Parisian nightlife mixes art, social times

Bonnie White is a senior majoring in journalism.

It’s easy to think you have truly experienced Paris after trekking to all of the major monuments, taking the quintessential pictures in front of the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre and ordering an espresso while smoking a cigarette at a sidewalk cafe. But you have not really experienced Paris until you’ve taken part in its nightlife.

Like every other major city, Paris leads a double life.

During the day it feels fresh and new, with an air of a historic president. The smell of fresh bread and the stink from the sewers wafts through the air. People in smart cars, on motorcycles and mopeds whirl by on the streets (and occasionally the sidewalk), and hordes of people rattle along underneath on the Metro as Parisians go about their work day.

It’s easy to find a bit to eat and even easier to get lost down a winding side street and meander into tiny boutiques or gardens and explore.

After the sun sets, the blaze from the street lights illuminates paths leading you around the city. The chill sinks into your skin, and the Seine sparkles with the reflections of light.

When going out at night, you have to make a decision: Either you will find something to do, get a drink, have some fun and head back on one of the last Metro trains that stop running at about 1:30 a.m., or you decide to truly embody the Parisian partygoer and stay out until the cafes re-open for breakfast along with the Metro system at about 5:30 a.m.

Often I find I just don’t have the stamina to hold out till that early in the morning, and I chose the more pricey option of finding a cab to take me home. But last Saturday being Nuit Blanche, I decided to go all out and totally embrace the Parisian nightlife.

Nuit Blanche is a yearly event that captivates the entire city. All different types of art, from projections on buildings to an opera with choreographed light-up bunnies to the making of a movie to a Patti Smith concert, take place at different points all over Paris free of charge from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. the following morning.

Bars and cafes also stay open later to serve breakfast and keep people occupied who can’t take Metro line 14, which stayed open all night to get people to and from many of the events.

Staying up, I found, wasn’t as difficult as I previously thought. Talking to French people who’ve had one too many on the street and getting around to the different sites occupied enough of my time that I was surprised how quickly 5:30 a.m. rolled around.
I started to get the feeling that only in Paris would I be able to find an event that paired art and nightlife like this. It’s no wonder why I’m so envious of their lifestyle and ability to make cultural activities fun.