Dear Friends,
I’m more than happy to invite you to a special concert which will take place in the Musikinstrumenten-Museum of the Berliner Philharmonie (Curt-Sachs-saal), on Sunday, 26.7.09 at
Thank you and enjoy the summer,
Dana Marbach,
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
Concert – Museum of the Berlin Philharmonie
Friday, July 17th, 2009Watergate: Is it Really the Best Club in Berlin? Can it Change your Life?
Sunday, July 12th, 2009Go to Watergate to ‘find yourself’
Watergate Falckensteinstr. 49
Watergate is much more than a presidential scandal for Berliners: it is practically the club of the city. Does it really live up to the hype though, is it really that great? Consider the following quotes, drawn from two different past guests:
“Watergate is my spiritual home.” – May 27, 2009
“Watergate changed my life. I had an epiphany there.” April 17, 2008
Clearly, there is something to this place, that one might even call mystical. So what is so great about it then? Let’s consider the attributes.
It’s elite – Watergate is notoriously very difficult to get into. The door selector is soft-spoken and firm, and never changes his mind or forgets a face. He’s very attractive, so you might not forget his either. Anyone too dressed up will not get in, nor will anyone dressed slovenly. The key is to look like a normal, middle class German. That means NO collared shirts for men, interestingly enough. Also anyone who acts drunk, or looks too young will be rejected immediately. Or anyone who speaks English in line, or is in a large group. This means that on a good night, more than half of the people who try to get in will be indubiously turned away.
The music is especially unique, no matter who the famous DJ playing is. They must be given instructions on what types of songs to pick, because they all have the Watergate flavor to them. The beat is fast and steady, yet at the same time relaxed and smooth. It sets the atmosphere. When a really famous DJ is playing and you arrive after 1 a.m. you will have an hour long wait in line, even though Watergate doesn’t even open until midnight. On a normal night though, arriving between 1 and 2 a.m. is ideal, as the club really comes to life after 2 and stays thriving until at least 6. The best Wednesday night party in Berlin is hands down Watergate.
Watching the sunrise over the Spree river from the outdoor deck is a major thrill. No other club, not even Weekend with its city overview, has a sight as pretty as this. Berghain is arguably the wildest club not just in Berlin but in the world, but Watergate is something else.
After a night at Watergate, you might not be the same.
Felix: The Flashiest and Richest Club in Berlin
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009Felix: Home to the Rich and VIP
Felix
Behrenstrasse 72
You are either love Felix or you hate Felix. Most people who love Felix love it because they sit in the VIP area, surrounded by champagne and pretty, or pretty rich other guests. Most people who hate Felix hate it because the dance floor is always tighter to navigate than a mosh-pit, plus the drinks are very pricey. In other words: if you have money to burn, then by all means go to Felix. If, however, you don’t have the Geld for bottles of Sekt, then you are looking at a claustrophobia-inducing dance floor.
The music is popular house on most nights. Thursday’s theme is the After-Work Club, which starts early with lounge music and dinner if you like. This is catered to the over-30 crowd, and that is mainly who it draws. On the top floor of regular nights, fashionably dressed older men circle around gazing down at dancers who either don’t notice them or don’t care. A large VIP area surrounds the small dance floor, and oodles of attractive twenty-something women in swanky dresses circle around. The lighting of the club is fabulous, as is the location right near Unter den Linden. A strict dress code applies for men, while for women it suffices to be at least reasonably attractive and well dressed.
If you like to lounge around and drink or chose to buy your way into the VIP area, then Felix is the place for you. If, however, you want a fun night dancing with your friends at an in-club, then better to go to Maxxim or Bangaluu, which have less crowded dance floors. As one frequent Felix partier put it “You can totally dance at Felix, you just have to wait until 5 a.m. when other people start leaving. From 5-6 a.m. the dance floor is awesome!”
<em><em>OTA-Berlin Constituency Blog, brought to you by <a href=”http://blog.ota-berlin.de/uncategorized/2009/06/23/holiday-accommodation-berlin-mitte-prenzlauerberg/” target=”_blank”>OTA-Berlin Holiday Apartments</a></em></em>
Maxxim – The Club of the Chic in Berlin
Monday, June 29th, 2009Not Poor like Berlin, but Still Sexy
Maxxim
Joachimstaler Str. 15 – direct U-Bhf Ku’Damm
If you want to saunter into a club on a red carpet and sit at tables where guests drop 1000s of Euros a night on drinks, then Maxxim is hard to beat. An attractive, young, wealthy crowd is the heart of Maxxim, although there are plenty of older businessmen lurking around the sides of the dance floor. The best pure house you will consistently find in Berlin is here. The DJs almost never change, which is a very good thing. The VIP area is very large and is almost a party of its own, although it lacks the dynamic synergy of the main dance floor. The option to dance on pillars is one to be seriously considered, when the go-go dancers aren’t performing on them of course. Hands down the best Monday night party in Berlin, and always a safe bet for a weekend spree.
