SFist: San Francisco, "the Paris of the West"

detroiter1

Sun, 04 May 2008 14:07:35 -0800

Detroit is known, by everyone here, as the "Paris of the Midwest". But I have also heard Detroit be described the "Paris of the West". While I've never been to SF, I hear it's a beauitful city, and would agree that it is probably more "Paris of the West" than Detroit. If any of you SFers get a chance, Detroit is a great place to come visit.

mharwitt

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 17:20:27 -0800

maybe because, like paris, san francisco abhors change and encourages social assimilation?

Gary Soup

Tue, 27 Nov 2007 08:35:14 -0800

San Francisco probably became "the Paris of the West" as a result of the "Lottery of the Golden Ingots" during the Gold Rush. This lottery, organized by the prefect of police in Paris, raised money to buy one-way passage for thousands of revolutionaries, pickpockets and prostitutes to San Francisco. This gave rise to the turn of the (last) century ditty: The miners came in '49, the whores in '51; when they got together, they produced the Native Son.

sfist_richard

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 17:50:15 -0800

Sal: Beirut (Lebanon) was also known as the "Paris of the East" ... and Winston Churchill famously called Marrakech the "Paris of the Sahara". Bet we could come up with a dozen of these "Paris of the ?" formulations without breathing hard.

Agent510

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 17:29:45 -0800

I always thought Amsterdam was SF's European counterpart, at least in the present day. Paris is too "formal" (architecture, fashion, attitudes, etc.) Amsterdam has more of that laid-back scruffy hipster feel that SF embodies.

Sal

Mon, 26 Nov 2007 17:08:57 -0800

FWIW, Irkutsk (Siberia) lays claim to "the Paris of the East."