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San Diego
South Beach
Chicago
Seattle
Los Angeles
New York City
San Francisco
Berlin however tops other European cities though.
http://www.dw.de/how-berlin-has-ruin...lse/a-17802182
Leaving Berlin made DW's Anne-Sophie Brändlin realize what makes Germany's capital so unique and why it is so difficult to fall in love with any other city.
Berlin is like a passionate love affair. It spoils you with all it has to offer when you're together, and breaking up can take forever to get over.
After living in Germany's capital for many years, I don't think I will ever truly fall in love with any other city. Trust me, I've tried.
I've had short flings with world-class cities like Sydney, San Francisco and Amsterdam, where the sex appeal oozes out of the cracks in the sidewalks. But despite the beaches, palm trees, cable cars and canal houses, nothing comes close to Berlin. And here's why.
Berlin is different
Berlin is changing - too quickly, and not necessarily for the better - but Berlin hasn't lost its one-of-a-kind soul. Despite the constant revisions, the gentrification and the invasion of global hipsters, Berlin has managed to hang on to its essence. That means making many things possible that can't be found anywhere else - not even in Sydney, San Francisco or Amsterdam.
In the evenings I used to climb (semi-legally) onto a grungy rooftop to enjoy an after-work beer and gaze out over Berlin's skyline. Sunday afternoons were spent dancing in the sun at open airs - that is, outdoor music parties somewhere in the woods, featuring bubbles, cheap beer and happy hipsters.
I would take trips to one of Berlin's many abandoned sites, like a disused amusement park in the Spreepark, a Cold War-era spy station on Teufelsberg, or a dusty old psychiatric clinic to take pictures and soak in the eeriness.
The city that never sleeps
Living in Berlin has made it difficult to go clubbing elsewhere. The music will simply not be as good and the location will not be as creative. In San Francisco, clubs close at 2 a.m., but in Berlin, that's when the party is just getting started. There you'll get weird looks if you dress up in heels and a mini-skirt, but in Sydney you'll get turned away at the door if you're not stylish enough. And getting groped on the dance floor can happen anywhere - but not in Berlin, where people respect your space.
Mondays are a day to sleep out your hangover in most cities - or go to work, of course. Not so in Berlin, where you can go out any day and any time of the week.
That's because leisure time in Berlin is holy. In many other capitals, "all work and no play" is the guiding principle. But Berlin operates the other way around. Sometimes it seems like no one ever works. But even if they do, they still find plenty of time for their private lives before and after work.
Parks are packed with people hanging out; so are the canal banks, beach bars and any of the many green patches around town. If you come as a workaholic, Berlin will teach you to let loose and enjoy life.
Why not go out on a Sunday night? You only live once. Or maybe twice in Berlin.
Melting pot of weirdness and fetishes
In Berlin, people are weird. And I mean that in a good way. They don't care how much money you have, what car you drive or what clothes you wear. No matter how different Berlin's residents are, they manage what so many societies are after: peaceful coexistence.
Once I took the subway (aka the "Ubahn") at 7 a.m. after a night out and while I was collapsing into my seat, glitter falling off my face, I realized that my fellow passengers included a businessman in a suit, a punk with torn pants and a family with overexcited kids on a daytrip to a nearby lake.
Berlin is an eclectic crowd on a relatively small piece of Earth.
"Signs like this, saying: "Spank me! Call me animal names!" can be found throughout Berlin, where any fetish is accepted"
That's why people have learned to accept each other's quirks and even fetishes. If you want to spend the night in one of Berghain's legendary darkrooms, you won't be judged. If you want to walk around in a tiger outfit all day, then that's okay, too.
Berlin has been "poor, but sexy" for a while now, so I'd suggest updating the slogan with "live and let live."
History and political awareness
Berlin does have a serious side, too, that can't be overlooked: You'd be hard pressed to find another city that has integrated its history into the cityscape and the collective consciousness as well as Berlin. There are reminders of the past everywhere, and not just in the form of museums and memorials.
Walking along Berlin's streets, you just have to look down to find cobblestones that mark where the Berlin Wall once stood or where a Jewish family lived before they were deported to a concentration camp.
Berlin openly and actively commemorates the victims of World War I, World War II and the Cold War without trying to hide any of its mistakes.
Nearly every day there is some sort of demonstration, political reading or event where you can listen to the personal stories of individuals who have experienced Berlin's painful history firsthand.
Students in Berlin, who were born after those historical events, spend their nights hovering around the kitchen table exchanging political theories over a bottle of wine. And the next morning they go out onto the streets to demonstrate for the cause of the day.
The best example is a recent city referendum that rejected plans to develop the former Tempelhof Airport site, which has been turned into a public park. It will remain a unique spot in Berlin where its residents enjoy their free time, barbecue - and discuss the next political activity.
Wedding bells
Berlin, my former lover, will always be close to my heart. One day, when Berlin has better jobs to offer, I'll come back in a white dress and black boots and marry the city of my dreams.
Until then, I'll enjoy the many perks of not living in Berlin: shorter ways, friendlier people and more bearable winters.
San Diego
South Beach
Chicago
Seattle
Los Angeles
New York City
San Francisco
Berlin however tops other European cities though.
Berlin is the capital of the 4th Reich - the greatest country in the world today, for which alone the point of this article is very well justified, imho.
I have a real hard time imagining any city that beats San Diego. I lived in North Park.
been there, done that. overrated.
Unsere Vaterland
But no really, it is quite good.
Another liberal hole, just like the rest of Europe
Another liberal hole, just like the rest of Europe
agreed tbh. people don't work. they just sit in their apartments, drink wine, and talk the maddest to each other. seriously berliners are the biggest assholes i've ever met. there's nothing remotely entertaining about berlin other than the east side has western quality living for eastern europe prices.
