This comfortable 1-bedroom plus living room/kitchen apartment is the perfect retreat for a couple. It features a spacious, south-facing kitchen and living room, ensuring it's flooded with sunlight all year round. The apartment is incredibly quiet, facing a historical private street in the front and a serene private yard in the back. The living space is ample, with a bathtub and a balcony for extra comfort. For those who work or create from home, there’s a desktop setup with a 27-inch monitor and a drawing tablet. The apartment also boasts a lovely array of plants, contributing to the calming atmosphere. While this is my main residence, I will be removing most personal effects to ensure a welcoming space.
The apartment is located in Körnerkiez, a neighborhood in the Neukölln district that is perfect because it is tranquil but close to the action. Nearby, there is a huge variety of restaurant offerings, including the best Neapolitan pizza I know, which happens to be vegan, a delicious Turkish grill, a cozy Vietnamese, and an equally cozy Thai, along with more than enough options for bakeries, breakfast, and specialty coffee. The perfect poached eggs are actually just 100 meters from the apartment. Of course, being Neukölln, the bar scene is rich in both quantity and quality. Arkaoda or Sameheads for live music and dancing parties are 400 meters or 600 meters away, respectively. The Schillerkiez, next to Tempelhofer Feld, is 5 minutes away by walking and offers even more dining and bar options. Additionally, there are ample options for yoga, stretching, and all sorts of fitness classes and gyms of different tiers. I can recommend Holmes Place, which is accessible through the UrbanSportsClub subscription.
For wandering and park life, the offerings are equally generous. Körnerpark, a very unusual and gorgeous Versailles-style park, is two blocks away. The park hosts a gallery and a café. This is not the only park within a 10-minute walking radius. Thomashöhe is just next to Körnerpark. Tempelhofer Feld, six blocks away, is an absolute landmark of Berlin. The old airport has been turned into a massive park, perfect for running or wind sports such as kite surfing or even Nordic skiing if it snows for long enough.
All of the aforementioned amenities are within a 1 km radius. This area, along with Friedrichshain and Prenzlauer Berg, is considered one of the most exciting parts of Berlin. The apartment is well-connected by public transport, with the S-Bahn (metropolitan train) taking you to Ostkreuz in Friedrichshain in just 3 stops, and to Friedrichshain in no more than 40 minutes with no changes. One of the main metro lines, the U8, is a 5-minute walk away, making it very easy to travel north with no changes, connecting to the heart of Kreuzberg in 4 stops and to Mitte or Alexanderplatz in less than 10. The airport can also be reached in less than 40 minutes directly. Not far from Hermannplatz, there are more bars, movie theaters, and music venues of all kinds, including jazz, experimental, and contemporary.