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Park Plaza Nuremberg Steps it Up

February 28, 2018

Having been to Nuremberg twice now (see this posting about the first visit), NPS now has some friends in town. So what do we do on this very short visit? See our friends!

First there is Park Plaza GM Carsten Baumann, and then there is Manfred Gendsior the proprietor (along with his wife) of delikatEssen, about more which in a minute.

Before our trip out, we contacted Carsten to secure a room at the Park Plaza. Sadly, the room we like 614 was already booked by a regular. However, when that person cancelled their reservation the day of our arrival, Carsten made sure that we got the room at the previously-quoted price. Now that is service. Thanks Carsten!

Anyway, here we are again in 614, not a hamster cage. Everything is pretty much the same as last time.

Park Plaza 614

But what is that on the bed?

This time there is a personal note and a present of local chocolates on arrival! So very thoughtful.

The bathroom remains superior grade (only the shower floor could use improvement).

glass shower goodness

Gigantic tub almost always associated with a glass shower

We were greeted warmly by the staff who were on notice to ping Carsten. After an arrival shower, it was off to a late lunch at the Atelier bar. Nuremberger bratwurst of course.

View from 614

Staying up until 8pm proved a challenge this trip. NPS is getting old.

In the morning, we were up in time not to miss the “breakfast cutoff second.” Breakfast was very nice, though the “double espresso macchiato” was delivered in massive late form. LOL.

Double espresso macchiato? Nope.

Then it was off for a morning at the “Documentation Center” which is what the Germans politely call the Nazi museum. A powerful exhibit worth seeing, make sure to go when you are in town. With the jackass Twump currently in the oval office as so-called president, it is essential that US citizens not lose track of how the Nazis came to power.

Book burning Nazis

The Racist Nuremberg laws

To clear our mind, a trip to delikatEssen was in order. Once again we had a great chat with Manfred who suggested a local gin and some German asbinthe (!!) to buy.

knowledgeable and friendly Manfred curates an interesting selection of liquor in Nuremberg

Manfred also suggested lunch at essigbrätlein, a two michelin star restaurant across the street. Great suggestion. The duck course was absolutely out of this world.

Tonight we will revisit our favorite bars, and see how the cocktail scene is going. More about that later.

Five showerheads for friendly service that learns at Park Plaza Nuremberg. Come visit Carsten and his staff!

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Park Plaza Pleasant Surprise in Nuremberg

March 14, 2017

Late stage relationship Ehekarussell (loosely, the Marriage-Merry-Go-Round)

Big chains like the Park Plaza chain are generally something we avoid at NPS. But we neglected to set this trip up far enough out and it turns out the Embedded World conference fills up Nuremberg almost completely. That meant that the boutiques we would normally target were full. Only some seriously good detective work came up with Park Plaza (thanks for your help Abbie).

View from 614 Park Plaza

The hotel itself is situated just across a major road from the train station. Turns out to be a great location given the venue for the event (Indabahn). And the Nuremberg Park Plaza itself is much better than expected. Friendly front staff, early check in on arrival over the pond (!!), a modern spacious hip lobby, and get this—no plastic showers.

614

The bathroom is spacious and well appointed. (Sure, the shower pan may be vinyl, but the glass cube is fantastic.

Glass shower cube with two shower heads

LOL

Walking around Nuremberg is a great way to see the sights. The city is very walkable. Use these guides.

Some restaurants of note
Atelier Bar for sausages
Sangam nuremberg (very good Indian)
Pillhofer (get the crispy pork shoulder)
Hausbrauerei Altstadthof (house brewed red beer and award winning schnapps)

We’re still working out the cocktail situation in Nuremberg. Atelier Bar in the Grand Hotel is great. They not only made a cocktail called the Nuremberg Mule…
4 cl Haas gin (a local product)
2 cucumber slices
1/2 lime
freshly ground ginger
muddle ingredients. add ice. Top with Thomas Henry spicy ginger. Garnish with cucumber slice

Nuremberg Mule

…they also accommodated NPS for breakfast 15 minutes before they were even supposed to be open! Get this, the weenies in the restaurant at Park Plaza have no flexibility to serve past their 10:30 cut off (on zee dot, you are late, NEIN). The solution is to walk next door to the Grand Hotel and find some actual service. Let this be a lesson to you and your corporate droids Park Plaza! Minus twenty.

Atelier Bar Nuremberg

In other cocktail news, NPS has confirmed that Bar Nürnberg is in fact a very good bar indeed. From the special cocktail of the night (a dark and stormy derivative with rhum agricole from guadalupe) to corpse reviver #2s to sazaracs, each cocktail was meticulously made with care and expertise. Highly recommended.

We got into the Fernet Branca and stayed until 1 am.

On our last day in Nuremberg, we had a very nice chat with Park Plaza GM Carsten Baumann who shared the history of the hotel, talked some politics, and veered on into distilling (predictably given our proclivities). Carsten is an interesting fellow. His outreach was very professional.

The DelikatEssen is a great spirits shop in Nuremberg hidden across the river. Bought some Haas products, an interesting German Windspiel gin, and some high end hazelnut liqueur.

Vintage Bar (just across the street from DelikatEssen in fact) is the second best bar in Nuremberg with the most passion of all. Spent a nice evening chatting with the owner.

Four showerheads and some training for the breakfast staff at the Park Plaza. Much better than expected and yet also short of the mark.

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