Paris experiences an influx of Emily’s fans

PARIS (AP) — The massive success of the Netflix series “Emily in Paris” has turned a quiet square in the French capital into a tourist hotspot.

The Place de l’Estrapade is located in the historic Latin Quarter and just steps away from the magnificent vaulted Pantheon, hidden so deeply that it could easily go unnoticed. For die-hard hat-wearing fans of the series, this neighborhood square has become a landmark.

This is where the fictional character of Emily Cooper, an American in her twenties played by Lily Collins, lives, dines and savors the local bakery’s creations.

The newly emerged interest may be annoying to the people who actually live and work here, but the show also ignites a new passion for Paris, and even anti-Emily graffiti is part of the attraction.

The romantic comedy, which premiered its third season in December, follows Emily’s misadventures and misadventures in her career and love life in Paris.

On a sunny weekday day, the square fills with tourists from the United States and other faraway countries, taking photos, videos, and selfies.

It’s all here: Emilie’s apartment building at 1 Place de d’Estrapade, where she lives with one of her housemates, Gabrielle. The restaurant where Gabriel plays the chef, French actor Lucas Bravo. And of course the bakery you love.

Dancer Riskya Octaviana from Jakarta, Indonesia, came straight to Paris after her performance in Germany because she loves the series so much. After she walked around the square, Emily-esque, she said, “Emily is my good friend.”

Elizabeth and Robin Mercado celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary in Paris and visited Amelie’s neighborhood as part of their trip. Elizabeth Mercado said she prepared herself by watching the show right before they went.

“We were trying to practice a little bit of the French we learned through the programme,” he said.

Tourists stop for snacks at Boulangerie Moderne, the chain’s signature modern bakery. Owner Thierry Rapigneau admits that the influx of tourists has boosted profits.

But the other side of the fame came in the comments online. Some people, many of whom post anonymously, have criticized the quality of his bakery. Rabinho believes the show gave viewers the false impression that he was running an upscale bakery rather than an ordinary local bakery selling croissants for €1.30 ($1.43) each.

People write comments, saying that it is too expensive, and that it is not good. It’s disgusting. “It baffles me,” said Rabinho. “It’s a bakery, a little neighborhood bakery.”

He realizes how lucky he is that the series has come out. “We are benefiting from the current situation… but in two or three years there will be no tourism and we will have to be here to survive,” he said.

Stephanie Jamin, who lives in the square and encounters a large number of tourists every day, has had to adjust to living in a place of reference on the tourist map. It says that the people themselves aren’t annoying, but the crowds can be imposing.

“We’ve become a very touristy area, when it was a small square that was still kept for a bit of tourism,” he said.

Another resident who left Emily’s apartment building said he had an allergy to the software. “Emily Not Welcome” is written in red graffiti on the front of the building.

But the graffiti attracts fans, and visitors take pictures pointing to the insulting comment. Among them was Abdullah Najari, an internist from Berlin who described the series as “entertaining”.

“I’ve seen a lot of Paris through this show, actually, and the lifestyle and the clichés are partly true, partly not, so it’s nice,” he said.

Strolling through Paris in a white hat, sunglasses and a blue and white striped jacket, Croatian digital creator Sladana Grzyncic captured her jumping and twirling in front of Emily’s apartment.

Seeing the actual neighborhood made him look forward to the next season of the series, which he said he would watch “a little differently because I was here and in the same places it was filmed.”

Season 4 is on the way, but the release date is not known yet.

Resident Jamin takes a philosophical take on the charm of her neighborhood.

“It’s as ephemeral as the series,” he said. After Emily’s craziness subsided, “There are people like all the merchants in the area who would benefit tremendously, and that allowed them to start over after COVID. They needed that.”

“There will definitely be an end. Emilie is not Victor Hugo. She will not be included in the pantheon,” Jamin said. “He will go home and everything will be fine.”