Chucks in Paris

Buried in a previous post, I mentioned that we’re hosting an out-of-country guest–a young teen from Paris.When people meet her and find out she’s from Paris, she’s an instant celebrity. People assume that everything she wears must be the mode in Paris. The scarf wound around her neck is a dead giveaway that she’s from Europe, because no one other than a girl from Paris would even think of donning a scarf in our sweltering, late summer afternoons.Anyway, I have learned that “Chucks,” which is what I now know American kids around here call “Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars,” are all the rage among young people in Paris. The first day we picked her up, our guest asked me how much we might pay for them here. I said I had no idea, because I hadn’t bought a pair of Chuck Taylor Converse All-Stars since I was about 13 years old.”Just guess.” she persisted. “What do you think?”Finally, I guessed maybe $30. I didn’t know.”Wow,” she said, leaning back in her seat dreamily, “because in Paris they would cost 82 euros.”Everything seems like a great deal when you’re talking about numbers that big.We found some at a shoe store, and they were more than I guessed: $45. But the store had a buy-one-get-another-half-off. So after the calculations, it was closer to my guess. She bought a pair, and one of my girls bought a pair with her own money, which gave the discount. The two girls split the savings.Our guest got home and sent an e-mail to her mom with news of the exciting purchase. Her mom told her to buy another pair and one for her brother. So we returned another day and bought two more.So now you know what the young people love in Paris:Converse All-Stars.”Chucks.”She’s hoping to find an “Eastpak” brand backpack at an American price. We’re not big shoppers, at least not full price, so I don’t know where to look for this brand. I’ve never heard of it. I tried Target and Wal-mart, but no Eastpaks.Anyone know what store would carry those?