What is an Arrondissement?

An arron-WHAT? Yes, an arrondissement. Paris has 20 of them. It is how the city is organized. I know what you're thinking, "Lauren I really don't care why are you telling me this?" Well, read on.

Before I left, I was talking with a previous professor of mine who spent quite a bit of time in Paris and southern France many moons ago. He said that while he was in Paris, he explored the city by arrondissement, and I was like, "Hey that sounds like a great idea!" and now here we are. So I am going to start exploring and blogging about each arrondissement. I'm pretty sure by the end of my time here, you're going to be ready to pack your bags for Paris and you'll be like, "OH MAN I'm so happy Lauren blogged so much I feel even more prepared for this fabulous impending trip!" 

What are those letters next to the numbers? Well we say "First" (1st), "Second" (2nd), and so on. The French say Premier (1er), Deuxième (2e), etc.

Fun Arrondissement Facts (FAFs, if you will): (with pictures, to keep things interesting)

1. The arrondissements form a clockwise spiral around the center of the city. (reference above map)

2. Paris is also divided in 2 sections - the Right Bank (La Rive Droite) and the Left Bank (La Rive Gauche). The Seine is the river that runs through Paris... and everything above the Seine is the Right Bank and everything below is the Left Bank. In the above map, the Right is yellow + Left is blue.

Sidenote: The Right Bank is known for its upper-echelon air of sophistication, class, and elegance, while the Left is known for its bohemian roots and creative, scholarly atmosphere. The Left is home to writers, artists, and philosophers of Paris's past. Some of our most celebrated American authors made their homes here - Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Gertrude Stein among others. I'm a big fan of Ernie and F. Scott, so I will be nerding out in some of their haunts later this year.

Beautiful life.

3. Paris's zip codes indicate their respective arrondissement with the last two digits (75001 to 75020). I live in the 14th, so my zip code is 75014. Get it? Good. I'm more than happy to give out the rest of my address if you promise to send me treats.

4. Each arrondissement is split up into 4 quarters for further municipal organization. If you're really that interested, click here. Disclaimer: it's not that interesting, I'd advise you to continue reading this FASCINATING post instead.

Pop quiz: Which arrondissement are we in?

5. Walking around Paris and are just DYING to know what arrondissement you're in? Look no further than the street sign (example above). However, not all of them have this... and the tricky part is finding the $!*@#$! sign in the first place. (I know, a little intense, but it's stressful when you're going for a run and you get lost and are trying to run while also looking for the street sign while also - unsuccessfully - trying not to look like a moron. This hasn't happened to me... I'm speaking for uhh.. a friend.)

6. You can buy a book that divides Paris by its arrondissements! Necessary for a week long trip? Absolutely not. Spend your money on crepes instead. But if you are coming here for an extended amount of time, or are planning on blogging about each arrondissement, it miiiiiiight be helpful.

Pont Neuf

Okay, really how many fun facts about arrondissements can there be? These aren't even that fun, but you're talking to an architecture student with a fascination for cities, culture, and a little bit o' history. So, that's what ya get!

We stumbled upon this little gardening expo earlier last month. The expo was interesting, I don't remember if I meant to catch that embrace or not, but it definitely makes the picture.

The 1st Arrondissement is up next!

xo L