The Genesis of Paris B-sides
My Personal Story
My name is Cédric, I am French, born and raised among the vineyards of Burgundy, although a true Parisian since 2005.
My story with Paris starts when I decide to move to the capital to start a software and web developer career. It certainly took a period of adjustment, especially for someone coming from the countryside. Experiencing such cultural, social and architectural diversity was somewhat mind-blowing, but I dedicated body and soul to my professional beginnings.
It’s only when things settled down that I realized there was life outside work, and the city could be a huge playground: the doors of Paris were now open to me, and I was going to walk its paths! I started roaming the streets, be it on foot or by bike, always with a renewed curiosity and a growing love for Paris.
After a long work experience in IT, I decided to think about what would really make me want to get out of bed every morning — now who whispered midlife crisis? It was finally time for me to look for more social and cultural interactions, and discover the entrepreneurial world…
The Project
Since I discovered Reddit and devoted countless hours exchanging with tourists on r/ParisTravelGuide, I’ve come up with the following thoughts:
- A visit of Paris may be seen too often as a to-do list, a solo experience, or a giant history museum tour
- Paris has many other cultural facets: ethnic and popular districts, old and modern neighborhoods, or natural areas waiting to be discovered
- As a local resident, I can offer a little something extra, a real discovery of the city and its inhabitants, at a slower pace that allows a real immersion in the everyday life
Behind the Name
Like any good forty-something, I like the symbolic of the B-side of the audio cassette from my childhood. A fragile, imperfect object that requires patience and sometimes do-it-yourself, and conceals some hidden gems on its B-side.
I also like to think I entered the B-side phase of my life, quitting my former job in the hope of finally doing what I like for a living.
After more than a year spent fine-tuning the project with communities of passionate travelers on my own subreddit r/ParisBsides, I’m happy to share my Parisian views and promote my tours at a bigger scale.
TOURS
FLANEURS
CROISSANTS
