Bumming Around in Berlin

What is most stunning about the city of Berlin is the architecture. While the destruction of Berlin during WW2 was devastating as evidenced by Kasier Wilhelm Church, Berlin has had the unique opportunity of blending new and old. It gives the city variety and keep it interesting. No where is the blend of new and old more evident than at the Reichstag.

The newly constructed glass dome atop the 19th century building was a highlight of my visit. Not only is entry to the glass dome free, but the audio guide provided gave you an in depth understanding of major points on the Berlin skyline. What made it cooler was the audio guide was automatic, when you reached certain points it would start the appropriate commentary.

One thing of which to be careful is the operating of the transit system. Twice I was out in the downtown area with others from the hostel at night and twice we got stranded and had to take a taxi. The second time we left earlier and thought we’d make it, but some lines and services close earlier than others. What was most weird was some lines would close at midnight but then reopen at 3AM – much too early for commuters, but perfect for Berlin’s great all night bars.

On my second day I made the trek out to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp.You could definitely spend most of the day there (I was there for about 5 hours and could have spent more time) The memorial was packed with information there are many displays as well as you can rent an informative audio guide for 3 Euros (entrance is free). The plethora of mass graves on the sites really gives an eerie sense of  the history of the Third Reich and the beginning of the GDR.

Even if you don’t go to Sachsenhausen, you can’t help but feel history in Berlin. Very tasteful monuments litter the downtown area. Memorials for WW2, the holocaust, book burning all within walking distance from each other. But one of the most striking was the memorial to the victims of war located in an old Prussian guardhouse. It was shocking to enter this cavernous room that contained only one statue of a mother holding her dead son.

Everyone that I talked to said the one museum you have to go to is the Pergamonmuseum. I was not initial super excited about it when I heard it was mostly classical Roman and Greek sculptures,but as it turned out it was impressive! For me the sheer size of the displays is astounding. it feels like you are walking in an ancient Greek city that was stolen and transplanted to Berlin. I wish I had paid more attention in Greek mythology because then I could have appreciated the sculptures even more. 

Another museum I visited that deserves credit is the DDR museum – all about life in communist East Germany.It was small but had cool hands on features and lots of information in English.

On my last day I visited the East Side Gallery where the longest continuous piece of the Berlin Wall is located. Right now there are artists repainting  their paintings (after years of weather and tourist) damage in time for the 20th anniversary of the fall of the wall in November. I also  briefly visited the Kasier Wilhelm Church that was largely destroyed by allied bombing in 1943.

Lastly one of the ‘must do’ things is one of the fabulous free walking tours. I did it on my first day and the four hour tour gives you a sense of direction and a good opportunity to ask questions from a knowledgeable guide.

Packing Permutations

How much can you pack in 23kg? Believe it or not quite a lot. This year the company I am working for in Spain decided to book everyone on direct flights to Madrid on Air Transat. My previous experience with Air Transat has been positive, but because they are a budget airline their baggage allowance is also budget.

Most transatlantic flights allow 2 bags weighing 23kg PER BAG. Air Transat allows 23Kg TOTAL with any amount of bags. This complicated my packing plans for the next 14 months. I needed some summer camp clothes for Spain, dress clothes for work and fall clothes for Russia.

Despite these initial setbacks, I finally found a packing list that worked. It probably includes a lot of stuff that I really don’t need and there is things I probably forgot. But as always the contents of my bag is never the same when I depart compared to when I come back. Things get left behind and I buy new things.

I kind of broke my own personal rule about travelling with only one big bag and one day backpack (the contents of the packing list are divided among the backpack, daypack, suitcase and purse pictured above). I justified this to myself by remembering that I was going to be away for more than a year. I probably could have got it all one bag instead of taking two half empty bags.

So now my entire life for the next year is contained in four bags with 23kg of packed baggage and 12kg of carry-on stuff.

