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junker-town · 7 years ago

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4 reasons why the Genesis Open should be the best PGA Tour event in years

Tiger Woods makes his first visit in 12 years to the historic Los Angeles PGA Tour event. But there’s much more to go all in on at Riviera this week.

The 2018 Masters is still 50 days away but that’s just fine because the first major championship of the men’s season begins this week.

We’re having a bit of cheeky fun, but the Genesis Open in Los Angeles is set up to be one of the most exciting PGA Tour events in years. From a hype standpoint, it has to the best on the “regular season” schedule this year. The shots still need to be hit and the stars still need to align — it could turn into a runaway bore with some name the wider sports world has never heard of winning. That happens in golf. We’re not arguing this has the stakes or importance or intensity of a major. But sitting here at the start of the week, it’s hard not to be fired up for this tournament in a way that almost approximates that of a major week.

The PGA Tour doesn’t actually run any of those major championships (if you’re a close, or even semi-close follower of golf, you know this). This is not an intuitive thing a casual sports fan would really think about often. But the majors, the events that rate the highest and are the most coveted, are actually run by four different ruling bodies. They reap all the benefits of owning and operating them, while the Tour labors week to week on events that might not get as much run (but still make plenty of cash).

Tthe PGA Tour gets its fair share of loaded weeks between The Players, the WGCs, and the FedExCup Playoffs. But after that, it can be hit-or-miss on a schedule with 49 (sure seems like a lot!) official events. You’ve got tourneys that succeed because of the market. You’ve got some that succeed because of the course. Others elbow out their competitors because of the date they fall on the calendar.

But rarely does it come together so beautifully like it has this week. Mike Antolini, the tournament director this week, knows they’ve struck gold. “When you have Riviera, you have the west coast swing, and you have the history, and you have LA and you have California in February, the stars really align.” Antolini is the VP of Championships for Tiger Woods’ foundation and his TGR Live events business, which runs and operates multiple tournaments both on and off the PGA Tour. Some of those tourneys may have to hustle and grind for a field or a venue. This is not one of those tourneys but even by Riv standards, 2018 is exceptional.

Photo by Paul Mounce/Corbis via Getty Images

The first tee at Riv, with the fans crowding on every balcony and terrace around the elevated box, is as good as it gets.

I am here being my usual cynical self wanting to find a weakness or a reason to be critical!. The stakes are lower and the majors are still off in the distance. But I also think in a way that’s what amplifies the hype — it’s mid February, the Masters is 50 days away, and the anticipation for a golf event just should not be this high. It’s come together this week, however, and here are a few reasons why.

1. Tiger

For almost two decades now, the easiest way to categorize PGA Tour events is by the very manichean designation of a “Tiger tourney” and “non-Tiger tourney.” The ones Tiger patronized were immediately elevated in stature. The fields became stronger. The cash flowed. The ratings soared. And Tiger often won.

Tiger’s schedule became mostly predictable and it created two classes over the years. You knew he’d be at Torrey Pines, Doral, Bay Hill, Memorial, Firestone etc. You knew where he wouldn’t be, too.

Riviera became one of those spots that was cast aside. Tiger has not played here since 2006. That hiatus hurt — this is arguably the best course on the schedule and it’s his “hometown event,” the place where he made his first PGA Tour start as a teen in 1992. Antolini said getting back here and serving as host “means a lot in his career legacy.”

A 16-year-old Tiger making his PGA Tour debut at Riviera in 1992.

Whether it was the date, an underwhelming track record, or a course layout and conditioning that Tiger just got uncomfortable with over the years, the Riv got dropped. But now Tiger is back after more than a decade away. His presence also deepens the field around him. Dustin Johnson, the world No. 1 and defending champ, described as only he can, how Tiger “definitely brings an aura to an event that makes it a little more special.”

