Skip to content
The Needle: Berlin

The Needle: Berlin

Sharp Views on the German capital

  • —> Guide for Moving to Berlin
  • ––> Gay / Queer Guide to Berlin
  • Privacy
  • Contact

Places in Berlin

Places in Berlin 

You Are Afraid of the Venomous Rabbit Saloon

29/10/201223/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

Some people are afraid of Hermannplatz, others of Kottbusser Tor, but many more are afraid of Hasenheide Park. Hermannplatz frightens

Read more
Places in Berlin 

Roasting Goat at the Airport

22/10/201223/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

I smelled it before I saw it. God, I smell bad. What poison was my body purging as I sweat

Read more
Places in Berlin 

The Hipster Library: The Jacob-und-Wilhelm-Grimm-Zentrum

14/10/201223/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

I’ve wanted to make love with you so many times, but I’m always waiting in line. Everyone wants to put

Read more
Places in Berlin 

How to Fall in Love in Clärchens Ballhaus

16/05/201223/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

Creak open the door to Clärchens Ballhaus. Can’t you hear the jazz band playing? It’s calling out to you all the way

Read more
Places in Berlin 

Literaturhaus Café

02/02/201223/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

It’s winter and there is finally snow on the ground. I go to the Literature House on Fasanenstr. 23  in

Read more
Places in Berlin 

The Troubling Fate of the Karstadt Rabbits

17/01/201223/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

When I’m at the Karstadt department store on Hermannplatz, I visit the rabbits. The pet section has a surprising assortment

Read more
Places in Berlin 

Sweating Silence in the Stadtbad Mitte Sauna

18/10/201123/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

The first time you come to the sauna of Stadtbad Mitte, the Bauhaus bath complex on Gartenstraße, certain things take

Read more
Places in Berlin 

Boules in Berlin, Paul-Lincke-Ufer (VIDEO)

28/08/201123/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

On the north side of the Paul-Lincke-Ufer in Kreuzberg, along the canal, locals gather to play boules. The Sunday traffic–-bicycles,

Read more
Places in Berlin 

The U55: The Shortest Subway

03/07/201123/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

It has only three stations, it took 14 years to build, it connects a distance that can be easily covered

Read more
Places in Berlin 

Paris-Moskau Restaurant: In the Shadow of the Railroad

08/06/201123/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

Come to Hauptbahnhof, Berlin’s main station, at 4:30 or 15:40, and watch the creaky train carriages depart, carrying passengers for

Read more
Places in Berlin 

A Trip Home from the Club

04/03/201123/06/2018 Joseph Pearson

Get up! Aufstehen! The sun’s up already and somehow Noah’s woken this crazy old man with his cane and his

Read more
  • ← Previous
  • Next →

Explore The Needle

  • Places in Berlin
  • Berlin History
  • Living in Berlin
  • Berlin and German Politics
  • Opinion and Politics
  • Berlin Arts
  • Foodie Berlin
  • Gay and Queer Berlin
  • Trips from Berlin
  • Blog Posts on The Needle

About the Author

Joseph Pearson is a writer based in Berlin. Born in Canada, he was educated at Cambridge University, UK, where he received his doctorate in history in 2001. His non-fiction portrait of Berlin was published in 2017. He is also the essayist and blogger of the Schaubühne Theatre, one of Berlin’s best known state-funded institutions. Since 2008, he has written The Needle, which has become one of Berlin’s most popular blogs. His writing has appeared widely in the press, literary and academic journals, and has been translated into German, Italian, French, Arabic, and other languages. For professional inquiries please contact:  joseph [AT] cantab.net.

What is The Needle?

The changing meanings of The Needle are the inspiration for these pages. Above Alexanderplatz is Berlin's television tower. The Needle surveilled the city during East German times like a threatening eye; then its meaning changed after the Berlin Wall fell. Berliners now think of the tower as a giant disco ball flirting with the city lights––a symbol of sex, electronic music and youth culture. This weekly documents the Berlin Renaissance today, mindful of a dramatic and terrifying history. Berlin is Europe's most exciting city, and The Needle is here to share.

Never miss a post!

If you'd like to sign up to be notified by email when there's a new post on The Needle, you can do so here.
Loading

Recent Comments

  • Berlinblog.dk on What’s Changed in Berlin in a Decade? Ten Years of ‘Moving to Berlin’
  • Joseph Pearson on Black in Berlin: Talking about Racism
  • Suzy on Revolt on the Admiralbrücke, Kreuzberg
  • Elain on The Rise and Fall of Berliner Schnauze
  • Joseph Pearson on Turks but not Berliners?
  • Steph on Turks but not Berliners?
  • RudyTrudy on The Rise and Fall of Berliner Schnauze
  • Partitions & Resonances on A Secret Plan in Rix Café
  • Joseph Pearson on What’s Changed in Berlin in a Decade? Ten Years of ‘Moving to Berlin’
  • Max on What’s Changed in Berlin in a Decade? Ten Years of ‘Moving to Berlin’

Berlin Links

  • Architecture in Berlin A blog about buildings in the city
  • Berlin Poche Berlin en français!
  • Boulezian Classical Music Blog, with much on Berlin
  • Cabaret Berlin Exploring the entertainment world of Weimar Berlin
  • Expats Blog compendium of expats’ blogs
  • German Way Resources for the German-speaking lands
  • Il Mitte Online Magazine about Berlin in Italian
  • Kreuzberged Xberg–A Love and Hate Relationship
  • Neuköllner.net (German language) Nifty Neukölln weekend round-up
  • Sand: Berlin Literary Journal A literary journal based in Berlin
  • Slow Travel Berlin Meander through the city…
  • Sugarhigh: Design, Eat, Love Berlin
  • Then We Take Berlin Off-beat Berlin Blog
  • Überlin tips on the best places
  • Wednesday Chef Berlin Foodie Blog

Archives

Copyright © 2021 The Needle: Berlin. All rights reserved.
Theme: ColorMag by ThemeGrill. Powered by WordPress.