Neuilly sur Scène – C’est la richesse
La Defense, Neuilly sur Scene
Upon my first working day at the International Herald Tribune, the scenes on the Scène in Neuilly were as eye-opening as they were isolating. The expansive stretch from La Défense down to the Arc de Triomphe is an area where Paris’ habitually sophisticated and romantically construed architecture meets the modernizing world of investment bankers and immaculately donned financial wizards, all of which seem wholly contented with their privileged existence.
However, the intense and rather intoxicating atmosphere of les hommes d’affaires which prance around central London in their pointy shoes and flat-packed briefcases is substituted for something far more ‘French.’
The inherent wealth to the area is of course pretentious, but in a way only the French can construe. Businessmen in this part of the world have time to dine for an hour or two in fancy brasseries, as opposed to scoffing a sandwich in the local Prêt à Manger. The lunch time break brings out masses of yuppies on an international scale, all degusting various cheeses, meats, salads and breads. Admittedly, it is somewhat disconcerting to compare this part of Paris with down-trodden quartiers in the eighteenth and nineteenth arrondissements. But, one cannot refrain from frequenting this area with a curiosity and plaisir léger.
The green man on traffic lights boasts a more refined form and clearer illumination in comparison to his counterpart a few metro stops away. The pigeons seem to have had their feathers immaculately coiffed.
Sat on a lonesome table in one of these yuppie street cafés the serveur sees my newspaper and reads the headline: “Sarkozy tente d’ouvrir une nouvelle stratégie de diplomatie.”
“C’est formidable”, he says mockingly.
Cafe, Pont de Neuilly
Hearing this politically disengaged comment while surrounded by France’s money making liberals was as striking a moment as my first view of La Défense.
It’s funny, but my slightly more relaxed style, void of silk tie and designer suit had many a head turning upon entrance into my chosen brasserie. The human eye is always attracted to what’s different; perhaps why I feel so overwhelmingly alarmed by the bubble world of Neuilly Sur Scène.