Tiger is not just back at Riv, he’s back on Tour after another yearlong injury layoff. He’s made just one start so far and it resulted in a made cut and top 25 finish. The event this week could be at dirt patch against the weakest field of the year and the circumstances of this being just his second PGA Tour start in the comeback would turn the hype all the way up. But it’s not at a dirt patch, it’s at ...

2. Riviera

I am not a golf architecture expert and I certainly won’t try to fake it here. I leave that to Fried Egg Andy, Geoff Shackelford, and several other voices that are really impacting and hopefully molding the game in a positive way we may not fully appreciate right now.

But what I do know is that Riviera is a fun ass golf course. It’s fun to play if you suck. It’s fun to play if you’re good. And it’s fun to watch the absolute best take it on.

“We’re in a very fortunate position when we look at the field,” Antolini said. “Riviera is such a beloved course with the world’s best players. I mean, they love it.”

The interesting holes come one after another from a viewing perspective. There’s the coolest opening tee box view on Tour. There’s a beast of a redan par-3. There’s a donut green with a bunker in the middle of it.

Photo by Chris Condon/PGA TOUR

Rory McIlroy hits out sideways from the famous bunker in the middle of the 6th green.

There’s a short drivable par-4 with a crazy green the size of a fingernail. It’s arguably one of the four or five best par-4s in the world. There’s an awesome 18th hole amphitheater as the course marches out of a canyon and back up to the clubhouse perched above it all. The crowd there gets wild.

Even if you know nothing about architecture, you can still see the intrigue and excitement in these holes.

On the PGA Tour, we rarely get to see golden age designs with bones like this George Thomas classic. It’s got the history that most of other regular PGA Tour stops wish they had. It’s hosted majors and NCAA championships and the most prestigious amateur titles. It’s as good as it gets on the PGA Tour schedule.

3. Los Angeles

Los Angeles should be one of the most important markets in professional golf. But we just don’t come here often enough. There’s this annual stop early in the first quarter of the season, when the rest of the country is frozen, and that’s it. The two US rotating major championships have skipped out on LA, too. Riviera hosted the 1948 U.S. Open and the 1983 and 1995 PGA Championships. That’s it. The drought will come to an end in 2023, when Los Angeles Country Club opens its gates for what should be a delectable U.S. Open.

With this being the one chance LA has for men’s pro golf, every year the gallery has a little extra juice. “Outside the ropes, a lot of celebrities come and watch,” said Antolini. This week, the event overlaps with NBA All-Star weekend. It’s not going to compete with that, but it certainly adds to the circus in a town that’s already a circus. Expect to see a few of those famous NBA faces join the crowds at Riv.

This may be superfluous stuff that the golf diehards don’t care about, but anything that can add to the entertainment value and hype is a welcome addition for one week a year. It’s LA. Tiger is in town. And so are the most famous pro athletes in the country. Whatever the PGA Tour can draft off of to make this more of a show is good.

4. The Field

The field is always the ultimate draw for an event. We can talk about markets and architecture and history, but it’s the field that matters most. This is about as good a field as you could ask for in a non-major or non-WGC event. It’s got everything — the young stars, veterans, the top Americans, a distinctly beefed-up Euro and international crowd. Some names just so the point is driven home:

Tiger

Phil Mickelson

Dustin Johnson

Jordan Spieth

Rory McIlroy

Justin Thomas

Antolini hailed the LA destination as a draw for International and Euro stars to use as a starting point for stateside play and perhaps a drive toward a PGA Tour card. A crop of elite Euros that you may come to hate at the Ryder Cup in September are here:

Tommy Fleetwood

Thomas Pieters

Rafa Cabrea-Bello

Alex Noren

Martin Kaymer

This is still a small sampling of how loaded it is. Adam Scott is beginning his PGA Tour season here. Haotong Li, the first real phenom from China and one of the most important players in the game, was given an exemption just a day after he beat Rory to win in Dubai. There are up-and-coming Americans like Patrick Cantlay and reigning rookie of the year Xander Schauffele, Daniel Berger, Kevin Kisner, Matt Kuchar, and on and on.

