Cold War
Some say Berlin was more intriguing before the Wall was hacked away. Now, there are only glimpses of the years of division, some monumental, like the Checkpoint Charlie Museum, others more ethereal, like an innocuous profile of Lenin on a building near the Adlon hotel. But the most telling legacy is well out of sight in Treptower Park (take the S-bahn train to Treptower and be prepared to traipse through the woodlands), where you’ll find a sprawling Soviet cemetery hidden amid the trees. A giant statue of a soldier—an orphaned baby in one hand, a sword poking a swastika in the other—stands at one end. Across the vast expanse, a concrete figure—Mother Russia—sits silently weeping.
Paris Bar (Kanstrasse 152; 030-3138052)
Few places capture the sexy-but-brainy cabaret spirit of Berlin better than this 50-year-old spot off the Kurfürstendamm. There’s no actual performance, but clubgoers, set for a prowl or just back from a night on the town, put on quite a show of their own. You might spot designer Hedi Slimane, just in from Paris, or Ute Lemper, or maybe Wim Wenders. Even the food is beautiful: French brasserie fare that’s too retro for Paris—snails, pâté, grilled sole, steak tartare.—William Sertl
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