Parisian bike system: Velib

I meant to post this last week, but life has been busy.  Since having commented via posts on the impending NYC bike system, I came across a review of the Parisian public bike system, Velib by a San Francisco native who lives in Paris.  She explains how to best get around using it while there and I thought it was good information to share.  Like many people, I have a slight obsession with reading about Parisian lifestyle.  I use the justification that I do in fact, have French in my bloodline- my Great Grandmother was French.   Unfortunately, I have only been to Paris once. I absolutely loved it. I was expecting people to be rude to me and to my surprise, everyone was nice.  It appeared they thought I was a local because women would just start speaking French to me and I would smile explaining I didn’t speak the language.  Learning the French language is now one of those lingering goals that I don’t work at, yet wish the ability would magically appear.  I’ve decided when I have kids I’m going to make them take the French lessons as children (yes, live vicariously) and perhaps I’ll catch on then.  Wouldn’t that be very Mary Poppin’s perfect?  Enough on that tangent.  Now go visit Paris so you can write your own blog post on the public bike system or for that matter, whatever suits your fancy.