Approaching Adventures

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After finally completing my travelogue of NYC, this is just a quick update on my upcoming travel plans. I will be leaving the continent of North America June 22nd to call Europe home for the next year and a bit. My first stop will be Berlin for a few days before starting work in Spain. Like last summer I will be working first in Pueyo de Jaca and then in Alba de Tormes. In August I will also be working in Alba. Then beginning in September I journey to the land of Dostoevsky, the Kremlin and the Trans-Siberian Railroad – Russia. I will be teaching English in the small town of Reutov (just outside of the Moscow Ring Road). More details  to come!

The Best of Toronto

Before I leave Toronto for the foreseeable future I thought I comment on some of the fantastic finds I’ve had since moving here four years ago.

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Best place to get food at 3AM – While you may assume the only food venues open at this time would be McDonalds and Tim Hortons, you are gravely mistaken. Enter 7 West – a cute cafe open 24 hrs a day 7 days a week. Serving salads, pasta and delicious desserts.

Best place to study – With several libraries on campus a UofT student can be picky about where to study. My personal favourite is Trinity College’s Graham Library. Just the smell of the wood desks and fireplaces makes you feel at home.However Victoria College’s Pratt library is a close second. At Pratt you feel like you are in Ikea.

Best free wifi – Most coffee shops these days have wireless, but most require you to pay. So if you are looking for free access in downtown Toronto look no further than the Toronto Reference Library on Yonge St just north of Bloor.

Best sushi – One thing I miss the most when travelling abroad is the abundance of sushi places here in Toronto. Everyone seems to have their personal favourite. My vote goes to Sushi Club. So good I had them on speed dial!

Best crepes –As a student breakfast often rolls into lunch and as such you come to love brunch food. Crepes-a-go-go makes the best crepes hands down both sweet and savory. They also quite an authentic atmosphere with all of the staff speaking French.

Best place for groceries –After moving south of College Street I discovered the wonders of shopping at Kensington Market for food. Before I had simply frequented the area for clothes and jewelry, but with two bakeries, two cheese stores, a butcher you can’t go wrong for price and quality.

Best place for a selection of tea – While in Kensington Market you can stop in for some loose tea (or a cup of coffee) at Moon Bean.

Best place to hold a party – A great place for a party of any size is Andy Pool Hall. They have a unique decor, DJs and dancing after 11 and of course pool tables. No matter you group’s tastes there is something for everyone here.

Best bet on a Monday night – Looking for something to do on a Monday night? Head over to the Reservoir Lounge and catch a great set (or three) of jazz by Sophia Perlman and the Vipers. I recommend the Reservoir Red if you are craving a martini while you are there!

Best junk food deals – Craving chocolate, candy and other junk food? Don’t pay full price, wait for the day after Easter, Valentine’s day at get it at Shopper’s Drug Mart for half price!

Best ethnic food – One of the most unique experiences I’ve had in Toronto was eating at Ethiopian House. It’s a reasonably priced dining experience if you get bored of sushi and dim sum.

Best way to spend an afternoon – Got 5 hours to kill in Toronto? The AGO recently completed their renovations and is a fantastic art gallery to visit. See my previous post for details.

Best Sunday brunch – My first year in Toronto I had the good fortune of booking my birthday at the Bloor Street Diner for brunch. It is hands down my favourite spot for brunch – but it is only open on Sundays. The chocolate fountain is alone makes it worth the trip!

Best Canadian fine dining – Looking to impress someone? Take them to Canoe not only is the view from the 54th floor of the TD tower impressive but so is the seasonal selection of Canadian food.

Best cheap beer and food – Einstein Pub is the closest pub to my place, but it is also the best deal in the area for cheap house beer and food. If you order the wings get them with the hammered sauce.

Best place for window shopping – The area of Bay and Bloor has undergone lots of renos including the arrival of some of the most expensive stores in Toronto. So if you don’t want to spend any money, but just browse this area is fantastic.

Best martinis – College St between Bathurst and Ossington is known for its quaint cafes and martini bars. Personally I find Souz Dal the most reasonably priced martinis and it also has an extensive list from which to choose.

Best cakes – Although they don’t make their cakes in house, Future Bakery is great spot for dessert and/or coffee. In the summer the patio is a bonus!

