Clubbing and Pubbing

Though I have been diligently following my studies and working very hard towards my degree in Commercial French Studies, I have had the infrequent opportunity to attend a few of the hotspots for nightlife here in Paris. Being used to the nightlife in campustown Champaign, I found these hotspots very different from what I am used to and noteworthy enough for a post.

Le Mix
It was a Thursday night, and I had finished my homework and was feeling rested from the gratuitous amounts of sleep I had been getting. The IPP students were abuzz about a club in town that did not charge cover for International Students. I had not yet been there, but a few students decided to attend the previous week, and this past week I decided to join them. The club was called Le Mix and was found just under the Tower of Montparnasse, the only skyscraper that pierces the Southern Parisian skyline.

After a short rendez-vous with a few of my female companions (essential for a night out in Paris to get into the best clubs), and a bottle of wine, we headed to Le Mix for a night of fun and fiascos. Upon arriving to la Place de Montparnasse, I expected to see a small pub like club set into the buildings along the side of the road much like the other cafes and pubs are set. But, much to my surprise, a line of 200-300 people had amassed in front of this one establishment. Alas, it was Le Mix. Turns out there were a few more International Students in Paris than I had previously estimated. After taking our spots at the back of the line, my female companions were craftily able to "do cuttsies" into a more favorable position in the queue, and I joined. After a short wait of 20 minutes and a brief hustle by security, we were able to enter with a flash of our "Cartes d'etudiante" (student cards).

Inside Le Mix is a massive club. I've never been to the downtown Chicago bars, but I'm assuming they look something like this. 3 Levels: the first, a massive dance floor two drink bars on either wing and one bathroom next to one of the drink bars. The second and third floors were relatively similar, with some seating and a private part occupying one of the sections on the second. I believe their was a fourth floor, but unfortunately I was not VIP enough on this night to attend this private party.

The music was loud, the lights flashed different colors, and there had to be around 500 people in this one place, mostly International students and Parisian locals looking to prey on unsuspecting International students. Kindly enough, the establishment was willing to provide "gratuitement" small stickers for international students to wear that diplayed the flag of their country of origin. I proudly displayed the the stars and stripes for a while, but the sticker was unable to hang onto my shirt through the chaos.

All in all the night was fun and entertaining. It was very interesting to see the different students from different countries that indicated to me that Paris is a hotspot for youths around the world. It's reassuring that I am not alone in my love for this city.

Carrs
The next night was Friday and more terror was to be wrought on this quant ville located in the Central Northern part of France. Some brief escapades with the Turkish Delights preceeded our bar of choice for the night involving an offer for some "sniff" (which we respectfully declined), a delightful pizza place resembling the Antonio's of Champaign, and a solo head in a plaza in front of a large church. After we had amused ourselves with these little surprises and, of course, finished our bottles of wine, we proceeded to the small pub known as Carrs.

This bar is in deep contrast to Le Mix, for it is an Irish Pub more than a crazy international dance fest. Most of the people and the personnel in the pub spoke English, which was refreshing to those of us who tire of fighting with comprehension day in and day out. What was not so refreshing was the price of the beer at this establishment. 7 Euros for a draft. I have indeed been spoiled by the cheap prices of beer the past 2-4 years and not terribly excited about the price. However, a friend of Lauren's, a British fellow by the name of Alec, was kind enough to buy the first round and introduce us to the bartender, which is always a plus anywhere in a bar.

We sat down and started to converse with Alec and his friends, a few of which were from France. After they left, Alec gave me an indepth analysis of the game of Rugby, which I had always enjoyed but never fully understood. And though I was slightly inebriated, I still comprehend more of the game than I did. Cheers to Alec for that.

After a few free shots from the bartender and another round, the ambiance of Carrs had become delightfully quaint to me and I began to appreciate the subtleties of a small pub atmosphere, much as I had back in the States. Just goes to show that loud music and sweaty dancing isn't the only type of fun that one can have here in the great city of Paris.

So, in summary, during those two nights I was able to see the two extremes of the Parisian nightlife, the crazy clubbing and the mild-mannered pubbing. What I am very much looking forward to now is discovering what there's left to explore in the middle.

A la prochaine,

Justin