The elevator ride up the Eiffel Tower was filled with trepidation. I was the last one left of the gaggle of journalists invited to see Pokémon Legends: Z-A, but I had overslept my alarm somehow and just barely caught the last car in to make it up the tower. When I arrived, the elevator attendant called out in French for only those with the special ticket to get off at the first floor. I made my way out from a whole crowd of confused tourists, pounded on a locked door that opened up to an intriguing fake Pokémon concierge desk of sorts, and finally, a café where assorted plushies rested, and our hour-long game preview of the most anticipated upcoming Pokémon RPG. I had braved an almost eight hour-flight to come to Paris and see Z-A again for an additional preview, and now I was sat down in a near-replica of the French city in game, scouring familiar-looking rooftops for rival trainers and their accompanying Pokémon.
It was a weird time, made even weirder by the fact that I had yet to really ever see the Eiffel Tower in full. The last time I was here, I saw the landmark from the ground up, but never rode the elevator up. This time, we were on the first floor, only to play video games for an hour and then head back down. Outside, street hustlers peddled their wares, offering miniatures of the tower for just one euro, they claimed. A group of women tried to get me to sign a petition for orphans, only to tell me last minute that they actually just wanted my money. I told them I had no cash, and walked away quickly, using every ounce of New York indifference I could on them.
