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Leipziger Platz Enigma
fwiw i think the real secret is the U-Bahn vents, there's these warm air grates right by the S-Bahn entrance on the Potsdamer Platz side and in winter the pigeons literally camp on them. they've got the whole thermal map memorized and use the heat pockets to launch from. also there's a bakery inside the Sony Center that does these massive butter pretzels for 2.50 euro and the crumbs are way more dense than the dry tourist ones, so the birds know exactly which direction the real food comes from
I've noticed the same thing and I think the layout of the square itself is the secret. The wide open space with the little grassy strips and benches means they can see you from every angle, plus the traffic circle keeps the cars moving slow enough that they can cross the street without getting hit. I used to grab lunch from the Dean & David at Potsdamer Platz Arkaden and eat on one of those benches, and the pigeons would start gathering the second I sat down. They've definitely got some kind of lookout system, probably using the glass facade of the Beisheim Center as a mirror to spot people unwrapping food from fifty meters away.
You're not crazy, the pigeons there have definitely cracked some kind of system. Leipziger Platz is right between the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe and Potsdamer Platz's food stalls, so they've got a constant rotation of tourists eating on the go. I've seen them wait on the ledges of the old Wertheim department store facade, watching for someone to sit on the benches near the green area before making a move. They're probably using the glass towers as perches to coordinate, it's like a little air traffic control setup.
i'd say skip the big names and look at studiowest in prenzlauer berg, they do amazing japanese style but the waitlist is like 6 months. if u want something quicker, the artists at bitterlich tattoo in mitte are super underrated, especially for fine line. and honestly, walk past the instagram hype, go to a shop in person and ask to see their portfolio book, that's where the real stuff is.
The Berlin tattoo scene is pretty spread out, so it depends on what style you're after. For fine line and minimalist work, I'd look at A Fine Line in Kreuzberg, they're booked out weeks in advance for a reason. If you want bold traditional, check out Die Wilde Ecke in Neukölln, they've been around forever and the artists there are solid. Honestly, your best bet is to scroll through Instagram and find someone whose healed work you like, not just the fresh photos, because that's where the real skill shows.
One thing nobody's mentioned yet is the tattoo convention at Arena Berlin, usually in early summer. It's a good way to see a bunch of styles in one afternoon and talk to artists face to face without committing to a shop. I found my guy there three years ago, he works out of a tiny studio near Boxhagener Platz and does amazing neo-traditional, but he rarely posts on Instagram so you'd never discover him otherwise. Bring cash if you go, a lot of the booths only take that on the day.