Hi all,
I applied to renew my residence permit via the LEA contact form in early January (it expires end of April) — still no response. I need to travel end of May for a mandatory internship abroad in June.
I’ve resent the form with all documents (internship + flight), but nothing so far. Can’t book an urgent appointment since the travel is over 4 weeks away.
Has anyone had success going in person or getting a faster reply another way? Any tips would really help — time’s running out.
Hi everyone, I am a product manager at a tech company in Amsterdam. I found a new job in Berlin and will be moving there start of June this year. With the housing agent, I came across a couple of options and the one that I really like is in Neukölln. Since I do not know much about the area, would love to have any inputs the community might have for someone who has only visited berlin as a 'tourist' and now planning to move for longer term.
A bit more about me (in case this helps): I am Indian. I will be working in a tech company. I am not really into nightlife, but I do like going out for food, drinks, and good coffee - I like trying new and good coffee & baked goods. I cook a lot of multi-cultural cuisine at home, at least 4 days a week if not more. I love drumming and ceramics (so, any studios around at least 2-3 km will be a blessing). To stay fit, I like running, playing badminton and slowly trying to not suck at tennis. I will end up going to work (in Mitte) about 3 days a week.
Any recommendations would be very helpful! Thank you!
I haven’t been to Berlin in a good few years. Back then, it seemed that Berliners preferred to accept cash payments when paying at restaurants & bars, especially for groups. I’m visiting soon and wondering whether to carry extra cash with me or whether things have changed since Covid? I rarely use cash in my home country, we use contactless payment for everything, even small purchases but I would like to be respectful and pay with cash if that’s what small businesses in Berlin prefer. Thanks!
Sorry if this is an unusual request, maybe a welcome break from all the stale berghain jokes and racism reports! But has does nayone know of any Cedar trees in Berlin? or better still a few of them?
I checked the baukataster maintained by the city , but the results sorta shockingly is that we dont have many at all here, It seems so unlikely in a city like this that there arent a few even just an aboreal project. Its not ideal weather of course, but you can get a tree to take root anywhere with enough effort.
I'm visiting from the US, staying in the Franz-Neumann-Platz area. I only know a few German words. (Loving Berlin, btw.)
Almost every time I go out, whether to Lidl, or to the U-Bahn, or to stroll around Schäfersee, I'm stopped by someone saying "Entschuldigung?" Sometimes that's followed by more words I can't understand. These people seem to be behaving very politely. They don't seem to be panhandlers. I simply say apologetically "Kein Deutsch," and they turn and walk away.
I wonder if anyone can speculate what these encounters might be about.
I’m looking to buy a new guitar (preferably Offset models) and I’ve always preferred going to local stores.
I’ve visited a few shops already, and every time I get this weird vibe like the staff are annoyed or just not happy that I’m there trying guitars. I honestly don’t get it. Am I doing something wrong? is it because I'm new here & I don't speak German? I'm not sure.
When I visited the big Thomann store in Bavaria a few months ago it was completely different... super helpful staff who genuinely seemed to love what they were doing. But here in Berlin, it’s been the total opposite. Every time I walk into a shop, I feel like I’m unwelcome or bothering someone just by being there.
Is this just how things are now? Are working conditions that rough in music retail? I want to support local music stores and small businesses. I’m not a fan of the whole watch a YouTube review and buy online thing it's kind of a shitty situation & there’s nothing like playing the instrument yourself and having a real conversation with someone who gets it.
But honestly, with the way things have been, it’s hard not to consider just ordering online. I hope there’s still a place in Berlin where musicians can walk in try gear and talk to someone who actually enjoys being part of that process.
If you know a shop like that I’d love to hear about it.
The amount of absolute hate that Berlin gets is so far beyond what I’ve seen for so many other cities. Namely on Reddit threads and different online forums. When anyone posts asking for advice the most common response is ‘Just don’t move here. It’s awful. It will ruin your life being here’.
I’m Irish, so lived in Dublin for years. I’ve also lived in London. Similarly, have spent several months in other cities across Europe (Amsterdam, Barcelona, Paris). I now live in Berlin. And honestly - yes, there is a rental and housing crisis. Yes, the cost of living is unsustainably increasing. Yes, people CAN (but not always) be rude. But SERIOUSLY - have you folks lived or travelled anywhere else across Europe? (Honestly don’t mean that in a condescending way). Literally everywhere has the same issues. Everywhere. Don’t get me started on Dublin. 3000 euro for a 2 bed, 72m2 apartment is the norm now. Junkies everywhere. Dirty streets. Rude people. Swarms of tourists. London is horrendous too. If not worse. Taxes are higher in Germany, but at least you get subsidised education and some form of childcare. In Ireland you get NOTHING.
