By: Ivy Wang

Both Paris, France and New York City, New York are well known throughout the world. Although I’ve never lived in either city, based on my experiences visiting both and some online research, here is my comparison of the two.

Attractions:
Both Paris and NYC have lots of famous attractions. Paris has the Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame, the Arc, and the Louvre while New York has the Empire State Building, Times Square, the Statue of Liberty and the MET. Of all these attractions, the Eiffel Tower in Paris is my favorite just because it is so iconic and you can see it from almost everywhere in Paris.

Fun Fact:
Two very famous attractions, The Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty were both designed by Gustave Eiffel!

Culture:
 New York and Paris are both cities full of culture. New York has Broadway while Paris has opera. They are also both well known for fashion. I was in both cities for a holiday, July 4th in NYC and Christmas & New Year’s Eve in Paris, and both cities lit up with the excitement of the holidays.



Transportation:
 Both Paris and New York have buses, subways, taxis, and bike share. Both cities are also great for walking. A tour guide in Paris told me you could walk in a straight line across the city in 2 hours. Ride-sharing services such as Uber and Lyft also work in both cities but as in an big city, sometime you have to wait a long time. Last year when I was in Paris for New Year’s Eve, we waited over half an hour for the Uber and it cost almost $100 to go somewhere 20 minutes away.


Food:
 New York has more variety of food due to the blend of cultures while Paris mainly has amazing French food. New York has pizza, burgers, Asian food, Mediterranean food, food trucks and more. Paris is full of chic cafes to eat pastries and drink coffee and fancy restaurants where you can eat escargots, boeuf, veau, and more.

In New York, everyone is always hustling at top speed and you are sure to find fast food. However in Paris, there is not really “to go” food or drink and everyone likes to take their time. In Paris, people sit outside cafes, along the streets sipping their coffee which is a sight you rarely see in NYC.

Weather:
 If you’re a fan of warmer weather, Paris might be an ideal spot for you to visit because winters there are fairly warm. Paris has a low of 40 degrees in winter while in New York there is an average low of 25 degrees. Summers in both cities are hot and sunny but there is more rain in NYC.

Architecture:
 In Paris, most of the buildings have more Roman and Classical style buildings and despite being a big city it has no skyscrapers. On the other hand, New York is full of tall glass skyscrapers and only a few older style buildings as Grand Central station and various churches.  

Final:
Personally, I think Paris is the better city because I love French culture and the more relaxed lifestyle. Paris is more about dreaminess and romance while New York is more real and sometimes more stressful. NYC has a more fast paced nature where people like traders on Wall Street might work up to 80 hours a week.