Best place for home supplies – Other than Canadian Tire I find myself getting the best deals for home supplies at the local Dollarama. For things where quality is not a big concern you can save a lot of money by shopping here.

Best place to get fit – There is the perennial debate between students about which is a better place to work out – the Athletic Centre (AC) or Hart House. When I lived across the street from Hart House I definitely went there, but after gradually discovering the AC I found it more convenient with more equipment and less people. It is not has ‘hard core’ and intimidating as people think!

Best pad thai – After fencing our standard place to go was the Red Room. Not only are their prices quite cheap but the Pad Thai is unmatched in my humble opinion. The Green Room and Nirvana are owned by the same people and are also worth your time.

Best all nighter – Despite conflicting opinions, one of the best events of the fall is Nuit Blanche. An all night art festival that intrigues and entertains!

Day 7: Meandering in Midtown Manhattan

Overview of Today’s Agenda: Grand Central Station, UN Buildings, Broadway Show: 9 to 5, Empire State Building, Times Square

Many of my fellow hostellers were surprised to learn that I had been in New York for six days already and I hadn’t been to Times Square yet. Today I made an effort to rectify this and see some of the sights in Midtown.

I started early-ish, as the UN building opened for public tours at 9:30. But first I stopped in at Grand Central Station to take the ceiling on the main hall. A guidebook had recommended looking for the dark patch near the crab on the ceiling to see the difference after the latest renovations. I took me a few minutes to find it because it was much smaller than expected (at least it wasn’t as hard as finding the frog on the outside wall of University of Salamanca’s library – that I had to be shown after 10 minutes of looking). Anyways… after people watching in Grand Central for a while I walked over to the UN Headquarters on the East River.

While the UN security was just as extensive as the building in Geneva – but I was a little disappointed we didn’t get cool security passes (it was one of my favourite souvenirs from my trip in 2007) Just like in Geneva lots of countries had donated art to UN, so most of the tour was centered on these pieces. one thing I didn’t like about the tour was the displays on what the UN does. There were several displays on the tour about landmines, development goals, UNICEF etc but the tour does not give you enough time to read all the information. It seems like the tour guide is always rushing you on to the next item because there is a group directly behind us. It wasn’t so bad for me because I had learned most of this at university, but for someone who knows nothing about the United Nations it may be confusing.

After passing other New York landmarks like the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel and St Patrick’sCathedral, I unknowingly ended up in Times Square. The amount of  people on the street had tripled and the brightness of the billboards had doubled. There is no way you could miss it. After standing in line for a bit I managed to get a ticket for the matinee of the new Broadway show 9-5. Originally I had planned only to see one show in NYC, but the playbill of South Pacific had an article about this new musical. The fact that Allison Janney (of CJ Craig-West Wing fame) starred in the musical sold me. It turned out to be a fabulous production well deserving of its Tony nominations.

Finally I decided that despite the overcast weather I was still going to go up the Empire State Building. What you read and hear about the lines here should be taken seriously. Even in the off season the lines are endless. This time the CityPass doesn’t really save you much time in line skipping. Just like Chandler alluded to on Friends, you have to resist the urge to say moo as you are being herded through the lines like cattle on a farm. However the view at the top is pretty great (even on a cloudy day) and it helps to get the audio guide to explain what you are looking at. The whole process took about 3 hours and yet I was only on the observation deck for 30 minutes. If you are looking to recreate a romantic scene from Sleepless in Seattle or An Affair to Remember – forget about it. Mass tourism has destroyed the opportunity for any magic moments. 

I returned to Times Square at night to get the full on neon light experience. I read at the CIty of New York Museum that it is mandatory for all lights in Times Square to be 1.5 times brighter than normal. They are not kidding. You don’t need a flash to take pictures because the reflection from the Coca-Cola ad lights up your subjects quite nicely.

