I know what you mean about the Bahnhofsvertiel in Frankfurt. I have been there for work and was recommended an Indian restaurant (which was brilliant) near there, and it was a lot of homeless helpless people there, and the area did smell a bit of, lets just keep this polite, uncleaned public toilets. I can see how it had a lot of potential, and still does, I suppose these homeless people are kinda victims, ok, some of them did choose to live on the streets in their drug addled/alcohol infused minds, but I am sure that all of them would appreciate a roof over their heads and a warm meal. Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about.
I had a similar challenging situation in the last few months, without going into a long diatribe about it, my parents sold their house, the one that I grew up in and moved into a retirement community. That really felt like someone had taken away the last vestige of what would always be considered home.
Then at a similar time that they moved, my old landlord told me that he was moving back in to his apartment that I have been living in for 10,5 years, which then also really broke my heart. The thought of having to find somewhere to live again was super stressful, and like you mentioned, a bunch of applications, not that many responses and then the few that I did get were massen besichtigungen. The one landlord doing one of the viewings mentioned to me that while my German was good, he would actually rather prefer a German citizen living there, and you know, at least I am not one of "those" people. I was really lucky to then find another place, obviously a lot more expensive than the old one and now no longer in the city, but in a (lovely) town in München Kreis.
It's taken a bit of time to get used to it, and now I'm a lot happier and a lot less stressed about everything. I hope that whenever you do decide to move that you get somewhere equally cool that grabs your heart(s) and you can start down the next path (or side path) of your lives :)
That really does sound like a double whammy. I'm surprised that the landlord was so open about wanting only German citizens. I suppose they are free to choose whoever they want but still that's tough because there#s just nothing you can do about that. Thank you for sharing and for your words encouragement. That means a lot
you are in good company feeling this 'ambient insecurity'. It's what I keep hearing from folks I know - quite unlike it used to be in the past. A kind of generalized autumn vibe, yet not in the romantic sense. Probably many people in the West feel threatened by the changing global economical and political situation. I won't even get a closer look at Germany and its current problems.
Of course your feeling that way has a very concrete foundation. Jesus, I had no idea how decrepit the Bahnhofsviertel had become. Sounds worse even than Berlin-Neukölln.
How attached one can be to a place like an appartement I know very well because I feel the same way. What a nightmare the idea of having to move from this huge Altbauwohnung in one of the best neighborhoods (at least to me) of Berlin. Which considering my age and a possible change of landlord might happen some day.
Whatever - if I was younger I would try to leave the city anyway and move to the countryside or a much smaller city or town. If there were jobs of course one could get to without a four hour commute.
So how are your chances of finding an appropriate new appartement? Will you stay in the city or maybe move to somewhere in the Main-Taunus-Kreis? I hope you will succeed soon and I wish you good luck.
BTW, I prefered personal stories but actually I like research based essays as well. Keep them coming. Both of them.
Thaks a lot Rainer. I think the chances are pretty good we just have to get serious about it and spend some time and energy looking. We are still quite attached to the city but you never know. I really do not like commuting. One of the things I like most at the moment is that I can walk to work. But yes, I think there are some similarities with New-Köln. Sometimes it feels like the city has sort of lost control in certain areas
which is the name I should have used in my post. But you know - Antoine...Benjamin. Probably not the first time this happened.
If you are talking about Berlin as 'the city' I assure you that it lost control in certain areas. Some neighborhoods in Kreuzberg, lots of Friedrichshain-Neukölln (criminal clans), Alexanderplatz in Mitte, some places in Wedding. Yet Frankfurt might be worse. I read that criminal statistics put Frankfurt at the top of the list. But you primarily refer to the general neglect of certain areas and not criminality.
Thanks God most neighborhoods here are still quite acceptable or maybe even nice.
I am sure you will find a great new place. Hopefully in walking distance to your job.
PS: Gay relationships. Would that be an interesting topic for you?
In general. Seemingly there are some peculiar characteristics to gay relationships. I'd have to think about this myself to understand what I actually mean by this proposal. I will let you know after clearing my mind.
there are entire blogs dedicated to weekly posts on this topic - though I must admit that most are of the advice-to-the-lovelorn type (Dan Savage & JP Brammer come to mind) or explicitly political (Michael Signorile).
Benjamin's insights would definitely be worth reading as they're unlikely to fall into the "hot take" category. But we would have to ask very specific limited questions if a standard 20-minute video is the goal.