La Mesa is arguably the best & La Jolla is the most expensive.
Really good suburbs all around tbh: Poway, Chula Vista, Coronado, Del Mar, Little Italy, Imperial Beach, Carmel Valley.
? What is Americans love affair with San Diego "finest city in America". I am currently trying to upgrade from San Diego to Berlin. After spending 5 months in Berlin, I knew I could no longer be satisfied in a little town like San Diego. Look I get it's relatively safe by American standards and obviously clean but this comes at a price. The culture is sterile and overall the city is boring. You can see and do everything San Diego has to offer in 1 month. I understand the appeal if you are a Pot smoking surfer but otherwise it's severely overrated based on having arguably the best weather on the Globe.
Berlin: a city that never sleeps and you can truly get lost in. It is ever changing, has a rich historical background and global influence because of the Cold War occupations. The freedom rivals Amsterdam without the dirty feeling/streets & over-run with dumb-ass foreigners and it rivals New York in terms of activities without the crime. I have a hard time seeing a better city on this Globe. Comparing San Diego to Berlin is the equivalent of comparing Temecula to New York
i'd prefer the weather in Berlin to San Diego. though I imagine the es in San Diego are mucho hotter than Berlin.
i've only been to Frankfurt for a week, and then to Bonn and Heidelberg for a day. I liked it a lot over there. If the US turns into a fascist, third world hole, I'll try to get back to where a lot of my family is from.
Berlin is a great city to live tbh... I am not a fan of Germany or Germans not my cup of tea but I have to recognize Berlin is fun. If I was obliged to live in Germany that would be definitely the place I'd stay.
When you know Berlin, London, Barcelona, Madrid even Lisbon... you realize Paris need a big youth movement... ing city is sleeping and living on its beauty
Infinite_limit why don't you try living in Warsaw or Poznan?
I would go to Warsaw TBH
Those Polish Babes, dear God !
In due time my friend. I visited my cousin last summer in Wroclaw and I liked the young vibe. Warsaw is extremely expensive compared to Berlin at the moment. I'm planning on using Berlin as my starting point. It's a great place for young artist and programmers which will work out perfectly
Interesting. My sister really enjoyed Paris but she is/was in a serious relationship when visiting. They were there for business and got unbelievably lost, only making the paperwork deadline by an hour.
Berlin is a great city to live tbh... I am not a fan of Germany or Germans not my cup of tea but I have to recognize Berlin is fun. If I was obliged to live in Germany that would be definitely the place I'd stay.
When you know Berlin, London, Barcelona, Madrid even Lisbon... you realize Paris need a big youth movement... ing city is sleeping and living on its beauty
Berlin is a great city to live tbh... I am not a fan of Germany or Germans not my cup of tea but I have to recognize Berlin is fun. If I was obliged to live in Germany that would be definitely the place I'd stay.
When you know Berlin, London, Barcelona, Madrid even Lisbon... you realize Paris need a big youth movement... ing city is sleeping and living on its beauty
it's cheap. i guess living in austin for so long conditioned me for the whole "different is cool" that cities try to sell. who cares if people run around in chicken suits? there's still an asshole in that chicken suit.
overall, american and aussie cities >>>>>> european.
Everybody enjoys Paris for visiting with you bf or gf but city is outdated and declining imho for arts, entertainment...
that's obviously your pov I'm not gonna try to change it
that's obviously your pov I'm not gonna try to change it
i really enjoy copenhagen though. there's a great vibe about that city and it attracts the best looking women by far. can't forget christiania either. such a weird place.
next up on my bucket list is vienna...hopefully it meets up to its reputation.
i have no reason to go to france except to visit my friend in toulon. i heard london is the worst city on earth from several different sources
Copenhagen is a nice city indeed. I liked it. They are all a bit crazy there in a good wayi really enjoy copenhagen though. there's a great vibe about that city and it attracts the best looking women by far. can't forget christiania either. such a weird place.
next up on my bucket list is vienna...hopefully it meets up to its reputation.
i have no reason to go to france except to visit my friend in toulon. i heard london is the worst city on earth from several different sources
Toulon is one of the worst city in France for a lot of different reasons
London is great, people not liking it are probably dumb. I spent 6 months there... that was awesome
Othern than New York, I don't think any other American city is legitimately in the discussion. Chicago is crime ridden, San Fran is tiny & LA has ty mass transit/crime
Last edited by Infinite_limit; 08-14-2014 at 01:14 PM.
Copenhagen is a nice city indeed. I liked it. They are all a bit crazy there in a good way
Toulon is one of the worst city in France for a lot of different reasons
London is great, people not liking it are probably dumb. I spent 6 months there... that was awesome
then i'll skip france all together
Gotcha, very interesting. I wonder if it's from foreigners running up living costs. Artist are drawn to cheap and accessible.
NYC is great because of the subway system and it's nice and gentrified. It's a money pit though.
i heard san diego is great. portland and seattle are awesome.
austin is hit or miss but in my experience living there was OK. dallas and houston are improving imo.
overall it depends what you're looking for. texas is still the best place to settle down because it's cheap but still has high living standards and big cities.
if you want to get laid, NYC imo. i just hang out on the subway and chat it up. but people are shallow so of course you'll have a better time socially outside of the US because you're different. the same could be said for internationals visiting the US.
being from Texas though you get a lot of for george bush and owning guns. people in general don't like americans. i've told some people where i'm from and they respond with "i'm sorry." (usually of the french variety)
but some like the whole cowboy shtick. that's all we've got working for us.
Last edited by The Reckoning; 08-14-2014 at 01:35 PM.
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