{"id":141,"date":"2012-08-03T06:00:39","date_gmt":"2012-08-03T06:00:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/theduanewells.com\/?p=141"},"modified":"2024-06-24T09:06:43","modified_gmt":"2024-06-24T09:06:43","slug":"gay-news-frontiersla-breaking-gay-news-berlin-europes-capital-of-cool","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/gay-news-frontiersla-breaking-gay-news-berlin-europes-capital-of-cool\/","title":{"rendered":"Berlin: Europe’s Capital of Cool"},"content":{"rendered":"

Berlin: Europe’s Capital of Cool\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Duane Wells<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>
11\/3\/2011<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>

<\/p>\n

\"\"As European capitals go, Berlin is not of the variety that plays by the rules. Yes, there is a certain grandiosity to the famed Brandenburg Gate which once divided East from West. And yes, there are the impressive, if\u00a0de rigueur<\/em>, monuments and buildings that have survived Berlin\u2019s war-torn past. But at its core, today\u2019s Berlin is an undeniably contemporary city brash enough to unabashedly describe itself as \u201cpoor, but sexy\u201d in a recent marketing campaign.<\/p>\n

While history pulses through East Berlin\u2019s bullet-scarred buildings and the city\u2019s sprawling network of arteries and veins, the beating heart of Berlin is very of the moment. So much so in fact that the Berlin of today appears to have almost been magically plopped down on top of the coarse rubble of history it now so brilliantly defies. Once best known for its buttoned up rigidity, Berlin is now a bastion of creative expression populated by \u201call the other kids in their pumped up kicks\u201d who have in large part eschewed materialism in favor of leading simpler lives and having one helluva good time along the way. The latter is a seminal quality that has gone a long way toward cementing Berlin\u2019s reputation as the party capital of Europe\u2014a place where anything goes and it\u2019s always good.<\/p>\n

To say that nightlife in Berlin outshines the best of what the rest of Europe has to offer would be to woefully underestimate the way in which Berliners have co-opted the progressively sexual, artistically vibrant atmosphere that was not so very long ago the province of all of \u201cthe Continent\u201d as it once referred. Berliners aren\u2019t just social, they\u2019re \u00fcber-social\u2014and not in the pretentious sort of way that is more the norm in New York or London or Paris.<\/p>\n

Every night of the week Berlin comes alive with Vernissage events, fashion happenings and nightclubs that roar until dawn and beyond. In tandem with the scene, there are of course the usual doormen, bouncers, queues and even the occasional velvet rope\u2014 the difference in Berlin is that all those barriers are meant to keep the genuinely cool people in and the pretenders and superficial show-offs out. You see, Berliners take pride in their city and its culture, and as a result they\u2019re not much impressed by flash or artifice. Looking the part won\u2019t get you in the door of the places you want to go in this town, but being the genuine article will. Coolness and intellectualism trump attitude and designer drag in Berlin, so prepare yourself accordingly if you really want to get into the sublimely alternative, slightly subversive rhythm of the city.<\/p>\n

The Hoods<\/strong><\/p>\n

Berlin\u2019s multiple personalities are reflected in the city\u2019s neighborhoods. To understand the city and get into the flow of things, you need to understand the vibe of Berlin\u2019s communities and what to expect of each. Here\u2019s a cheat sheet:<\/p>\n

Mitte: Located East, Mitte is undoubtedly the king of cool at the moment as far as neighborhoods go. Bars are packed with locals, the streets are lined with boutiques of the most au courant names in fashion (old and new) and the caf\u00e9s and restaurants offer some of the best eats in Berlin. [Hint: Beware the doormen at some of the bars favored by locals in this area\u2014they don\u2019t take kindly to arrogant American schtick\u2014so make blending in your modus operandi.]<\/p>\n

Prenzlauerberg:\u00a0<\/strong>I had been warned that Prenzlauerberg had become a tad too gentrified for some Berlin hipsters, but I\u2019m disavowing that notion by saying that I think the neighborhood still has its fair share of charms. It\u2019s certainly not as edgy as Mitte or Kreuzberg, and there seem to be fewer bars and more yuppies with strollers these days, but it\u2019s still a lovely place for a meal, an afternoon walk or a long conversation over coffee\u2014and those are sometimes the makings of the perfect day. After all, who wants to be \u2018on\u2019 all the time? Sometimes you need to flip the switch, and this is the perfect place to do it.<\/p>\n

Sch\u00f6neberg:<\/strong>\u00a0This is the traditionally gay part of town. On and around the major artery that is Eisenacher Street, you\u2019ll find Berlin\u2019s still-thriving gayborhood, chock-full of cruisy restaurants, cafes, nightclubs and bars.<\/p>\n

Kreuzberg:<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s a little rough around the edges, but Kreuzberg is a melting pot of Berliners from all straits and probably home to the most alternative scene in Berlin at the moment. It\u2019s funky, it\u2019s pointed and it\u2019s the perfect playground for folks drawn to the kind of raw energy of neighborhoods like the East Village in New York before it became all the rage.<\/p>\n

The Hot Spots<\/strong><\/p>\n

Berghain<\/a>:<\/strong>\u00a0If you can get into this club, you\u2019re in for one wild ride that could go on for days. It\u2019s black and it\u2019s white, it\u2019s up and it\u2019s down, it\u2019s straight and it\u2019s gay and it\u2019s every bubbly confection that Katy Perry could ever dream up, with a dirty, sexy, no-holds-barred hard-partying edge, the likes of which are unparalleled. Beware the bouncer, don\u2019t go at peak times, don\u2019t dress up in your Sunday best and don\u2019t try to bribe the doormen or you\u2019ll never get in. Best time to arrive: 7 a.m. on Saturday\u2014that\u2019s when the party really kicks into high gear.<\/p>\n

