Passy is much more similar to the UES than the UWS. The UWS is more like the area west of the Luxembourg Gardens along Blvd Raspail- a chic & intello quartier.

I’d say Pantheon/Mouffetard for the Union Square/Washington Square Park area. For Latin Quarter St. Marks is maybe the closest match.

Meatpacking & Bastille are similar in that there is a major intersection of nightlife there – but the Meatpacking is way trendier than Bastille (which can actually be a little seedy and cheesy in terms of nightlife). The nightclubs near Bourse/Quatre-Septembre/Pyramides – might be a better Meatpacking match.

But my big question is – how did the Lower East Side end up in the 12e? When we’re talking live music, quick/street eats, & non-Brooklyn hipsters – Oberkampf is the only appropriate match I can think of.

In any case – it’s interesting and definitely a challenge/fun debate!

Tipping really isn’t a hot-blooded topic. Think of tipping as paying a service fee because that’s what it is. The standard service fee is 15% for waiters and barmen. You get to choose if the service deserved 5% more or less. Most countries, including Australia, have a practice of either charging the customer openly or in the price of the food. In America, the customer gets some leeway. The restaurant and the bar aren’t really keeping that profit. So don’t feel put off by it. In this country, a barman or waiter can make an honest living, albeit a hard one, but an honest one.

I was a waiter and barmen in the States for 8 years and I made more than a working wage. I moved to London and got paid minimum wage with no tips, and I rightfully felt exploited. It’s all about context.

Yes, you are precisely correct. It is just as you describe. In the case of online tickets, the first ticket is linked specifically to the person named (and to that person’s specified ID). But the second and subsequent travellers are not named, and require no ID.

No such rules apply to paper tickets which are not tied to individuals.