Friday, December 21, 2007

Berlin!

As of December 25th Eric the roommate and I are going to Berlin! We're staying in Mitte with two Swedish girls we met on couchsurfing.com and stayed with us last summer.
I've been doing some reading and catching up on what I should hit in terms of museums, food and cityscapes but I could use a tip or two on places where I could get the nitty gritty of the city?

Suggestions?

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

hi Eric

i lived in Berlin from 1988 till 1992 and so it has changed since the wall fell in 1989 i have seen some of them
but i know some nitty gritty action still going on in the Fuggerstrasse where there are two bars and a few shops
gay activity is not centered in one spot in Berlin

somewhere else near Nollendorfplatz was my own favorite bar the Kumpel's nest - an old Berlin brothel with kitsch decoration, i hope is still open and you can visit
enjoy Berlin

Guy Déom from Québec City

Anonymous said...

I haven't lived in Berlin since 2001, but it is a giant gay playground to say the least. Start your night at Hafen in Schoeneberg (U-Nollendorfplatz). Make sure to hit Schwuz (U-Mehringdamm) and SO36, both in Kreuzberg. Make sure to pick up a copy of Sieggessaeule, the Berlin equivalent of Next/HX.

The real hot potatoes are all in the East, though. Take U-1 (must do it on a Saturday night for one hell of a subway freak show!) to Warschauer Str. and head east for all kinds of nightlife delights. Knowing what little I know about you, you're going to love all the hot, hairy German men. The city is insane! But be careful and protect yourself ("Sleep with dogs, wake up with fleas.")

If you're there on a Sunday morning, do brunch in Prenzlauerberg. There are also a bunch of shady bars in that area for nocturnal indulgence.

There is something going on every night of the week in Berlin, and anything goes. You will find that it is MUCH more exciting than the predictable, corporate-playground nights out in New York.

Don't forget to sightsee during the day. Berlin is rich in history, from Checkpoint Charlie to the Reichstag to the "Mauer" (Wall). The city also boasts three opera houses. Berlin is culture at its finest. There was a certain bus line - I think it was Nr. 100 - that was a popular, dirt-cheap alternative to tourist bus tours. It takes you all over the middle of the city. You can get on most busses at Zoologischer Garten.

Have a great trip! I am so jealous!

Eric Leven said...

Yo thanks so much anonymous! I really appreciate it.

Anonymous said...

I was there for their Gay Pride in 2006, and it was INSANE! I stayed with friends in Kreuzberg. For sightseeing, my favorites were the crypt of the Hohenzollern Royal Family in the Berlin Cathedral, the Pergamon Museum and the Ishtar Gate from Babylon, and San Soucci Palace and the little town of Potsdam. Schoeneberg is a good place to start for nightlife, and you will have no problem meeting locals who can then provide more recommendations; they are extremely friendly! And for a memorable souvenier, shop at Mister B's.