Berlin's districts and "Kieze" (i.e. neighbourhoods) are little self-contained cities and microcosms. There is no "city center" per se - Berlin has a variety of different city centers, depending on where you live or which area you identify with; something which has confused scores of tourists. Some know Mitte, or Neukölln, or Kreuzberg, and if you are really adventurous, maybe even the lakes in Grunewald or the appartment blocks of Marzahn. For the past 10 years or so, the diverse city scape of Berlin has been gradually changing towards a more bland look, due to the much-cited gentrification that is taking place in fashionable neighborhoods, but there are still some areas left that have a very distinct "Berlin" feel to them. For me, Westend is such a place - West Berlin, but nothing like the chic Charlottenburg of Savignyplatz and Kurfürstendamm. Westend is the Kiez of sometimes questionable character but a very special charm of its own.
