BERLIN: Treffen in den Mai

posted April 30, 2012 12:24 AM | |

Sun May 6 at 12:00 PM, Urbanhafen

Carl-Herz-Ufer 1, 10961 Berlin, Germany (Map & Directions)

Some possible dates: this weekend (4th or 5th of may), or during the week next week (8–10).
posted by LMGM at 12:26 AM on April 30, 2012

Yes! And bam suddenly everything is so green! Great suggestion, picnic by the canal (or picnic anywhere) sounds wonderful.

Dates: I'm out of town this weekend, but back next week (Wednesday 9th), so middle next week has my vote.
posted by gmm at 1:21 AM on April 30, 2012

I am unexpectedly in Berlin from May 4th until May 9th. I vote for the weekend, as I leave on the 9th to go back to the cold, cold Nordland.
posted by Peter Petridish at 10:01 AM on April 30, 2012

The Scandinavians have spoken. Anyone else?

Saturday and Sunday may end up being a bit tight for me, freedom-wise (most of my work involves nightlife scenes in Berlin, so…weekend is work-time). But this Friday (the 4th), Saturday noon, or next week would work.
posted by LMGM at 10:33 AM on April 30, 2012

Yeah I vote for this weekend too, I'm leaving town for a couple weeks on the 8th.
posted by pete_22 at 12:16 AM on May 1, 2012

I'm in! I'm relatively free at this time, so all dates other than Tuesdays/Wednsdays are fine.
posted by faustdick at 8:33 AM on May 1, 2012

Yay meetup. I'd prefer the weekend but i'm pretty flexible timewise.
posted by ST!NG at 10:14 PM on May 1, 2012

Hokay, the Wettervorhersage for Saturday is depressing (9ºC and rain) and Sunday is cloudy and cool (13ºC), so I think we should try for Friday afternoon (17ºC). Who can make it then? (Alternately, we can meet on Saturday, but somewhere indoors.)

gmm, we'll have a make-up meet-up for you when the weather is warmer again…
posted by LMGM at 2:25 AM on May 2, 2012

Wait wait wait, I take that back. I just looked on the generally-accurate Weather Underground, and they're forecasting 20% chance of precipitation on Friday, but 0% on Sunday along with a high of 17ºC.

So, let's aim for this Sunday (May 6), around noon?
posted by LMGM at 2:38 AM on May 2, 2012

Sunday is fine with me.
posted by faustdick at 11:35 AM on May 2, 2012

Sunday is fantastic for me.
posted by Peter Petridish at 12:51 PM on May 2, 2012

Sunday it is! I'll get about updating and setting the date and so on.

As for location, I suggest: the "Urbanhafen", directly in front of the Vivantes Klinikum. That's the southern bank of the Landwehrkanal, about halfway between the Admiralbrücke and the Baerwaldbrücke. That's where the canal widens and several boats are moored, right in front of a large hospital. We can meet there for a picnic and BYOB. What sayeth y'all?
posted by LMGM at 3:27 PM on May 2, 2012

Viel spaß guys! I'll catch up with you später im summer.
posted by gmm at 1:08 AM on May 3, 2012 [1 favorite]

Great, I'll try to bring something to eat or drink for general consumption (I have no BBQ though).
posted by faustdick at 9:09 AM on May 3, 2012

Yay! Don't forget to RSVP so that I have a vague idea of whom to expect.

Wheeee!
posted by LMGM at 10:45 AM on May 3, 2012

I'm a tentative yes. I've got to hear back from a friend of mine first. We had plans for Sunday, but she's being a bit flaky, so I'd say there's a more-than-50% chance that I'll be able to come to the meet-up.
posted by colfax at 12:10 PM on May 3, 2012

I'll be there, with Mr. Peter Petridish as well. Yea!
posted by Peter Petridish at 9:14 AM on May 4, 2012

Sadly I'm out of town, but I'd love to hang out with some Berlin mefites some other time. Viel Spaß!
posted by Alex404 at 3:39 PM on May 4, 2012

OK folks, meetup details for tomorrow:

Sunday, May 6, 12:00 noon, on the southern bank of the Urbanhafen.

