On the Town

It was a challenge to get there -- several subway stops and a 15-minute bus ride followed by a 20-minute walk, into the middle of nowhere. Who would ever want to live here, I wondered? It is hard to imagine that in the not-so-distant future, 20,000 people will move into new apartment blocks on what used to be the Aspern Airfield, located midway between the cities of Vienna and Bratislava.

In black leather jeans and a bikini top, Joan Jett rocked Europe’s biggest stage, the Blue Stage in Nickelsdorf, Burgenland on the evening of June 12.

“Do you wanna touch me?” asked the 52-year-old queen of rock. But even though she performed songs like “Bad Reputation” and “Cherry Bomb,” the spark didn’t strike.

The majority of the audience was used to louder and harder music.

People walked slowly around the exhibition, looking at the images and sculptures and it was clear that some of the work was sparking conversation. The audience was eagerly awaiting the art opening of the Shelter Project at Soho Projektwerkstatt in Ottakring, Vienna.

It was the contradictions of post-war Vienna that fascinated novelist Graham Greene, a city where the gestures and ornaments of civilization had been stripped away to expose the full range of human need and desire. So when producer Alexander Korda invited him to write a screenplay for a film set in the war-scarred Austrian capital, he could only say yes.

All great cities are saturated with subcultures. And as Vienna – while timeless and enjoyable – can be a little mundane for young lads such as ourselves, we have launched an investigation, seeking out hidden pockets of the weird, unusual and outrageous, and at times dangerous. Session I: the Erotik Messe, at the Wiener Messegelände – sexual hedonism being right down our alley.

Standing in the front row energetically bobbing her head and shaking her pelvis like Elvis, was Betsy Tiefenbrunner, an American living in Vienna for the last thirty years. She never missed a lyric, her silver hair supporting her claim that she had been on hand the first time around, rocking out at three (yes 3!) Beatles concerts back in the glory years of the 1960s. And though the Beatles tribute band entertaining today weren’t the real deal, they were more than good enough; she couldn’t have minded less.

It’s 1930 and in Vienna, a huge experiment is going on, to build a more healthy, harmonious and attractive future. The world is curious, following every move, eager to see whether a city council can transform its citizens with better housing, education and leisure. But while Red Vienna is being born, there are dark clouds on the horizon…

As we headed for Zu den 3 Hacken at Singerstrasse 28 in Vienna’s 1st District, all we were looking for was the cosy atmosphere of an old Viennese Beisl, its traditional cuisine, and it’s low key comfort. No one had mentioned that it came with legends. Embarrassing to admit, as my literary dining companion Ms. Parker and I are both writers. But there you have it.

For those of us who associate Chinese food in Vienna with the standard “Europeanized” fare of crispy-fried chicken doused in generic sweet and sour sauce, kraut-stuffed spring rolls and fried rice that looks like Risi-Pisi, Liounge offers an intriguing alternative. Located in the up and coming culinary mile that is Gumpendorferstrasse, this stylish restaurant is sure to win over the hearts and stomachs of foodies looking for a more authentic ethic dining experience.

Since 2007, Norbert Kettner has been exploring what Vienna means to tourists; why they come and why some don’t. Originally from Tirol, he worked previously at harnessing the city’s creative industries and nurturing them.