Right Bank beach

Paris is not alone among European cities in bringing the seascape to town. In Berlin, sandy beaches have been created along the Spree River, and in London, a new beach has been established on the South Bank of the Thames.

In Paris, Delano has turned the 45-foot-wide highway, which hugs the northern riverbank, into a staging ground for a variety of events and activities, "numro un" being simple strolling and sunbathing. More than 2.5 million visitors on bicycles, roller blades, and flip-flops are expected to throng the quais to drink beer at makeshift cafes, take in open-air concerts, and snooze in beach chairs after Paris-Plage launched its third edition Wednesday.

Paris-Plage is a temporary utopia, and last year, wandering the carless quais was my salvation. Unlike many Parisians, I was unable to escape the city during last August's devastating "canicule" (heat wave). Instead I cooled off under the ingenious sprinklers that, like giant perfume atomizers, spritzed water at passersby.

Later that month, with a troupe of dear friends leaving to find their futures in other cities, we celebrated at Paris-Plage. The dangling strings of lights and amber-lighted views of Ile Saint-Louis's 16th-century buildings provided a memorable backdrop for our goodbyes.

This summer, I'll be happy to again delude myself for a month and pretend that city life can be like this -- slowed down, almost stopped, shockingly quiet.

"It's a place on the banks of the Seine to come together," said Delano at a press conference this month. "A way to live together."

Delano's dreams are backed by a $4.2 million budget, and the statistics for his party are staggering. Covering the acres of tarmac will be 20,000 square feet of beach, grass, and wooden decking (including 2,000 tons of sand), 200 deck chairs, 40 palm trees, 40 hammocks, seven drinking fountains, five cafes, four sprinkler-misters, and two picnic areas.