This is a walk of repeated familiarity, a performance that ties me to my neighborhood, to the landscape in which I have lived, periodically, for 11 years. It is also a walk that ties me to pasts I cannot know, a suspected intimacy with the urban knowledge and memory of certain ancestors I barely knew. For me this is the route to and through the park--a pleasant route past quiet restaurants and new luxury condos, past open, grassy vistas, and up winding, hilly paths. I never forget, however, that this is a route of multiple meanings, even within my own family.


From Urbanstrasse, you cross to Fichtestrasse and walk, past the bunker, towards Hasenheide. Cross over Hasenheide and go into the Volkspark Hasenheide. Turn right to pass the statue, then turn left to follow the path past the dog park. Make the first available right. When you see a small, circular path to the left, take it. Follow the curving incline until you reach an open space at the top. Cross the space and start down on the other side of this double helix (?)...Bear right at the bottom and take the second of two lefts. Follow this path downwards then upwards and down again. When you come to a larger intersection, turn right. You will see Columbiadamm and the Mosque in front of you. Turn left to continue along the outer ring of the park, past the nature preserve and open vistas. Follow the curve until you come to a pathway through one of the vistas (on the Eastern side of the park). Follow the diagonal (leading Northwest) until you reach one of the large, official pathways. Turn left and walk until you pass a large pirate-themed playground on the left and the Freiluftkino on the right. Straight ahead, you will see an outdoor cafe. There is a flower garden to your right. Make a right along the wide pathway, and continue until you hit one of the large, north-south axes. Turn right and walk north until you exit the park, at the exact point at which you entered. As you exit, you may stop in at the petting zoo or the mini-golf course.