Jawn sais quoi: New Michelin guide calls Philly ‘the Frenchest American city’

I didn’t need to read Michelin’s new travel guide to Philadelphia to be immediately suspicious of it. I just had to see a quote from the book that called Philly the “Frenchest American city” to consider the entire thing totally suspect.

The Comcast Center has never been mistaken for the Eiffel Tower, the Delaware River does not glisten like the Seine, and nobody ever said, “This Philly wine is just superb!” (And if you ever do hear that, run.)

Still, it seemed outsiders from a land known for glitz and glamour were giving Philly a compliment, and since that doesn’t happen often, I had to know more.

Marine Havel, who came to Philly from France in 2005 and serves as Honorary Consul of France in Philadelphia, said Michelin took the words right out of her mouth.

“That’s always what I said, how Francophile the Philadelphians are,” she said. “I understand that for some people it’s not obvious, but in many ways, there’s a lot of French presence in the city.”

But Ben Rush-Goebel, a native of France who’s lived here since 2015 and is program manager at the Welcoming Center, was surprised.

“I would have done the opposite and called it the most American city. It’s the birthplace of the country, ” he said. “It’s really interesting to see that they have to make Philly a French city to make people want to come here, that was my first reaction.”

Founded in France by the folks behind the tire company, Michelin’s Green Guides (different from its Red Guides that focus on restaurants and hotels) are global travel guides. Philly is the eighth U.S. destination to receive an edition. Michelin worked with the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau (PCVB) to create the guide, said Robin Bloom, director of content for PCVB.

“What I was so taken with from Michelin is they felt very welcomed, they loved the inclusivity and diversity of our city,” Bloom said. “My favorite quote they said was, ‘Every culture holds the key to the city in Philadelphia.‘ ”

But what makes us French-y? To find out, I called Philippe Orain, editor in chief of the guide. He pointed to the art and architecture around the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which was modeled after the Champs-Élysées in Paris and designed by two French architects (one of whom, Paul Philippe Cret, also designed the Benjamin Franklin Bridge and redesigned Rittenhouse Square). Then there’s City Hall, which was built in the French Second Empire style.

“You’ve got that sense of grandeur, of perspective,” Orain said. “It’s very Parisian.”

There’s also the Barnes Foundation, home to the largest collection of Renoirs in the world, and the Rodin Museum, which has the second-largest collection of Rodins.

“All this plus the links between the American Revolution and France,” Orain said.

Sure, but does that make Philly more French than New Orleans?

“The history of Philadelphia is closer to the French history and with those architects that developed special aspects of the city, it’s introduced in a different scale that you don’t have in New Orleans,” Orain said. “You will feel closer to France in Philadelphia than in New Orleans.”

As Philly Twitter recently rediscovered, we have a tiny French Quarter, too (between 17th and 19th Streets and Walnut and Sansom), but despite the 1999 designation, most are oblivious to it, Billy Penn reported.

Philadelphia also has a French-American Chamber of Commerce and the Alliance Française de Philadelphie, which promotes French language and francophone cultures.

Sonia Robin, executive director of the alliance and a native of France who moved to Philly 11 years ago, said there’s a lot of European feel here.

“I lived in the past on Passyunk and it really felt like one of those tiny towns in France where you walk after dinner, go have an ice cream, and eat by the fountain,” she said.

But are Philadelphians really like the French in any way?

“In Philadelphia, people have that cool elegance that makes you feel comfortable very easily and very quick,” Orain said.

He obviously wasn’t on Broad Street after the Phillies won the NLCS last year.

In fact, according to those I spoke with, sports fandom is something that sets us apart.

Rush-Goebel said while France has extreme fans, they’re usually only the most extreme people.

“When here in Philly you can be a 30-year-old mom and they’re going to be the craziest Phillies fan you’ve ever seen,” he said.

Theresa Conroy, a former journalist, yoga therapist, and lifelong Philadelphian, retired with her husband and former journalist Don “Joe Sixpack” Russell, to Rennes, France, last year. The couple write a Substack called “Yo France: A Philly Couple Gives Up Soft Pretzels for Croissants.”

Conroy said it’s weird not to see people in sports jerseys, though the French do wear football (a.k.a. soccer) scarves.

“The other day Don was wearing his Phillies sweatshirt and Eagles hat, so there’s no hiding him,” she said. “You never forget for a second you’re not in Philadelphia.”

Conroy, who traveled to France as a Daily News reporter to cover murderer Ira Einhorn’s arrest there and later, his extradition, fell in love with the French language, architecture, and lifestyle.

“They’re much more focused on the quality of their life than their work,” she said. “When people go to parties they don’t talk about their jobs here. They may ask ‘What are you reading?’ ”

Other major differences include universal health care (they’ve got it, we don’t); gun violence (we’ve got it, they don’t); and litter (”It’s not as dirty here but dog sh— is everywhere, and they smoke way more,” Conroy said).

One thing we do share is a strong sense of civic pride.

“Being French is a thing for French people, and I think Philly is like that too,” Conroy said.

Rush-Goebel agreed.

“French people ... we like to hate ourselves, we always complain about France, but we won’t let other people complain about France,” he said.

While the French, like Philadelphians, may be a little tougher at the outset, Rush-Goebel said you just need to be genuine and “most of the time, they’ll embrace you.”

In other words, we both have good b.s. detectors.

Though the French don’t typically view Philly as a tourist destination, Havel thinks the Michelin guide, which the French see as “kind of their Bible,” will change that.

“It will help people from France come to Philly, or at least think about it more than twice,” she said.

Rush-Goebel said the guide likening Philly to France will likely pique interest among French travelers, most of whom associate the U.S. with New York City.

“I think they are saying if you want the U.S. go to New York, but if you want France, go to Philadelphia,” he said.

This summer, France will also get a taste of Philly when Jeannine A. Cook, owner of Harriett’s Bookshop in Fishtown, opens her literary art installation in Paris, Josephine’s Bookshop, named after American-born French performer Josephine Baker.

As for Conroy and Russell, they’ll continue to do their part to rep Philly in France, too.

“We don’t try to hide it — we’re from Philly and we live in France and you can’t take it out of us,” Conroy said. “We’re still the Philly people in France.”