What is wrong with us?

[andytaro]

When we (wife, 11 and 1 year old) were at the Welt for our first ED last month ( i still owe festers my report ), I felt we should have dressed a bit better than old navy jean and a polo shirt. Everyone else, probably Europeans, were much older than me and dressed nice. They were staring at us like we don't belong there while I was waiting for signing documents.:confused:
It is because either I took my kids, my race (Asian), European dress code violation, or my age ( i am 35 ).
So we decide to hide in the kids room and eat and enjoy Disney movie in German until my delivery time. My kids were not screaming nor running around in the waiting area, but we were just sitting in sofa innocently and drinking carbonated water uncomfortably ( i didn't know the blue cap was carbonated ones...). I still have no idea why they were looking at us like we came from 100 million light years away.:dunno:

Here is a pic of my kids hiding in the kids room.

[b-y]

As I wasn't there, I certainly can't be certain. But one possibility is that is nothing more than your having an attractive family. Families get a lot of attention in Europe. We were surprised at being treated nicely in France (and even in Paris!) when we traveled several years ago with our then young son and his grandmother (my mother-in-law).

As to dress: June was cool in Munich, so you saw a wide variety of clothing at the Welt. I don't wear jeans, but I was dressed casually and my wife wore a Hawaiian shirt. There were peopled dressed better, but several were at least as casually dressed as we were.

OTOH, we are old(er) and from European ancestry.

(See PM for an additional comment.)

[bimmer_fam]

There might be things that are wrong with many of us (hard to depict it from your description and without psychology degree :angel:), but dressing for comfort ain't one of them...:D

Of course, if you felt uncomfortable, that is a different story. However, this I believe has been discussed in great depth on this forum, and some people would dress up for ED, while others would wear jeans and feel fine.

After all, there is nothing about specific dress code in the ED description...:D Why some people insist on wearing a tuxedo after 15 hour flight or before extensive driving trip starting right after Welt is still unclear to me...:confused:

PS. I applaud you for retaining your sanity after an overseas flight with a 1 y.o. :)

[am_ver]

Sorry to hear about your experience. If you felt you were getting the discriminatory attitude - the best would have been to not give a f#$#k about anyone else and done what u wanted. Sit in the middle of the room and stare back if thats what it took. I had to do that a couple of times at the Star Alliance 1st class lounge in MUC. People can be pretty starey and rude if you even slightly different

[f1fan]

Well maybe, just maybe they thought you were going to drive all the way back to Asia (WITH KIDS) :rofl: Now that would be crazy!! Although as mentioned above you DID fly with a 1yr old. Good luck with the car and don't worry about the ignorance displayed daily by others.

[andytaro]

Thanks for your feedback. I usually don't care about how others think of me.
In the US, I've never experienced this "look" from other people so I was a bit surprised rather than felt uncomfortable.
Once I stepped out of the lounge, people don't give a shiiiet about us. lol That is why I was puzzled what I did wrong/right in the lounge to get other's attention even though I did not do anything crazy other than just sitting in the lounge and enjoying my first carbonated water.

P.S. My 1 year old did ok during 10 hour flight. Of course we had to keep her entertained and feed junk food, but she did not scream or kick people in front of her. :-)
Lufthansa was great. They let families with small children go on board first and gave us Lufthansa souvenirs for my daughters.

[bknauss]

Americans simply stick out in Germany.

[JSpira]

Maybe they were staring because they were thinking
1.) we should have dressed more comfortably and
2.) we should've taken the kids

[Boile]

Maybe your fly was unzipped.

[ucdbiendog]

here's my experience:
Day 1 at welt: we went up to the premo lounge to schedule the factory tour. hung around while we waited for a couple hours. that day we were dressed verry casually, pants and t-shirt basically.
Day 2 at welt: pick-up day, dressed a little nicer, nice jeans, button up shirt, etc.

Both days, didn't really notice anyone looking funny at us. maybe thats because we were too jet lagged to care though. :D

[JSpira]

I didn't wear anything out of the ordinary either.

[Calif65GM]

I think I had jeans on and a polo shirt and no one stared at me or appeared discriminatory. Did you check-in before grabbing a seat in the lounge? BTW I'm Asian too. Then add on the fact that the "ugly" American/Asian says "good morning", "good afternoon" or "thank you" in German to them then they're really caught-off guard.

