The Joys of a Quiet Paris
The French capital empties out in August, but still has energy<strong>—</strong>just a different sort.
August in Paris is over, and I miss it already. The deadest month, the most quiet, the month when Parisians leave on their endless holidays and the city empties out like a resort in the off-season, only less melancholy. Traffic thins; shops close, sometimes for the entire month; restaurants shut; there are seats to be found on the metro; and in the evening, stragglers (not everyone can afford to go away) emerge from their stuffy, un-air-conditioned apartments and gather along the banks of the Seine.
In August, this uptight city unbuttons a few more buttons.