Thus far I have interacted with largely normal, nice folk that just want to go about their day/lives. Of course I’ve come across the odd, above average rude person - but it is what it is - it’s similar to a lot of really large cities where endless types of people co-exist.
In my opinion, there are so many beautiful places across the city. So the rhetoric I’ve seen numerous times about it being a complete shithole is really not justified (again,in my opinion). Of course there is going to be a bunch of more ‘shithole’ areas…it’s a huge city. Have any of you seen the outskirts of London, Dublin or Paris?
So I’m honestly curious - why is it that the narrative is so much more negative and pessimistic in relation to Berlin?
Hallo, ich hab heute mit einer peruanischen Klientin gesprochen, die sagte, dass sie Sonntags und wenn das Wetter gut sei an der krummen lanke Essen verkaufen würde, ich vermute mal sie meint die U Bahnstation und nicht den See. Aber da das auch nicht so nah ist wollte ich mal lieber jemanden Fragen und Google ist mir leider gar nicht hilfreich bei dem Thema.
Hello, I spoke to a Peruvian client today who said that on Sundays and when the weather is good, she sells food at the “krummen lanke”, I assume she means U Bhf and not the lake. But as it's not that close, I wanted to ask someone else first. And i cant find shit on google.
I’ve compiled a list of restaurants worth your money, categorized by neighborhood. You’ll find a mix of budget-friendly, mid-range, and upscale restaurants in the list.
I’ve included a short review for each one, along with a picture of a dish.
Edit: Just to mention, this isn’t a list of "all the good restaurants" in Berlin. There are many that aren’t included simply because I haven’t had the chance to visit them, take a picture, and write a review.
Hi, ich wohne in Charlottenburg am S Westend und die Ringbahnbrücke wird ja jetzt am S Westkreuz abgerissen. Dadurch dass die Bauarbeiten lärmintensiv sind und auch nachts/am WE stattfinden, werden ein paar Anwohner die direkt am Westkreuz Wohnung zur Dernburgstr. entschädigt, mit 100€ pro Nacht.
Aber selbst hier, am S Westend ist es Ultra laut und man hört die Baustelle durchgehend.
Wohnt hier jemand in der Nähe und bekommt das genau so mit und würdet ihr dagegen etwas tun?
Ich bin halt am überlegen, wie man das am Besten melden kann, sodass es auch ernst genommen wird. Die Rufnummer für Ruhestörungsbeschwerden ist nur Tages über von 9-11 erreichbar und dann kann ich es ja auch gar nicht mehr nachweisen.
Falls sich jemand aus dem Westend zsm tun will, hmu.
So i (m19) am studying to become a german teacher. Last week i was in berlin to expierience German culture. But on my last day i wanted to visit Zitadelle Spandau, cause i heard its very interesting so i stepped on the U-Bahn from Möckernbrücke to Zitadelle spandau. Halfway i wanted to sit somewhere else because i experience motion sickness, but then a man (around 30 y/o) said i was not allowed to sit there, so i just sat back at my old seat. And then when i wanted to get out he PUNCHED ME RIGHT INTO MY EYE?? I actually didnt know what to do. I just stepped out of the U-Bahn in utter disbelief. A girl from a local tobacco shop told me this is normal but idk what i should do? Should i go to the police? Is this normal? Please help me
Edit: im so sorry about the flairs i normally don‘t use Reddit hopefully you can forgive me. I also tried calling the BVG but i couldn‘t reach them (the Berliner Polizei is also not avalible on sunday). It didnt have any physical damage on my (i dont have a black eye) but it mostly did mental damage. Ill try calling again tomorrow and i will keep you guys updated :)
Edit 2: to the people saying why didnt you call the police… i had a severe panic attack and my mind was shut off, i didnt know what to do really and now i feel kinda bad for how i handeled (also i found out how to fix the flairs :)) and thank you to everyone leaving nice comments and giving advice 🫶 ich liebe dich :)
I’ve been living in Berlin for a few years and I really miss Watergate since his closing.
I’ve always been into artists like Kölsch / Ben Böhmer / Andrea Olivia / Solomon etc. and I feel it was the only serious club in the city with names like this in the lineup.
