Essay Assignment on Comparison between New York and Paris Cities

Comparison between New York and Paris Cities

I spent the better part of my childhood in New York City and I understand the architectural design, culture, and the people living in New York. I have had the privilege to travel to various destinations across the world with my family but one iconic city really caught my attention. Paris is the French capital, rich in culture. Although at a glance a visitor from New York City may spot similarities in the two different cities in terms of advanced infrastructure and development, the cities are quite distinct in several ways. 

The first day I got to Paris was a working day but unlike New York where people seem to have mastered the art of speed walking, people seemed more relaxed. In New York City, people seem to rush to work and have no rest day in particular which is quite contrary to Paris city where a greater percentage works during working hours only. Generally, New York City is a more busy and speed city with no particular work or non-work time. For instance, the twenty four hour subway operation that is ever busy all throughout is something that sets it apart from Paris where schedules are strictly followed.

The two cities have distinct culture and view on wealth creation. One thing I came to learn about Paris is that wealthy people are kind of secret unlike in New York City where people show off by some kind of lifestyle. For instance, in New York City, an individual usually strive to be identified with some kind of class in the society by driving Porsche cars living in the high end estates. This in turn results to the go getter culture most New Yorkers have compared to their counterparts living in Paris. Food culture also sets the two cities apart. For instance, in New York, coffee is served in a big tumbler unlike Paris where coffee is served in small cups. Moreover, people living in New York seem to have adopted the fast food culture more than the Parisians. In New York, you will spot most people with paper coffee and food wraps in the streets unlike in Paris where most people choose to sit somewhere in a restaurant and eat while chatting with friends or reading newspapers.

Although the two cities are distinct in several ways, there exist a few similarities between the two. One major similarity is that both the cities have excellent infrastructure and advanced technology. Both the cities’ streets are well designed with recreation parks at strategic places within the cities. The cities plan and lighting also seem to be similar to each other.  In addition, both the cities have iconic landmarks that are unique to the countries’ history and culture. The weather in New York is relatively the same as in Paris city and adjusting may not be a problem when one moves from New York to Paris or vice versa.

In conclusion, the two cities are all amazing with their diverse culture, architectural design, and the resident’s attitudes. Work culture, lifestyle, food culture all set the two iconic cities apart. However, it terms of technological advancement and infrastructure, the two cities seem to be at the same level. Both the cities have their own advantages and disadvantages based on the few similarities and complicated differences discussed.