Directions:
- If you're coming from the Prinzenstraße U1 station, just head south along Prinzenstraße, cross the Baerwaldbrücke, and then follow the southern banks of the canal eastwards until the park area becomes very wide.
- If you're coming from Kottbusser Tor U1/U8 station, you can take Admiralstraße south-west towards the Admiralbrücke. Cross the canal to the southern bank and follow the canal westwards until you hit the main Urbanhafen area in front of the hospital.

Finding the MeFites:
- On the banks of the Urbanhafen, there's a dilapidated riverboat, covered in graffiti and moored permanently to the southern bank. I'll be a bit to the left of that.
- I'll be wearing an eye-wateringly loud Adidas windbreaker, made up of clashing bright colors in geometric patterns. If it becomes too warm to wear, I'll have it draped over my bag or something. I'm a short Latino-looking dude with a 3-day beard and 6-gauge, captive-bead earrings.

BYO-Objects of Consumption, but sharing is caring.
posted by LMGM at 3:27 AM on May 5, 2012

2ND UPDATE

Hi folks! So, it's just barely 8:00am and I just got home (I know, I know; this is how we roll in Berlin). On the way home, I noticed that the weather was rainy and cold and sucky. I just checked the forecast, and the suckage will continue through to midday, when it will be grey and 11ºC.

So, what do you guys want to do? Still meet by the canal and just sit on a bench instead of the wet grass? Re-locate the meetup to an indoor location? Postpone the meetup to another day? For alternate locations, I could suggest:
- A.Horn Café, at the southern end of the Baerwaldbrücke, which is very close to our original meeting point, but a bit pricy if you want to buy a coffee.
- Ankerklause, at the southern end of the Kottbusserbrücke (where the Turkish Market usually takes place), which has a lovely view of the canal and the prices are better (not great).

I'll let you guys work out what you want to do while I take a nap. I'm happy to meet wherever y'all decide. I'll wake up at 11am, check this page, and go find you guys wherever you've decided to meet. If no decision is made, I'll still go out to Urbanhafen with my extremely bright Adidas jacket and stand around for a while to see if anyone shows up.
posted by LMGM at 11:07 PM on May 5, 2012

You're remarkably articulate for that time of day! Given that no one else has chimed in, I say we take your suggestion and meet at Ankerklause. So unless I hear/read anything else, I'll be there at noon. I'll check back here on my smartphone for new posts. See you in an hour and a half.
posted by faustdick at 1:36 AM on May 6, 2012

Ankerkluase at noon is a plan I can get behind! Definitely not picnic weather.
posted by colfax at 1:42 AM on May 6, 2012

Ankerklause it is! See y'all there.
posted by LMGM at 2:02 AM on May 6, 2012

Was there at 12:20; didn't see anyone who matched your description. :-(
posted by travelwithcats at 6:32 AM on May 6, 2012

Oh no, that's a pity. The five of us were sitting in the ("smoker's") tent before the cafe. Hope I/we'll see you next time!
posted by faustdick at 7:01 AM on May 6, 2012

Thx faustdick, apparently I wasn't looking hard enough for that loud Adidas windbreaker, made up of clashing bright colors in geometric patterns. Until next time!
posted by travelwithcats at 7:56 AM on May 6, 2012

Sorry you didn't see us, travelwithcats! We were sitting in a booth in the smoker's area (no room elsewhere, alas) and I had the windbreaker draped over the side of the booth. In any case, there'll be more meetups soon, methinks.

Also, faustdick et al., pursuant to our conversation: Animals Disappointed in your College Performance.
posted by LMGM at 4:57 AM on May 7, 2012

Oh, and also:

Sherlock Homes Berlin (for housing)

Watson Berlin (for jobs)
posted by LMGM at 5:11 AM on May 7, 2012

Thanks Luis!
posted by faustdick at 5:23 AM on May 7, 2012

And finally:

the BerlinScholars Yahoo! group/mailing list. Note that you need to apply for membership and indicate that you are a scholar with some substantial connection to Berlin.
posted by LMGM at 5:33 AM on May 7, 2012