July 10, 2015

5:20 PM

Café Primerose

Two young women order orange juice.

An older woman walks by with a zebra print shirt.

A group of Irish couples discuss selfies at the Eiffel Tower. They drink

martinis and beer.

A couple walks by eating Haagen Daaz.

A small child walks by with tousled brown hair and red-striped socks.

A little girl with a purple jumper flies by on her matching scooter.

A young woman, just getting into Paris, carrying a suitcase.

The waiter delivers our raspberry-flavored mojitos.

Two well-dressed women smoke cigarettes and smile at their iPhones.

A man in an orange polo and a man with a large backpack stop by the

Café for Happy Hour Cocktails.

The waiter moves two tables together.

A woman with turquoise hair and bright red lips smiles at her date as

they sip Coca Colas and smoke cigarettes.

Two women ride by on bicycles, dodging cars in their path.

A boy wearing a shirt saying, “Abercrombie & Fitch 1892,” looks at his

phone, searching for directions or maybe texting a friend.

A family of three carrying Starbucks Frappaccinos quickly walks

searching for the Eiffel Tower.

An older woman in a bright, yellow dress walks with her friend. Both

wear colorful hats and sunglasses.

A man in a sailor’s uniform is on the phone, walking down the street.

A gray car drives by.

Two men check the food menu of the café, looking for a suitable dinner

after another exhausting day in Paris.

The man in the orange polo orders a Pina Colada.

My friend stirs her Mojito, mixing the mint, lime, sugar, and

raspberries. She looks about the street and continues to write in her

journal.

A young man with Apple headphones in speeds by, listening to music.

A child clad in a pink dress and braids in her hair holds her mother’s

hand and walks into Haagen Daaz.

An attractive couple sits down at the café, laughing and gesticulating

wildly.

A curly-haired boy walks down the street holding a green sleeping bag.

A man in a red polo rides by on a gray bicycle.

Soft rock music plays from an Irish woman’s phone.

An American couple pulls two suitcases in front of them, searching for

their hotel.

A man walks by holding chocolate milk, a Granny Smith apple, and a

packet of ham.

The couple smokes cigarettes and orders two glasses of white wine.

Two older women, both clad in pearls and blue blouses, sip mojitos and

talk quietly to one another.

A woman carrying a red bag pulls a matching shopping bag behind her.

She moves quickly down the street listening to music.

Two white taxis drive down the street. Now three. All are full of people.

Two young women sit down for cocktails. One girl has a voluminous

ponytail and the other wears a burnt orange top. They gossip with one

another in hushed tones.

The Irish couples joke loudly about their sex life.

An older father pushes his young baby in a stroller. He looks tired.

Across the road, a man in a neon yellow workout top strolls down the

street.

A car horn beeps.

The wind blows strongly, rusting the leaves of the trees that line the

street.

A couple sits down at the café. They both wear powder blue tops and

jeans. The woman leans into the man and they search for the waiter.

Two pigeons fly from the streets and up to the fourth floor of an

apartment railing.

The sounds of glasses clinking can be heard from inside the café.

The powder blue couple orders their drinks. The man receives a tall

glass of beer while the woman has a small espresso.

A woman in a blue top walks her Rottweiler puppy.

One of the waiters carries out two large bins full of empty bottles of

liquor and wine. He drops them at the curb.

The 80 bus drives by.

A sign for Haagen-Dazs advertises a lemon sorbet, saying “Summer is

Inside.”

Two attractive young men walk down the street carrying silver

luggage. They laugh with one another and look excitedly about the

cafes.

A woman in a traditional green Indian dress walks by holding two

baguettes and an 8 pack of Vita drink.

The coins jingle in the wallets of the Irish women as they pay for their

drinks.

A man in a business suit rides by on a moped scooter. He wears a

helmet and cautiously navigates through the streets.

A man in a green polo with graying hair sits across from me. He

reaches into his pocket for his cell phone.

A boy, barely of adult age, walks by dressed in a business suit.

A black taxi drives by with one passenger in the back of the car.

A small girl and her mother walk by, holding a Hello Kitty balloon and a

Smurfette ballon. They search for a seat at the café.

A man with a handlebar mustache and a striped blazer holds the hand

of his wife as they cross the street.

Two girls, clutching their latests iPhones, find a table at the café. Their

blonde hair is pin-straight and their shoes are Adidas.

The waiter urges a passerby to come to the café for Happy Hour. He

jokes with the customers when delivering the food and drinks.

A large trash truck drives down the street with two workers in neon

green vests standing at the back.

