[flar]

Paris, Ontario last fall:

 

[Hipster Duck]

Not a bad downtown for 8,000 people. Sure beats the downtown of the city over ten times its size down the river.

It reminds me of upstate New York.

 

[ganjavih]

Doesn't look much like its namesake in France but still a charming little town. Great pics.

 

[ShonTron]

Paris is named for the deposits of plaster in the area - Plaster of Paris, not for the city of light, though I enjoy the almost self-deprecating references to the bigger Paris that you see in the town.

Very pretty town. I even canoed through it once, portaging around the rapids below the CN viaduct.

 

[unimaginative2]

Great pictures. Such a pretty town. I'll never understand the Ontarian allergy to patios, though. We seem to think the only reason to build them is for smokers. Any one of these buildings would make the most lovely patio restaurant.

 

[Observer Walt]

One of the most scenic towns in Ontario, IMO. The historical character has been maintained, but the town doesn't feel like a frozen-in-time museum. It's a real town with real people going about their daily business.

 

[jaborandi]

There are some amazing Victorian mansions in Paris, plus those very odd cobblestone buildings as well. Isn't that the hotel tin which Hannah waitressed in The English patient? Such a pretty little town.

 

[Observer Walt]

Jaborandi: The hotel, shown most clearly in pic #16, is the Arlington. It was very extensively renovated in about 2000 or so. It includes a nice bar (and patio, unimaginative!). It had been a bit shabby previously.

To my knowledge it was not used as a set for The English Patient. The blurb for this movie on rottentomatoes.com says that it was filmed in Europe. I'd be interested to hear any reliable information to the contrary.

 

[junctionist]

It looks like such an interesting town with those decks built river over the river and the vintage looking Canadian Tire. Definitely not like one of those boring "museum" towns.

 

[Irishmonk]

Looks wonderful--a larger, more authentic version of Elora.

 

[Tewder]

Nice pics. I didn't notice any showing the cobblestone architecture which is really quite a unique feature of the town and appears in a number of homes and a church I believe.

I stayed at the Arlington back during Easter. The hotel was delightful and very authentic feeling, and the bar was fun (the only place in town and so quite busy), but the restaurant was truly atrocious!!!!!!! If you stay there you should ask them to show you the basement which has the original exposed stone walls and beams and is used as a party hall.

 

[salvius]

Looks wonderful--a larger, more authentic version of Elora.

You would think, but it feels smaller in person (though it's larger), and not nearly as vibrant.

 

[flar]

Paris is definitely one of the nicer towns in southern Ontario. It's not really vibrant or trendy or touristy. I'd say it's solid, as you can see most of the downtown stores offer local services to local people or people who come specifically for the big fabric and sewing outlet. I snapped these pictures while my wife was shopping so I was a little rushed, that's why this tour doesn't have as much depth as my others. Otherwise I would have included more of the Victorian and cobblestone homes.

 

[jaborandi]

Jaborandi: The hotel, shown most clearly in pic #16, is the Arlington. It was very extensively renovated in about 2000 or so. It includes a nice bar (and patio, unimaginative!). It had been a bit shabby previously.

To my knowledge it was not used as a set for The English Patient. The blurb for this movie on rottentomatoes.com says that it was filmed in Europe. I'd be interested to hear any reliable information to the contrary.

I was referring to the novel, not the film. Apologies for any confusion.

 

[Zephyr]

Paris is named for the deposits of plaster in the area - Plaster of Paris, not for the city of light.

Why destroy the illusions? I for one opened this thread thinking it was about the the Canadian version of Paris in the province to the east ... Montréal.

All humour aside, these are lovely photos of this town, I shall spend a day there sometime down the road.