our next few days were spent exploring the whole city. our friends are native west berliners and live in the awesome schöneberg neighborhood. it was really cool to see the city and its history through their action packed itinerary. we continued to do a mix of touristy, hipstery [sigh] but mostly local-y fun things. we had great weather [sunny and not too hot], tried so many different types of food, met up with another friend from TAO and saw her epic new apartment [the apartments in berlin are out of this world!], got the transit system down and wished for a bit more time in this fun city. 

QUICK FAVORITES TO EAT AND DRINK:

• YAAM beach club for drinks after a long bike ride
• prinzessinnengarten biergarten: this urban garden also includes local food trucks, drinks and true biergarten vibe
• roamers coffee and booze cafe [they have tasty food, too]
• ORA bar right in oranienplatz (kreuzberg), inside an old pharmacy is a super cozy bar/restaurant. only basic cocktails are available before 6pm, after, the craft cocktail bartender arrives. the interior reminds me of this spot in austin! there are also a lot of other cool bars in this area if you have time to wander around 
• thai park [preussen park]: homecooked thai food served farmers market style 
• district moi saigon street food, fun for dinner. sit on the patio
• 36 curry das original aus berlin : if german pork sausage and curry ketchup interests you

QUICK FAVORITES TO EXPLORE:

• biking berlin: the city is flat and easy to navigate which makes it perfect for two wheels
• kreuzberg neighborhood: very fun area to wander around
• boat ride along the spree river [BYO alcohol if you can be somewhat discreet about it!]
• 25 hours hotel: grab coffee, shop or have a cocktail at their monkey bar [overlooking the monkeys in the berlin zoo] 
• tempelhof field the famous west berlin airfield has become the city’s biggest urban park, great to hang in the summer and see the history of the buildings
• visit a proper kneipen: julian is local expert on some of the best in town. these german 'working man clubs' are somewhat of a dying breed, but hold so much history as some places have been open 50+ years and used to be the center gathering spot for each neighborhood. think, a dive bar, but better. the guys ended up at this one every night, an old favorite of david bowie's when he lived here

stay tuned for the full travel guide coming soon!