You might have came in Summer/August, where all the parisians disappear because there are too many tourists and it's too hot so if you can afford it you go to the south of France/abroad.
Also the experience you will have as a tourist is indeed of a museum, the experience you will have living here inside french circles is vastly different but, like in every city, it's not something that you can create in 1 week or 2. I would even say, if you're not french or parisian, you will have difficulties joining the right inner circles. It's not a good thing, it's not something to be proud of, but the parisian life is extremely lively. It's exactly the same than in New York, there are more to scratch than the surface but it's not something that you can "consume" easily just because you have a wallet.