Be prepared to wait in line on the really popular nights if you are not on the guest list, but it is so worth it. The bouncers at Maxxim are actually quite friendly, and have great memories for faces (so don’t get yourself thrown out or you will never get back in). Men MUST wear collared shirts and nice shoes to get in. Theme nights range from Wild Wild West to White Parties (the decorations and dancers wear all white, however not many of the guests follow suit). Either Friday or Saturday can be the ‘it’ night of the weekend at Maxxim, and one theme that is a sure bet for popularity is ‘Excessiva.’ However even if you don’t make it on the ‘it’ night, Maxxim is NEVER anything close to empty. It’s way too awesome for that. Remember that this is one of the four clubs Paris Hilton visited during her stay in Berlin in 2007.
Don’t deprive yourself of a visit to Maxxim, where you might walk away saying what many Berliner’s so ardently declare ‘Maxxim, mein zweites Zuhause’ or ‘Maxxim, my second home.’
Author: CA
OTA-Berlin Constituency Blog, brought to you by OTA-Berlin Holiday Apartments
Bangaluu Club in Berlin – Where the Wild Things Go
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009The ridiculous, the outlandish, the in-your-face… Bangaluu
Bangaluu
Invalidenstr. 30
When Ali G decided to prank Berlin clubbers for his new movie, he chose Bangaluu. Not because of the white beds that bedeck the VIP area, not because the go-go dancers are absurd (ever seen a go-go dancer stapled to a cross who periodically climbs in and out of a coffin?) but just because… it’s Bangaluu!!! The dress policy isn’t overly strict and on most nights it’s easy to get in free if you know the password, about which you can ask anyone in line. The music varies from pure house to popular songs of all genres, and the crowd itself is rather diverse. Much less exclusive than a Dante or Maxxim, but just as exciting.
Bangaluu is especially suitable for large groups of non-German speakers, who will not face discrimination for being in a large group, nor for speaking English. The club is quite spacious when the deck on the top floor and the middle floor are open. Bangaluu tends to be packed between 1 and 4 a.m. and has been known to have photographers from up to seven (!) different Berlin party websites all present at various stages of the night. Perfect for photo-op-whores. There are also myriad places to dance on ledges and stairs for show-offs, which the go-go dancers all make their way to throughout the night, but which are otherwise great for scouting out the crowd.
Since Bangaluu is so easy to get into, you might run into your aunt or your little brother – there is no set crowd. However, bring a photocopy of your passport if you are not from the EU, as there is one bouncer who will sometimes refuse to accept US IDs when he is in a bad mood (which appears to be always).
Author: CA
OTA-Berlin Constituency Blog, brought to you by OTA-Berlin Holiday Apartments
Holiday Accommodation – Berlin Mitte/Prenzlauer Berg
Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009OTA-Berlin offer spacious holiday apartments, centrally located in Berlin Mitte/Prenzlauer Berg, have all the amenities you’d normally expect at home; a TV, free wi-fi internet connectivity and a fully equipped kitchen where you can prepare your own meals at the time that best suits you.
OTA-Berlin apartments provide holidaymakers and business travellers with the most convenient and pleasurable accommodation option, affordable luxury, and an ideal alternative to a hotel. Providing short-term holiday and business self-catering accommodation, with longer-term options also on offer, as well as offering more freedom and privacy, a serviced apartment combines the comforts of home with the luxury of high quality city centre holiday accommodation, allowing you to get the most out of your vacation.
You can book online at www.ota-berlin.de
Dante Club Berlin – Party Galore at Hackescher Markt
Friday, June 19th, 2009Dante in Berlin – Where Some Still Wear Their Sunglasses at Night
Dante
am Hackeschen Markt
The cream of Berlin’s young eurotrash comes to Dante in flashy, overstated gaggles. Dante is not the place for anyone over 25 unless they want to look creepy and feel old. The music rarely strays from popular house, rap and pop songs played in both English and German except on Thursday night, which is electro night. Considered by many Germans to be the epitome of ’shicki-micki’ it appeals to college age students who want to meet the best looking young Germans out at night in Berlin. In fact, the revelers are almost categorically attractive. This is partly due to the selective and infamous doorman, Misha. He is known for flat out rejecting anyone under-dressed (collared shirts are necessary for men) or overweight (beware or he might throw you off the platform). If this all sounds appealing to you, then Dante is where you should be.
