Two blocks north of Görlitzer Park (and technically in Friedrichshain),
find some of the city’s best street art at Urban Spree. It’s hard to
miss — its walls are brightly painted with murals. While inside, enjoy
an art gallery, two concert venues, a bookstore and artist studios.
Kreutzberg is also home to Berlinische Galerie, a modern art
museum featuring a lineage of Berlin artists, and Viktoriapark,
perhaps the city’s prettiest and most popular park, thanks a waterfall
and cute dining spots.
and rock superstars David Bowie and Iggy Pop, who were roommates
in Berlin in 1978.
GETTING THERE
Fly nonstop on United and Lufthansa from Dulles International Airport
(IAD) to Frankfurt Airport (FRA). A one-way flight takes approximately
eight hours. From there, Rail Europe offers train service to Berlin.
NEUKÖLLN
Just southeast of Kreuzberg is the latest hot topic — Neukölln.
This ultra-trendy neighborhood is known for its cheap rents, artist
community, and live stage shows. It’s also home to a former airport
turned public park, Tempelhofer Feld (nothing is more thrilling than
riding a bike down this airline runway).
Some of the city’s best Asian restaurants are here, too, from Viet
Bowl to Dr. To’s. For a particularly memorable experience, try
Klunkerkranich, a treehouse–like rooftop bar made entirely of wood
that offers a stunning view of the city skyline at sunset.
For a night of dancing, visit Sameheads, a bar and basement club
known for retro nights, or Tier, a candlelit bar which makes a mean
Moscow mule. The city’s foremost gay club, SchwuZ, brings the
international crowds to Neukölln, too, with their music festivals.
CHARLOTTENBURG
This upscale district is home to a concept mall called Bikini Berlin, which
inlcudes the works of young, local designers. C/O Berlin is also here,
showcasing some of the most cutting-edge photo exhibitions in Europe.
Hackescher Höfe
Credit: tupungato
Görlitzer Park
Credit: Michael Berlin
Steps from the Zoologischer Garten subway station, find more
photographic excellence at the Helmut Newton Foundation, devoted
to preserving the work of the famed German fashion photographer
and his wife, June Newton. The museum is set in a former casino.
Reserve at least half a day to visit Charlottenburg Palace, a Rococo
palace built in 1699. Among its hundreds of rooms are 18th-century
paintings, gilded ceilings, and velvet furniture. The attached park
offers a princely stroll, complete the mausoleum of Queen Louise,
the Belvedere tea house, and the Neuer Pavillon, a small neo-classical
house modelled on a Neapolitan villa.
Take a break at Charlottenburg’s historic Paris Bar, a French brassiere
that was a hangout in the 1970s for art scene regulars like Martin
Kippenberger (who paid his drink tab in paintings, which hang here)
Hackescher Höfe
Credit: Rosa G.
WINTER 2019/20 47 FLYWASHINGTON.COM