Ohh Metro- Tu me manquera ! (I will miss you)

The thing that I will miss the most when I return to the US (besides the wonderful people that I met) is the Public Transportation in France.
Here is the breakdown of my commute to work:

Commute by Public Transportation:
CiteU to St-Cyr = avg 1.1h one way= tram to train to bus to work
Weekly Navigo for 5 zones= 33 Euro (50.04$)*
Upfront cost of pass (one time) = 5 Euro (7.58$)*

Pros- With Navigo- you can go anywhere in Paris with the one pass (including all the way out to the airport and all the way to Versailles- which are in the 5th zone).. Essentially- it’s like having a “Fast Pass” and being able to use fast lanes in the metro stations.
It is geared towards commuters though- as you can only purchase weekly/monthly passes at the beginning of the week/month.
You can read/write/snooze/chat on the commute..
Cons- sometimes cannot get a seat during high commute hours (rare), sometimes you do not like (the smell of) the people sitting next to you (also rare ;)

Commute by car:
22km CiteU to St-Cyr = 26 minutes estimated driving time by Google (in a perfect world)
22km= 13.67 miles
Say you drive a car that gets 21 miles/gallon-
13.67/21= .65 gallons x 2 times a day= 1.3 gallons
1.3 gallons x 8.56 $/gallon ($/gallon Paris France Apr 2008**) = 11.13x5 days a week = 55.65$ (6 days= 66.78)
Just going to work (5-6 days a week) not including other rand and weekend excursions (groceries, entertainment, etc.)
(5) 55.65$ = 36.7 Euro*
(6) 66.78$= 44.03 Euro *

Pros- “faster” when there is no traffic (summer)
Cons- more expensive to own, maintain a car (not including tickets or accidents)

*1 Euro= 1.51 USD (10 August 2008, from Citibank N.A.)
**2008 http://www.unsolvedmysteries.com/usm503658.html

Les journals gratuits! (Free Newspapers!)

This might just be my favorite thing about France…
Every weekday morning there are free newspapers for commuters outside the metro stations –Stacks and racks of “Direct Matin” or “Metro” sitting out for anyone to grab- Guys handing out “20 Minutes” - People leaving folded up papers on the train seats for the next commuter to pick up and read. Sometimes it’s difficult for commuters to get a certain paper: for me, I have to catch the train from CiteU at 7am, which is just as the “Direct Matin” van pulls up and wayyy before the “20 minutes” guys arrive :( The “Metro” is never available at my stop so I pick it up outside Montparnasse station while I am waiting for the Train to Versailles. Some people are so serious about getting one paper or another that they’ll ask their buddies to pick one up for them- I’ve seen businessmen on the train rationing out a stack of “20 Minutes” that they grabbed!!

Here is my rating of the 3 “journals gratuits” that I know exist in Paris (all are full color papers with lots of great photos for scrapbooking!!):
3. “Metro” has the most articles and is the largest of the 3 papers. However, on a crowded metro, the last thing you want to be holding is a HUGE newspaper.. Also- it is printed with ink that comes off on your hands very easily and it is les gross. Larger, more complex articles that the foreigner/ French level 2 student CANNOT read easily.
2. “Direct Matin” is magazine sized and generally easier to read than “Metro” as it has smaller articles, but it is also printed with the gross ink.
1. The best paper for foreigners in Paris is “20 Minutes”. The articles are very small and very easy to read. It is tabloid size and is printed in a semi-glossy type paper/ink complex that doesn’t come off on your hands :)