Talk politics.

I kind of agree. I'm all for avoiding the lines, but Paris is Paris after all. There are more tourists this year than last, next year there will be more and even more the year after, unless there is a global recession or something. This means the top 50 or so sites around the world are already straining against the crowds and will be getting worse. Of course, sites 51 - 100 are much more relaxed (for now) and still really cool. I went to Paris this past summer and stayed away from the Louvre and Eiffel Tower, I couldn't imagine they'd be good experiences. The Rodin museum is an outside sculpture park, while I didn't have cheese or wine, it was still a great place to hang out and I felt both more cultured and relaxed when I left. There are at least a score other Parisian sites like this, the Shakespeare and Co., or the left bank, depending on your taste. I expect, as there are more and more tourists, this is going to be the trend. Venice and Amsterdam are trying to cut down on the number of visitors, something I'm more than happy to help them achieve. Padua and Rotterdam are not and seem like much better choices. The internet makes it all pretty easy.