PITTSBURGH —
While Pittsburghers are gearing up to head to Paris, French TikTokers Tom Carles and Alex Durand, known for their @Frenchies page with more than 2 million followers, visited the Steel City to experience the city’s culture ahead of this weekend’s NFL game in Paris.
“When you come out of the tunnel, and you’re like, ‘Wow, lots of bridges, lots of hills, lots of bodies of water.’ It’s really a beautiful city,” Carles said.
Exploring the Sights and Pittsburghese
Their trip included stops at Acrisure Stadium, Duquesne University and the Cathedral of Learning on the University of Pittsburgh campus.
“That’s very beautiful. The campus is gorgeous. When I went there, we’re like, ‘Wow, you’re lucky to go to school there.’ The building, what, everybody studies at the cathedral, it’s just absolutely gorgeous. It’s like being in Hogwarts. If you’re a Harry Potter fan, it’s just, it’s beautiful,” Carles said.
The pair also explored and learned a little Pittsburghese like “yinz” and learned how Pittsburghers pronounce North Versailles.
“And I still think that if people say Duquesne or whatever they want to say, like, I’m happy for them to say the way they want to say it; we’re just kind of bringing awareness on how we would say it. But I do love Americans bringing their own twist to French things. Like, we’ll never be upset again. I think it’s beautiful. And I think people should keep saying Du-Bois instead of DuBois. I think it’s amazing,” Durand said.
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Durand also shared his thoughts on Paris finally hosting an NFL game after years of waiting.
“Because I kept seeing other cities around Europe like Madrid, Munich, London, getting all these games, all these NFL games. And I wondered why Paris didn’t have a bid,” Durand said.
Carles expressed his excitement about the matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints.
“In the world, having two cities that have that kind of irritation was something that made me happy when I saw the lineup,” Carles said.
As advice for travelers heading to Paris, the TikTokers suggested walking around as much as possible and always remembering to say “bonjour.”