Metro smells
Today, Gawker.com invites their readers to create an odor map of the New York subway. As of now there are at least a dozen incredibly detailed, graphic, and for the most part disgusting descriptions of the smells at various stations.
I have to say, I cannot think of a Paris subway smell- well, a permanent one- that could equal those described by the Gawker commenters, but there is a distinctive Parisian subway funk overall, plus some stop-by-stop variation. Urine is pretty much a constant, and can be sniffed just about anywhere, as can unwashed alcoholic homeless people. There is a distinct smell of mold or mildew at the Cour Saint-Emilion stop on the 14 line, which was there even when the station was brand new.
On a more positive note, there are some fruit stands in the subway so if you get close enough, you can smell the ripe fruit. There's a roast chestnut vendor who stands right outside the BNF stop on the 14 line on winter afternoons. Even though the smell doesn't make it very far into the station, you get a good whiff of that as you go down the outside escalators/steps into the station. And there's a bakery in the top level of Les Halles (before you branch off to the RER or the Metro- the big, low-ceilinged hall known as "le flipper" because of the many pillars and other obstacles), so sometimes it actually smells like fresh bread.
Best of all, in Lyon, there is a little bakery at the Hotel de Ville stop, practically on the platform because the entry hallway (to the North) is so short. Taking the outbound metro (ie, going out to the 6e or Villeurbanne), the smell of buttery, warm pains au chocolat is unbelievably tempting.
To the Gawker subway post : http://www.gawker.com/news/maps/smell-of-the-subway-189644.php
I have to say, I cannot think of a Paris subway smell- well, a permanent one- that could equal those described by the Gawker commenters, but there is a distinctive Parisian subway funk overall, plus some stop-by-stop variation. Urine is pretty much a constant, and can be sniffed just about anywhere, as can unwashed alcoholic homeless people. There is a distinct smell of mold or mildew at the Cour Saint-Emilion stop on the 14 line, which was there even when the station was brand new.
On a more positive note, there are some fruit stands in the subway so if you get close enough, you can smell the ripe fruit. There's a roast chestnut vendor who stands right outside the BNF stop on the 14 line on winter afternoons. Even though the smell doesn't make it very far into the station, you get a good whiff of that as you go down the outside escalators/steps into the station. And there's a bakery in the top level of Les Halles (before you branch off to the RER or the Metro- the big, low-ceilinged hall known as "le flipper" because of the many pillars and other obstacles), so sometimes it actually smells like fresh bread.
Best of all, in Lyon, there is a little bakery at the Hotel de Ville stop, practically on the platform because the entry hallway (to the North) is so short. Taking the outbound metro (ie, going out to the 6e or Villeurbanne), the smell of buttery, warm pains au chocolat is unbelievably tempting.
To the Gawker subway post : http://www.gawker.com/news/maps/smell-of-the-subway-189644.php
posted by Françoise Villon at 1:44 PM
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