Back to familiar old Paris for work, the last time I came to this particular city, it all ended in
heartbreak and disaster! So, I was hoping for a happier (and less expensive) trip this time around. It was also a first real chance to visit La Defense, the business district on the edge of the main city, which almost acts like a city in itself. The area is very pedestrian-friendly, and full of corporate skyscrapers. Very much like Canary Wharf in many ways, including the fact that it is completely dead and soulless after 9pm, and all weekend.
Le Defense has one definining piece of architecture, the
Grande Arche. This is the centrepiece of the area, a classic piece of 80s French design, that is already starting to look very dated indeed. Much of the other architecture in the area is fantastic, including a building (towards the right of the first photo), that is covered in glass, but the bottom corner looks like somebody is trying to peel away the glass like a sticker-back. Very impressive stuff, and many of the skyscrapers around there are attractions for fans of funky buildings, as well as being office blocks.
It is possible to get a (very scary) lift up to the top of the
Grande Arche, so I did. The view is pretty impressive, especially since there is a dead straight line between La Defense, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Champs Elysees behind it. All a lovely tree-lined boulevard, and a reminder that Paris has aspects that were planned with great precision and perfection.
Back to familiar old Paris for work, the last time I came to this particular city, it all ended in heartbreak and disaster! So, I was hoping for a happier (and less expensive) trip this time around. It was also a first real chance to visit La Defense, the business district on the edge of the main city, which almost acts like a city in itself. The area is very pedestrian-friendly, and full of corporate skyscrapers. Very much like Canary Wharf in many ways, including the fact that it is completely dead and soulless after 9pm, and all weekend.
Le Defense has one definining piece of architecture, the Grande Arche. This is the centrepiece of the area, a classic piece of 80s French design, that is already starting to look very dated indeed. Much of the other architecture in the area is fantastic, including a building (towards the right of the first photo), that is covered in glass, but the bottom corner looks like somebody is trying to peel away the glass like a sticker-back. Very impressive stuff, and many of the skyscrapers around there are attractions for fans of funky buildings, as well as being office blocks.
It is possible to get a (very scary) lift up to the top of the Grande Arche, so I did. The view is pretty impressive, especially since there is a dead straight line between La Defense, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Champs Elysees behind it. All a lovely tree-lined boulevard, and a reminder that Paris has aspects that were planned with great precision and perfection.
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