ATP - Hamburg, Germany

[Manifest Destiny]

Headed there for two days because my friend is trying to tag some chick that lives there. Anyone have any experience here? Would be down to explore places outside the city as well. TIA.

 

[MysteryMen]

While your friend is with the chick, head to the Reeperbahn

 

[Biff Tannen]

You may be taking your wingman role a little too seriously.

 

[ChicdeaC]

Drive to Denmark.

Seriously, the people in Hamburg were rude, there was nothing to do there, we basically couldn't wait to turn around and go home (Southern Denmark).

 

[FuckmouthedRube]

Weekend (specifically Sunday between midnight and 8 AM) is the best time to visit. They have this huge party (Fischmarkt) every Sunday between 5 and 9 AM. Held in some huge warehouse on the docks. Was extremely dubious about the whole thing, but people stay up all night and let it rip. Midnight subway into the Reeperbahn was rush hour packed with various drunks, sex workers, and anarchists. Stumbled into the party at pitch black 6 AM and were stunned to see a few thousand completely hammered Germans. Despite that, the barmaids and workers take absolutely no shit. They were rolling around a bring out your dead cart straight out of Monty Python's Holy Grail and stacking passed out drinks three high. They only got carted if they didn't respond after being ratcheted back by their hair and having their head banged off the table.

 

[Biff Tannen]

Weekend (specifically Sunday between midnight and 8 AM) is the best time to visit. They have this huge party (Fischmarkt) every Sunday between 5 and 9 AM. Held in some huge warehouse on the docks. Was extremely dubious about the whole thing, but people stay up all night and let it rip. Midnight subway into the Reeperbahn was rush hour packed with various drunks, sex workers, and anarchists. Stumbled into the party at pitch black 6 AM and were stunned to see a few thousand completely hammered Germans. Despite that, the barmaids and workers take absolutely no shit. They were rolling around a bring out your dead cart straight out of Monty Python's Holy Grail and stacking passed out drinks three high. They only got carted if they didn't respond after being ratcheted back by their hair and having their head banged off the table.

Man. Now I'm actually angry that I'm old.

 

[vadimivich]

Drive to Denmark.

Seriously, the people in Hamburg were rude, there was nothing to do there, we basically couldn't wait to turn around and go home (Southern Denmark).

Weekend (specifically Sunday between midnight and 8 AM) is the best time to visit. They have this huge party (Fischmarkt) every Sunday between 5 and 9 AM. Held in some huge warehouse on the docks. Was extremely dubious about the whole thing, but people stay up all night and let it rip. Midnight subway into the Reeperbahn was rush hour packed with various drunks, sex workers, and anarchists. Stumbled into the party at pitch black 6 AM and were stunned to see a few thousand completely hammered Germans. Despite that, the barmaids and workers take absolutely no shit. They were rolling around a bring out your dead cart straight out of Monty Python's Holy Grail and stacking passed out drinks three high. They only got carted if they didn't respond after being ratcheted back by their hair and having their head banged off the table.

Both sides of Hamburg in two posts!

Hamburg is super northern German - almost monochrome color palate (white, grey, black, silver), super strict enforcement of petty laws (don't jaywalk) and rude and cold to outsiders. It's the fucking worst. And at the same time, it's a giant port city with all the history and wildness that comes along with that. So the super strict northern Germans have taken the practical approach and locked the craziness into a couple of specific areas and basically washed their hands of it. Those areas are AWESOME.

The Portugiesenviertel (Portuguese Quarter) down by the port has awesome restaurants and bars, and is where all the sailors from Portugal and that area have historically partied. After dinner, then you can head to the Reeperbahn (or as the locals call it "die sündigste Meile" ... the sinful mile). It's the largest red light district in Europe, and is basically what you think Amsterdam is instead of the horrible tourist shitshow Amsterdam actually is. It's full of hookers, discos, anarchists, freaks, queers, and everything in between. Drink your face off, try not to get picked up by the Monty Python's Holy Grail dead cart and then once you leave St. Pauli (the neighborhood that houses the Reeperbahn) go back to fully behaving every little pedantic German law. It's fucking nuts. The locals I know (a friend is married to a girl from Hamburg) decry the gentrification of the Reeperbahn in recent years, but it's still pretty fucking nuts.

Eating:
Ristaurante Lusitano
Caravela (pretty sure this is the place, SUPER cheap beers and snacks)


Drinking:
Möwe Sturzflug (cocktails)
Hasenschaukel (has live music regularly)

Partying:
Golden Pudel Club (it's in St. Pauli but not on the Reeperbahn, it's a few streets away down by the Fischmarkt) ... it's maybe the most famous of Hamburgs "alt" discos and is an absolute fucking bizarre crazy ass disco. I cannot possibly recommend this enough, especially to Americans who want to see the freakiness on full display. Good music. Just check out this "The Freaks are Alright" video they made to protest paid parking meters going into the area (seriously, the nutty anarchy of St. Pauli is amazing especially set against the rest of the city).



"Snail is my name, Pudel is my house. Man or woman, merchants out" ... <3 St. Pauli so much. The rest of Hamburg can fuck right off, it's a horrible city. But Neustadt and St. Pauli are fucking awesome.

 

[Manifest Destiny]

Thanks y'all! I definitely am gonna try to see this drunk cart. What a bizarre place