SOMA+SOHO=Mitte

11.26.07

Our apartment was first described to me a s IKEA meets Donald Judd. When we arrived the 2 tables, 3 chairs and couch were so purposefully placed it took me a day to feel comfortable using them rather than just looking at them. We decided to rearrange everything slightly to make the apartment more accomidating for two people, which included a trip to IKEA to purchase a 180x200 cm bedsheet and matching comforter. Oh and two coffee mugs. IKEA Berlin is amazing, it seems as important as an international airport to this town. All I have to say is blue bag vs. yellow bag, full service cafe, and doggy waiting lawns...

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The Mitte is a very uneven place these days. I keep thinking of it as a cross between SOMA (SF) and SOHO (NYC). It is grey, desolate, and unwelcoming yet accented with more designer boutiques and galleries than you can count. As if a new one pops up everyday. Within one block of our apartment there is a Hugo Boss über chic boutique, an American Apparel, IC! Berlin, Converse, Swatch, and Adidas outlets and at least 3 galleries. As well as lots of graffiti, which I find really exciting. It gives you the sense that the street never sleeps (even though I guess I haven't had much luck sleeping on the German clock either). There are no original buildings on our block, by original buildings I mean buildings that appear to have been built before 1950. Hard to believe considering that our block is in the very middle of a 400 year old city. This leads me to believe that this block was almost entirely destroyed in WWII and later rebuilt and repopulated under Soviet control with pre-fab East block buildings known as Plattenbauen (plate buildings). You see them all over the Mitte, they are geometric facades, made from industrial materials, lining the streets in an orderly repetition.




Spent the first couple of days exploring the 3 block radius of the apartment looking for groceries. There appear to be two Bio (organic) markets near by and a discount grocery store (Plus). We also made a trip to the Bürgeramt (town hall) to pick up our application for Residency Certificates (Anmeldebescheinigung), which must be filed for every person who moves to, from, or within a German city within 7 days of their move. And, it means that we will not be illegal aliens. Our first attempt did not go so smoothly. If you think filing your taxes is difficult try doing them in German. The attendant/clerk did not speak English (and why should he) and i think he found it way much more amuzing than I did. I knew enough German to explain our situation and ask for the forms, it is just the listening and responding part that is still difficult. When I asked if we could take the forms home and turn them in tomorrow he deffiantly shook his head and in German said "You are not in America any more, you are in Deutschland". Well, we took them home anyway and translated them for next time.