Here we are! Ten months after I posted video #1 of 30 things to do in Mulhouse, in September 2022, I've posted the final video. And they say there's nothing to do here...
First of all, a detailed list of all of my ideas for your viewing pleasure. I'm pretty proud of the fact that they are fairly varied in terms of price and category of activity (food, nightlife, art, nature, sports...). Then, I thought I would share with you some of my thoughts from this video series – because I learned a whole lot throughout the process!
30 Things to Do:
Get a pastry from Le Bocal and eat it in the Place de la Réunion
Visit the National Car Museum
Grab a coffee at Les Arcades d'Omnino
Drink a beer and eat a tarte flambée at Le Gambrinus
Rent a Vélocité and bike along the canal
Have a glass of local wine at Tandem
Attend the annual flower show, Folie'Flore, at the Parc Expo
Go to a Scorpions hockey game (RIP)
Wander around the free Fine Arts Museum
Have coffee and breakfast at Le Nid
Learn how to taste wines at La Quille
Visit the artists' studios at Motoco
Go to the Mulhouse Christmas market
Eat fondue at Le Petit Marcel
Shopping at unique stores in Mulhouse
L'Artichaut (local art and gift store)
Le Boudoir de Léa & Tribulles (pâtisserie x comic book store)
Huggy (vintage antiques shop)
Mon Univers (Harry Potter shop x tea room)
Fairplay (board game store)
Eat a pizza at Pizzeria Panettone
Happy hour at Nomad
Visit the food hall, bookstore, wine shop, etc. in Maison Engelmann
Walk around and admire the street art
Taste the empanadas at Sabor Argentina
Play board games at Team Factory, a board game bar
Drink incredible cocktails at Les Coursives in the Auberge du Zoo
Try Senegalese food at the covered market
Visit the Mulhouse zoo
Eat Korean BBQ at Jalmogoyo
Drink a spritz at L'Astronome rooftop bar
Explore the Parc Alfred Wallach and its rose garden
Grab a drink at C'est La Teuf's l'Après-Travail night
Attend a creative writing workshop (or any other workshop!)
Leave! ;)
My Thoughts
This video series ended up teaching me a lot of things. I gained over 1600 followers, which means that (hopefully) people appreciated my ideas!
Some of my videos got tens of thousands of views on Instagram and TikTok, which is super exciting. I'm so grateful, but if there's one thing that bothered me over the past ten months, it's the comments. Most are super positive, but the comments that denigrate Mulhouse are very annoying. It's unoriginal. There's already so much negativity out there about Mulhouse. We know you don't like it, we know you think it's sh****, we know that there are some not-so-beautiful parts of the city, we know you want to leave as soon as possible because you're not creative enough to find something to do around town. So leave my comment section and let me try to add some positivity to the discourse!
I can't stand the comments that I'm "making it up" or that it's "unrealistic," or making fun of me for "romanticizing" Mulhouse. I believe that it's helpful for a lot of people to see good and exciting things in and around Mulhouse, and it's not just my video editing that paints the city in a positive light. Yes, of course I don't post some of the "ugliness" that you might come across in your daily life as a Mulhousien(ne) (like in every metropolitan area...), and yes, it is a smaller city, but there is so much to do and there are really nice spots all around Mulhouse, no Photoshop necessary. If you would just open your eyes and try to appreciate the little things without constantly complaining, I think we'd all be in a better place. Alas... I've come to realize that it's no use responding. I just wait a few days, and then I get over it.
My video series also helped me meet some really good friends and build connections with the Mulhouse community. I think it even helped me find a job! More on that later... Through these videos, I myself also discovered lots of new restaurants, shops, events, and more in and around the city. Sometimes it has been exhausting (like when I went to the car museum and the fine arts museum AND biked along the canal all in the same afternoon...), but if it resonates with at least one person on social media, it's absolutely worth it to me.
You may have seen in my list that video #30 suggests (like so many of my comments) that you leave Mulhouse. Don't worry, I'm not giving in to the haters! I'll continue to post videos of things to do in town, but I'm also launching a new video series called "30 Things to do Around Mulhouse." We're so close to two different borders, and Alsace is a treasure trove in and of itself... you won't be disappointed!
Feel free to offer suggestions here or on Instagram. Can't wait! Thanks for reading and for being positive. I appreciate you!