There are the headliners for casual fans and people who usually don’t care about golf. There are the hipster talents that the diehards crave. There is something for everyone. US Ryder Cup captain Jim Furyk got an exemption and will start his year here, and it’s conceivable that 10 (or if you want to get crazy, maybe even 11) of his team members are in the field this week.

I am not some grizzled veteran golf writer, but I have been doing this for several years and it takes a lot to get me this hyped for a regular PGA Tour stop. It can go sideways and we may get little-to-no drama on the actual course. But starting out the week, we have the perfect confluence of venue, field, and Tiger that should make this Genesis Open one of the best PGA Tour events in years.

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sywtwfs · 8 years ago

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do you admins have favorite disciplines to watch?

We like watching all disciplines! ...but our bias towards singles probably shows, haha.

Don't you agree that Yuzuru Hanyu's costumes can even rival the beauty of all the females? XD

He can certainly rival the beauty of sea cabbages.

I was going back to the NHK 2016 competition and watching it again, and Karen Chen's SP was one of the beautiful ones I've seen. I don't know what you guys would think of it. To me it was amazing! I know it's the scoring system but it's frustrating!!

I love Karen’s SP too! Her international scores aren’t so great because she’s been inconsistent, but if she can improve her consistency, her scores will probably rise.

What is your opinion in the people complaining about the choked up amounts of technical elements people are stuffing into their programs? Do you agree and miss the old skate, or do you not have a preference? Or neither?

Loaded question. I prefer quality over quantity. Increasing difficulty just to rack up points while ignoring other parts of skating doesn’t sit well with me. But there are top skaters who have both high technical ability and are strong in other areas as well. We’ll have to wait and see how it all develops over the next few years. And even in the past, when technical content was easier, skaters were still making mistakes, they weren’t skating clean all the time.

hiiii how can i identify the jumps? i mean, i know the difference between the jumps, which jumps use the outside edge or inside edge,but it's just,,,, idk,,,, a bit confusing??? like i cant really see what kind of jump the skaters do during their routines, everything just happens so quickly and before i know it the jump is over and i have no idea what the jump is until the commentators say it.,, also it's difficult for me to ditinguish between doubles/triples or triples/quads i'm confused????

It will become easier with time, as you watch more skating. Don’t worry if it takes you a long time before you can identify jumps. Check out some of the tips for identifying jumps in our jumps tag; we’ve gotten asks like this before. Main thing is not to focus on the small details at first, like edges, but to become familiar with the general setup and “feel” of the jump.

Hi, do you think you can explain what a "difficult entry" into a jump is? I've watched Yuzu's triple axles, and the commentators always say he has a difficult entry into the jump, but I don't understand what that means?

Yuzuru does his 3A from a counter, which is very difficult because it means he doesn’t have as much speed going in. He goes backwards, then turns forwards straight into the jump. Most skaters glide forward on one foot for a while when going into their 3A. “Difficult entries” generally mean doing steps into a jump, or moves in the field. (Follow those links for examples.)

Can you share when / where the summer 2017 Japan shows will be? Thank you. :)

Most of them haven’t been announced yet. We’ll make a post for summer shows later this season.

Do you happen to know if there are female skater doing hydroblading? If there are any, what programs?

First one that pops into mind is Akiko Suzuki’s Kill Bill program, where she does a variation on a hydroblade. Miki Ando has done hydroblades before. And the move was originally popularized by Shae-Lynn Bourne and Victor Kraatz in ice dance. There are more, I just can’t remember right now.

This is one my first time watching Mae Berenice Meite at Euro Champs, she has the technical content but I'm wondering why you don't think she gets the PCS despite having really nice edges? Has she not been that consistent?

I wouldn’t say Mae has particularly good skating skills, and that might hurt her PCS a bit. But mainly it’s because she’s not very consistent, and it seems that the judges don’t appreciate her style.

Hi! I've seen that after US nationals a lot of people have been saying that Nathan Chen is going to win 4C, the Worlds and even the Olympics. What do you think about that?

