Should there be places without children?

The mayor of Paris is proposing that the city offer about 2,000 electric vehicles for the public and tourists to use. The cost in euro would be about $5 an hour, depending on mileage. Details are expected next month, according to the London Times. You'll likely be able to use an electric vehicle, dubbed by locals Voiturelib' ("free car"), that can go a maximum of about 60 miles an hour, according to the car blog Jalopnik. Under the plan, public cars will be available to the residents and tourists without needing to book ahead. If you subscribed to the proposed service, you would be able to pick a car up from a station and leave it anywhere in the city, with fees being deducted from your credit card. Paris already has a car-sharing scheme with regular gas-guzzling cars. You subscribe to the services offered by three companies and then whenever you need a car, you pick it up in a parking space near you and pay roughly $4 to $13 an hour, depending on your plan, or a fee by the kilometer driven. When done, you return the car where you picked it up. Gas is included in the price. Tourists can use the services, but be aware that the participating company websites are in French: Caisee Commune, Mobizen, and Okigo. The program is similar to the free-bicycle program in Paris that we told you about last summer. That program has been wildly successful. Called Vélib', it has spawned its own language: There is the véliber (to ride a free bike), and the derivatives vélibataire (single male cyclist), vélimace (cyclist moving at a snail's pace), vélibation (a drunk night on a free bike), and Vélibabouchka (a bike-riding grandma), according to the Dictionnaire du Vélib' by Anne Abeillé. The program has also spawned its own traditions. "A seat turned backwards is an indication that that particular bicycle has a flat tire, a broken chain or some other fault, and other users should avoid it," according to blogger Khoi Vinh. MORE Info on free bicycle programs in Europe by Paul Brady at the blog Jaunted. ELSEWHERE ON OUR SITE Here's Budget Travel's round-up of free bike programs in Europe. EARLIER ON THE BLOG Air France starts a carbon-offset program.

If you live long enough, anything can happen. Here's an audio recording of Rick Steves, travel guidebook writer and tour group leader, singing a rap for his son's high school radio station. He comes on during the last part of the one-minute audio. [via World Hum] Then you can read our online Q&A; with Rick, one of America's most knowledgeable travelers.

It's time for another Question of the Week: Travel is one of those things that you'd get really good at if you did them all the time. Unfortunately, few people get to do it all the time—including the staff of Budget Travel. So we're pooling our knowledge: We ask you a question, you share your advice, and then we spotlight the most helpful tips in a future magazine issue. This week's question is:"This February, a girlfriend and I will visit friends who recently moved to Napa. Since we've never been there and the couple is new to the area, we'd love to know about any must-see spots, restaurants, and shops. (They're in the wine business, so I think we have vineyards covered!)" —Lauren Feuer, Editorial Production Manager EARLIER: Readers answer a question about museums and hotels in Knoxville.