I've never taken a sightseeing bus in Paris, but have enjoyed them in other cities.
http://europeforvisitors.com/paris/articles/paris-sightseeing-buses.htm
I have a special place in my heart for Paris too. ![[smiley=smitten.gif]](https://www.talk.uk-yankee.com/Smileys/classic/smitten.gif "Smitten")
I've been there multiple times and each time feels like "home" ... which is very funny because my French is limited to Please, Thank You, a few numbers and Where are the Toilets? I am taking my sister there next month. 
Crepes are certainly on the list! Yum!
I had a similar experience to yours, whispersarah, in Budapest. It was my first time abroad and somehow I ended up in Budapest with no guide book and on my own. I was changing lines on the metro and got caught for not having a second ticket... this is after experiencing London and Paris... it was a $5 penalty and it totally wasn't fair. The woman demanded my passport... which duh I handed over and made me stuck until I did pay. I am sure I started to cry because I really couldn't even understand what was happening. To make the sob story worse, it was my birthday and it was hot and generally turned me off to the city. I tried to make the most of it and enjoyed my two days there but I left asap feeling shamed for being naive. In hindsight, Budapest is lovely (in its own old world way) and I should go back one of these days.
Its funny because it seems that everyone has their city which is forever tainted with the memories of a bad experience. For me, it is Munich. I won't get into it, but I will say that I will not so much as set a toe in that city (or all of Bavaria, for that matter) ever again. Horrible, rude people everywhere you turn. (Though I have found that Saxony is totally different. The people there are friendly and helpful, and the ones that I talked to shared my view of Bavarians.)
Its sort of a shame that that happens, but I guess that's just life.
How long ago did you go to Budapest, Olive Oyl? I went last year and absolutely loved it. From what I could gather, in the past five years or so it has become a lot more tourist-friendly. I know you had a crappy experience, but you really should give it another shot. I think its going to be the next Prague.
As for Paris, I've been there five times and I can honestly say that I think that people's attitudes kind of depend upon you. People seem to get sort of pissy if you make zero attempt to speak their language or understand their culture, which I can't say I disagree with. . . .But, if you just try to speak their language and get into it, you're ace!. . . .I know your wife is pregnant, but the one thing I would recommend is maybe spending part of an afternoon just strolling around and people-watching. (The 6th is the best place for this.) Its my favorite thing to do in Paris.
To second what everyone else has said about food, the crepes are great. But, also try the profitarolls (sp?). Its like this pastry with chocolate sauce on it that sometimes comes with ice cream. Incredible! If you like mussels, the mussel-frites are also really good, especially with blue cheese sauce (if you like blue cheese!). . . .Honestly, any meal (or snack) you have in Paris will probably be fantastic!
And VictoriaS is right, use the cash machines at the banks. Not only is it easier and safer, it will probably save you money as banks give the best exchange rates and, on average, charge lower commissions.