I think half those people are probably saying it tongue-in-cheek, in which case, please continue, and the other half that are serious should sit down and stop jinxing Nathan, because literally anything can happen in this sport.

I might be a bit too early for it but do you have any link to the ladies sp from today? I couldn't watch it because of school but I really was looking forward to it and now I'm slightly sad (but also used to it) because I couldn't manage to watch it.

This Youtube channel has uploaded many videos from Euros!

#anonymous #replies

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biofunmy · 6 years ago

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A Fiat Chrysler-Renault Merger Would Put Nissan in a Bind

When Japanese police officers surrounded Carlos Ghosn’s Gulfstream jet last November and packed him off to a Tokyo jail, they unwittingly provoked a seismic realignment of the global auto industry.

Mr. Ghosn’s sudden fall set off a chain of events that, this month, prompted Renault’s chairman, Jean-Dominique Senard, and John Elkann, the Fiat Chrysler chairman, to jump on their mobile phones and entertain a crazy idea: a deal to create the world’s third-largest automaker, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions. After a flurry of phone calls and meetings between the two men over several weeks, Fiat Chrysler formally asked Renault to merge on Monday.

If the deal goes forward, the combined Renault and Fiat Chrysler would elbow past General Motors in car sales and create a new challenger to Volkswagen and Toyota, the global leaders. And if Fiat Chrysler and Renault can patch up strained relations with Nissan, with which the French company has a formal alliance, the three would be de facto the biggest car manufacturer in the world by a wide margin and might force other large automakers to rethink their strategies.

Whether this industry-changing behemoth ever takes shape, though, may depend on what was likely to be a tense meeting Tuesday, which will continue on Wednesday, in Tokyo between Mr. Senard and Hiroto Saikawa, the Nissan chief executive.

Without Nissan, Fiat Chrysler and Renault would be a big but far less formidable competitor, heavily exposed to the lackluster European economy and lacking any significant presence in China, which has become the world’s biggest car market.

But Nissan’s management has previously rejected Renault’s appeals for a closer partnership, and even a merger.

Renault executives kept Mr. Saikawa in the dark about their talks with Fiat Chrysler until days before the deal was announced, according to multiple people with knowledge of the talks. The slight could only have aggravated relations already strained after Mr. Ghosn’s arrest revealed deep differences about the future course of the Renault Nissan Alliance, which also includes Mitsubishi.

The Europeans were secretive because they worried that the Japanese might feel threatened and try to interfere by leaking the details to government officials or the press, according to a person with knowledge of their thinking.

That was hardly a show of trust between companies that until recently were held up as a model of cross-cultural cooperation, an example of how carmakers can acquire the size and geographical breadth they need to survive while retaining their own identities.

“It speaks volumes about the relationship,” said Michelle Krebs, a senior analyst at AutoTrader. “How are you going to make all this work when there are such bad feelings?”

The companies say they want to continue to work together. But the lack of communication is inauspicious for an undertaking that, with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles in the mix, would be a hybrid of Japanese, American, French and Italian corporate cultures. Any two of those would be tough enough.

“If you add F.C.A., there will be a power struggle,” said Yoshio Tsukuda, an auto industry analyst at the Tsukuda Mobility Research Institute.

With the proposed Fiat-Renault deal in hand, Mr. Senard arrived in Tokyo this week with a lot more clout than the last time the partners met, in April. Nissan, on the other hand, is weakened after it reported less profit than Renault for the first time in a decade.

But Nissan is wary of the Renault-Fiat merger, according to a person familiar with the company’s thinking.

After Mr. Ghosn’s ouster on charges of financial misconduct, which he denies, Mr. Saikawa complained about what he saw as Renault’s unfair dominance of the alliance. Renault owns 43 percent of Nissan. But Mr. Saikawa argued that the Japanese company sells far more cars: 5.5 million in its last fiscal year compared with fewer than four million for Renault.

