You should go to the Oberhafenkantine by foot because the walk is beautiful: You start at the Deichtorhallen (see article Deichtorhallen), walk over the Oberhafenbrücke and at the bridges’ end it is on the left side. The Oberhafenkantine is a very special place with a long history. And it looks very special, because of many storm tides and undercutting it is so crooked that I sometimes feel a bit queasy when I walk in! 

Since its opening in 1925 it was a place for dockworkers who got their coffee and their burger there. When landlady Anita died in 1997 (she worked there from 1925 to 1997!) the Oberhafenkantine was closed and then restored and reopened in 2006. It is a lovely place where you can enjoy some regional specialties. Everything is fresh and handmade. And in summer it is perfect when you sit outside next to the water and have some drinks. Next to the Oberhafenkantine is the Zollamt-Oberhafen a small off-gallery for contemporary art.  

By the way: The Oberhafenkantine marks the starting point of the Oberhafencity which is a huge area with epic free space and old warehouses directly at the Elbe. It is expected to develop within the next decades and is the antipole to the Hafencity. 

Since we did our last project in Hamburgs Hafencity we were more or less forced to hang around there. Locals are really sceptical towards the Hafencity, because it is an very fast growing and expensive area, dozens of new buildings and quays were built within the last years. The Hafencity is blamed to be a very clean and cold place, with no heart and no life in it. Frankly spoken – it needs to grow, it needs people who live there, cafés, bars and more shops. But if you embark on this area, it is amazing – at least that is what I feel. 

The place I love most there is Heimat Küche und Bar. It is the gastronomic part of the Designhotel 25hours. They offer breakfast, lunch and dinner, often with DJ’s. And since it is one of few bars there it is often really crowded.

The food is based on local ingredients and simple but really good. Try fish’n chips, that’s awesome. The interior is inspired by the world of shipping, harbour and Hamburgs warehouse district in combination with some design classics. I would be happy to have their chairs round my dinner table. 

DAS MAGAZIN is a room for international printing culture, design and art, run by Art lawyer Jens Brelle.

When this tiny space next to the Michel opened up last year, we did our Pop-Up Magazine Store there. Since this is over many interesting events – such as talks (for example Juli Gudehus introduced her “Lesikon”), Release-Parties (for exmple the Hamburg Based “Superkraft” Magazine”) or theme nights (We make Urban Magazines – a night on city magazines) followed.

DAS MAGAZIN is a relaxed place and you may find interesting people hanging out there, drinking beer and lemonade and celebrating this very small independent magazine scene in hamburg. it is worth to go there! You can check their current program via their Facebook page.

The heliumcowboy Artspace is a gallery in the middle of hamburg, not far away from the Gängeviertel. This gallery shows young, urban, upcoming artists in different disciplines. It reaches from painting to very complex installations or sculpturing. Check their homepage for their current exhibitions.

All exhibitions are really worth seeing, because the artists they show are rare and surprising. I think it is often that kind of art that has an immediate effect on you, the moment you look at.

And I like their motto “be true. be honest. do it all with passion or don’t do it at all. and always get your hands dirty”, because that’s pretty much what I think it should be like.

Gudberg was founded as an agency for graphic design more then ten years ago. Today they are still doing great work in the fields of corporate-, editorial-, graphic-, interior- and web-design. Beyond this they publish their own or other’s book- or magazine-projects, they have their own magazine called “Gudberg” AND they run a small gallery with a selection of great books and magazines to purchase there (or online).

From time to time I visit them and browse through their range of books and magazines. I really like this place. Not only their interior (which was designed by themselves of course) but the idea of sharing working-space, gallery and a small shop in one location.

I recommend going there and getting inspiration from these great selection of publications.