Latest on strike and the continuing "bird droppings" scam

We returned home after spending last week (Dec. 14-22) in Paris. The strike really wasn't a problem for us. We took a taxi from Charles de Gaulle into the center city without a problem. It took about an hour, perhaps a little longer than usual, and it was on a Sunday, so we can't vouch for what it would be like if you arrived on a weekday. Once in the city, the streets and sidewalks were quite crowded because of limited Metro, bus and train service, but we were able to walk just about everywhere we wanted to go--Eiffel Tower, Champs Elysees, Ile de la Cite and Rue Cler. We were able to get taxis to the Marais and Montmartre. However, taxis were sometimes hard to come by. Police presence was beefed up in some areas, most noticeably near the Place de la Bastille, where the gendarmes were all prepped in riot gear. Bizarrely, we were having a meal on the patio of a nearby brasserie and we noticed that a group of four young men sitting at a nearby table and amiably enjoying their food had gas masks resting at their feet. Presumably, this foursome wanted a hearty meal before heading out to protest. However, we never saw any protest action. The upside was that most of the museums were open and there were no waits and relatively few tourists inside. We ate well, and the Parisians we came in contact with in restaurants and shops were quite friendly. The one other thing we wanted to note is that the "bird droppings" scam discussed in this forum is still ongoing. We were "hit" by the scammers as we were walking along a relatively deserted but wide dirt lane parallel to the Orangerie museum (along it south side). At the time, we were--foolishly--unaware of this type of scam, and we allowed these scammers to wipe us off, not realizing they were intent on picking our pockets (or perhaps worse). Fortunately, I was wearing a money belt and my wife had a purse buried in her very secure backpack, so they got nothing. But please, please, please, be smart when walking and keep to main streets where there are plenty of pedestrians!