"We've been here in Berlin for about two and half, three days, and I never want to go back… I can say with straight authority, coming from New York City — the number one, greatest, classiest, world-class city in the world: Berlin is now number one," said one of the hosts of the popular political and humor podcast Chapo Trap House, as they kicked off their European tour with a live performance in Berlin at the beginning of June.

They were perhaps trying to charm their audience; but the claim reflects the initial reaction of many Americans who discover the city. Many of them eventually turn that first 72-hour visit into a long-term stay: There are around 20,000 US expats currently living in Berlin.

Read more: Why 'Little Germany' disappeared from NYC and other little-known events of German-US history

With the Deutschlandjahr USA being held throughout 2019, Germany is spending a year promoting its cultural ties with the North American country. By revealing their positive impressions of their time spent in Berlin in their live podcast, the Chapo Trap House crew unknowingly contributed to these efforts. However, they weren't quite on spot when they continuously referred to "the Germans" in their praise.

They should well know that, just like New York City has a unique cultural status within the US, Berlin is not like the rest of Germany.

German orderliness? Punctuality? You can forget the stereotypes: Berlin, a champion of random schedules, celebrates its "neglected" style as part of its trademark. Oktoberfest? Carnival? You'd be challenged to find locals celebrating those traditional German fests here.

10 summer tips to discover Berlin's cultural scene 48 Stunden Neukölln From June 14-16, spend 48 hours discovering art and performances of all kinds in Berlin's hip district of Neukölln. What makes this festival unique is that it's decentralized; you'll find happenings not only in official art spaces but in courtyards and private apartments. Pictured above is the Hochschulorchester, a project by students of the Berlin Weissensee art school.

10 summer tips to discover Berlin's cultural scene Staatsoper für alle If experimental art isn't your thing, you could head to the "Staatsoper für alle" (State Opera for Everyone) concert that same weekend, on June 16. Conducted by classical music star Daniel Barenboim, the concert is open to everyone and free of charge. It's held on Bebelplatz, the square next to the State Opera that's also known as the site of one of the infamous Nazi book burnings from 1933.

10 summer tips to discover Berlin's cultural scene Fete de la Musique Every year on June 21, Fete de la Musique has musicians playing for fun in their neighborhoods and public spaces all over the world. In 1995, Berlin started celebrating the annual music event initiated in France. There are already over 600 events in the city's official program this year — and many more music lovers are bound to spontaneously start jamming outside that day.

10 summer tips to discover Berlin's cultural scene Outdoor cinemas You could see it as a summer-long film festival: Berlin's parks, such as the Volkspark Friedrichshain (pic), Hasenheide in Neukölln, or Rehberge in Wedding, offer different options to enjoy a movie outside on a warm night. More intimate spaces such as the Pompeji at Ostkreuz and the Central in Mitte are set in grungy locations that will also give you a feel for Berlin's underground subculture.

10 summer tips to discover Berlin's cultural scene Art at the swimming pool With their trashy puppets made from foam mattresses and their hilarious reenactments of literary works, the Helmi Puppet Theater has embodied Berlin's DIY creative spirit since 2001. They're part of the cultural program organized by the group Tropez at the Berlin public pool Sommerbad Humboldthain. From June 1 to September 1, you can catch performances and screenings in the unusual setting.

10 summer tips to discover Berlin's cultural scene Neighborhood and backyard fests Walk around town and look for posters mentioning a "Hoffest" (yard party) or a "Strassenfest" (street party) and you'll have a summer filled with free events that'll introduce you to neighborhoods with well-established communities, such as the Choriner street in Prenzlauer Berg, or alternative projects linked to Berlin's former squatter scene, such as the Kreutziger street fest in Friedrichshain.

10 summer tips to discover Berlin's cultural scene The Lesbian and Gay City Festival Europe's largest LGBTI street festival takes place in 2019 on July 20-21. Also known as the Motzstrassenfest, in reference to a street name, it has been held every year since 1993 in the area around Nollendorfplatz in Schöneberg. Renowned as a gay district for over a century, Christopher Isherwood immortalized the area's infamous Weimar-era nightlife in his "Berlin Stories."

10 summer tips to discover Berlin's cultural scene Tanz im August Berlin's international festival of contemporary dance, Tanz im August, is a three-week event taking place from August 9-31. This year's program lists 31 productions, with 160 artists from 15 countries, including a retrospective of the works of US choreographer Deborah Hay, one of the most influential figures of post-modern dance. Pictured here is Zimbabwe-born artist Nora Chipaumire.

10 summer tips to discover Berlin's cultural scene Pop-Kultur festival Fans of new pop music will head out to various festivals outside of Berlin throughout the summer. But back in Berlin, Pop-Kultur festival will also showcase international newcomers over three days from August 21 through 23, and also presents the latest work of noted performance artists such as CocoRosie, Mykki Blanco, or Berlin-based English electropop musician Planningtorock (pictured).