I eat an olive for inspiration.

A man holding a motorcycle helmet and wearing a leather jacket

waves goodbye to the waiters.

A young mom carries her baby in a sort of backpack against her

stomach.

The 80 Bus drives by.

The wind rustles the pages of my friend’s notebook.

The man in the orange polo orders another pina colada.

The two young women receive their mojitos and tequila sunrises.

An elderly woman sits down next to us, pensively looking through her

camera. She orders a fresh lemonade.

Two different cars beep their horns at one another.

A couple walks by, obviusly tourists to the city as the man wears a

baseball hat with the word, “Paris.”

A large gray taxi drives by. The green light is on. It is looking for

passengers.

A plane, barely visible, flies above in the sky.

A mother rocks her young baby girl on her lap. The child is tired after a

long day and keeps fidgeting.

The 80 Bus drives by.

A woman with a large brown tote rides by on a bicycle.

Two friends share a large bowl of salad, scooping lettuce on their

plates.

The number 6 Metro can be heard behind me. It speeds by above the

busy streets.

A large brown shuttle van drives down the road.

Two young women, rapidly speaking French to one another, sit down at

the café. One carries large bags evidencing their long day of shopping.

A man, clad in all black, runs down the sidewalk on his evening jog. He

dodges the much slower pedestrians in his way.

A waiter removes a white umbrella from one of the tables and carries it

to the back of the café. He quickly returns to undo the last umbrella.

The annoying ring of a car going in reverse can be heard from down

the block.

A woman touches the large, orange beads around the neck.

A pregnant lady in a striped maxi dress strolls by.

Three pigeons fly down the street and perch in a tree.

An older couple enter the café, looking for an open table. They sit in

the back corner in a spot out of the sun.

The waiter brings a young French couple two mojitos.

The wind grows stronger, violently moving the Hello Kitty and

Smurfette balloons.

The chatter of the café increases in dynamic as more and more

patrons enter for drinks, food or relaxation.

A young boy in tortoiseshell glasses waves his hands around and talks

wildly, explaining to his preoccupied mother some event.

A couple in an expensive, white convertible pulls up to a red-light.

A man with a backpack walks by, sipping a red smoothie from Haagen-

Dasz.

A man delivering Pizza Hut races by on his red moped scooter.

A woman in a lovely, long dress enters the café and kisses the cheek of

her friend who was waiting at the table.

The man with the green sleeping bag walks back down the street. He

collects coins on the ground and gingerly picks them up.

Two young men holding neon water guns run after each other down

the street. Their loud laughs can be heard up and down the block.

A taxi full of passengers pulls up to a stop sign.

An older man sits down at the café. He carries a couple newspapers

and magazines him.

The manager comes out of the café and talks with the head waiter.

Two young women sit across from me. They speak rapid, flawless

French. Both clad in black, chic dresses.

Across the street, a woman opens the window of her apartment. She

looks down into the street, observing the flurry of cafes and cars.

A large gray van advertising the company, “Kaplan,” drives down the

road.

A waiter cleans up a table after two women leave. He places the

glasses, now empty, onto his tray and collects the coins.

A young woman walks down the sidewalk, adjusting her purse. She

carries a large, white Frappaccino, having just come out of Starbucks.

A small girl holds both her mother’s hand and her stuffed teddy bear.

The 80 Bus drives by.

The elderly man with newspapers receives his tiny cup of espresso.

A gray car drives by.

A man in a multi-colored striped shirt walks by. His expensive camera

hangs around his neck, jostling with each step.

Two tattooed men return from their workouts. Both are sweaty in their

spandex shirts.

Next to me, a group of three youths sit down at a table. On their wrists

are concert or festival passes. They pull out a pack of cigarettes and

look through the café menu.

The woman to my rights sips at her mojito and rummages through her

purse. She pulls out a folder filled with slips of white, crisp papers.

A middle-aged man walks quickly down the street, maneuvering

through two younger women engrossed in their phones.

The number 6 Metro races a block behind me.

A man in all black rides his motorcycle down the empty road.

A black bird flies from across the street up to the top of a tree.

A waiter exits from inside the café. On his platter are four cups of

green olives.

A black taxi with two passengers in the back drives down the street.

My friend says “Bless You” twice after I sneeze twice.

A young girl with bright purple headphones walks down the street. She

is talking on the phone, smiling and laughing.

The squeal of a car’s brakes can be heard from down the street.

A woman carrying a pink bag full of groceries from Monoprix walks

down the street.

