Rambling, Where to Begin?

What a wonderful day! I just had a very successful interview with the councilor of the 19th Arrondissement who created a movement for equality within the Socialist Party. I also got to see a more normal side of Paris. Everyone was incredibly kind and I think I got some really good stuff in this interview. My subject definitely delivered less of the party line and was candid about how things really work. ALSO...I decided to explore the Oberkampf area, which is supposedly very hot right now. I stopped by a North African patisserie mentioned here in the NY Times and had two delicious pastries. If there is one thing I hate doing while on vacation it is seeing all the tourist sites and being engulfed in a sea of tacky knick-knacks, petulant children, and a feeling of disappointment. Another problem is the expectation of some sort of feeling.* In one scene in Lost in Translation, Scarlett Johanson's character is on the phone with her mother and she is commenting on how she went to a Japanese temple but she didn't feel anything. I know exactly what she is talking about. I often visit these sites but I feel nothing. Nothing at all. On the other hand, when I go into neighborhoods that are alive and not open-air museums, I feel the energy of the city and tempo of its citizens' lives. Today was one of those days. *Not all tourist sites merit these criticisms, but I generally do feel this way.