10 summer tips to discover Berlin's cultural scene Musikfest Berlin Berlin may be one of the techno capitals of the world, but it's also a mecca for classical music lovers. The Musikfest, which takes place August 30 - September 19, officially launches the fall concert season. Over the festival's 21 days, 22 international orchestras and ensembles will perform over 65 works. A Japanese Noh theater performance at the Berlin Philharmonie is just one of the highlights. Author: Elizabeth Grenier



Berlin's mythical image

The fact that Berlin was the epicenter of the 20th century's turbulent history has long intrigued and inspired foreigners — and not only Americans — to come check out the city. "Destroyed, divided and held captive during a century of chaos and upheaval, borderless Berlin has yet remained a city where drifters, dreamers and outsiders can find a place — and finally run free," writes Stuart Braun (who also works for DW) in his book City of Exiles.

International cultural icons who have spent prolonged periods in Berlin, from Iggy Pop and David Bowie to Susan Sontag and Nan Goldin, have helped fuel the romantic image of the free-spirited city that many artists and intellectuals dream of also calling their own. These same revered artists, musicians and writers also once embraced New York as a home, helping to create a strong connection between the cities.

In the 1990s, the newly reunified city famously attracted squatters, artists and DJs who knew how to turn post-Wall Berlin's vacant spaces into anarchic cultural venues. Among them were New York natives who noticed similarities between the two metropolises.

Howard Katz has been living in Berlin and NYC since 1996

"I was here after the Wall came down to visit, and Berlin had that raw energy that New York had in the 70s-80s," says Howard Katz, a choreographer, performer, musician and healer who was born in New York and who chose to live in Berlin in the 90s. "There was a lot of space. Things were open and crazy. I could get involved with all those crazy things and people."

Refuge from US politics

Today, even if Berlin's alternative scene is not what it once was, the city is still seen as a haven where one can escape the current political context of the US.

Alana Range, principal and creative director of Radish Lab

"We officially left our apartment on the day Trump was inaugurated," says Alana Range, who with her partner decided to move and set up a second office for their Brooklyn-based agency in Berlin after an initial three-month fellowship in 2016. "It was a funny timing, but slightly purposeful, because it's super frustrating to live in a place where it feels so divisive — even though New York is a bubble where you're safe from all that."

Even 15 years before Trump's election, the 2001 terrorist attacks roused New Yorkers to leave for Berlin as well: "I tried to go back to New York. That was a few weeks before September 11 — and that didn't work for me. The city shut down after that," says Katz, who later returned permanently to the German capital.

A 'very soft pillow'

If some expats are attracted to what's left of the gritty Berlin experience, and see it as another city that never sleeps, others are attracted by its relaxed pace.

For Range, Berlin felt "in a way like the opposite of New York, where if you're not hustling 24 hours a day and if you're not responding to an email with 45 minutes of getting it, people think you're dead."

Berlin's real draw for New Yorkers is not Berghain and other temples of techno, but rather its chilled lifestyle

"I liken my experience of coming to Berlin to hitting an air bag — in a good way — that is a very soft pillow, and all of a sudden it's quiet," Range continues. "The perspective people have on work here is that it's just that, work. That is a very healthy thing that I think in general Americans don't have" — though she still has to get used to the "imposed rest" that comes with shops being closed on Sundays.

Range also acknowledges that Americans are being lured to Berlin for the English speaking jobs in the hyped start-up scene.

"It's definitely happening," Range says. "But it's a different version than what's happening in San Francisco or New York," she adds. "It's again with this filter of a slower pace."

Most of the Americans she knows who are moving to Berlin to pursue jobs in tech or design also want to simply escape the stress of living in cities like LA or New York where one must work constantly to pay exorbitant rents.

Part of Berlin's appeal is how easily you can get around by bike or with the public transportation system

Will Berlin stay attractive?

But again, Berlin's attraction is not only that it's comparatively affordable but the ability to achieve a better work-life balance, Range says. Ironically, however, expats who are also willing to pay more for apartments in Berlin are also driving up the rents. "It's an interesting dynamic," Range admits.

#Mietenwahsinn, or rent madness: Activists protest against rising prices — a true problem for many Berliners

The gentrification of the city is widespread. Some foreigners who have been in Berlin longer than other newcomers are known to complain how "everything has changed," and that the version of Berlin they "discovered" no longer exists.

That might be true, but longtime Berliner Katz, who's directly witnessed the transformation of the alternative arts scene since the 90s, believes it's too easy to complain. He rather encourages people to commit to shaping the city that they want. To this end, he's creating his own new "playgrounds" in Berlin.

In 2017, Katz and his partner opened Q Space, a rehearsal and performance venue in the former East Berlin district of Pankow; he also finds a stimulating buzz in the multicultural area of Wedding, where he lives.

"I love Berlin and I love the changes," says the former New Yorker. "I refuse to be part of that voice that's complaining that everything is going the wrong way. It's not."