The girl to my left offers her friends a cigarette. The three beings to

light them.

The 80 Bus drives by.

A man carrying a black coat walks quickly down the street.

A group at the far end of the café orders a cheese and meat platter.

The smell of cigarette smoke fills the air.

A couple walks down the street with heavy bags on their back. They

smile at one another.

A woman with a butterfly brooch slowly meanders down the street,

looking at the menus of cafes along her way.

10:10

July 11, 2015

Metro 8

I get on at La Motte-Piquet-Grenelle.

A woman in traditional maroon Indian dress looks at her phone.

A woman with her luggage, perhaps going to CDG, checks her watch.

A couple sits behind me talking quickly.

Ecole Militaire.

A man in headphones gets off.

An Asian family rushes to look for seats on the metro.

A woman sits down across from me. She plays on her iphone.

In the other car, I can see a mother and daughter moving around,

looking for the perfect seats.

It is quiet. People are engrossed in their phones.

La Tour-Mauberg

A woman in a sheath dress gets on with her boyfriend. He wears a

Hawaiian shirt.

The metro squeals a horrendous sound as we go through the tunnels.

Now a sharp turn and we pass an 8 metro in the opposite direction.

Invalids

A couple with matching hats exits.

A man with a Louis Vuitton belt and an Adidas bag enters.

Everyone has a seat.

The only ones talking are the couple behind me.

Concorde. This is my exit.

2:46 PM

July 11, 2015

Metro 6

Cambronne

A woman carrying a motorcycle helmet enters.

We pass the 6 Metro going the opposite direction.

There is a poster for Vampires The Musical.

Sevres-Lecourbe

No one enters or exits.

A woman sits across from me holding onto her brown leather suitcase.

The metro descends below the ground.

Pasteur

A single man exits the metro.

At the metro stop there is a poster for Desperate Housemen.

Behind me a young family speaks in rapid French to one another.

The metro is incredibly humid.

Montparnasse Bienvenue.

The family exits quickly as does the woman with the suitcase.

A man enters in a bright orange shirt and headphones, sitting across

from me.

On the ground are two dirty metro tickets and a crumpled up map.

Edgar Quinet

Two young women with high messy buns enter the metro. One carries

a bag of chips.

Below my feet is an empty Pizza Hut box.

Raspail.

Four people enter the metro. Two couples.

One of the couples chooses to stand close together rather than sitting

in one of the many empty seats. They are constantly finding ways to

touch the one another.

Denfert-Rochereau.

No one enters or exits the metro.

The man sitting across from me with the headphones mouths his lips

with the music.

Saint-Jacques.

A family of four enters the metro. One mother and three children.

The metro is now above ground.

Lining the metro tracks are lush green trees.

Glaciere.

No one enters or exits the metro.

An announcement plays over the metro but I cannot understand it.

Next to us is a building advertising Le Monde.

The couple exchanges a series of passionate kisses.

Corvisart.

This station is under construction. Thus, we do not stop.

The metro moves at a slower pace now.

Place d’Italie.

The two couples exit.

Two young girls enter both carrying luggage. One wears red and the

other blue.

A woman also enters with chic jewelry and a bored expression.

We pass the 6 Metro going in the opposite direction.

Nationale.

A woman enters the metro clutching her iphone and a man sits beside

me.

Chevaleret.

Two women exit.

The man moves away and finds a different seat.

From the metro I can see a pair of tall cranes.

Quai de la Gare

The women with the motorcycle helmet exits.

Two men stand in the center, holding onto the railing. One wears a

wool coat and a beanie.

We cross over the Seine River.

The landscape of Paris is beginning to transform from the iron-wrought

six story buildings to the modern skyscrapers.

Bercy.

The metro is now underground again.

Four people enter. Three young men, obviously all friends. A woman on

her phone.

The man in the orange shirt continues to sing along to the lyrics of his

music, even gesticulating his hands.

Dugommier.

The three young men exit the metro.

An elderly couple enters. Both wear cream colored shirts.

A man moves out of his seat towards the doors to ready himself for the

next stop.

Daumesnil.

Three people exit the metro.

One man enters and takes a seat.

The metro makes a sharp left turn and ascends above ground.

Bel-Air.

No one enters or exits the metro.

Everyone is very quiet.

On the streets are a black car and two men on motorcycle.

Picpus.

No one enter or exits the metro.

The 6 Metro in the opposite direction is stopped next to us.

Two men sitting diagonal from me are both engrossed in their phones.

The lights go out for a couple seconds but turn back on.

