1. At first glance, street signs in Paris all look the same: navy blue background with white type giving you the name of the rue, avenue, boulevard or allée you’re on. But if you take the time to look up, you may see a few stand-out examples of street signs, like this one at the corner of the pedestrian market street rue Montorgueil and rue Mauconseil topped with a gilded angel.
2. Most street signs, like this one on rue Miromesnil, with its ornate stone frame, also display the arrondissement you’re in; this one shows that it’s located in the eighth.
3. In other spots, particularly in older neighborhoods, you can see where the street sign used to be carved right into the side of the building, like this one on rue Saint Martin in the 4th, where old carved sign and new printed one exist side-by-side.
4. The same cannot be said for the poor rue de la Vrillière, in the 1st, where the newer sign has been removed, leaving the old one a bit worse for the wear.
5. Residents of this street in the 1st are doubly lost, with neither old street sign nor new to tell them where they are. In this case, all you can do is be grateful for Google Maps.