SPECIAL REPORT: live trends from Marseille 🦪🇫🇷🏞️

After a month in the south of France, here are a few things to know about one of my favorite cities.

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If you were reading a month ago, you probably caught a lil note that I would be spending the month of August working from — and having a little week’s long vacation in — Marseille, a port city in the south of France. The second largest city in the country, it’s known its rowdiness (or “gritty” as some say) (more on that in a moment) but, in the 2020s, it’s attracted a bit of a cool kid aura as guides upon guides have popped up in T, FT, Traveller, Buzzfeed, Eater, and Vogue, who put a piece together in conjunction with Chanel’s recent resort show in the city.

We picked Marseille as Bobby and I were trying to figure out a city to go to that had beachy amenities and summer vibes as last year we spent August in San Sebastian which did have beachy amenities (Hiking! The ocean! Fireowrks!) but had distinctly unsummery vibes (Too cold waters, too much rain, too many highs of sixty, etc.). Having visited Marseille before, this seemed like the perfect place to go — and it was! It’s been a thrill and a reminder that some cities just have a life to them. Things are happening in Marseille! It’s a city that’s still figuring itself out after all these years and, as I’ve long described it, the city is like the oldest teenager in the world as it was settled by the Greeks and Romans in BC times but is far from “settled,” as huge migrant populations from North Africa, Middle East, and beyond call the city home. This tension between The French™ and the-recently-The French™ has created the sort of (white) existential crisis that we’re seeing in America and in the UK: what it means to be French (Or American, or British, or generally European) is quickly becoming non-white and or non-Judeo-Christian. This is one of the reasons for France’s recent lurching right: racism, which is embodied by a place like Marseille and it’s long, long history of this tension.

This is to say: the city is raw, as its history and future is being defined in this moment. This is also to say: it’s not a city for everyone. If you’re the type of person who looks up a city and then “crime,” stop reading. Also? Please seek help, Prudy Pingleton. If you’re the type who sees graffiti and breaks into a sweat, stop reading. Also? Please seek help. Marseille is real, meaning it’s very dirty and things always appear to be broken — and that’s its charm! If you’re willing to put in the time, you’ll find many a gem. More on that later! For the immediate, I did notice many trends to report on in a similar way that was reported on when I visited Paris back in March. These are both emblematic of the city but also what’s bubbling over in culture, signaling larger movements in the world (which, honestly, I do not see any of in Barcelona) (but that’s for another post).

So what are The Trends™? Where should you go? What larger trends did the city confirm? Let’s dive into it and see what’s popping in this lively Mediterranean city 🌄