‘Rest in peace, Berlin’
Berlin nightclub in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood closed permanently in November after four decades in business, amid stalled negotiations between the bar’s owners and its unionizing employees. In asking some of the people who worked there, danced there and made memories there, it’s obvious that Berlin was more than just a bar.
“It felt like a secret almost,” said All The Way Kay, who DJed at Berlin for over 15 years. “It felt like something that you wanted to hold very, very close to you because spaces like that really don’t exist.”
We talked with Kay, queer historian Owen Keehnen, DJ Greg Haus and several listeners who called to tell us what Berlin meant to them and what they hope for the future.
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The Rundown: Chicago News Podcast
‘Rest in peace, Berlin’
Berlin nightclub in Chicago’s Lakeview neighborhood closed permanently in November after four decades in business, amid stalled negotiations between the bar’s owners and its unionizing employees. In asking some of the people who worked there, danced there and made memories there, it’s obvious that Berlin was more than just a bar.
“It felt like a secret almost,” said All The Way Kay, who DJed at Berlin for over 15 years. “It felt like something that you wanted to hold very, very close to you because spaces like that really don’t exist.”
We talked with Kay, queer historian Owen Keehnen, DJ Greg Haus and several listeners who called to tell us what Berlin meant to them and what they hope for the future.