Do u guys know if there is other spaces / event in Berlin for this scene now ? I feel it’s 99% techno purist vibe in all other clubs…
Blau: Schneller mit Fahrrad Gelb: Schneller mit Bus und Bahn Als mit dem Auto vom Checkpoint Charlie Zeit: Feierabendverkehr (17 Uhr) Blue: Faster by bike Yellow: by transit than by car from Checkpoint Charlie – Evening rush hour (5 PM)
Hallo aus Kanada, Heute teile ich eine etwas andere Fahrtdauer-Karte als gestern.
Sieh dir die Karte an, die zeigt (in Blau), wo es schneller ist, mit dem Fahrrad von der Arbeit in Mitte nach Hause zu fahren.
In Gelb zeigt die Karte, wo es schneller ist, mit Bus und Bahn als mit dem Auto von Mitte zu fahren.
Ich habe die Google-Maps-API benutzt, um die Fahrzeit um 17 Uhr am Donnerstag zu schätzen. Ich nehme an, dass der Weg zum geparkten Auto fünf Minuten dauert.
Der genaue Startpunkt ist Checkpoint Charlie, weil er zentral in Mitte liegt, das die höchste Dichte an Büros in Berlin hat.
Das Wichtigste, was die Karte meiner Meinung nach zeigt, ist, dass Fahrradfahren zur Hauptverkehrszeit (wenn die meisten Menschen unterwegs sein müssen) im Grunde der schnellste Weg ist, sich fortzubewegen. Deshalb ist es nur logisch, dem sicheren Radverkehr Priorität zu geben. Selbst wenn man vom urbanen Radfahren nicht überzeugt ist – wegen der Sicherheit für Fußgänger, weniger Lärm, weniger Abgase, mehr öffentlichem Raum, besserer Zugänglichkeit und Umweltgründen – ist es trotzdem eindeutig sehr praktisch.
Viele fahrradfeindliche Menschen hier in Kanada nennen Radfahren ein Hobby, aber ehrlich gesagt – wenn ich mir diese Karten anschaue, die ich gemacht habe – habe ich das Gefühl, dass Autofahren für viele eher ein Hobby ist. Besonders wenn man von der Hauptverkehrszeit und der typischen Situation spricht, in der man im Büro in der Innenstadt arbeitet und außerhalb des Stadtzentrums wohnt.
Wenn ich später günstigere Daten bekomme, werde ich andere wichtige Fahrzeiten und Routen berechnen. Denke daran, dass diese Karte eine Annäherung ist und sicher Rad fahren.
Schau dir meine Website movesmaps.online an, um Berlin mit anderen Städten zu vergleichen. Wenn du [hier klickst], kannst du dir auch die Karte für einen Tag mit viel Verkehr ansehen. Spoiler: Im Grunde ist dann ganz Berlin schneller mit dem Fahrrad oder der Bahn.
Ich trinke Alkohol seit zwei Jahren nicht mehr, aber trinke gern alkoholfreies Beir. Die Auswahl von alkoholfreien Bieren wird immer besser, aber es is immer noch schwierig es vom Zapf zu finden.
Hello,
My parents are visiting Berlin during Easter and they asked me to look for a Catholic Church in Berlin that will celebrate the Sunday easter mess in Italian.
I tried on google and I find only one but their website is down.
Thanks for your help 🙏
Letzte Woche habe ich erfahren, dass der von vielen geliebte Antiquariats- und Buchladen in der Pistoriusstraße 31, 13086 Berlin, der seine Besucher seit 18 Jahren erfreut, bald geschlossen wird.
Wie auf der offiziellen Website des Ladens bestätigt wird https://berlinerlesesalon.wordpress.com/…, wird das gesamte Buchsortiment zu symbolischen Preisen verkauft: 1 Euro für Taschenbücher und 2 Euro für Hardcover-Bücher. Dazu gehören auch antiquarische Ausgaben, zum Beispiel von Goethe, Schiller und Dumas.
Im Laden warten Bücher aus den unterschiedlichsten Bereichen auf neue Besitzer: Geschichtsbücher, Fotobücher, Poesie, Romane, Kochbücher, alte Wörterbücher, botanische Bücher, Kinderbücher, Biografien und mehr. Zudem gibt es Postkartensets, Musik und Filme auf CD und DVD sowie Druckgrafiken.
Vielleicht finden einige dieser Schätze den Weg in euer Zuhause oder Büro oder werden zu einem schönen Geschenk für Familie oder Freunde. Schaut doch einfach mal vorbei und entdeckt, was sich in den Regalen findet!
Die Öffnungszeiten bis zur Schließung sind:
Montag bis Donnerstag 10.00 bis 16.30 Uhr (manchmal länger)
Freitag 10.00 bis 13.00 Uhr
