CD stores in Berlin

[pjme]

I'm going to Berlin next week.
second hand shops? Saturn? other places ?

all info/addresses are welcome.

thanks, Peter

[M forever]

I would say the best CD shop is the one in the basement of Dussmann ("das Kulturkaufhaus") next to the S-Bahnhof Friedrichstrasse. They don't have used stuff, but they have a huge selection and just browsing there or going through the piles of new releases will probably bring you some interesting finds. I haven't been to Saturn in centuries, but I don't think they have much of a special classical CD department anymore. There is a very good used CD store called Silver Disc in Wrangelstrasse in Kreuzberg, but I haven't been to that in several years either as I have lived in the US for over 4 years now. I will be emailing with a friend in Berlin tonight or tomorrow and I will ask him if he has any other tips. Oh, and you can always swing by Zweitausendeins, they are kind of like a book club thing, you don't have to be a member, but they sometimes have quite interesting stuff, mostly big boxsets, for little money. When I was there last year, I wanted to grab Karajan's Ring and Bernstein's complete Mahler (the DG CDs) which they had for pretty good prices, but I already had hunted so much other stuff and started getting concerned that my luggage would explode (which it actually did in a way, when I came back and reclaimed my suitcase in San Diego, it was so heavy, the handle tore off...).

What are you going to Berlin for, how long and where are you staying?

[pjme]

Thanks for the info M.

I'm visiting ( just for a couple of days) friends who live in Berlin I'll meet another friend who's doing some research on 19th century botany ( plantmodels). I suppose we'll end up in Dahlem & the Botanical museum/library ,possibly a library at the  Humboldt Universität.

Peter

[M forever]

I'm visiting friends who live in Berlin - just for

Just for what? What area do they live in, BTW? You know, Berlin is pretty big, it is easy to get around by public and private transport, but it can take quite a while to get to places, so recommendations have to be based on the locality factor, too. Have you ever been there?

[pjme]

3 times in the last 5 years. Berlin was easy.
I'll have to travel between Kreuzberg ( the friends) and Prenzlauerberg (where I stay).

[M forever]

Yes, that will be really easy to travel, and a lot of the action is in Kreuzberg-Mitte-Prenzlberg anyway. I grew up mostly in Zehlendorf and Wilmersdorf, but I lived in the three former areas for a while, too, although the last 5 years I lived in Reinickendorf, so when you walk the streets there, pause for a moment, think of the M and remember that you are on historical ground!

BTW, speaking of Kreuzberg, there is an awesome shawarma place on the corner of Wiener/Lausitzer Strasse (it's not right on the corner, you have to kind of walk around the corner to the left towards Spreeplatz for 20 meters, but it's easy to find, it has an open glass front and there are plenty of benches outside) which is open all night (well, like most places in Berlin in those areas...) and where a lot of people roaming the streets of Kreuzberg end up sooner or later during the night, you meet a lot of fun people there. And just two blocks away, on Lincke- and Maybachufer, there are megatons of cool cafes and beer garden restaurant along the canal. I a sure your friends know all these places.

Pity only that there won't be many concerts in the Philharmonie because of the summer break.

 

[pjme]

Thanks again! M.

Peter