Photo by Rumen Milkow Before he started driving a taxi 16 years ago, Aziz made his living selling pieces of the Berlin Wall. From 1990 to 1995 — his first years in Berlin — he manned a souvenir stand at Brandenburg Gate, learning German, observing the tourists, watching some of …
Read More »Berlin Dispatch: Fishing Under the S-Bahn
BERLIN — Dirk Waldeck is a man of a dying breed practicing a dying art in a place that’s in the process of selling its soul. “I could climb up the TV tower or go on a hunger strike,” said Dirk, when I asked him what he thought about his …
Read More »New York Dispatch: Incredible Disappearing Egyptian Food
Does this look like an Egyptian restaurant to you? Not to me. And not to my food-questing companion Jared, whom I wanted to impress with the random magic of a taxi adventure. Still, I walked into Empire Pizza II grasping at hope. In New York City, a lot of restaurants …
Read More »The Little Pizzeria That Could
When Martín the taxista dropped me off at Don Lechón during last week’s taxi adventure, he was kind enough to let me in on another secret: La Mezzetta. “Everyone is nuts about this pizzeria,” he said, “It’s not my favorite – I don’t like their dough. But you should probably …
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