Bet you're right, Robert. Le Monde's recent article (see below) on the "revenge" factor in vandalizing Vélibs probably won't apply in NY either, as Americans don't do the same kind of class battle. Anybody who steals a bike in NY either needs it or needs the money... They don't just dump it in the Hudson to get even with the poor sucker who might actually want to rent it.
Interesting article on the bicycle system. I somehow doubt that if the City of New York adopts a similar system as Mayor Bloomberg has suggested, that there will be discrimination against French credit cards.
Hi Irwin! I've noticed that people are much more interested in bicycles than in any other topic I write about. The most recent reaction to this one is in the NY-Paris group: http://nycfrench.ning.com/group/nycparisnyc where Alan Sommerman cites a reference to an article in Le Monde about vandalized vélib's.
Once I got FOUR letters correcting a misinterpretation I made of one of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's posters. The writers were shocked that I didn't know that in 1896 bike racers sometimes did time trials while riding in the slipstream of five-person bicycles! BTW if anyone can tell me what a five-man bike is called in either French or English, I'd love to know.
Thanks for your article. My wife and I just returned from a week in Paris which included several Velib test rides of our own. True, there are some problems with the Velib system -- a shortage of "parking places" in many areas, depending on the time and the weather, and reportedly lots of vandalism and theft -- but otherwise, what a dream of a system!! Moreover, the Paris authorities have done more than just provide bicycles, having also greatly improved the city's network of bike paths and signage, so you can easily navigate from one quartier to the next without constantly having to consult a map. Bravo!
Just started a thread to find translations for "klutz" on: http://forum.wordreference.com/index.php. You can trace thread's progress by searching the word on the site. It's a great site for people who love words, and I usually can find somebody willing to explain something I don't get. I recommend it.
Encore vous m'avez fait rigoler en lisant un conte sur la France. Ca me donne l'impression d'y etre, dans les rues de Paris; ca pourrait etre moi, le "klutz" (comment est-ce qu'on dit klutz en francais?) pour qui rien ne marche comme il faut.
I treasure your petites histoires sur la vie quotidienne, which bring real life to my --and soon my students'--understanding of what it is live in France.
All laughing aside, though, what a wonderful program the Velolib' is-- very green, healthy, and ...tres commode! (well, most of the time).
Cet article a pour but d'abord d'être amusant, de commenter la langue française, et en l'occurrence de parler des couacs qui existent avec le Vélib'. Mais pour être clair, j'adore le vélib'. Une fois qu'on apprend le système, cela est très efficace et nous rend la vie plus facile. N'hésitez pas à vous en servir!
Il y avait un article sur les "Vélibs'" dans le New York Times il y a peut-être deux ans, mais ils en ont parlé plus favorablement. Mes étudiants ont eu un autre version que le vôtre !!
Comments
Once I got FOUR letters correcting a misinterpretation I made of one of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's posters. The writers were shocked that I didn't know that in 1896 bike racers sometimes did time trials while riding in the slipstream of five-person bicycles! BTW if anyone can tell me what a five-man bike is called in either French or English, I'd love to know.
Just started a thread to find translations for "klutz" on: http://forum.wordreference.com/index.php. You can trace thread's progress by searching the word on the site. It's a great site for people who love words, and I usually can find somebody willing to explain something I don't get. I recommend it.
Encore vous m'avez fait rigoler en lisant un conte sur la France. Ca me donne l'impression d'y etre, dans les rues de Paris; ca pourrait etre moi, le "klutz" (comment est-ce qu'on dit klutz en francais?) pour qui rien ne marche comme il faut.
I treasure your petites histoires sur la vie quotidienne, which bring real life to my --and soon my students'--understanding of what it is live in France.
All laughing aside, though, what a wonderful program the Velolib' is-- very green, healthy, and ...tres commode! (well, most of the time).