The day after Bastille Day, Paris launched its public bike system, Vélib — short for "bike liberty" in French. The concept is a good one: You can rent a bike at your neighborhood bike station, pedal to your destination, and lock up the bike at the nearest station there. The locking mechanism signals that you've returned it. When you need a bike again, wherever you might be, you just go to the nearest station. Stations are springing up all over the city. Among the benefits of this revolution in the making have been the protracted conversations among all kinds of people gathered at the bike stations, helping one another figure out how to use the system. Everyone seems so charmed by the system that patience and generosity have reigned.
There are a few limitations: For one thing, you need a French credit card with a microchip to rent a bike; American magnetic-striped cards don't work in the machines. That prevents most tourists from enjoying the bikes; on the other hand, the system is really designed to get people to a destination — not for joy rides. But if you have a Parisian friend who is willing to put the rental on a credit card (including the very small rental "subscription" and a security deposit of 150 euros), you can ride free for a half-hour — and a half-hour can take you a long way in Paris.
On the night of July 15, a friend and I tried out the cobblestone path along the Seine (very bumpy!) and found ourselves gliding underneath the Eiffel Tower just as it was starting to shimmer. The bikes are miraculously ergonomic, with supreme balance, three speeds, and a seat that feels as comfortable as a club chair. You can pick up a map at the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) that shows dedicated bike paths, as well as other routes where bikes share the lane with buses and taxis.