Finding 'Bill' in the Metropole, Instead of Looking

Looking for Pins in a Haystack; How to Fix a Rendez-Vous

- You, "You know metro stop Edgar Quinet? In the fourteenth, near Montparnasse."

- The 'Bill,' "No, but I've got it here; where should we meet?"

- You, "The metro sortie faces the 'Tour Montparnasse,' you can't miss it. There's four bars there. I'll meet you in front of the 'Petite Rotonde;' it's the first on your right as you come out of the metro."

Most of the time in Paris, in the winter at least, the weather is lousy. It can be plain lousy - grey overcast - or really rotten lousy: windy, cold-damp, rainy, sleet, and at worst: freezing rain. To be on the safe side, if you have fixed an outdoor meet, there should be a 'fall-back' to some place inside. Another reason to do this, is that either one of you will most likely be late.

There are just too many variables in a place like Paris to be anyplace on time. The students are on strike at Nanterre; the train drivers are on strike on RER Line 'B,' or you get on the wrong metro and end up heading towards St Cloud, or you are daydreaming underground and you ride past Edgar Quinet and it's Porte de Vanves before you realize - it could be anything, even a combination of mistakes - and you are late.

Little parks like this one in the rue des Blancs Manteaux are good rendez-vous spots, although not in winter.

Between the weather and time, you have to have a 'fall-back.' In this case, you say, "Don't go in the 'Petite Rotonde,' go to the 'Odessa' instead, because it has a better view," or some other interesting peculiarity.

- The 'Bill,' "How do you spell that?"

- You, "Like in Russia; O - D - E - S - S - A."

Now this should be foolproof. You don't have to care where 'Bill' is coming from, and if he's late, you've picked the 'Odessa' because you see nicer skirts, or guys, or poodles - whatever your fancy, walk down the rue d'Odessa than say, down the rue Montparnasse. In fact, it might be nice to spend the some time there, until you're supposed to meet 'Julie' on the steps of - uh oh - that freezing rain has started - on the always windy steps of the Grande Arche out at the La Defense. Ooh... You forgot the 'fall-back' for that.

The worst situation is when the meet is with someone who doesn't know Paris at all; on arrival for example. People who get as far of the outskirts of Paris are usually determined to get 'into' it. That's okay, just so long as you can get them to fix themselves to a 'spot.'

Corinne of the left and Joel on the right are nice, but don't make any rendez-vous' with the Bill in the middle.

At the airports, there are usually these 'meeting points,' -'point de rencontre,' and these will do. Better, is to get there before arrival so you can get placed right dead-smack in front of the exit from the no-zone to reduce the 'lost-visitor' possibility to zero. The trains are harder because there is a quai and it is pretty wide and if everybody gets off at once, this flood of people come past - that's how I missed Fritzl at Gare de l'Est last Easter - I think. The 'Pros' hold up signs; but if you do that too, 35 people from 'Nebelfleiger Reisen' may drop on you. A 'recognition' bit of clothing is a good thing to have 'fixed' in advance for this type of meet. "I'm wearing my Batman cape."

From the visitor's point of view, things are reversed a bit. If you are to be met, stay at the place agreed to. Please. At worst, if you 'have to go...' leave this point, either go back to it, or go to the 'point de rencontre,' or back and forth between the two. Do not take a walk, taxi, bus, or train to anyplace else. Please.

Arriving by automobile is the most difficult of all. As a visitor, if you can't find the Paris address you're looking for, the simplest thing to do is find a public underground parking garage, park in it, save the ticket, note the location of the car and the garage, and go to a nice calm cafe, and have a couple of drinks before phoning for a pilot. (Tip of the year: be sure to have a France Telecom 'Phone Card;' few public phones take cash.) Do not leave this cafe. Please.

Although not close to any metro stop or bus line, La Palette in the Quartier Latin is a good place for a rendez-vous, or just waiting for one to happen.

And if you are looking for somebody in the suburbs of Paris, the rule is pretty much the same. Note the street name, and the locality of course; then go in a cafe and phone for a pilot. If there is no cafe, stay by the phone booth.

Please do not park in the Parly II mall parking lot, phone, and say you are on the street outside, Charles de Gaulle.

Since, 'Bill,' this is the street you named, at least go over to the edge of the parking lot now and then and if you see a red Citroen BX cruising back and forth on the boulevard below for hours, and if you do, flag it down on the offchance that it is your pilot... ready to lead you out of the jungle of La Chesnay, towards warmth, food and drink.

Please do this instead of going to a hotel that you do not know the name of, and making another phone call about your imaginary location.

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Updated 11/95