paris first time with 3 kids

[joan1]

Well I don't care if A/C discussion is deemed over,I have an exceptionally strong opinion on this subject. I have been in Paris in August and needed a sweater and long pants, BUT, I have also been in July and August and was almost heatstroked,, I will never , ever, pay to stay anywhere without A/C in Paris in summer. It was so hot this past summer ,, ugh, and the worst part is the air doesn't move,, it just radiateds between all the cement and stone and cooks your brains. I spent an hour in the Luxembourg Gardens this past summer, just constantly wetting my face and arms under the drinking taps,, I was sick with heat. Barely made it back to my ( thank goodness) aced hotel room.
Since I have also been with my children, I will add the noise and windows being left open were not conductive to sleep.
I have stayed in Paris without A/C , but in those cases it was with relatives, and I can put up with a bit more for free accomadation.. I also never stay long with relatives.. a few days here and there, and usaully add nights in a hotel.

PS Why do we pretend that Parisienes happily choose not to have a/c,, they mostly do not have it as they live in old buildings, and retro fitting it would be very expensive, plus added cost for electricity. My relatives live in a lovely old building, worth millions I am sure, but, although they will sigh and sweat through the heat, they always say it is "trop chere" to get a/c ,, which I think is odd, since they are not poor. It must be a very expensive luxury.


I will add that yes, it can also be cool and rainy. But, for the thousands I spend to get my butt to euorpe, I find the differnece between a hotel with a/c and without is just not worth the risk, I will happily not turn it on if I don't need it, but, if I need it, I want it.

[phread]

I am just one Parisian and I can honestly say, I DO NOT want A/C!!! I do not like AC. In fact, I HATE A/C. If I sleep in a room with A/C I usually wake up with a sty in my eye, a crimp in my neck or a bad cough. The sound of A/C keeps me awake and gives me migraines.

I live in a 1930's flat that was recently redone without sparing expense. The owners believed that they would be occupying the flat. They did not put in A/C because they don't like it. My Parisian boyfriend does not see it as desirable, either. IN FACT many europeans rant about the over obsessive use of A/C in the US. They have a hard time going to malls, chain restaurants and movie theaters. Having it in their hotel rooms can be stifiling.

Your relatives may say it is trop cher because that cuts the conversation short. It is a common technique over here. I know very, very affluent Parisians. People who own entire mansions in the 6th arron kind of rich. I do not know of anyone with A/C.

What I find amazing is the insistence that there is a right answer to this issue. Do you think the French are really too poor to have A/C if they wanted it? Do you think that they are not smart enough to have figured out a solution to the building issue if it was the slightest priority over here? The Parisians happily choose not to have A/C because THEY DO NOT WANT IT!!!

[Shoesy]

I think the only thing to consider is whether a person who is used to having A/C would feel miserable without it in very hot weather.

[GitteK]

I couldn't agree more, phread. I hate A/C too.

They even install it in big hotels here in Scandinavia (to meet the demands of overseas tourists, I suppose). I feel like suffocating from the lack of fresh outdoor air when I can't open the window due to the A/C. I sleep badly and yes, also sometimes I catch a sore throat. A/C is an unnatural contraption, consuming loads and loads of electricity and therefore contributing to world pollution. A/C is born of a demand that we The Superior Westerners have the right to be free of all bodily unpleasantness. Yes, in countries where you hit +45-50 C in the summer and the heat is lifethreatening, I can see the point of lowering the temperatures in hospitals and nurseries for the elderly and the sick.

But please don't forget that somehow 98% of the world's population seem to get by without A/C. They also seem to manage cooking without owning a batterydriven pepper mill........

Is Paris too hot for you in July and August ? Isn't the obvious answer to just choose another season ?

[cybee]

To each their own...but sadly, I do have a strong opinion on A/C because it is an ongoing issue between me and my husband! I dislike A/C very much. I feel like I am freezing in the summer and resent having to wear extra non-summery clothes when in A/C. A/C air seems like fake refrigerator air...not fresh air which I adore! So I would generally keep the A/C off and windows open in the summer. This issue is not entirely an European/ N. American dichotomy. My husband would write a completely different response on this issue, obviously! (this is just one of my pet peeves...I had to jump in!)

[Truffaut]

I'm locking this thread. It's become a silly diatribe about air conditioning--which was only a tiny part of the original poster's question. There's no answer to that part of the question. Nobody can tell someone else whether or not they should have air conditioning, since it's all about personal comfort and opinion! We don't want this to degenerate into a TA-style air conditioning debate that goes on for pages.

Oh, Chua, please don't hesitate to post other questions. Your question was fine, it was just that some of the answers were beginning to take on a repetitive and combattive tone.