Berlin Diary #Final (for now): Wheelville Guide to Berlin

For your travelling pleasure (and so I don't forget), I'm posting a guide to my absolute favorite places in Berlin. I will keep updating as I remember stuff.



Books
Another Country - Riemanstr. 7 (Kreuzberg -U7 to Gneisenaustr or U6-7 to Mehringdamm)
It's kinda the best place in the world ever. Do go there for Friday night dinner party, yum!
Motto - (Kreuzberg - U1 to Gorlitzer Banhof) actually more of a magazine shop. but full of interesting reads

Clothes
Garage - clothes by the kilo, Ahornstr. 2 (U1-4 to Nollendorf)
Mauer Park Flohmarkt(Prenzlauerberg, U8 to Bernauer)
Razzo's Second Hand, Sybelstraße 25 (Charlottenburg, S to Charlottenburg, U7 to Adenauerplatz), also just wander around this hood it is FULL of second hand shops
Think Shoes, Kantstr. (Charlottenburg, U7 to Wilmersdorf or S to Charlottenburg)
Vamp Star - Schwedterstr. 22 ( -Prenzlauerberg) - run by real cool Japanese dudes with great designs for a good price. they also have a booth at Mauer Park every Sunday
Second Hemd, super cheap- Prinzenallee at Bellermanstr. (Wedding - U8 to Pankstr.)

Culture
Circle Culture gallery - Gipstr 11 (U8 to Weinmeister)
Festsaal Kreuzberg (Kreuzberg - U8 or U1 to Kottbusser Tor)
Haus der Kulturen der Welt (Mitte, S1,2,25 to Unter den Linden then M100 through Tiergarten)
Maxim Gorki Theater - Am Festungsgraben 2 (Mitte)

Food & Drink
Anchor, nice little bar on Kottbusser Damm (Kreuzberg - U1/U8 to Kottbusser Tor)
Cafe do Brasil, brasilian (Kreuzberg - U7 to Mehringdamm) super yummy buffet!
Ho Vang, fantastic vietnamese (Mitte - U2 to Rosa Luxembourg Platz)
Hotel, nice little bar - Marianenstrasse 26 (Kreuzberg - U1/U8 to Kottbusser Tor)
La Femme - multiple locations in Wedding and Kreuzberg, good brunch!
Mustafas Gemuse Kebab, killer chicken and veg doeners right outside the station (U7 to Mehringdamm)
Pagode, thai - Bergmanstr. (Kreuzberg -U1 to Gneisenaustr or U7 to Mehringdamm)
Pasternak, great Russian brunch buffet on Sundays, Knaackstrasse 22-24 (Prenzlauerberg - U2 to Senefelder)
Room 77, burgers and nachos - Griefstr. 77 (Kreuzberg -U8 to Schonleinstr.)
Vor Wien , nice bar/venue, Skalitzer 44 (Kreuzberg, U1, U8 to Kottbusser Tor)
White Trash Fast Food , good American food, Torstr. 201(Prenzlauerberg - U8 Rosenthaler Platz)

Gifts/Shopping
Alte Schoenhauser Allee - The whole street is worth a look, in fact roll down Neue Schoenhauser Alle when you're done (Mitte, U2 Rosa Luxembourg, U8 to Weinmeisterstr.)
Butlers - Hackescher Markt (S to Hackescher, U8 to Weinmeisterstr.)
Harry Lehmann perfume shop, Kantstr. 106 (Charlottenburg, U7 to Wilmersdorf or S to Charlottenburg)
KaDeWe (Kaufhaus des Westens), famous old department store, it's all about the upstairs food hall!, (U1-3 to Wittenbergplatz)
O.K. , cool kitschy tchotchkes from around the world- Alte Schonhauser Allee (Mitte, U2 Rosa Luxembourg, U8 to Weinmeisterstr.)
Rossman - various locations, they have great cosmetics and other little nice things to give as gifts

Sites
Berlin Zoo
Brandenburg Gate
Hauptbanhof
Humboldthain Park
Hackeshcher Hohe/Markt
Mauer Park
Potsdamer Platz
Tiergarten
Treptower Park

Things I Wanna Do/See Next Time
Badeschiff
Berlin Unterwelten (Berlin Underworlds, tunnels under the city!) tour
Cocolo Ramen - Gipstrasse 3 (U8 to Weinmeister) - I passed by this place and even through the closed fence, I could smell them making the noodles from scratch!
Ha My restaurant
Helmut Newton Museum
La Scala
Panorama Bar
Rock Cafe Halford (U5 to Frankfurter Allee)
The Shy Chef
Soylent Bar - Friedrichshain (U1, S to Warschauer)
Stasi Museum
Tacheles
more galleries in general
more flea markets
more music, shows, dancing!

