Babylon on the Spree has been all atwitter this past week with the news that Pope Benedict XVI is planning to visit Berlin sometime next year. Big Bennie's visit, ostensibly to help
celebrate the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, will mark the third time he has returned to Germany since becoming Pope, but it would be his first time in Berlin. Born in Bavaria in southern Germany in 1927, Bennie visited his childhood home two years ago and even made it to Cologne back in 2005 to hang with the homeboys as part of World Youth Day. Since then, eighty-year old Pope hasn't been traveling much, spending most of his time
dictating his memoirs to a cat named Chico. But just like the rest of us sinners, he has difficulty passing up an all-expenses paid junket in Berlin. Like every other newbie in the city, Bennie is sure to hit Berlin's notorious hot spots — the after hours parties, fetish clubs, and dimly lit backroom bars which keep Berlin humming all night long — while the daylight hours will be filled banging out emails and sipping
milchkaffee or shopping for fabulous new Pope-wear in Mitte's
fashion-shocked frock shops. God knows he's got the budget! But there is just so much to see and do in the city, and tourists (even those with a direct line to Mr. Big) are always running short on time, so we thought we'd help His Holiness by pointing out the places that are definite must-sees for every new Pope in town.
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Gridskipper
NY Times' City Room published an inspiring interview with Vladmir Laksin, 57, a Polish immigrant-turned-street performer, today. After losing "all his teeth, his woman and — worst of all — his apartment" a few years ago, Laksin began playing the blues on the corner of 23rd Street and 7th Avenue and has been churning out his take on everything from Clapton and Hendrix to B.B. King ever since. For video of Laksin performing and more, follow the link. [NY Times]
NY Magazine 
