Düsseldorf – Monkey’s South, Auszeit Hotel, and the German Cougar
I’ve been here a lot on business recently and I recognize it as an important crossroads of international business in Germany. A lot is changing here. There are incredibly trendy and sophisticated parts of the city, and there are so many massive construction and renovation zones that you get the absolute feeling that things are in a metamorphosis around you. Like other major German cities that experienced widespread destruction during and after WWII, the Düsseldorf city center has few original remnants of the pre-war. There are some corners of the city that escaped bombing. One building that struck me as I walked past this evening was the Commerzbank on Breite Str. 25. I am sure there are good guides of must-see buildings, and I am certainly not one of them. I will bring my camera next time to capture the best.
The agenda was pretty busy with business meetings, one of which was a lunch meeting at Monkey’s South, a restaurant catering mainly to the business crowd. The food was excellent, and I ordered a 3-course lunch menu including a small dessert and glass of Riesling for just under 18 Euro. I must say the food was very well done and it was a bargain.
The meetings and lunches were in great venues, and then there is the hotel I stayed at. Currently ranked #3 in Düsseldorf on TripAdvisor, the Auszeit Hotel Düsseldorf deserves many of its comments regarding its good price value in the city and an impressive breakfast spread. Less impressive than its breakfast and friendly staff were the room’s cleanliness and hostel-like feeling in what was an “upgraded room”, 403. The room was clean for the most part, particularly the bathroom. However, the bedding had clearly not been washed for some time. It seemed as if a pubescent teenager with oily skin had been used it too much and his mom forgot to change the sheets, pillowcases and covers. It was pretty nasty in fact. I am normally not very picky, but this was a bit much. I slept on the couch in my clothing. Tired as hell, I was able to get 8 hours of sleep and get up for a run in the morning.
The hotel’s location is not central at all to the center of Düsseldorf, though with a 10-minute walk you can reach the Altstadt by S-Bahn number 701, or for a very reasonable taxi fare. The good thing about the location was for my morning run, located next to Volksgarten, a sprawling park with good paths. Later that day my colleague from London flew in and we were able to catch dinner on the Rheinuferpromenade. It was a pleasant experience, though a bit touristy.
Finishing our Düsseldorf meetings the next day, my colleague and I took the high-speed ICE train to Köln that afternoon for further meetings. I was to take another ICE train from Köln back to Frankfurt later in the day. For those of you who have not taken the ICE trains in Germany, they are a standard, clean high-speed service. Not quite as fast as some of the TGV or Asian trains, the ICE still travels at neck breaking speeds through the hilly countryside of Germany and beyond. In the flattest regions, it can go as fast as 300km per hour. On this train, I usually opt for going to the bistro car and standing with a beer, rather than sitting around for a while. On this occasion I ordered a Franziskaner Weissbier. Enjoying my beer, I felt the stare of somebody across the aisle at the next standing table. I look up and it’s a German cougar, assessing her prey. I find these situations to be highly entertaining, but being really tired and with a head cold, I decided not to play along. So, just as she came in for the kill I moved to the bar quickly. We cannot forget that cougars are patient creatures. They often hunt in packs and can watch and assess their prey’s weakness for hours before going on the pounce. This time although tired and weakened, this cougar’s prey’s diversion worked and I enjoyed my beer in peace.
I have been visiting Düsseldorf and the surrounding regions quite often lately. Though it isn’t the most beautiful or exciting German city, you can find good food and friendly people, happily sharing their rich culture. I will be back in a few weeks, and have learned the lesson that while the Auszeit hotel is fine and good for some, it didn’t lend itself well to a business stay. My colleague stayed at the Hotel Nikko, directly in the city center and reported good things, so I will try that the next time. I would recommend you listen to the locals, and you will find Düsseldorf to be a very cool city. I will save that stuff for my next visit.