On Friday, 8 April 2016 at 00:40:11 UTC, Mike Parker wrote:
> Alrighty, then. Plenty of people around so I'm confident I won't be lonely. I suppose I'll get a little bit of sightseeing in during the a.m. and early afternoon then make for the lobby after. I at least want to get to Potsdamer Platz and visit some of the touristy spots around there.
>
> On Thursday, 7 April 2016 at 19:33:36 UTC, Steven Schveighoffer wrote:
>
>>
>> Regarding exploring, I'm in Berlin all day Saturday (7th). Anyone going to do anything that day?
>
> I wish I could hang around. I have a 6:30 a.m. flight that I am sooo not looking forward to. I need to be back in Seoul before Sunday evening. There weren't many options that fit my budget and didn't have a ridiculously long layover. My wife handled the booking (she was planning to come with me and we were going to make 10 days of it, but she couldn't get away from work), but if it had been solely up to me I would have said to hell with the budget for the extra sleep.

My flight arrives at Berlin at 4:30 PM on the 3rd, so I probably won't have much time to sightsee - ah well, next time! I'll be staying at Hotel Ibis, so hopefully I'll be able to catch everyone in the evenings.

What's the easiest way of getting from the airport to Ibis, and from Ibis to DConf? I figured I should ask before I forget :-)

On Thursday, 7 April 2016 at 18:13:16 UTC, Mike Parker wrote:
> I'm flying in to Berlin late on May 2nd. I'll be staying at the Hotel Ibis, slated to be the "unofficial hangout place" according to the DConf site. I'm curious who else will be in the area on the 3rd. I'm usually an explorer when I visit a city for the first time, but on this trip I'd be more interested in hanging out with others from DLand, conversing about our favorite language, if anyone's up for it.

I am not attending DConf but hearing the name "Hotel Ibis" brings back fond memories of my trips to China a few years back. I still remember bathroom in one hotel, where I could have brushed my teeth at the sink, taken a shower, and read the newspaper all the while sitting on the toilet.    Very efficient ... although I suppose it would ruin the newspaper.

Have fun.

Craig

On Thursday, 7 April 2016 at 18:13:16 UTC, Mike Parker wrote:
> I'm flying in to Berlin late on May 2nd. I'll be staying at the Hotel Ibis, slated to be the "unofficial hangout place" according to the DConf site. I'm curious who else will be in the area on the 3rd. I'm usually an explorer when I visit a city for the first time, but on this trip I'd be more interested in hanging out with others from DLand, conversing about our favorite language, if anyone's up for it.

I'm arriving at Ostbahnhof on May 3rd at about 7:30pm. It doesn't leave much time for sightseeing, but it would be cool to join you for a dinner or a few pints. :)

On Friday, 8 April 2016 at 13:27:11 UTC, Craig Dillabaugh wrote:
> I am not attending DConf but hearing the name "Hotel Ibis" brings back fond memories of my trips to China a few years back. I still remember bathroom in one hotel, where I could have brushed my teeth at the sink, taken a shower, and read the newspaper all the while sitting on the toilet.    Very efficient ... although I suppose it would ruin the newspaper.
>
> Have fun.
>
> Craig

Those squatter/shower combos may be novel but I'll take a western toilet any day of the week. You do not want to accidentally step in one when you're still half asleep during your morning shower.

On 4/8/2016 5:21 AM, Mithun Hunsur wrote:
> What's the easiest way of getting from the airport to Ibis, and from Ibis to
> DConf?

I have no idea, but I'm giving Uber a chance.

On Friday, 8 April 2016 at 12:21:25 UTC, Mithun Hunsur wrote:
> What's the easiest way of getting from the airport to Ibis, and from Ibis to DConf? I figured I should ask before I forget :-)

I am assuming the question is "other options than a taxi"? :)

Which airport? There is subway station right next to Schönefeld one. From Tegel one has to take bus marked "TXL" first and switch to subway later. Overall subway gets almost anywhere in Berlin - it is one of most well-thought and thorough networks I have encountered (though route map can look confusing at the first glance).

You can also usually rely on Google Maps route suggestions for public transport.