Useful Online Resources
bvg.de
exberliner.net
iheartberlin.de
berlin.unlike.net

Overrated Things
Curry 36 and currywurst in general (it's disgusting!)
Ku'Damm shopping area (they have the same shops all over town with less crowds)
Monsieur Vuong, vietnamese restaurant

Berlin Diary Number 10: Berlin in My Bones

I think the thing about being anywhere for a month is that you have, at once, the feeling that it is gonna go on forever while at the same time the superego reminder that your time is running short and that you cannot plant roots. Favorite haunts are filed away as travel tips for others, the maps in your head, the ways you learned to burn your trail through the place will quite possibly have to be relearned when you return. Your last days become frantic dashes to reconnect for one last time with the people and places you liked the best, but you can never get to them all and you know it. And so I was in Ostbanhof station on Sunday morning, having parted ways with the last of my Berlin last-nighter all-nighter buddies (who were heading out to a disco at 6am), thinking about meeting up with one last friend at a bar a few stops away, when my body just said no, when I realized I had to let go, pack my bags, and catch my flight.

Sloshing through rainy Berlin streets to the shuttle to Schoenfeld unto checking in my overstuffed luggage. Catnapping in the terminal and then up, up, and away.

The Captain was at the airport to get me and drive me the rest of the way home. His face was like a dream. I couldn't remember all the contours, I just thought "WOW, who is this hot guy picking me up at the aiport? Lucky me." But then we talked and joked, and I remembered the tones and the Familiar and the sun was shining (ahh, sunshine) and we drove and drove and then I was HOME.

Upon arising from my first night back in my own bed (ahhh), my heart lept because I was right where I wanted to be. But as the morning turned into afternoon and I plowed through my luggage explosion, I couldn't help but sidle over to my computer and type in a quick cheeky search:

"cheap flights berlin"

Details filed away in my brain. I will undoubtedly be back, and back, but soon.

Here are some pics from my last few days in beautiful Berlin.




on Bergmanstrasse




my trip to KaDeWe




last day with friends from German class


at a dentist's office on Kottbusser Damm


at my local U-bahn station


last day with friends from German class, aw memories!


My super cool classmate (he's a brotha from Philly) made fried chicken for my last day. It was FANTASTIC!


last brunch - La Femme on Badstrasse


last dog walk


Humboldthain Park


Humboldthain Park - Rose garden


i dashed to Harry Lehmann perfumerie for last minute gifts


beautiful shop


at Ostbanhof - 5.30 am, full of party people

Berlin Diary Nummer Neun: Carneeeeval!

Some people are lucky enough to go one carnival in their lives. I've already been to two this year. The first was in Venice, and the second was last weekend here in Berlin.  Last weekend, I was fortunate enough  to attend the four-day dancing in the street debauchery of Karneval der Kulturens. It was parades and bands and music and of course tons of drinking and bootyshaking in the streets of Kreuzberg in the name of multi-cultism.

Here are some images and video!

Berlin Diary #8: Dancing for the Revolution

So desperately missing my Southern Slavic peoples, on Saturday, I tried to go see this Yugo New Wave event at Maxim Gorki Theater. Infortunately, I arrived late and was turned away by one of the ushers who said "Sorry, you know we're German. You're ten minutes late."

So Sunday morning, I arrived a full half hour early to see (and finally meet in person!) my esteemed colleague and all around cool-dude, Janez Janša, in discussion with Anton Cramer about the history of Eastern (Communist, Socialist) dance and the questions of what and how to preserve and what that preservation might look like. I brought my new friend Jenny along and she actually got to jump on stage for a quick demonstration of contact improvisation. 





A good time was had by all, and talking to Janez reminded me of how much I am ready to go back home!!

Berlin Diary Number Seven: Tasty Cake for Shruggers

When I first moved to Slovenia, I was determined for the country to get "on the map". Almost every person I spoke to was completely baffled about Slovenia, they had no idea where it was, what language was spoken, or why I would want to live there.  I was frustrated and angry, but when I shared this with Slovenian people they just shrugged. I couldn't get it....until now. 