Honestly I think the real issue is that they were probably surprised by having an Asian family/tourists traveling alone and not with a tour group because that's the typical way that Asians travel. If you saw any Asians in Europe, you probably saw them in a tour group and not traveling individually. BTW I know I'm profiling.

I'm actually surprised because many Germans and especially those in the Hitler regions are very ashamed of their past history and would not be caught dead being discriminatory according to one guide that I had during my cruise through Nuremburg.

[jvr826]

When I went to Europe a bunch of years ago, people all looked at me like my junk was hanging out.

I had broken my ankle a month before, so I couldn't wear any footwear other than oversized Teva sandals, which I paired up with a stylish white crew sock to hide my elephant foot and ankle. :D I sure was comfortable, but...

At a football game in England this couple behind me commented: "Did you see his shoes?" I refrained from explaining as the line for beer was long... I could have said "did you see her teeth" but I didn't. :angel:

I spent a bunch of time in Munich that trip and met lots of Germans, absolutely great people, especially those who were partying with us, which was my main purpose while there. Everyone I met was friendly, even though I had an odd choice in footwear.

[valeram]

I don't think you were being discriminated with the way you dress. Maybe it is just your impression or maybe you felt guilty for not dressing up formally. BMW Welt people know that US ED customer will drive around Europe after taking the delivery. So they are aware of the comfortability aspect of driving at ease. They also know that majority of US ED customer just came straight from the airport. They don't care on what type or brand you wear because they know that you already bought an expensive car plus the expense of going there.

[SusieBelle]

Hey, at least you *were dressed.* If people were staring because you forgot something crucial, then you might have concerns. :) I'm sorry you felt uncomfortable. Some people, in being curious, are unintentionally rude. I just smile - sometimes it makes them even *more* curious!

[cha777]

Interesting. I was in Munich 10 years ago and felt that everywhere I went, I got "the look" as well as 2nd rate service (I'm of subcontinental Indian origin). My cousin, who I was travelling with, and I had the last laugh because at the end of the night, wasn't it ironic that our group (bunch of Indians and Jews) were sitting at the Hofbrauhaus having a grand old time at the same place where Hitler rallied his Nazi troops??!! Some people (of whom we referred to that night as "the locals") kept on staring at us and kept on making, what appeared to us at a distance to be snide remarks/comments, but I really felt like this place just wasn't open to non-white visitors.

My wife went with a friend of hers to Europe the year after I went and had the same, cold, feeling about the place to the point where she had made a conscious decision to not go back to Munich.

On my ED trip in July of 2008 (first time back to Munich) I felt like the red carpet was rolled out for me, not just at the Welt but at my hotel and several restaurants that I went to as well. The two conscientious changes that I made was that I dressed in slacks and a shirt most of the time and I tried small German phrases as much as I could bedore reverting to English. So your post surprises me because I thought that Munich (and the region) had changed. I even asked a few people about it at the end of my trip and, of course, nobody could offer any sort of good explanation.

Don't get me wrong...not trying to malign Munich which I think is a phenomenal metropolis. BTW, I agree with JSpira's points in post 8.

In the end, foreigners just look different. You've all seen foreigners who either don't fit in or try to hard to fit in (yes, I've seen a young Indian man in college arrive with M.C. Hammer pants....about 5 years too late). Human nature is to stare.

Or perhaps they had figured out which car was yours and were just jealous!!

[andytaro]

I know there is no dress code in the lounge and din't not feel I was discriminated. Everywhere we've visited during my 2 weeks ED trip ( a week in Germany and another in France), we were treated properly. It was just in the wating area I was puzzled by "the look". Maybe I was talking in Japanese to my daughter, and she was speaking back in English to me or my 1 year old is so cute that others could not get eyes off her.:p
After reviewing my pictures, I've noticed that I am the only one having shoes on! Everyone else has sandals or flip-flops...:rofl:
Anyway, I'll definitely do another ED for my wife's car in a few years and will make sure I'll take my entire family of 20-30 people to lounge so we will look like proper Asian tourists.;)

[vocalthought]

You're too self conscious. Just ignore them.

