Left Bank living

Paris like many other major cities is composed of many different neighborhoods all with their own distinct personality. The area where my school is situated, la rive gauche, was traditionally associated with a more bohemian lifestyle, but has since been transformed into a breeding ground for the white upper-middle class. Regardless, the 5th through 7th arrondisements are considered to be the birthplace of modern post-war existentialism. Some of the greatest French philosophers have made their home in this particular area including Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir who used to meet regularly at the famed Café Flore. Right across the street is les Deux Magots, another famous café that has counted Ernest Hemingway, Albert Camus, and Pablo Picasso among its most loyal patrons. While I’ll admit I feel like a pretentious tourist sipping espresso and reading The Stranger, I cannot help but feel inspired by the profound scope of intellectual discourse that this street has seen. Some of the 20th centuries’ greatest academics and artists have sat in these very chairs. I suppose that’s what gives the café license to charge 18 euros for a salade. Merde.