It’s August in Paris, a time when vacationers throng the boulevards and Parisians flee the city, decamping to the Alps or the Riviera. For those who remain, there is Paris-Plage, a series of “beaches” along the Seine.

I saw them from above, strolling along the quay on a perfect late summer afternoon. People sauntering, sipping, basking in the sun.

It’s funny to think of Paris needing to sell itself as anything other than what it already is: a sophisticated European capital, site of the 2024 Olympics, a mecca for writers, thinkers and artists everywhere.

But, as I’m learning on this visit, it’s also a home, full of apartment buildings with plant-filled balconies, of neighborhood bistros and parks where you least expect them. I love seeing this Paris. It makes me appreciate the great city all the more.