Thoughts From Berlin

by Art Fag City on May 29, 2009 · 8 comments


Berlin “blogger bus” image via: Timo Heuer

Art Fag City is in Berlin for a few days before the Venice Biennale starts up.   We’ll be posting an art round up or two shortly, but first, a few brief thoughts on the city itself.

Doors: Completely counter-intuitive.  Whatever way you think they open, they don’t.  It’s opposite world here.

Peanut butter: No Jiff!  However, Nutella practically grows on trees here.

“The Rules”: The closest car may be five minutes away, but if your signal doesn’t read green, don’t even try to cross the street.  City bi-laws are to be obeyed here!

Those well dressed bums on the street? Not actually bums.  Anyone can drink on the street here.   As a side note, I saw more street vomit on my way home last night than any other time in my life.

Cost of living: It really is that cheap.  The apartments I’ve seen are spacious and affordable.

Americans and artists in Berlin: There are tons.

My German: Not coming along at all, and it’s not for lack of trying!  It turns out my skill set does not include an aptitude with second languages.

The Azerbaijan Tower is Totally a Claes Oldenburg We Went To Chelsea, Vol. 1 Gerald Ferguson’s Blue Collar Conceptualism: An Interview with Luke Murphy and Phil Grauer
  • Joe

    South Korea has Germany beat for vomitfests. In the winter the sidewalks freeze into a continous slippery puke caking. The more you know.

  • Joe

    South Korea has Germany beat for vomitfests. In the winter the sidewalks freeze into a continous slippery puke caking. The more you know.

  • http://www.unutterable.org Giovanni

    People will chastise you if you break the rules. An old man yelled at me for crossing on a red light, even though there were no cars to be seen anywhere. A friend got yelled at for walking on a bike path – also with no bikes around.

    On the other hand, aside from the graffiti (which I found annoying – beautiful buildings marred by anti-establishment cliches), the country is very clean and the people are much more aware of the environment than we are in the U.S.

  • http://www.unutterable.org Giovanni

    People will chastise you if you break the rules. An old man yelled at me for crossing on a red light, even though there were no cars to be seen anywhere. A friend got yelled at for walking on a bike path – also with no bikes around.

    On the other hand, aside from the graffiti (which I found annoying – beautiful buildings marred by anti-establishment cliches), the country is very clean and the people are much more aware of the environment than we are in the U.S.

  • http://www.brianryden.com Brian

    The Hamburger Bahnhof is an amazing museum
    http://www.hamburgerbahnhof.de/text.php

    Modulor is the coolest art supply store ever
    http://www.modulor.de

    I was there about this time last year, Berlin is quite possible one of the most amazing cities in the world. Probably one of the few places where you can get lost in the middle of nowhere and happen upon an art gallery.

    I think the vomit thing is because visitors don’t learn the “just because you can drink anywhere and there is no last call doesn’t mean you should…”, took me a couple days to learn that one. I also got beat at ping pong by a bum in the park.

  • http://www.brianryden.com Brian

    The Hamburger Bahnhof is an amazing museum
    http://www.hamburgerbahnhof.de/text.php

    Modulor is the coolest art supply store ever
    http://www.modulor.de

    I was there about this time last year, Berlin is quite possible one of the most amazing cities in the world. Probably one of the few places where you can get lost in the middle of nowhere and happen upon an art gallery.

    I think the vomit thing is because visitors don’t learn the “just because you can drink anywhere and there is no last call doesn’t mean you should…”, took me a couple days to learn that one. I also got beat at ping pong by a bum in the park.

  • Ivo

    Jiff! is available at some “ARAL” gas stations..

  • Ivo

    Jiff! is available at some “ARAL” gas stations..

Previous post:

Next post: