I thought the quote was: “When a man is tired of Paris he is tired of life.”

But upon closer inspection it appears that the line (attributed to Samuel Johnson) was … “When a man is tired of London he is tired of life …”

However, it still could apply to Paris because the quote continues with, “for there is in London all that life can afford.”

I think we can say much the same about Paris … with emphasis.

But I know of two decades-long residents of Paris who would not agree with the francophile version of Johnson’s quote. Each told me,  separately, within the last few months that they are, in fact, quite tired of Paris and would like to leave it.

Why should that be?

Let’s start with the topical: Paris is prone to semi-spontaneous and quite disruptive strikes by public employees. Particularly by those working in the transport sector. So, that train to Versailles? Not running. The Metro across town? Only one of every scheduled three is running, and it is miserably packed. And consumers have limited and unclear warnings about where the trouble will flash. (Like, say, the day last week when we were taking a bus across the Seine, but the driver stopped just before the Alma Bridge and ordered everyone out … and then we walked for about a half hour before finding a bus on the Rive Gauche which was, in fact, still running. Never saw that coming, and it made our day far more difficult than it needed to be.)

We have one of those “lashing out at government” things going on right now, as this New York Times story describes. In short, government workers, and most of the French populace, apparently oppose cost-cutting plans by the Sarkozy government to extend the retirement age from 60 to 62. This sort of labor protest just doesn’t happen in the U.S. (and most certainly not in the UAE); the chances of you walking outside and finding your street barred because subway drivers are marching in the street … well, no. And in the small universe of “how does this impact me and my day?” sudden slowdowns on the Metro can destroy your plans.

On a more macro level, the complaints about Paris seem to fall into these categories:

–It’s too crowded. The city is fairly small, and has about 2.2 million packed people inside the peripherique — the road that rings the 20 arrondisements of the city proper. Add to that tens of thousands of tourists at any given moment, and you do end up standing in a lot of lines, from makets to bakeries to offices, unless you plan every carefully.

–The charm is gone. The notion here is that Paris has turned into a place dedicated to separating rubes from their money. Certainly in the most touristy areas (the Champs, the Marais), which even residents sometimes have to cross or enter. The cynicism of it all is decried.

–Transportation. While the bus system and the Metro and the RER work well (when workers aren’t staging wildcat strikes),  they often can be miserably crowded. People who lived here in the 1980s say it wasn’t always like that. At least, not as often. And the Metro, in the summer, is massively hot … and it doesn’t really get better in the winter when well-bundled Parisiens descend into the Metro — which is still much warmer than up on the ground level, and suffer inside their walking-in-the-street clothes. Also, lots of people attempt to drive, but it is a painfully slow process on most streets on most days. And then there is parking, and the lack of same.

–The expense of it all. It seemed as if Paris were semi-affordable, a few decades ago. Now, if you don’t make at least 60,000 euros a year (about $75,000, at today’s exchange rates) you will be unable to afford many of the amenities that Paris has to offer. Starting with a place to live that is more than a room with a sink and a toilet.

–And the most basic of all the complaints: The weather. Paris is significantly warmer and sunnier than Johnson’s beloved London, but it actually receives more rain. Paris tends to be dark and wet from November through at least March, and often through most of May. Summer tourists to the city don’t notice this. But the gloom and rain gets to people, especially as they age, or if they come from a sunny climate. One of the long-time residents said to me, “I am sick of Paris winters. I am so ready to leave.”

We have not reached that point. Though, after 10 weeks of being here in the last 14 months, I can see the legitimacy of some of the complaints, and the possibility that a combination of factors can wear away the city’s charm. Yes. It is possible.

So, Paris isn’t heaven to everyone. I don’t believe my friends are tired of life … but they are certainly tired of Paris.