A taste of 'le WiFi' in Paris

PARIS -- Would Ernest Hemingway approve of WiFi at the Cafe de Flore?

If Mayor Bertrand Delanoe has his way, free wireless Internet soon will be on offer in public places throughout the city -- including the cafe haunts on the Left Bank where the master of the chiseled phrase used to write longhand in small black notebooks.

While it might be a little hard to imagine Hemingway writing "A Farewell to Arms" on a laptop, Delanoe is betting that "le WiFi" (pronounced wee-fee here) is one of many changes in Paris that will attract creative spirits as well as legions of young people who might otherwise flee the tradition-bound city for places closer to the cutting edge.

Delanoe, 56, a socialist with strong views about how to make Paris competitive in the 21st century, has been reshaping the city's image since he was elected the French capital's first openly gay mayor in 2001. He wants to make Paris greener, more high tech, less uptight.

"Paris is extremely strong when it is most welcoming," Delanoe told a news magazine shortly after his election. Previous mayors and the national government, he said, had "museumified" the city.

His goal is both to attract young people, some of whom in recent years have chosen to move to London for employment opportunities, and to attract new business, which increasingly looks to Eastern Europe or the Far East when opening new offices.

"We can't leave Asian cities like Seoul or Tokyo, or American cities like San Francisco or Philadelphia, to make the running [to dominate] in digital matters," Delanoe said earlier this year when he announced plans to create 400 free wireless hot spots.

Since Delanoe's election, the city has launched an impressive array of projects. Paris Plage, the beach on the Seine, has been an international sensation and a hit with Parisians. Soon it will be possible to rent bicycles at low cost in the Metro subway stations.

Still, Paris remains an old-fashioned city in many regards. Supermarkets close at 9 p.m.; most restaurants close on Sunday and do not serve after 10:30 in the evening; the long working hours common in London, New York, and Tokyo are unheard of here.