Une Carte de Paris

What is a trip to Paris without a map? Probably full of adventure and surprise! I probably won't really NEED to have a map of Paris when I get there, as I will be traveling as part of an escorted tour and when I venture away from the group, I don't want to look like a total tourist. But before I get there, I want to know where things are situated. So off I went to Barnes and Noble, to browse ("Je regarde," - I'm just looking!) at the handy, dandy guidebooks in the travel section. You know, the guidebooks that list all the restaurants and hotels in a given city, with however many $$$$s apply, and where one should go to lodge or dine on the cheap, etc. There were so many cumbersome choices - from Fodor's to Rick Steves Europe. I even found a spiral bound tour guide from AAA. Which would be best? What I needed was a map. Not a regular map. The tour group planner already sent me one of those. So boring and full of advertisements, very practical and useful for most travelers. But I wanted a FUN map. One with pictures! Does such a map of Paris exist? I kept looking ...

Viola - I found it! "MapEasy's Guidemap to Paris: A location map and guidebook in one! Waterproof & tear resistant. The unique, easy-to-use guide to Paris." Hand-drawn by an illustrator with an ink pen and colored pencils! Not only that, "MapEasy accepts no advertising or fees." And they offer an interactive index and city information portal online at mapeasy.com

I opened the map to its fullest and within minutes found where the hotel I will be staying at is located. I spread the map out on the carpet floor and poured over it like a kid with a Christmas catalog, imagining how I'd walk here or there, take the Metro to such and such arrondissement, and have no fear - this map is not without a keyed "legend" showing restaurants (and their appropriate $$$$ designations), retail shops, and so forth. It's fun to look at AND informative, this new map of mine.

So until Paris ...

Only five months and five days to go!