On Friday, 8 April 2016 at 19:02:18 UTC, Walter Bright wrote:
> On 4/8/2016 5:21 AM, Mithun Hunsur wrote:
>> What's the easiest way of getting from the airport to Ibis, and from Ibis to
>> DConf?
>
> I have no idea, but I'm giving Uber a chance.

I am afraid, but there is no Uber in Germany.  The only operate a service (Uber black) similar to regular taxi companies (but more expensive), because in German taxis need to be licensed. More details: http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0ME1L820150318

Public transportation is pretty decent in Germany and included in Google Maps. You should give it a try.

On 4/8/2016 4:58 PM, Seb wrote:
> On Friday, 8 April 2016 at 19:02:18 UTC, Walter Bright wrote:
>> On 4/8/2016 5:21 AM, Mithun Hunsur wrote:
>>> What's the easiest way of getting from the airport to Ibis, and from Ibis to
>>> DConf?
>>
>> I have no idea, but I'm giving Uber a chance.
>
> I am afraid, but there is no Uber in Germany.  The only operate a service (Uber
> black) similar to regular taxi companies (but more expensive), because in German
> taxis need to be licensed. More details:
> http://mobile.reuters.com/article/idUSKBN0ME1L820150318
>
> Public transportation is pretty decent in Germany and included in Google Maps.
> You should give it a try.

Apparently it does still work in Berlin:

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-uber-germany-cities-idUSKCN0SO2R620151030

On 8 Apr 2016 2:25 pm, "Mithun Hunsur via Digitalmars-d" < digitalmars-d@puremagic.com> wrote:
>
> On Friday, 8 April 2016 at 00:40:11 UTC, Mike Parker wrote:
>>
>> Alrighty, then. Plenty of people around so I'm confident I won't be
lonely. I suppose I'll get a little bit of sightseeing in during the a.m. and early afternoon then make for the lobby after. I at least want to get to Potsdamer Platz and visit some of the touristy spots around there.
>>
>> On Thursday, 7 April 2016 at 19:33:36 UTC, Steven Schveighoffer wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> Regarding exploring, I'm in Berlin all day Saturday (7th). Anyone going
to do anything that day?
>>
>>
>> I wish I could hang around. I have a 6:30 a.m. flight that I am sooo not
looking forward to. I need to be back in Seoul before Sunday evening. There weren't many options that fit my budget and didn't have a ridiculously long layover. My wife handled the booking (she was planning to come with me and we were going to make 10 days of it, but she couldn't get away from work), but if it had been solely up to me I would have said to hell with the budget for the extra sleep.
>
>
> My flight arrives at Berlin at 4:30 PM on the 3rd, so I probably won't
have much time to sightsee - ah well, next time! I'll be staying at Hotel Ibis, so hopefully I'll be able to catch everyone in the evenings.
>
> What's the easiest way of getting from the airport to Ibis, and from Ibis
to DConf? I figured I should ask before I forget :-)

>From Schonefeld the most direct would be the 171 bus that passes by every
20 minutes, getting off at Grenzallee/Jannstrasse.  A single from the airport (Zone C) costs 3,30€, the driver should understand you if you say "Einzelfahrt". You can get tourist passes and daily/weekly tickets from the information desk at the airport, or from the ticket machines at the S-bahn station (about a 5 minutes walk away), but this would be more expensive than getting it when you're in the city centre (Zone AB).  Your choice really depending on what's convenient for you.

>From Tegel there's the X9 or 109 bus every 5 minutes, get off at the first
stop for either (Jacob-Kaiser Platz) and get on the U7 until you reach Grenzallee. Single is 2,70€, Daily is 7€ and Weekly is about 30€ (this is cheaper than coming from Schonefeld because Tegel is in Zone B :-). If you decide to venture into Zone C on a weekly AB ticket, you have to pay for an extension which I think was no more than 3€. Choose whatever you think is most convenient, but I imagine that most people would want to get a ticket once, and use it for the entire trip.

The Ibis hotel and conference are both next to the U7 line, and just two stops away from each other, trains should be passing every 5 minutes. This is by far the fastest way of getting between the two.  Bicycles are very convenient to get around in too.

This is the best description of the Berlin transport system in English I could find.

http://www.berlinjewish.com/public-transportation

Iain.

Thanks, I'm saving this one!