Weekend<\/a><\/strong>: On Sunday nights, this club in Mitte is the place to be. Three floors and a rooftop are jam-packed with Berlin party boys grooving to the sounds of world-class DJs until 7 a.m., when the party spills out onto the street and the stark reality of Monday arrives.<\/p>\n

[Note: As mentioned above, Sch\u00f6neberg is the gay mecca of Berlin and as such is ideal for bar-hopping, cruising or just generally being as gay as you want to be.\u00a0Hafen<\/a>\u00a0is the oldest watering hole in the gayborhood and still one of the more popular. However, on my last visit, I discovered a charming new bar called Soap that\u2019s definitely worth a cocktail or two as well if you happen to pass by.]<\/p>\n

\"\"The Lodging<\/strong><\/p>\n

Among Berlin\u2019s many great assets is its accessible public transportation system, which makes getting around the city a relatively breezy affair. Taxis are also plentiful and inexpensive, so that\u2019s an added bonus. Still, because Berlin\u2019s neighborhoods have such defined personalities, you might want to carefully choose the one you retreat to during your stay accordingly.<\/p>\n

The Hotel Amano<\/a>\u00a0in Mitte is a beacon for the neighborhood\u2019s hipsters and those who hope to get frisky with them. While the hotel itself is modern and minimalist chic along the lines of what I like to call the \u201cW Hotel aesthetic,\u201d added flourishes like a rooftop bar overlooking East Berlin where pretty Berliners congregate and commingle over strong cocktails, a Zen back garden patio where Korean BBQs are hosted weekly, a bustling lobby and a handsomely staffed, always-busy bar make Hotel Amano the place to meet and be seen in the trendiest part of town. Another big selling point is the hotel\u2019s proximity to some of the best shopping in Berlin along Mulackstrasse and the city\u2019s artsy self-proclaimed \u201clittle Soho\u201d area.<\/p>\n

Dramatically different but equally beguiling is the old-world elegance of the\u00a0Ritz-Carlton Berlin<\/a>. Located at Potsdamer Platz, the sparkling ultramodern new 21st century business center of Berlin where big corporations are headquartered and luxury hotels and retailers abound, the Ritz-Carlton Berlin serves up the unique brand of luxury and high-end service that has become synonymous with the brand. The rooms are spacious and equipped with every imaginable convenience and the hotel\u2019s very French Brasserie Desbrosses and Desbrosses Terrace offer a memorable experience in and of themselves (make special note of the Ritz-Carlton\u2019s Sunday Brunch\u2014that is, if you wake up early enough to partake). The hotel bar is also the perfect place for clandestine business meetings or a quiet drink when you need a break from the whirl of nightlife in the city.<\/p>\n

A cozier experience awaits at the\u00a0Ackselhaus Berlin<\/a>, a boutique hotel in trendy Prenzlauerberg where the rooms are just about as individual as you\u2019ll find elsewhere. Each of the hotel\u2019s suites has a unique theme related to a country or a mood. I stayed in the multi-room Africa suite, where I was nearly spoiled to ruin by everything from the walk-in closet, atmospheric bathtub, iPod-compatible music systems and multiple flat screen televisions, among other amenities. Other suites include a China suite, a Safari suite and a Cairo suite, and each is designed to impress. Best of all, Ackselhaus Berlin offers all of the above and the swagger and luxe of a five-star hotel for under 200 euros a night. A bargain and a treat\u2014does it get any better?<\/p>\n

The Shops<\/strong><\/p>\n

Berlin has one of the most exciting fashion scenes in the world at the moment, so you would be remiss if you didn\u2019t explore the surprising number of designers who have set up shop in Berlin and offer stellar designs at prices that won\u2019t make you flinch. Best bets include \u201clittle Soho,\u201d Mulackstrasse and Gipsstrasse in Mitte, Kastanienallee in Prenzlauerberg and the Berlin Fashion Network, where you\u2019ll find fashions by a collective of innovative Berlin-based designers.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for the exception rather than the rule when it comes to European capitals or if you just want to have one wicked twister of a holiday, Berlin may well be calling your name. Eat, play, shop and play some more in Europe\u2019s new capital of cool. And if you haven\u2019t yet discovered Berlin, don\u2019t worry about being late to the party, because in Berlin the party never stops and neither does the fun.<\/p>\n

Find out more about Berlin at\u00a0visitberlin.de<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Berlin: Europe’s Capital of Cool\u00a0 Duane Wells\u00a011\/3\/2011\u00a0 As European capitals go, Berlin is not of the variety that plays by the rules. Yes, there is a certain grandiosity to the famed Brandenburg Gate which once divided East from West. And yes, there are the impressive, if\u00a0de rigueur, monuments and buildings that have survived Berlin\u2019s war-torn […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":88889,"featured_media":417,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1611,1625,1626,1289],"tags":[1134,1149,1184,1185],"class_list":["post-141","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-europe","category-germany","category-berlin","category-livingwells-travel","tag-travel","tag-nightlife","tag-berlin","tag-europe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/88889"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=141"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2662,"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/141\/revisions\/2662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/417"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=141"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=141"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theduanewells.com\/staging3\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=141"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}