It's sad that you feel the need to leave, Ben, and I hope you find somewhere to be as happy as you have been where you are, but I thought this was a great piece of writing. Apart from the subject matter, it was a really engaging read. Good luck with the move, when it happens. 👍🏻
In 2018, my partner and I moved from Vancouver BC to Victoria on Vancouver Island, intending it to be our final home together (Rudi is in his 60s; I just turned 61). We loved living a short walk from Stanley Park, one of the largest urban forests in North America, where our dog Freddie especially loved chasing squirrels. But the addicts, often strung out on pavement outside our condo building, and the increasing crime, put such a damper on the place, and under "progressive" municipal governance showed no signs of being addressed, we couldn't stand it any longer. We found another condo a short walk from Victoria's historic downtown, large enough for me to have a study (I am a professional writer), and close to amenities for us and Freddie, and we planned to spend the rest of our lived there. Then the same problems mounted: addiction. crime. mentally ill people screaming under our windows at night. a "woke" mayor who blamed everyone else for her poor governance and decisions. After a lot of discussion, we girded our loins, as it were, and put our place on the market and moved to a small seaside community north of Victoria, where I had lived before and which Freddie knew. Finally, we thought, in this small town, we could have peace and quiet for us and our dog, then in remission from cancer. But the madness arose again. After Freddie passed away, Rudi and I decided it was time for a completely new chapter - no more variations on the same tired theme. So we took a road trip east over the Rockies to the province of Alberta, a place beautiful and saner of politics than BC, and found the small city of Medicine Hat to be the place that seemed to welcome us. So at a time we thought we would be easing into the sunset, we sold our condo, packed up our things, bought a 1903 house in Medicine Hat's oldest neighbourhood, and despite all the repairs and the upkeep and climbing stairs and reviving the garden, we are happy with our risky and radical decision and I can fully endorse your sense that when change comes, seize it.
Times are changing for sure…we are already seeing the pendulum swinging back…if that is a good thing remains to be seen, but I’m glad you finally found a place to settle with your partner
I know what you mean about areas round stations. It is similar in other cities, though another friend said Frankfurt was bad too. I recently visited Frankfurt and went round there and did not find it as bad as I expected, but maybe it gets worse outside of daylight hours. I was overall impressed with Frankfurt and I found the area just north of the university very pleasant where the Grüneberg Park is. I expect that is the most expensive too though. I visited a few nice gay bars, one was very friendly and run by volunteers largely who came to speak to me personally. I also liked how all the museums are in one area of the city. All in all a city that I was expecting to be only about banks and big glass buildings ended up being far more than that for me. I shall be coming again. Good luck in your house move or whatever else you are intending to do. Perhaps you will be leaving Germany, in which case good luck too. Neil
Yeah do't get me wrong Frankfurt does have a lot of advantages. It's really just this area and also ostend that have deteriorated. It sounds like you went to Switchboard. The only non smoking bar in town and really the only one I ever go to occasionally, I'm glad you lenjoyed your time here.
One of the noticeable things in real estate world of N. California, is the term "up-and-coming." This term is usually phrased to buyers of a slightly higher income level than the current residents of an area, which will allow for the amount of repairs needed on a place. You will see the effort of this attempt while walking the neighborhood. One or two nice homes on a street of houses in poor condition.
Even ten to twenty years later, revisiting those neighborhoods where new real estate agents are still trying sell me on the old "up and coming", I have yet to see one that actually revitalized itself. Much like the Skid Row of Los Angeles, it seems the conditions have gotten worse in these places over time. Certainly best to start looking elsewhere.
oh god. Skid row. Thankfully I don't think it's quite as bad here yet. The frustrating thing is that there are some really old historic buildings here and incredible apartments. But you're right. I'm ready for. anew area
I too love the old historic buildings, especially old brick or stone industrial buildings that have been converted into chic apartment communities.
We do not have a lot of stone buildings here. Most everything is stick built, which is easier to tear down and start over. California is its own conundrum too. The weather alone creates overcrowding and the homeless flock here, because the elements are not as harsh to live in.
I am working on trying to move to another country, I just do not know how.
I know what you mean about the Bahnhofsvertiel in Frankfurt. I have been there for work and was recommended an Indian restaurant (which was brilliant) near there, and it was a lot of homeless helpless people there, and the area did smell a bit of, lets just keep this polite, uncleaned public toilets. I can see how it had a lot of potential, and still does, I suppose these homeless people are kinda victims, ok, some of them did choose to live on the streets in their drug addled/alcohol infused minds, but I am sure that all of them would appreciate a roof over their heads and a warm meal. Anyway, that's not what I wanted to talk about.
