Financial markets have tanked worldwide, those of us who still have jobs are waiting to lose them, the British Auto Show was cancelled, and Gisele got married. 2009 has been a rough year so far. It’s all enough to get one dreaming of a fresh start and what better way to get one than to start a new life in a new city?
To live in Hamburg (1.77 million inhabitants) it means enjoying the best that a European urban lifestyle has to offer without the high costs of its major capitals. It is the second-largest city; with its new rail connection to the airport you could be in London, Paris, Amsterdam or Berlin in less than two hours, but with so much close to home, why bother?
Shop for the latest men’s fashion from Gucci to Zegna;
Dine in any one of 11 Michelin Guide one-star restaurants;
The annual film festival;
A concert or play;
Keep fit along the shores of the Alster lake or Elbe river;
Fresh air from the North Sea;
Nightlife with no fixed closing time in a variety of trendy neighborhoods;
A German beer or two at about $4/half-liter;
Good place to look for work;
Home to a major Airbus plant employing more than 10,000 people;
A new underground rail link to the city center is also under construction;
The Elbphilharmonie concert hall with its audacious rolling wave design will be completed within the next year and is set to become the city’s new iconic landmark to rival that of the Sydney Opera House as a harbor gateway centerpiece;
Home to all of Germany’s top-tier sports leagues and will host the UEFA championship 2010 the 57.000 seat covered HSH Nordbank Arena.
HSV is playing near the top of Germany’s premier soccer league, and you can also see the Hamburg Freezers play top-level ice hockey or the 2007 European Handball champions HSV play in the modern Color Line Arena.