This concludes my coverage of NYC. It’s true what my roomate told me, you can’t see all of New York City in 7 days. However, I’d like to think that got a feel for the city by hitting most of the ‘must see’ tourist icons, like the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building, as well as seeing some of the spirit of the city in some of the ‘off-the-beaten-track’ places like the Louis Armstrong House Museum and the City of New York Museum. There will always be something new and different to city in the city even if you’ve already seen the landmarks. So I hope I will have a chance to come back!

Day 6: Biggest, Brightest and Best

Overview of today’s agenda: Guggenheim Museum, American Museum of Natural History and Broadway Show: South Pacific

Once again taking advantage of the rainy weather I saw a couple more of New York’s museums on ‘Museum Mile’ on 5th Avenue. The first stop was the Guggenheim Museum. After seeing the amazing exterior of the Guggenheim in Bilbao, this museum’s exterior was a little plain. The inside was also a little disappointing as most of the galleries were closed because they were installing a new Frank Lloyd Wright exhibit. There was a few of the permanent collections open to viewing. But to see the entire museum took less than an hour. 

Next I took a crosstown bus to see the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). It is true that NYC is a city of superlatives. As I have been touring around it seems that all the guides have pointed out the biggest, best and features of the city. But nowhere was this more obvious than in the AMNH. Inside I saw a very large cross section of a 1000 year old tree, a huge model of blue whale and a huge meteorite. It was having the Calgary Science Centre, the ROM and the Biodome all under one roof. You could spend days inside this museum.

Personally the most interesting sections for me were the space exhibits and the Planetarium. Particularly interesting was the photos taken by astronauts on the moon. The dinosaurs were also quite neat – like a mini Royal Tyrell Museum.

I left the AMNH a bit early to get tickets for an evening performance of South Pacific. There are many ways to get discounted Broadway tickets – lotteries, online purchase and rush tickets. Depending on the show different methods are better. For South Pacific they were selling student rush tickets two hours before the show for $20 in the mezzanine. There is always a chance they may sell out of the tickets so it’s important to line up early if you really want to see the show.

My first experience with Broadway was pretty fantastic! Even from the mezz you could see the entire stage and most facial expressions of the cast. South Pacific was a great revival show with enough action, romance and comic relief to please any audience.       

         

Day 5: Immigration Investigations

Overview of today’s agenda: Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island and Brooklyn Bridge

Today’s adventures were mostly dedicated to Liberty and Ellis Island. The guide books weren’t wrong when they said you need five hours to do both islands. I would add that I spent  more time on Ellis Island than I did on Liberty Island. While seeing the Statue of Liberty is cool, the exhibits are more extensive on Ellis Island.

I arrived early at Clinton Castle in Battery Park to get a monument pass for the Statue of Liberty, because while CityPass included free ferry ride it didn’t give you access to the statue itself. Planning to see the statue is an adventure in itself – it pays to research how to do it in advance to avoid being disappointed!

After going through airport–style security you are crammed onto a ferry and brought to Liberty Island. It is definitely better to get there early in the morning, as the lines to go up the statue just get longer and longer. Unfortunately since 9/11 you can only go up to the top of the pedestal, but you do get a great view up Lady Liberty’s dress! On a cloudy day the view is less than spectacular – but the quasi-museum about the construction etc was cool.

After an overpriced all-American lunch (Burger and Fries) I took the ferry over to Ellis Island. While the views and interior weren’t as impressive, the displays were quite extensive and interesting. The tree of American-English words that had come from other languages was particularly neat. The 30 minute video in the theatre gave a good summary of the history of immigration at Ellis Island. The best part was upstairs where there was memorabilia from the time period as well as stories of immigrants.

I stuck around downtown after visiting the islands and went to Chinatown. I had excellent Vietnamese food and some lychee ice cream for dessert. I was a little skeptical of the suggestion to try the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, as my past experience with Chinese desserts has been less than stellar. However the lychee ice cream was fantastic, and for those who are not fans of Asian flavours this ice cream place covers all the basic flavours.