I had a similar challenging situation in the last few months, without going into a long diatribe about it, my parents sold their house, the one that I grew up in and moved into a retirement community. That really felt like someone had taken away the last vestige of what would always be considered home.
Then at a similar time that they moved, my old landlord told me that he was moving back in to his apartment that I have been living in for 10,5 years, which then also really broke my heart. The thought of having to find somewhere to live again was super stressful, and like you mentioned, a bunch of applications, not that many responses and then the few that I did get were massen besichtigungen. The one landlord doing one of the viewings mentioned to me that while my German was good, he would actually rather prefer a German citizen living there, and you know, at least I am not one of "those" people. I was really lucky to then find another place, obviously a lot more expensive than the old one and now no longer in the city, but in a (lovely) town in München Kreis.
It's taken a bit of time to get used to it, and now I'm a lot happier and a lot less stressed about everything. I hope that whenever you do decide to move that you get somewhere equally cool that grabs your heart(s) and you can start down the next path (or side path) of your lives :)
That really does sound like a double whammy. I'm surprised that the landlord was so open about wanting only German citizens. I suppose they are free to choose whoever they want but still that's tough because there#s just nothing you can do about that. Thank you for sharing and for your words encouragement. That means a lot
Hi Antoine,
you are in good company feeling this 'ambient insecurity'. It's what I keep hearing from folks I know - quite unlike it used to be in the past. A kind of generalized autumn vibe, yet not in the romantic sense. Probably many people in the West feel threatened by the changing global economical and political situation. I won't even get a closer look at Germany and its current problems.
Of course your feeling that way has a very concrete foundation. Jesus, I had no idea how decrepit the Bahnhofsviertel had become. Sounds worse even than Berlin-Neukölln.
How attached one can be to a place like an appartement I know very well because I feel the same way. What a nightmare the idea of having to move from this huge Altbauwohnung in one of the best neighborhoods (at least to me) of Berlin. Which considering my age and a possible change of landlord might happen some day.
Whatever - if I was younger I would try to leave the city anyway and move to the countryside or a much smaller city or town. If there were jobs of course one could get to without a four hour commute.
So how are your chances of finding an appropriate new appartement? Will you stay in the city or maybe move to somewhere in the Main-Taunus-Kreis? I hope you will succeed soon and I wish you good luck.
BTW, I prefered personal stories but actually I like research based essays as well. Keep them coming. Both of them.
.
.
Thaks a lot Rainer. I think the chances are pretty good we just have to get serious about it and spend some time and energy looking. We are still quite attached to the city but you never know. I really do not like commuting. One of the things I like most at the moment is that I can walk to work. But yes, I think there are some similarities with New-Köln. Sometimes it feels like the city has sort of lost control in certain areas
Hi Benjamin,
which is the name I should have used in my post. But you know - Antoine...Benjamin. Probably not the first time this happened.
If you are talking about Berlin as 'the city' I assure you that it lost control in certain areas. Some neighborhoods in Kreuzberg, lots of Friedrichshain-Neukölln (criminal clans), Alexanderplatz in Mitte, some places in Wedding. Yet Frankfurt might be worse. I read that criminal statistics put Frankfurt at the top of the list. But you primarily refer to the general neglect of certain areas and not criminality.
Thanks God most neighborhoods here are still quite acceptable or maybe even nice.
I am sure you will find a great new place. Hopefully in walking distance to your job.
PS: Gay relationships. Would that be an interesting topic for you?
Yes we will see. What exactly do you mean by gay relationships? as a topic for an article or just in general?
In general. Seemingly there are some peculiar characteristics to gay relationships. I'd have to think about this myself to understand what I actually mean by this proposal. I will let you know after clearing my mind.
there are entire blogs dedicated to weekly posts on this topic - though I must admit that most are of the advice-to-the-lovelorn type (Dan Savage & JP Brammer come to mind) or explicitly political (Michael Signorile).
Benjamin's insights would definitely be worth reading as they're unlikely to fall into the "hot take" category. But we would have to ask very specific limited questions if a standard 20-minute video is the goal.
Look forward to it
It's sad that you feel the need to leave, Ben, and I hope you find somewhere to be as happy as you have been where you are, but I thought this was a great piece of writing. Apart from the subject matter, it was a really engaging read. Good luck with the move, when it happens. 👍🏻
Thank you Johnson. That means a lot :)
I barely leave Wiesbaden these days unless, of course, I am embarking on a visit to Mutti und Onkel in Knutsford.
