My Paris delta

I have not been here since 2019, so here are the trends I am noticing:

1. Vastly more shops are open on Sundays than before.

2. Central Paris continues to evolve into a nearly bilingual city.  It is not quite Amsterdam or Stockholm, but getting there.  And the Parisians do not seem to mind speaking English.

3. There are more and more non-European restaurants of many kinds.  From a walking-by perusal of menus and clienteles, they seem quite good and serious on the whole.

4. It is increasingly difficult to find a gas station in the city (before returning a rental car).

5. An amazingly high percentage of young women have publicly visible tattoos.  I do not understand the logic here.  I do (partially) understand tattoos as an act of rebellion, differentiation, or counter-signaling.  I do not understand tattoos as an act of conformity.

6. Smoking has almost disappeared here.  I saw plenty of young people vaping in Reims, but not the same in Paris.

7. Paris now has Rainier cherries in June, a sign of encroaching civiliation.

8. High-quality bookshops, with beautifully displayed titles and covers, still can be found frequently.

9. I had never seen the area near the Bibliotheque National before, it is excellent.  I saw this Indian guy in concert there, after o3 recommended that I go.

10. Paris is doing just fine.