> I've heard a lot from other Americans about thinking France was a dump when they visited, and I really thought they were exaggerating. When I visited, I was a

> I've heard a lot from other Americans about thinking France was a dump when they visited, and I really thought they were exaggerating. When I visited, I was actually pretty surprised to find it just how they described it. I wasn't sure if it was just that it was different, but I guess it's nice knowing at least some Europeans seem to agree. I visited Paris last year and stayed in Montmartre. It was hardly a sterile place (like Singapore tries to be), but then again Paris has always been grungy — where do you think modern perfume came from? What I didn't see in Paris were the tent cities like back in San Francisco. I didn't see feces all over the escalator and stairs at the metro stations like you see in San Francisco. I didn't see any hypodermic needles in the seat backs like you do on BART either.