Several students are taking business classes in Paris through a summer program sponsored by the David Eccles School of Business, exploring the city, its culture and its business landscape. We’ll be sharing several of their experiences here.
Here, student Ryan Jones introduces his Summer on the Seine blog and shares his impressions of the district known as Paris’s 3rd Arrondissment. Ryan writes:
So, I am not a blogger, and I am not big on social media, but when I decided to do a study abroad in Paris for the summer, I figured that I had to share the experience. Honestly, it’s a once in a lifetime experience and I’m just lucky that it worked out. I’m excited to share some stories and hope that a few people actually end up reading this.
3rd Arrondissment
The third arrondissment has become a second home of types for us, as this is where our CEA student-exchange campus is located. I have probably gone to this district an average of over one time per day because it has our classroom, study space, and some cool things to see on the side. This district is the second smallest in terms of land and has seen a decline in population from its peak over 150 years ago.
Due to the fact that I visit this district often, I spread my exploring out over the past month. One of the rainy days during our first week here, a group from my school went to the Musee Carnavalet on the southeast side of the district. This was such an interesting place and among my favorite spots. It was purchased by the city in 1866 during the restructuring and was immediately dedicated as a museum of the history of the city. It is split into 10 sections, beginning with ancient history and Rome and going through many periods, before ending with 20th century Paris. A must see if you are interested in history, though every label is written in French.
Ryan Jones at the Musee Carnavalet in Paris’s 3rd Arrondissment. Follow Ryan’s blog at www.summerontheseiene.wordpress.com
The main tourist attraction of this arrondissment is probably the Musee de Arts et Metiers (Arts and Crafts), which is a science museum housed near the Conservatory of the same name. The museum is absolutely stunning and it contains some of the original airplanes, instruments, the original Foucault pendulum, and the original model of the Statue of Liberty. It is also a really family-friendly museum with a lot for kids to do to stay entertained. I definitely had my nerdy moments walking through this museum.
Musee Arts et Metiers houses the original model of the Statue of Liberty.
After class one day, I decided to walk home from our campus. It is only about a 30-minute walk, and it was a nice day so I figured it would be fun. On the way, I found a neat little hotel, the Hotel Americain, not far from the Place de la Republique. The prices are good, starting at €85 for a double, depending on the size and features, but all come with free wi-fi and individual bathrooms and toilets.
I had to choose CEA as the main business in this district, as the company does so much to make these study abroad trips possible. We’ve met some really great people through the program. The district is a booming one for jobs, with approximately 30,000 jobs in the area.
Also near the CEA campus is another interesting spot, and the one with my favorite architecture. The National Archives (pictured above) has a very unique courtyard that provides for a fun place to sit and eat lunch or read a book. It is a really quiet part of the beautiful Marais district as well so it is not a bad place to relax.
(All photos courtesy Ryan Jones)