When you go, make sure to give dancing on the tall wooden, shaky platforms a try, and you have a good chance of ending up on a party picture website (also of breaking a bone). However if you are dancing near the sketchy pillars, watch out for falling drunk dancers. On a good night at least one person will fall. Don’t worry, though, they will literally climb right back up from where they fell.
At midnight Dante is 60% female, at 2 a.m. 50% male/50%female, and at 4 a.m. 70% male.
Around 3 a.m. people begin dancing with whoever they were flirting with the past couple hours, and then around 4 a.m. they either make out on the dancer floor, on the deck near the bar, or simply leave together. Around 5 a.m. Dante plays a nasty trick on the remaining dancers and begins to play really undanceable music. That’s your cue to leave and head to ‘All-in-One’ Dönor Kebab shop around the corner in Hackescher Markt, or to the next party at Mama-Berlin.
Author: CA
OTA-Berlin Constituency Blog, brought to you by OTA-Berlin Holiday Apartments
Love in Berlin – Fun, Budget, Classic and Unique Date Ideas
Monday, June 15th, 2009Dying for that Spectacular Date in Berlin? Twelve Ideas Coming Up.
So the great news is that you have this hot date tonight… It’s that person you just met on the subway or that person you came to Berlin with, or even that person you’ve been seeing here for a month. But the bad news..? You want to have some ‘special’ time together and do something novel. But what oh what do you do when your ideas have suddenly run dry and that dreadful question floats threateningly across the phone line: ‘So then.. what do you want to do?’ To help you circumvent answering your lover with that chronic response of insecure agreeableness: ‘I don’t know, what do you want to do?’, here are some ideal answers.
Budget Suggestions
“Let’s have a picnic in the park”
-In summer, go to a park. Tiergarten is fantastic and spacious. There are areas that grow crowded with meat-loving-Germans, grilling away while drinking beers with friends, as well as a plethora of little groves, great for private picnics. Volkspark Friedrichshain is another great one.
“Do you have running shoes with you?”
-Be the couple that works out together…. Go for a run together along the Spree. In winter you will run faster because of the cold, in summer you will get sweaty together.
“Do you prefer paintings or statues?”
-Visit a museum Thursday night for free. From 6 to 10 p.m. various museums open their doors ‘umsonst’, so take advantage. For art lovers the Gemaelde Galerie at Potsdamer Platz is recommended, and for history lovers the Egyptian Museum near Lustgarten tops the list.
Classic Suggestions
“There’s this film we should definitely check out”
-Go to a movie at the English movie theater, Cinestar at Potsdamer Platz
“Do you love food as much as me?”
-Eat dinner at one of Berlin’s most prestigious restaurants: Hotel Adlon, Fischers Fritz, Margaux, Hugos, or Die Quadriga
“I have to admit, I just adore the arts”
-Go to the opera, theater or philharmonic and dress to the nines.
Unique to Berlin Suggestions
“They say Berlin looks great from the river”
-Take a boat tour along the Spree in all seasons with YCS Chartered Yacht Service. Berlin has some nice architecture you can appreciate along the way.
“Do you have a favorite bar or club yet?”
-Meet at a bar, and then follow it up by going to a club. While dinner and a movie might be the classic date combo for other cities, here a bar and a club really are the thing. White Trash Fast Food is quite popular with English speakers, and clubs like Weekend in Mitte or Puro in the west, both have really romantic views of the city.
“Are you free Sunday morning for some bartering?”
-Go to a flea market Sunday morning. The mother of them all is Mauer Park in Prenzlauerberg from about 9a.m. to 3p.m. There is also a cute one near the S-Bahn Tiergarten.
Super-Fun Date Suggestions
“When was the last time you mini-golfed?”
-Play minigolf and ping pong in Tegel at Peter’s Miniatur-Golf-Welt at in Minigolf und Pit-Pat am Hertzbergplatz in Neukölln.
“I throw an amazing bowl (I’m awful at bowling) but it’s great for your arms…”
-Go bowling at Bowling Center am Alexanderplatz
“How do you feel about modern poetry?”
