's left-overs, dog do, and remnants of revelry.

Gas has always been expensive, so there are no gas guzzler cars to be seen. There is even a tiny car, the 'smart car', no bigger than an easy chair, one sees everywhere.

The public transportation system is truly wonderful to American eyes. It was easy to get anywhere on the trains; everything was clearly signed and if there was any confusion one could ask the people behind the ticket desks.

All this accessible pedestrian life seemed somewhat closed to the physically challenged. It was assumed that anyone could walk up or down long staircases, a large lack in an otherwise almost perfect system. American cities could learn from the French.