Best Berlin nightmare story?
I was at U-Bahn Schönhauser Allee. A guy stopped me and sold me an apparently unused daily ticket for the metro. I bought it in good faith, but obviously he fooled me. After less than five minutes, a U-Bahn controller asked for my ticket and fined me.
Your best “lost in translation” moment?
Every time I take a taxi. “I have to go to Müller Strasse!” “Was?!?” “Müller Strasse!” “Wo?” Then I write down the name of the street and show it to the driver, who says: “Haha … Müller Strasse!” Exactly the same way I pronounced it!
Most overrated Berlin hotspot?
Soho House was once a very nice place to have some nice work meetings and to enjoy a long, relaxing brunch. Today, it has become overcrowded and overpriced. But it can still be a nice place if you find it in a quiet moment.
Biggest pet peeve about Berlin?
Tegel Airport. An obsolete, claustrophobic, dysfunctional structure that is unthinkable for a city like Berlin. I’ve heard the new airport is finally going to be opened by the end of this year.
Advice for a Berlin first-timer?
Do not buy metro tickets from strangers.
At Berlin you should never …
Walk distractedly on the sidewalks. Those bike lanes can be dangerous!
This story first appeared in The Hollywood Reporter‘s Feb. 21 daily issue at the Berlin International Film Festival.