Nation.

The metro arrives at the end of the line.

I move to another car and find a seat.

People begin to enter the metro.

Across from me is a father with his two daughters. They both sit upon

his lap and smile when he hugs them.

Everyone waits quietly for the metro to take off.

A man wearing a hearing aid enters with his son.

A woman with tattoos takes a seat across from me.

The buzzer goes off, signaling the metro’s departure.

The car is now quite full.

Once again the lights turn off for a couple seconds.

We pass by two empty metros.

Picpus.

No one enters or exits the metro.

The two young daughters laugh and play with one another while the

father plays on his iphone.

A woman, probably backpacking through Europe, moves across the car

with her heavy bags.

Bel-Air.

A woman with bright red headphones exits the metro.

The metro descends below the ground.

Behind me a woman adjusts her hair.

Daumesnil.

Many people enter the metro.

The car smells of body odor. The heat only makes it worse.

Dugommier.

One woman in a blue dress exits the metro.

An elderly man enters wearing a plaid cap.

A man leaning against the wall yawns loudly but covers his mouth.

Bercy.

The father and two daughters exit the metro.

Many enter. Notably a woman with a stroller, holding an infant girl.

The metro is now above ground.

Along the Seine are people relaxing in colorful beach chairs.

Quai de la Gare.

Four people exit the metro.

A woman wearing an orange, short dress enters.

The buildings lining the metro track proudly display the French flag.

Chevaleret.

A family of three enter the metro. The teenage daughter sits beside

me.

Streetart ouside the metro depicts a woman in a military uniform.

Nationale.

Two women enter. Both carry striped tote bags.

The metro descends below ground.

The 6 Metro goes by in the opposite direction.

Place d’Italie.

Location: Cafeoteque

Time: 4:27

July 13, 2015

Across from me is a man reading On the Road by Jack Kerouc. He

wears tortoiseshell glasses and drinks an espresso.

Two women walk into the café.

Next to me are three friends who talk loudly about steak.

The waitress brings more water to my table.

Outside the café is an empty white van.

On the walls are colorful bright paintings. They depict Mexican cities

and friends at bars.

In a corner is a fan and a bookcase.

Hanging from the ceiling is a quirky chandelier of flowers.

The waitress takes our order.

An elderly couple orders American cafe. After a short period they

leave.

My friend receives her mocha into and flat white.

Outside a bright blue car parallel parks.

I pour two sugars in my latte.

A woman walks in wearing a orange scarf.

On the speakers indie rock music softly plays.

A large fluffy husky and her owner walks out of the café. One of the

cutest dogs I've seem today.

The waitress removes the empty cups and saucers.

Two women walk into the café sitting down in mustard colored chairs.

At the register a woman measures coffee beans into bags and weighs

them.

A woman and her husband walk out of the café. She trips on the last

step.

Two people order espressos.

The man reading On the Road orders a beer.

The group of friends exit the café.

A man wearing a plaid shirt enters the café and looks for a seat.

A couple walk up to the register and order two bags of ground coffee

beans.

Two elderly women laugh over their espresso and croissants.

A black car drives by outside the café.

A man working here carries a vacuum through the sitting area.

A woman drinking a beer goes to the bathroom.

A group of girls count out change trying to split their bill.

Two men enter the café and look for an empty seat.

A motorcycle drives by outside.

A young woman asks for the wifi password.

Two men both wearing scarves enter the café and order espressos.

An old man walks by outside the café.

The waitress walks over to take people's orders.

A man and his dog walk by outside.

A couple enter the café taking quietly amongst themselves.

Reflection

I thoroughly enjoyed this exercised as it challenged me to actively

engage in my surroundings rather than be engrossed in my phone. I have

unfortunately acquired the habit of constantly checking my phone whether it

was relevant or not. During lectures I would miss important information to

simply check Facebook, or even talking to my friends I would take out my

phone to send a Snapchat. This technology isn’t bad or harmful, but I felt

that I was not giving my full attention to the situation and people around me.

By exhausting places in Paris, I was forced to constantly be observing the

individuals around me, watching their actions and reading their emotions. I

became more in tune to the simplest things around me, such as a bus going

by every fifteen minutes or a pigeon flying in the air. Although the people

who sat next to me on the metro gave me weird looks, I loved doing this

project. I felt like it also tested my ability to swiftly think and put those

thoughts on paper. So much was going on around me that it was difficult to

process and write it all so quickly. After completing this exercise, I

consciously remind myself to take in my surroundings and create my own

mental landscape.