Since I was already wet from all the rain today (and my one leaky show was already soaking), I decided to stick it out to see the Brooklyn Bridge up close at night. It had a convenient pedestrian walkway above the road. From the centre of the bridge you can see most of lower Manhattan, downtown Brooklyn and just barely see the Statue of Liberty. It would be interesting to go back during the day when its sunny to compare.

                    

 

Day 4: Abstract Art and Jumpin’ Jazz

Overview of Today’s Agenda: Museum of Modern Art and Big Apple Jazz Tour

The day began early at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Today I realized how useful it was to buy a CityPass. When I arrived at the MoMA a few minutes after it opened there was already a line. But because of the priority features of the CityPass I was able to skip all of the lines and get a ticket right away.

I started on the 5th floor with the temporary exhibits. The first one of some Argentine and Brazilian artists didn’t interest me too much, but the Martin Kippenberger exhibit was awesome. This German artist had a wide variety of styles and media. From crucified frogs to eggs to large installations, Kippenberger seemed to cover it all in 44 years of life.

On the lower floors I saw the permanent exhibit which included a large collection of Soviet artists, including the father of Soviet Abstract Art – Wassily Kandinsky. They had a plethora of Picassos, Matisses, Mondrians etc. One artist that I thought was lacking was Salvador Dali (maybe I just missed his gallery). The only Dali that I found was the famous Persistence of Memory. Now after travelling to so many different art galleries over the last three years it has become easier to recognize painters based on the style in the photograph.

In addition to the European modern art they also have a selection of American pop artists like Andy Warhol, James Rosenquist, Jasper Johns. Unfortunately most of the architecture and design section was closed, so the last section I visited was the photography section. They had an interesting exhibit on the evolution of the photographic and print medium, however their permanent collection of photographs wasn’t impressive.

In between exhibits I stopped in for a late lunch in the MoMA’s cafeteria. I had an arugula salad with prosciutto and blue cheese with an espresso brownie (see right). While their menu was extensive, it was also quite expensive – it was nearly $30 for my lunch! I much prefer the Met’s method of ticketing – allowing you to leave the museum and return later – that way you don’t have to dine inside the museum.

In the early afternoon I headed back to Harlem to meet  the group for the Sunday evening Harlem Jazz Tour organized by Big Apple Jazz. It was a pretty cool tour and the guide was certainly an expert on jazz. We saw three sets of live music at three different .It was great to go to a real jam session where musicians just come and go, nothing really planned. In addition to the music sets we also saw iconic jazz places on and around Lennox Ave including the tree of hope, Minton’s playhouse and the location of the 1958 Great Day in Harlem photograph. This tour definitely gave me a good idea of where to go for some great music next time I visit NYC.

Day 3: Brooklyn the Better Borough?

Overview of today’s agenda: Louis Armstrong Museum House, NYC Transit Museum, Coney Island and Brighton Beach

It is now day three and I still really haven’t figured out the subway system yet. It doesn’t help that on weekends some of the train lines don’t run. Needless to say I think that I spent as much time on public transit as I did in the museums. But I did have some great views of the Manhattan skyline from the 7 subway line that runs above ground in Queens.

The Louis Armstrong Museum is far out – about 1 hour by subway from Harlem – but well worth the trip! The museum is in the house that Louis bought with his fourth wife and she donated the house after her death. No photos were allowed  inside because it is preserved as it was in the 1970s. It is a pretty awesome house with a gold plated bathroom that was featured, a custom made state-of-the-art kitchen and a massive walk-in closet. They also had an interconnected sound system installed in most rooms in the house (including the bathroom). I think most people today would be envious of the Armstrongs’ House.

After finishing up at Louis’ house I headed across Long Island to the other borough – Brooklyn. It took me about 2 hours (after a few false starts on the wrong trains and closed stations). Most of NYC’s transit runs from the boroughs to downtown Manhattan. It’s harder to get from one borough to another even though its the same distance.