-Go to a poetry reading. Check out the schedule of Rosi’s or Mano Cafe every Thursday for open mic night, or alternatively visit Ackerkeller
Author: CA
OTA-Berlin Constituency Blog, brought to you by OTA-Berlin Holiday Apartments
Q-Dorf in Berlin – Experience a Club so Eurotrash its Fabulous
Thursday, June 11th, 2009Q-Dorf www.qdorf.de Joachimstaler Straße 15
The west of Berlin has many things the near eastern side lacks – among them quiet cosy streets, inexpensive but frightening prostitutes, and…Q-Dorf. Not even Matrix near Warschauerstr. is as trashy as Q-Dorf, and that is saying something. Expect pure Eurotrash at its worst, which is in this case its best. It’s open every night, so really, you have an open invitation.
A man in grey acid washed jeans with a dark blue jean jacket is sitting at the bar, relentlessly staring down any girl that passes his way. He doesn’t even notice the two male go-go dancers right in front of him onstage who have been steadily stripping down to bare their washboard abs, until suddenly they signal random girls up on stage with them to dance. Suddenly it becomes clear the girls are tourists, and they begin stripping as well until the Party Police rollorblade over. The Party Police girls then test their alcohol level for a few Euros, which the man in the unmatched jean attire has generously offered to pay for. Welcome to Q-Dorf.
Q-Dorf is the perfect place to come with four or more friends, who want to drink a lot cheaply and don’t want the hassle of worrying about whether or not they will ‘get in’ to a club. Q-Dorf lets everyone in. The patrons of the club tend to be anywhere from 55- 85 percent male, and probably about 10 percent of them are people who tried to go to Maxxim nextdoor but were rejected.
In English speaking countries, no one would ever dare name a night ‘Black Attack’ like Q-Dorf call its Tuesday night. But in Germany that is a perfectly acceptable thing to do, and at Q-Dorf even more so. The name, of course, despite the fact that ‘Black Attack’ night has all the same four dance floors as any other night playing oldies, hip-hop and techno and sometimes rock.
Q-Dorf loves to advertise its multi-floor spaciousness, which really is a big part of what makes it enduring. Sick of the crowd dancing to hip-hop and pushing you around? Head to the techno floor, where people stay more to themselves and are less likely to (accidentally?) assault you. Or just go for the oldies, to which no one can really dance, a fact for which everyone makes up by singing along way too loudly and emphatically.
When one of the photographers from Berlin’s various party picture websites arrives, grab him, put on your game face, pull your friends in, and smile. You now have photographic evidence that you have experienced Eurotrash at its worst (remember that’s its best) and that evidence will stay forever on their website. Seriously. No matter how incriminating. Beware, and..be trashy.
Author: CA
OTA-Berlin Constituency Blog, brought to you by OTA-Berlin Holiday Apartments
Shop Vintage in Berlin at the Flohmarkt (Flea market) am Mauerpark and More
Thursday, June 11th, 2009Go Vintage and Go Home with Clothes – Plus Money Left Over
The idea of vintage, or previously worn clothing, comes to most people like the thought of Britney Spears. It’s either accompanied by a quick ‘Love it!’ or a plain ‘Ewww!’ If you fall into the former category then do read on.
Probably the best place to acquire clothing, often for 1 Euro per article, is the Mauerpark Flohmarkt on Sundays. About ¾ of the sellers are regulars, so if you happen to refrain from a purchase only to go home to dire regrets, you will most likely be able to pick up whatever you missed in a week. From designer sunglasses to organic dress to home made jewelry, there is supply for most of what you could think to demand.
The highlight of the Flohmarkt is perhaps the transient current of one-week-only sellers, people selling their personal goods. Not only are they more than willing to barter, often times they are there in the spirit of ‘giving’ and will sell their old clothes, watches, hats etc for prices like .50 cents. Sometimes the items are clearly old and don’t find sellers, while other times things that are once worn/new appear at their stands. With these ‘once a summer’ sellers, who tend to be younger and have smaller stands, you are best buying whatever you like when you see it, as it may not be there in even an hour. Interested in selling? For about 30 Euros you can get your own stand.
More Vintage Shopping
Garments – Stargarderstraße 12 A, Berlin
Garments offers Vintage clothing in Prenzlauerberg. Sells vintage accessories and clothes, some even from movies. Cute and suprising.
Stiefelkombinal-Berlin – Eberswalder Str. 21-22
You will find more than just shoes here. It consists mostly womens and mens clothes primarily from the 30s to 80s. In this eclectic mix it’s impossible to know what you will find until you find it.
Paris Second Hand – Rigaer Str. 41
The name alone draws in customers. The clothing comes, naturally, exclusively from France for men, women and children. If you are looking for one of a kind pieces in Berlin, you certainly won’t find the clothes here anywhere else.
Author: CA
OTA-Berlin Constituency Blog, brought to you by OTA-Berlin Holiday Apartments
