Frankfurt Quick Fix
Mark Landler does Frankfurt in 36 hours together with a slide show in the grey lady.
Let’s talk about travel behavior and cultural understanding. I was born in Frankfurt. Never heard about Mark’s choice of words: ersatz charm. And for those Americans thinking about heading out to Frankfurt, I’d recommend chatting up with locals,
“Hey, you’ve got a great ersatz charm going on here.”
Ask Text&Blog about the professional news editors in New York. Albeit, Mark is partially on target here. Frankfurt, after Berlin, is the most international city in Germany and nearly on par with it’s high quality museums. So, many Americans feel welcome there. My favorite city slogan is “Berlin, you’re on the guest list.” I couldn’t say that about Munich or Hamburg.
Comments
Ersatz charm or not, I loved visiting Frankfurt. Personally, I thought the charm genuine, the people wonderful and the food....well, the charm waa genuine and the people wonderful. ;-)
Actually, the food was great also.
GM Roper; August 21, 2007 11:11 PM
That's good to hear. I wouldn't recommend the use of "ersatz charm" towards locals. It's like saying, your charm is ok, but only close to being ok, so kind of. And never mind the use of Genglish ;) I think transient Frankfurt is an underestimated welcoming city.
Gerd; August 22, 2007 12:35 AM