What's wrong about my outfit that attracts sketchy people?

yeah the taiwanese girl having zero issues is telling but not for the reason you think. she prob knows the unspoken rules already from being here longer or from other asian friends who gave her the heads up. theres a specific way to carry yourself in wedding that takes a few weeks to learn - like walking with purpose even if youre lost, not stopping to check your phone near the u-bahn entrance, and never making eye contact with anyone lingering by the bakeries

the english thing is a huge giveaway too. those guys at leopoldplatz specifically target people who respond in english because they know theyre tourists or new arrivals who havent learned the "i live here" attitude yet. try saying "kein geld" in a flat tone next time without slowing down. even if your german is bad, the delivery matters more than the pronunciation

also the broken sneakers thing - i get the aesthetic but in berlin that can read as "im broke and sympathetic" to the wrong people. swap them for some clean black sneakers from decathlon for like 15 euro and see if the approach rate drops. its dumb but presentation matters way more here than in other cities for some reason

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The broken sneakers and the North Face jacket are probably the bigger factors than you think. Berlin has a specific look that signals "I've been here a while" and it's usually worn-in boots or clean sneakers, not beat-up ones. The broken shoes make you look like you're traveling light or on a budget, which attracts people who think you'll be more generous.

The Asian market and REWE near Leopoldplatz are known spots for a few regulars who work that stretch between the U-Bahn and the mall. If you're moving soon anyway, try taking the U9 to Osloer Straße for your shopping instead. The Edeka there has a better selection and fewer people hanging around the entrance.

For what it's worth, the guy following you between stores is unusual even by Wedding standards. That's not normal Berlin behavior, that's one specific creep who picked up on you being new. You're not imagining it.

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honestly the headphones are probly the biggest thing. when you're walking around with them in, especially in a place like leopoldplatz, people see that as "this person cant hear me coming" which makes u seem like an easier approach. i used to do the same thing with my airpods and got stopped constantly near hermannplatz until i started keeping one out when walking through the station

also the broken sneakers thing might actually work against you here. berlin panhandlers have a weird radar for people who look like theyre "roughing it" intentionally, like you might be more sympathetic or have spare change. my friend who dresses super polished never gets approached but when i wear my beat up docs i get asked for money way more often

the rewe thing is creepy though, that guy def recognized you from the asian market. if you see him again just walk straight to the staff, the workers at that rewe know the regulars who bother people and theyll step in. happens more than youd think in wedding

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Worth noting that Berlin street names have official umlaut and ß rules that trip people up, so a sign showing "Strasse" versus "Straße" is not actually a spelling error, just an older transcription. Same with "ue" versus "ü" (e.g. "Kantstrasse" vs "Kantstraße"), both are considered valid renderings and you'll see the ß version on the blue Schilder and the ss version on older plaques or in databases that predate Unicode. If the difference you're seeing is between those two forms, there's nothing to fix and both are technically correct.

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if the signs u mean are the old enamel ones on the house facades those are often protected as Baudenkmal so nobody's allowed to correct them even if the spelling is outdated. the binding version is whatever is in the Berliner Strassenverzeichnis plus the entry in the Liegenschaftskataster, so if u tell me the street i can point u to the right Bezirksamt Mitte or Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf page. tbh the merged district thing is real but the facade signs are a separate story, theyre basically museum pieces at this point

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honestly thats super common in Charlottenburg, the district offices were merged from older Bezirke and nobody ever fixed all the Schilder. if its a real street you can check the official strassenverzeichnis on berlin.de, that list is what the Burgeramt actually goes by. which street is it? some of the Kaiserdamm / Kantstrasse signs are notorious for this.

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