I found Brooklyn to be more like Toronto. Less people, less traffic, less skyscrapers than Manhattan. This was not to say that it was less of a good time. I spent a couple of hours at the New York City Transit Museum. It is definitely off the mainstream tourist track, but still worthwhile for the low admission price of $5. The best part of the museum was the old subway cars they had on display. Because the museum is located on an old subway station the old fashioned subway cars (complete with old advertisements) are on actual subway tracks. Also interesting was the evolution of the subway tokens and turnstiles.

After enjoying a pint of Harp and fish n’ chips at The Atlantic Fish and Chip Shop in downtown Brooklyn, I went deeper into Brooklyn and saw Coney Island. I was a little disappointed with the amusement park – quite run down and over priced (it was $6 for one round of bumper cars). What I enjoyed most was seeing ‘Little Odessa’. This is the area of Brooklyn near the subway stop Brighton Beach, it is inhabited by immigrants from Eastern Europe. Here you are more likely to hear Russian than English.

As the sun was setting I headed back to Harlem by subway. This time it only took me 45 minutes. I think I were to live in New York, living in downtown Brooklyn (Brooklyn Heights) just across the East  River from Manhattan would be my choice. It has enough things to do and places to eat and is close enough to commute. It would be my guess that commuting from Brooklyn Heights to the Financial District is faster than commuting from somewhere north of Central Park.

Day 2: Rainy Rendezvous

Overview of today’s agenda: The Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), The Museum of the City of New York, walking tour of downtown and a night out in the Village

Eager to make the most out of my 7 days here in NYC I hit the museum that opens the earliest first – the Met at 9:30. I was so glad I got there early because I was nice to enjoy the art without the crowds, because by lunch time it was packed. It is a huge museum, it would take days to see the whole thing properly, so I had to pick and choose what parts I went to. Unfortunately there section on American artists was closed, so I opted for the19th European section instead. Saw some notable paintings like Death of Socrates, by Jacques Louis David, The Harvesters by Bruegel and Aristotle with a Bust of Homer  by Rembrandt.  While some of these painting were profound in their influence – as a found out  with the audio guide (which I would highly recommend – art lover or not), I enjoyed the modern art sections much more. Here I got a good taste of American modern art like Jackson Pollack, Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. There was also the European cubists, surrealists and impressionists that I love. I concluded with the Met’s extensive Egyptian collection – it is amazing to see how much western countries excavated in the early 20th century. The Met claims to have over 25,000 artifacts!

One great bonus of the Met is that your ticket is good all day (including the audio tour and coat check) so you can leave for lunch etc. I had lunch on the walk up 5th Ave to the Museum of the City of New York. Toronto’s ‘street meat’ is quite limited – hotdogs or Chinese. So here in New York I had an urge to branch out an try a knish. I was not disappointed – the potato and meat filled Jewish dish was tasty.

The Museum of the City of New York was a good way to escape tourists – it was quite empty mid afternoon. It had some great exhibits on the founding of New Amsterdam, trade in NYC in the 19th century, a fashion exhibit on the clothes designed by New York icon Valentina and to cap it off a 25 minute video show on the history of the city from New Amsterdam to present. It was informative 3 hour visit. 

At 4:00 (in the middle of a rain deluge) I met my greeter as part of the Big Apple Greeter program. It’s a volunteer program where locals meet with tourists and introduce them to a neighbourhood of the city. My greeter and I walked from Union Square (aka the protest square) crosstown to the meat packing district (by day an industrial area, but by night the hottest clubbing area). Next was the highlights of Greenwich Village including where Carrie from Sex and the City supposedly lived on Perry St., also some good bars and jazz places. We concluded with a walk through Noho and Soho to Canal St (aka bargain central!) After that I headed back to the hostel for dinner.

Getting from my hostel in Harlem to downtown can take 30 minutes and it seems the subway is always busy no matter what time of day – rush hour is just uber crowded! So when I headed back down to the Village for evening adventures I had spent probably 2 hours on the subway already today! Some gals from the hostel and I checked out a mediocre comedy show and then people watched at a pizza place.My greeter was right when he said that neighbourhoods are completely different at night – some of the streets of the village were all neon – something you would have not expected being in the sleepy campus area in the afternoon. All in all the first full day was an action-packed success!