With Fiat Chrysler on its side, Renault would become an even more overbearing partner. Fiat and Renault had combined sales last year of 8.7 million vehicles. And Mr. Senard and Mr. Elkann, a scion of the Agnelli family, which has controlled Fiat for more than a century, have much in common.

Though Mr. Senard, 66, formerly the head of the tire maker Michelin, is Mr. Elkann’s elder by over two decades, both are products of elite European universities and speak French with each other. They have known each other for many years. There is no such bonhomie with Mr. Saikawa.

The deal with Fiat Chrysler also sets up a turf battle in the United States that will be difficult for Nissan to win. Renault and Nissan largely stayed out of each other’s way in the two decades since they formed an alliance. Renault concentrated on Europe, Russia, the Middle East and Africa; Nissan focused on Asia and the United States. They bought parts together and shared the cost of developing new models, with their savings topping billions of dollars.

But Fiat Chrysler and Nissan are in a war of attrition in the sagging American market, where both are heavily discounting their vehicles to get them off the lots and selling to rental fleets, which is less profitable than selling to consumers.

“Previously Renault and Nissan were kind of complementary in their geographic coverage,” said Christopher Richter, an auto industry analyst at CLSA, a research firm. “Now you’ve introduced a new maker who is very big in the U.S., which is one of Nissan’s core markets, and Nissan is competitive with Chrysler in the U.S., so that’s another problem to solve.”

After the arrest and ouster of Mr. Ghosn it became obvious how much the alliance depended on his personality and limitless self-confidence.

By the time Mr. Senard took over in January, relations had seriously deteriorated. He tried to smooth things over, still hoping — like Mr. Ghosn — to eventually create a closer alliance, maybe even a single company.

Mr. Senard spoke with Mr. Saikawa regularly, according to a person familiar with their interactions. They created a new leadership board for the Renault Nissan Alliance in March that gives equal weight to the Japanese side of the partnership.

To soothe Japanese sensibilities, Mr. Senard insisted that there was no rush to revive talks about strengthening the alliance, at least until the leadership vacuum left by Mr. Ghosn was filled.

Privately, Renault executives were increasingly concerned about Nissan’s flagging financial performance. Nissan had regularly contributed about 2 billion euros, or $2.2 billion, annually to the alliance. But Nissan cut its profit forecast in February, citing difficulties in the United States and Europe.

Soon after the new leadership board’s first meeting in Paris in April, in which Mr. Saikawa and executives of Nissan and Mitsubishi were wined and dined at a dinner atop Renault’s flagship showroom on the Champs-Élysées, tensions flared.

Mr. Senard had put together what advisers said was an informal proposal to merge with Nissan under a holding company. The plan was drafted in secret, but almost immediately leaked to the Japanese news media. Nissan angrily rebuffed the idea.

Mr. Senard was taken off guard by the leaks and saw them as a serious breach of trust, according to a person with knowledge of his thinking.

The leaks help explain why no one told Nissan about the talks with Fiat Chrysler. At the same time, Fiat Chrysler hoped to avoid alienating the Japanese, who were seen as essential partners.

Mr. Senard and Mr. Elkann had already spoken informally about the idea of a tie-up, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. Fiat Chrysler had been more or less openly looking for a merger partner for several years, and Mr. Elkann was eager to move ahead.

But the discussions accelerated in early May after Nissan issued a profit warning, a further sign of its financial distress. Speaking often by mobile phone, and with the discreet approval of the French government — which is Renault’s largest shareholder — Mr. Senard and Mr. Elkann hammered out a deal within a month.

From the French perspective, linking with Fiat Chrysler presented a chance to increase Renault’s international reach. A merger would also reinforce Renault’s balance sheet, which was looking bleak because of Nissan’s flagging profits.

A deal with Fiat would bring immediate cash to help weather a downturn in the European car market. Renault and Fiat Chrysler could also save billions by buying supplies and components together and sharing the cost of developing new technologies.

In some respects, Nissan would be getting what it wanted, too. Mr. Senard will no longer press the idea of a merger with the Japanese automaker, according to three people with knowledge of the situation.