Wiesbaden is nice
In 2018, my partner and I moved from Vancouver BC to Victoria on Vancouver Island, intending it to be our final home together (Rudi is in his 60s; I just turned 61). We loved living a short walk from Stanley Park, one of the largest urban forests in North America, where our dog Freddie especially loved chasing squirrels. But the addicts, often strung out on pavement outside our condo building, and the increasing crime, put such a damper on the place, and under "progressive" municipal governance showed no signs of being addressed, we couldn't stand it any longer. We found another condo a short walk from Victoria's historic downtown, large enough for me to have a study (I am a professional writer), and close to amenities for us and Freddie, and we planned to spend the rest of our lived there. Then the same problems mounted: addiction. crime. mentally ill people screaming under our windows at night. a "woke" mayor who blamed everyone else for her poor governance and decisions. After a lot of discussion, we girded our loins, as it were, and put our place on the market and moved to a small seaside community north of Victoria, where I had lived before and which Freddie knew. Finally, we thought, in this small town, we could have peace and quiet for us and our dog, then in remission from cancer. But the madness arose again. After Freddie passed away, Rudi and I decided it was time for a completely new chapter - no more variations on the same tired theme. So we took a road trip east over the Rockies to the province of Alberta, a place beautiful and saner of politics than BC, and found the small city of Medicine Hat to be the place that seemed to welcome us. So at a time we thought we would be easing into the sunset, we sold our condo, packed up our things, bought a 1903 house in Medicine Hat's oldest neighbourhood, and despite all the repairs and the upkeep and climbing stairs and reviving the garden, we are happy with our risky and radical decision and I can fully endorse your sense that when change comes, seize it.
Times are changing for sure…we are already seeing the pendulum swinging back…if that is a good thing remains to be seen, but I’m glad you finally found a place to settle with your partner
It sounds like you’re going through a lot. I hope you’re ok?
I like both the personal stories and research based essays.
Thank you Selda.
I know what you mean about areas round stations. It is similar in other cities, though another friend said Frankfurt was bad too. I recently visited Frankfurt and went round there and did not find it as bad as I expected, but maybe it gets worse outside of daylight hours. I was overall impressed with Frankfurt and I found the area just north of the university very pleasant where the Grüneberg Park is. I expect that is the most expensive too though. I visited a few nice gay bars, one was very friendly and run by volunteers largely who came to speak to me personally. I also liked how all the museums are in one area of the city. All in all a city that I was expecting to be only about banks and big glass buildings ended up being far more than that for me. I shall be coming again. Good luck in your house move or whatever else you are intending to do. Perhaps you will be leaving Germany, in which case good luck too. Neil
Yeah do't get me wrong Frankfurt does have a lot of advantages. It's really just this area and also ostend that have deteriorated. It sounds like you went to Switchboard. The only non smoking bar in town and really the only one I ever go to occasionally, I'm glad you lenjoyed your time here.
Yes Benjamin that was the bar. Definitely the best one in that area. Hope you manage to find somewhere nicer to live.
One of the noticeable things in real estate world of N. California, is the term "up-and-coming." This term is usually phrased to buyers of a slightly higher income level than the current residents of an area, which will allow for the amount of repairs needed on a place. You will see the effort of this attempt while walking the neighborhood. One or two nice homes on a street of houses in poor condition.
Even ten to twenty years later, revisiting those neighborhoods where new real estate agents are still trying sell me on the old "up and coming", I have yet to see one that actually revitalized itself. Much like the Skid Row of Los Angeles, it seems the conditions have gotten worse in these places over time. Certainly best to start looking elsewhere.
oh god. Skid row. Thankfully I don't think it's quite as bad here yet. The frustrating thing is that there are some really old historic buildings here and incredible apartments. But you're right. I'm ready for. anew area
I too love the old historic buildings, especially old brick or stone industrial buildings that have been converted into chic apartment communities.
We do not have a lot of stone buildings here. Most everything is stick built, which is easier to tear down and start over. California is its own conundrum too. The weather alone creates overcrowding and the homeless flock here, because the elements are not as harsh to live in.
I am working on trying to move to another country, I just do not know how.
Beautiful work 👏
Thank you very much sky
That's the thing. It's often this low level of worry or stress that really takes a toll on the psyche. Thank you for your wished. I appreciate it jack