No, not a zoo. And not an amusement park, either. Well, okay, playgrounds—we’ve done those. Because there are plenty of them in this city. But this week, I decided to try the alternative kids’ route.
And it takes you past shops and cafés—places where both parents and kids can relax. No screaming, no whining, no restless running back and forth, and no tugging on skirts or pants. That route really does exist!
Start at the Kinderkaufhaus on Torstraße (Rosenthaler Platz U-Bahn station). Toys, clothes, fun little items, unique designs, and—for little boys—a Brio train set set up so that little hands can raise and lower the bridge over the tracks a thousand times without being disturbed.
Then head up Brunnenstraße toward Veteranenstraße—it’s a bit of a walk (a stroller is recommended; otherwise, the child will get tired right at the start of the day). Frau Tulpe—that’s only interesting for creative ladies; men and children might get bored here a bit more quickly. Although—when I pointed out the fabrics with car and tram prints, even Max realized it might be pretty fun to have a pillow with Berlin vehicles on it on his bed soon.
On to Kastanienallee and then a ride on a real tram. I don’t think I need to explain that “The journey is the destination” applies especially to small children. Max doesn’t care where we’re going, as long as we take as many different modes of transportation as possible.
Then we stroll through the famous—and infamous—Prenzlauer Berg. The “organic” neighborhood. Because really—as beautiful as it all is here, the word “bio” (as in organic) screams at you from every corner. You’ve got to be able to handle that. For example, the otherwise brilliant “Das Spielzimmer” has organic cheese, organic bread, organic milk, organic yogurt, organic soda…etc. Using “one” preposition here just isn’t enough. But if you can look past that, this living room for kids is laid-back and cool, because there’s a huge indoor playground in the back. And up front, there’s a ball pit, a slide, and a few other things like that. So you can finally enjoy reading the newspaper.
When the weather’s nice, you can walk ten meters further to Helmholtzplatz, where there’s a large playground, including a café for kids and parents (with even a sandbox inside), and outside, cars, tricycles, and more of that sort of stuff.
For the expectant mothers among us, there’s “Sexy Mama” just around the corner on Lychener Straße. It sounds silly, but the selection is huge, amazing, and not too expensive. And here, too, there’s a spacious play area. So you can try things on, and try them on, and try them on, and try them on, and try them on, and… okay, after 45 minutes, it’s time to move on. Or head home.
Your child (at least, mine) will fall asleep contentedly on the S-Bahn and U-Bahn (that’s another reason the Buggy comes in handy).
If you still want to explore further and feel the day isn’t hip enough yet, head to Schlesisches Tor and stretch out on the wooden benches at Freischwimmer or Club der Visionäre. They’re actually super-young, super-trendy nightspots with house music. Even three-year-olds love it, as long as the sun is shining and you serve them apple juice.
Plus, right next door are old tram tracks (which work like a charm as an attraction for us) and cars overgrown with grass (even better). In short, I don’t think it gets much cooler than this with kids.
My own Berlin neighborhood kid had a blast, anyway.
And so did I.
