paris is preparing for an invasion unlike any it has seen before.<br > "We re having a picnic in the year 2000，" said Julian Fram;aise， a<br > government employee. "We have a better， cleaner， more exciting，<br > and more dynamic city to show the world than we did in the 70s<br > and 80s. "/ all come and ~ee us now， as they d say in Texas."<br > Hoping to put aside its economic woes of the 1990s， Paris is fac-<br > ing the 21st century with a bright face. According to polls， the<br > French people， even the traditionally cynical Parisians， are becom-<br > ing more optimistic. The city looks better than it has in years， with<br > such monumental projects completed as the cleaning of the Louvre，<br > Op&a， and Notre-Dame. Much of the riverffont has been restored，<br > repaired， and spruced up in anticipation of the millennium. And<br > always the City of Light， Paris will be even more dazzling in 2000，<br > with greater illuminations than ever before.<br > Paris may not be the most happening city in Europe. London， at<br > least in the opinion of Londoners， still retains that position. But<br > Paris remains queen of the continent， with more museums than ever，<br > greater nighttime diversions， better hotels (many of them also reju-<br > venated for the millennium)， better and more varied shops， and the<br > most talented stable of chefs in the world.<br > Whether you re heading here for the first or the 50th time， the<br > discovery of the City of Light and the experience of making it your<br > own is and always has been the most compelling reason to visit.<br > Neighborhoods such as Montmartre and Montpasnasse， St-Germain<br > and the Marais， are waiting to be explored for the first time or to be<br > rediscovered by a returning visitor. In some ways， they remain the<br > same， as if etched in stone， but after a second look it s obvious that<br > they have changed.<br >