The deal would reduce French government influence over Renault, long a sore point with the Japanese. And because the new company would be based in the Netherlands, Nissan could exercise voting rights it has been denied under French law.

But for Nissan, the episode is also a lesson in being careful what you wish for. The company would be left with markedly less influence in an alliance it probably can’t survive without.

“At the end of the day,” said Koji Endo, an auto analyst at SBI Securities in Japan, “I think Nissan has no choice but to say yes.”

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touristguidebuzz · 8 years ago

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How to Visit Paris on a College Budget

Whether you’re a student studying abroad, or simply an avid TPG reader who’s taken advantage of one of those amazing fare sales to Europe we’ve been seeing recently, Paris is a hot destination. Between the flights, hotels and transportation around the city — oh, and don’t forget the food and drinks — costs can add up pretty quickly. Here, I’ll share several tricks I used while I was studying in Paris for 10 weeks that helped me make sure I was able to do everything I wanted without breaking the bank, as well as a few places that are definitely worth your money.

Start Saving as Soon as You Arrive in Paris

Paris has one of the most thorough subway systems of any major city. 16 Metro lines connect to five RER commuter lines and nine light-rail tram lines, making every block of the city easily accessible via public transit. The paper tickets you can buy at any station are easy to lose and confusingly priced, but if you plan ahead and order a Navigo Pass, you’ll watch your savings rack up — you can put an unlimited one-week pass on this plastic, chip-enabled card for just 22.15 euros (~$23). As a point of comparison, my friend who didn’t have a Navigo Pass spent more than 40 euros (~$42) on Metro tickets over the course of the five days he was there. Just don’t forget that trains stop running around 1:00am, so make sure you have a plan to get home if you’re staying out late, or else you’ll end up emptying your wallet for a cab! And if you do use the paper tickets, don’t toss them out once you’re past the turnstiles — some stations require you to use them to leave as well as enter.

With 30 lines to choose from, you’ll find zipping around Paris to be quite convenient. Image courtesy of the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens.

Meet the Store That Made Coming Back to the US Nearly Impossible

Fancy meals are fun, and you should take every opportunity to try the exquisite Parisian cuisine. But that doesn’t mean you need to spend big every time you get hungry. Enter Lidl, the German grocery chain that turned into my second home during my study-abroad program in Paris. The ability to buy a week’s worth of groceries for the equivalent of $25 was amazing, but I was usually content to pick up a fresh baguette and a few pastries for about 50 cents each, maybe a one-euro (~$1) bottle of wine and call it a day. It gets the job done, and you’ll learn pretty quickly that there’s no such thing as bad bread in Paris.

Stay tuned: European discount grocery chain Lidl is set to open its first US location in 2018. Let’s just pray they bring the baguettes with them. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

Why Spend $50 on a Steak When You Can Spend $20 for Two?

People give me a funny look when I tell them that my favorite steak place in the world is a Parisian chain restaurant with only one item on the menu, steak frites. But how much do I love Le Relais de l’Entrecote? Enough that I went back to Paris this summer just for a steak — or at least that’s what I told my waitress. Sometimes the best food is the simplest. You walk in, sit down and the server will simply ask you how you want it cooked. There are no menus to distract you, just a wine list — I highly recommend the Relais house label — service is faster than you can imagine and they’ll break out a glorious plate of steak frites covered in a delicious green butter sauce. Wonderful, right?

Sorry to spoil the surprise, but just when you think it’s done, there’s more. Instead of clearing your empty plate, the waitress will bring out the second half of the steak that they’ve been keeping warm for you back in the kitchen. That’s right, 20 euros buys you two full steak dinners for the price of one. Want a drink after dinner? Of course you do, it’s Paris! While it may not be the cheapest place around, stop by La Coupole right across the street from Le Relais de l’Entrecote on Boulevard Montparnasse. Over the years, this bar-turned-restaurant has served as a watering hole for some of the most famous European writers and artists of all time, including Albert Camus, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and Jean-Paul Sartre, to name a few.

