foggy

2007-08-16T23:30:00.000-07:00

I like how the various elements are arranged. The scattered street lamps, etc. It is the omnipresent tower at Alexanderplatz in the center.

tacheles

2007-08-16T22:56:00.000-07:00

This is a place called Tacheles.
It's a bar, gallery, studio space, and one of the cooler places I've come across. The building and organisation have an interesting history worth reading about. In the foreground of the photo is a unique hookah bar.

other side of the wall

2007-08-16T14:59:00.001-07:00

I think this is a pretty strong image, and fairly appropriate on a blog about Berlin. It reminds me of one of the banksy paintings I have seen.

Neukolln

2007-08-03T05:08:00.001-07:00

Upon arriving in my neighborhood, I was fairly disappointed. I was hoping to find a gentrified area with all the comforts of home in close vicinity. What I found instead was a working-class area that was mostly immigrants. The longer I have stayed here the more comfortable I have become. The topics we have been reading about such as gentrification, immigration, and german identity seem all the more tangible here. I've noticed that about a block away on a perpendicular street that young people are renovating a couple of buildings, as seen here. I have found that races and classes are split up building by building. Here is an example of a turkish building. Apparently the sattelite dishes are indicative of this. My building however has one turkish family and is comprised mostly of young white people that tend to be artists or musicians. After reading on the influx of Vietnamese, I began to notice elements of their presence as well. Here is a sign of their influence, they will buy a doner stand and add noodles to the menu rather than change the menu entirely.
Above is an image of my street in Neukolln. To the left is a sign indicating that a new islamic center will be constructed soon at this site. Further ahead to the left is a large auto repair garage and to the right is a park.

A Turkish youth club around the corner from my flat. Apparently it provides break-dancing lessons. One of the more interesting buildings I've seen. The photo below is on the same street. I wanted to capture them coming towards me, but was not prepared, so I got them moving away, and I think it may have turned out better this way.

jake's berlin photos

foggy

tacheles

other side of the wall

Neukolln