Being here in Berlin has made me realize what a burden it can be when people know about you. I walk down streets and sometimes hear more American accents than German ones, and frankly the quality of people that gravitate here to live runs the gamut from genius to the other dredges. I adore Berlin, but I feel like a person could live here for a long time and barely get any sense that they were in Germany. I also am getting rather agitated by the lack of actual WORK (i've scarcely met anyone with an actual job) that seems to be getting done here...Oh and the congestion and the pretenstion and I don't even wanna mention what a bother the tourists can be....

So, the other day it just clicked for me. 

Who cares if no one knows where Slovenia is? Not I! There is so much just purely special about the country that anyone who dared to care would and could know about it.  I am happy to live in a mysterious land that only more discerning people can find on a map.  

Slovenia is like a wildly tasty cake; while we who live there are willing to share, if you don't know about it or do know and don't want a slice, then it just leaves more for those of us with good taste!

Dober tek!

Berlin Diary Number Six: It's Some Pics!

Here are some newer images from here.


he insisted on this photo

Berlin Diary Entry Number Five: An Apology

I woke up about an hour ago because I heard some commotion outside the window. Emerging from my lair, I began to to see emergency lights and smell burning rubber. The dog and I drifted outside where we saw firemen hosing off the last bit of a car on the sidewalk in front of the building two doors down. Needless to say, the car was burnt to a crisp. Berlin is crazy.

Anyway, sorry I haven't posted. I haven't been neglecting the blog. I've been collecting material.

Last night on the way back home from a punk concert, I saw a group of young men walking a baby lamb down the street and laughing their heads off. I wondered where they could get a live lamb. In the city. At such an hour. Then I went home and drifted to bed. I think this place is kinda crazier than New York.

OK, well I have more to report....but not right now.
But soon.
I promise.

If you need more to read, here is a NY Times blog post about how "Slovenians like to party".
The post doesn't even have the dignity to be in the fiction section*.

*Please note: if you are a Ljubljanacan/ka, who wants to write in and argue with me that Ljubljana is indeed a legitimate party town, please ensure that you have been and partied in three or more of the following cities first, then we can talk:

London
Berlin
New York
Los Angeles

I'll even accept Belgrade since I've heard (and believe) that they truly know how to party there.

Berlin Diary Entry Number Four: An American Hairwolf in Berlin

The other day as I was noodling around a memorial at Potsdamer Platz set up with a few old slabs from the Berlin Wall, I ran into a group of Polish tourists (cue Polish jokes here). One of the women gestured at me with her camera and I went to grab it thinking she wanted me to take a picture of she and her friend, but noooo. She wanted me to take a picture where I was standing with her and a friend. Apparently despite standing there in Berlin with an authentic piece of Berlin history, taking a picture with me would be a greater reflection to everyone back home that they'd actually been somewheres. I explained to them in the "Pan Slavic dialect" of just yelling out simple words in Slovenian til I saw some recognition in their eyes and explained that I didn't live in Berlin, but it didn't matter to them. Another one went in and grabbed a handful of my hair and her friend leaned in to snap one more photo for the road.

They were right on the money by picking me. I am impervious to stupidity. I just use it for blog fodder.

Berlin Diary Entry 3: Coming Through

Another reason why Berlin is great is because people pass through here. I have overlapped with so many people coming from Western Europe, leaving back to the states, here and there. They fly into my life and then back out, but I am the better for all those long or short encounters. Sadly the trade winds almost never blow through Slovenia. I am hoping my being in Slovenia will produce an adequate magnetic force to pull more interesting and fun people from around the world in and around...I need them, Slovenia needs them.

Here are some of my latest photos.


Hackescher Markt


Weinmeister Strasse




beautiful food at the Brazilian restaurant


the place to go for the best of the wurst (curry wurst is wretched, one of the worst things to ever cross my lips)


Charlottenburg is garden-y and bourgeois. Like the Park Slope of Berlin


a mysterious installation at rosa luxembourg platz


international vat of mystery at the Kreukolln Turkish market


it's been coming up fluffy Simpsons clouds like every day


quite possibly the best doner in town. yum!


this is criminal


Potsdamer Platz



P.S. In an effort to minimize my tinges of homesickness, I've been listening to Radio Student all morning. Thank God for internet radio!

P.P.S. This place is incredible but I kinda feel like my eyes and brain need a break. Trying to cultivate a napping habit.