going to; marseille - new york times
going to; marseille - new york times
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going to; marseille
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by julia chaplin
published: august 14, 2005
on the old port, much of which was rebuilt after bombs destroyed many buildings during world war ii, is le crystal, 148, quai du port, (33-4) 91.91.57.96, where members of a burgeoning film industry can be found lunching in the afternoon sun on 1940's red vinyl banquettes shaded by bamboo fronds and potted palms. (lunch for two with wine $45.) what to do during the day -- the streets are a pop culture aficionado's dream. old colonial buildings with chipped wooden shutters are mixed with storefronts covered with 3-d graffiti murals (the latest trend in tagging here) signs from the 60's and 70's, groovy midcentury high rises and old dive bars with unrenovated interiors that would make trendy boutique hotel designers swoon. (my favorite was ne called le source, in the red light district around the opera, with gold-painted silhouettes of busty women that looked like vintage russ meyer.) friche la belle de mai, 41, rue jobin 13003, (33-4) 95.04.95.04, is a government-sponsored artist squatters' building in a converted tobacco factory by the train tracks 10 minutes by cab from the city center. wander the art-covered corridors -- if you want to tag, and evidently many do, you can buy a marker for $3.50 at sound kartel, 2, rue berlioz, (33-4) 91.47.98.49 -- and the cavernous exhibition spaces. there's also a nomadic cafe set up in the parking lot on a flatbed truck with tarps and corrugated aluminum siding. for a late afternoon sugar fix, hit plauchut, 168, la canebière, (33-4) 91.48.06.67, a patisserie that opened in 1820, with inlaid ceilings painted with angels, gold vines and clouds. the obscenely decadent tarte au poires bourdalou, a pear tart with a meringue topping , is eight inches high. what to do at night -- the trendies hang out in the open-air bars on the old port like bar de la marine, 15, quai de rive neuve, (33-4) 91.54.95.42, with a jumped-up d.j. but the cours julien area, anchored by a park with laurel, cypress and olive trees and groups hanging out on benches, is the best sample of marseille's youthful street culture. at le rosly, 47, cours julien, (33-4) 91.42.59.46, sip a pint of beer at a table outside. for live music au café julien, 39, cours julien, (33-4) 91.53.25.89, is where dancehall artists rap to d.j.'s spinning ''smells like teen spirit.'' the pocket-size balthazar, 3, place paul cézanne, (33-4) 91.42.59.57, has local and touring acts performing such cross-cultural genres as brazilian reggae and cape verdian ragga. most bars and clubs close at 2 a.m., but there are a handful of after-hours bars including l'art haché, 14, rue de l'olivier, (33-4) 96.12.45.89. marked by a battered metal door, the speakeasy-like basement has lots of chairs, cold beer and an eccentric cast of characters that gets stranger as the night wears on; open midnight to 6 a.m. where to shop -- the crop of young, local fashion designers and their one-of-a-kind creations can be found at palma, 10, rue corneille; (33-4) 91.33.76.58. the two young designers at pomponette, 2, rue breteuil, (33-4) 91.53.34.26, stitch up women's fashions like tulle prairie skirts and tunics on sewing machines behind the counter. in the souklike african market district l'univers aliemelaire, 36, rue d'aubagne, sells everything from two-foot-high hookah pipes, loose tea and marseille's famous square soap bars. your first visit or your 10th -- hire a taxi, roll down the windows and breeze along the rocky, galactic-looking coast up the corniche président kennedy (where hitchcock shot many of his famed south of france road scenes). laze away the afternoon at les goudes, a fishing village where a rocky path leads to la baie des singes, les goudes, (33- 4) 91.73.68.87, a family-run restaurant tucked into a jagged cove where groups at long tables on the terrace feast on bouillabaisse ($55) and fresh daurade ($27). afterward dive in the clear mediterranean, sunbathe on the rocks, and watch the fishing boats putt slowly past. how to get there -- from paris the high-speed t.g.v. covers the 417 miles in only three hours, with stress-free views of provence and the changing terrain ($74 round trip advance purchase; several trains per day). air france runs hourly shuttles from orly and several flights daily from charles de gaulle (each $144 if bought in advance) the least expensive round-trip flight from new york in early september, was on lufthansa out of kennedy international via frankfurt (and back via munich), for $555. getting around -- the old part of the city, the most interesting, is best seen on foot. but it's hilly with lots of steps, which explains why the locals favor sneakers and flip-flops (high heels are a bad idea). taxis are expensive but recommended late at night when the streets are empty, and in certain neighborhoods, potentially dangerous.
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