BERLIN

I have a new favorite city, and here’s a hint it’s Berlin.

I expected to like Berlin, but I never expected to leave a city so inspired. The grit, the art, the people, the diversity compared to the rest of Germany. It’s a beautiful place to find yourself.

I only had about a day and a half in Berlin, but I’d like to think I maximized that time. After a rainy first night, the sun came out and the day started off strong with an early lunch at Coccodrillo Berlin. This ultra trendy Italian restaurant was literally built to be photographed and I was more than happy to oblige. And now if I dont have a zebra print rug in my home I will become violent.

Following lunch, we took the tram over to East Berlin for the afternoon to see some art. Our first stop was Urban Spree, a place to see street art, art galleries, some of the iconic photobooths, and plenty of bars and coffee shops. We happened to be here on a German holiday (the day to celebrate the reunification of Germany, actually) so a lot was closed but it was a cool experience regardless.

A short walk away from Urban Spree is the East Side Gallery, a collection of art along the river on a continuous piece of the orginal Berlin wall. While this is a super cool open air museum, the crowds along the sidewalk were cause for a lot of rage.

After walking the length of the gallery, we spent the evening at Holzmarkt 25. This is something I can easily say I cannot think of an equivalent experience in another city. I have no frame of reference for this place. Part market, part art, part music, part playground for kids, hidden seating areas everywhere, tattoo shops, mismatched themes, wine bars, etc. It was one of the most fun, surprising experiences of any trip.

I say this about most places, but I so badly want to go back to Berlin. There’s so much more there I want to experience.

In the meantime, here were some other favorite spots & recos:

Bar Amelie - quiet spot for cocktails in a super cozy space. Or maybe it just seemed extra cozy to get out of the rain, and thirst over the hot bartender.

Burgermeister - burgers and fries under a train track? Say less! I loved everything about this experience, except for perhaps the lack of bathrooms nearby.