Random Notes

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This is an (almost) arbitrary collection of places in Zurich that I like. I put them here before I forget them.

No visit to Zurich is complete without a brunch at Cafe Schober in Napfgasse in Niederdorf. I always take the (big) Schober brunch, which contains bread, jam, and eggs, but most importantly, an excellent Bircher Muesli. This is the best Bircher Muesli I know. Their trick is to use few oat flakes, lots of fruits, and a fair amount of cream. Usually, I also stop by Cafe Schwarzenbach, right opposite of Cafe Schober. If you are in Bahnhofstrasse and want to escape all the passerbys, try Strozzi in one of the quadrangles opposite Paradeplatz and enjoy the sun. But beware, you pay for Strozzi's great location: The treats are mediocre at best so stick to your espresso or cappucino.

I always check out Spruengli at Paradeplatz, for new types or Luxemburgerli (recent addition: Stratiatella) and other delights. Their cafe isn't bad either. I usually don't make it to any of the Teuscher shops, because Cafe Schober is wholly owned by Teuscher and already covers my needs. (Try the Cafe Schober 100gr chocolate bars! Also do some comparison shopping and kick their butt: the same chocolate bar that costs CHF 6.20 in Zurich costs USD 8.00 in Boston, about twice as much. You can order from Switzerland through the web.)

If you've been to my place and wondered where I got my book shelves from, check out GEA in St. Peterhofwerkstatt. The shelves are called "Chaos" and as far as I know, GEA is the only importer to Switzerland. In Niederdorf, there is also FormPlus (former Futon Haus) where you can get high-quality Japanese stuff, and where I got my bed frame and futon from. Outside of Zurich, in Kaltenkirchen near Ikea, there is a great Rattan furniture store, called Rattan Trends.

Zurich has its share of modern designer clothes stores. They are probably the same wherever you go, so I tend to avoid them. However, I particularly like Fil a Fil in Rennweg, because it is not over the top, affordable, and has my beloved Pringle sweaters, which are light but high-quality woolen sweater. I wouldn't know better ones, for sure not in the United States, where Pringle means potatoe chips.

Fancy clothing stores come and go. I like Planet 8, which had the Tram T-Shirts way back, and Mambo, which seems to be a more recent addition, both right off Hirschenplatz. Mambo, unfortunately, turned out to have poor customer service when I tried to return a backpack that had broken down in the first week of use. Of course there are the Freitag bags and accessories, which can be found in a store called "Gloss" near Escher-Wyss-Platz, if I recall it correctly.

In terms of culture, there are all kinds of bars and dance places, most of which you can read about in the ZuriTipp. Whenever I open the ZuriTipp, I first turn to Zurich by Mike, Mike van Audenhove's weekly cartoon on Zurich. Mike exhibits the originals at Orell Fuessli in Bahnhofstrasse and you can call him if you want to buy one. But hurry, they go fast. You'll have to pick them up at his mill before the doors of Zurich. If you own the book "Zurich by Mike 3" check out the credits.

I like the Tonhalle a lot (for classical music concerts), and it is dirt cheap if you are a student. There is so much going on, it doesn't make sense to list it here. Grab the ZuriTipp for your first night out and then the first batch of flyers, and off you go.

Local activities to check out are the annual across-the-lake swimming events as well as the 60m swim in the frozen Limmat in mid-winter. If you like to run and can gather a (University) team, you might enjoy participating in the Sola relay running competition, organized by ASVZ, I think.

Should you decide to move to Zurich, you might want to checkout some of the humorous aspects of living in Switzerland.

Copyright (©) 2007 Dirk Riehle. Some rights reserved. (Creative Commons License BY-NC-SA.) Original Web Location: http://www.riehle.org