Meet the Green Fairy

And speaking of famous European artists… So poorly understood by those who’ve never tried it — thanks to the fact that it was long illegal in the US and much of Europe — absinthe is more readily available in Paris. While many places will tout their absinthe cocktails, it’s best experienced by itself. Only a handful of bars serve it the correct way, with a slotted spoon and sugar cube cradled under a tediously slow drip of ice water to create the perfect drink. A few blocks from the Bastille metro stop in the heart of one of the city’s best bar districts, Le Fee Verte will give you the authentic experience you deserve — you can even grab a quick dinner at any of the nearby restaurants and keep hopping around the neighborhood if you’d like. This is the perfect place to start or end your night, or else makes a great stop in the middle of it.

What do Marilyn Manson, Oscar Wilde, and Vincent van Gogh all have in common? A deep, deep, deep love of absinthe. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

The Champ De Mars Will Entertain You for Free

I don’t blame you if you’re standing at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower thinking, “What could I possibly do to save money here?” Aside from scoring a student discount, for which you’d need either an EU passport or a Parisian student ID, there’s not much to it other than buying your ticket and going up to the top. But less than 100 feet from one of the largest tourist traps in the world is my favorite spot in the city. Grab a bottle of wine and a blanket and find a spot on the giant National Mall-like grassy field that stretches southeast from the tower (i.e., the Champ de Mars). Here’s the trick: Dozens of vendors will be wandering around selling wine and beer, and while a 10-euro (~$10) bottle of French wine might sound like a steal to an American tourist, it’s a blatant ripoff in Paris — you can stop by a Lidl store (mentioned above) before you go, or really any other grocery store, and buy 10 bottles for the same price (although if you’re going to do that, I’d suggest sharing).

I’ll take this view over the one from the top any day. Image courtesy of Shutterstock.

No Trip to Paris Would Be Complete Without a Crepe

Or a galette, if you prefer savory to sweet. While there are hundreds of stands ands carts making fresh crepes around the city, the best one I’ve ever had is from a little place housed under a small, nondescript brown awning right next to the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris. (If you’ve ever studied in Paris, you’ll be familiar with this collection of international dorms that provide cheap housing to foreign students, and if you haven’t, it’s three stops on the RER B line from the Luxembourg Gardens.)

What really sets these crepes apart is the people who make them. Grab a steaming cup of spiced tea on the house while you wait for your food, and strike up a conversation. Over the 10 weeks that I was fortunate enough to live right next to this stand, I watched the owners help a man fix his bike after it was hit by a car, assist my friend in replacing his phone after it was stolen and find complete strangers places to stay during their travels throughout Europe. It’s easy to see how genuine they are, which is why when I was lucky enough to go back to Paris this summer, my first point of business off the plane — yes, at 8:00am — was a crepe there. Once you grab your food, walk back across the street and check out Parc Montsouris behind the train station. It’s an incredibly underrated patch of greenery, complete with running tracks, a beautiful pond, and plenty of space to relax and step back from the hustle and bustle of the city, if only for a minute.

Do Me a Favor, Would You?

I have a pretty convoluted relationship with the city of Paris. While my program was eye-opening in ways I’m still only beginning to understand, it also coincided with one of the worst terrorist attacks Europe has ever seen. When it was time for me to come home just a few weeks later, the city was still in a state of limbo and I didn’t know if things were going to return to normal or if fear and hatred would fill the void. And while time has done wonders to heal the physical and emotional wounds that were inflicted that day, there’s still a long way to go. So whether this is your first time visiting this magical city, or like me, it feels more like you’re going home than going on vacation, go out of your way to spread some kindness. Do a good deed, help a stranger, buy a homeless child a meal. The city needs more love, and so does the world.

Do you have any tips for saving money in Paris? Let us know, below.

Featured image courtesy of AleksandarNakic via Getty Images.

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