[claud 3]

Andytaro, I think you got the looks because you had a nice looking, nicely dressed family. That pic of all of you with the car in your last post says it all. Like myself, you may have noticed some of our younger EDers picking up their cars dressed in jeans and a Tshirt. I myself resolved that my family would be decently attired at the Welt. Not JSpira, but decent.

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i67/crw3/scan.jpg

[Kamdog]

There is another element here too. It stuck out at me during the Olympics. America's teams were well mixed with people of all races, while many other country's teams were not. Here, in America, we are quite used to seeing people of other races just going on about their business; here, everybody is something. Much of Europe is not like that, if you are not a white European, you are an outsider.

Also, BMWs cost waaaay more big bucks for Germans in Germany, and it therefore is more usual for older, more well-off people there to own them.

Perhaps many were wondering what the heck is that young Asian family doing here getting a BMW? Is he one of them computer millionaires or something? I would guess you were probably stereotyped. Eff'em. That is their problem, not yours. You get to be the one to go to another country, buy a great car, drive it around and have a great vacation, and they aint.

[Adi]

Cultural norms are a little different in Germany. It may sound silly but a lot of Anglo expats (i.e. from US, Canada, Australia, UK, NZ, etc) complain about this when they first arrive. Germans are not shy at looking at people and don't try to do it sideways as may we do who have been brought up in an Anglo or Asian culture. This is usually interpreted as staring by us and often complained about as rude behaviour. It really isn't meant as such. Germans are just openly inquisitive... nosey you might say. :D

[blauner]

I wore a polo shirt and shorts, and my buddy that went over with me had on jeans and an Abercrombie and Fitch shirt (definitely said 'We Are American') and I never really noticed any looks at the Welt, but throughout the whole week, everyone we managed to talk to knew we were Americans before we said a word.

Funny story, when we were in Berlin, we stopped in the Berlin Zoo since we had some extra time and were just walking around and ran into it, and went into the cafeteria to get something to eat. We knew very little German, so we were confused by the menu options. A young (and attractive) girl was working in the cafeteria, and we noticed her stairing and smiling at us, so we went up to her and asked her if she spoke English. She didnt hesitate and said 'Yes, I could tell you were Americans the minute you walked in, can I help you?' Here she was a foreign exchange student the year before in Alabama.

I plan to know a lot more German when I go back for my next ED in a few years.

[Tanning machine]

I didn't wear anything out of the ordinary either.

Sure, but I might have asked to to help me with the paperwork.

[Tanning machine]

You're too self conscious. Just ignore them.

+1.

And there's probably something to the post about racial homogeneity in Europe. While there are minorities, each European country is far from the melting pot that the U.S., particularly in large cities, is. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you got similar "looks" (if it was that) if you visited small, non-college towns in the south, New England, or the plains/rockies, especially if you were driving a BMW.

[DSXMachina]

Andy, you and the previous posters have it all wrong. What they were thinking was "Jawohl! the Japanese have chosen a BMW over Nissan or Lexus, there's still hope!"

[JSpira]

Sure, but I might have asked to to help me with the paperwork.

Well, THAT worked when I helped deliver a car to Adrian.

[SusieBelle]

One thing my mom noticed over 30 years ago when we visited Germany (as a family) that Americans, even when dressed to blend in, tended to be more obviously noticeable because we carried ourselves differently. It isn't that Europeans slouch (far from it!), but it was something about our posture. My German relatives commented on this as well. Sometimes it is subtle things (another post mentioned shoes!) or sometimes it is something like my husband wearing a ball cap - normal for him, but rare for Europeans. My husband got stared at a lot because he is so obviously American in dress and manner and was always addressed in English even when he tried the limited phrases that he learned. Andytaro, I think it could have been as simple as you have a beautiful family and somewhat on the younger side (from a European perspective) to be purchasing an expensive car, so people were curious. I wonder what the Europeans thought of me - I stared at everything and everyone!! :)

[andytaro]

I appreciate your compliment for my family. I hesitated at first taking kids with us, but after I've seen my kids enjoying our first trip to Europe, Welt Delivery, and screaming at me while I was speeding on autobahn:angel: , I am so glad I took my kids. Even my 11 year old daughter and Audi fangirl,my wife, became a big fan of BMW. It is pricelsee!!

I've noticed everyone in the lounge was much older than us and well attired. I knew BMW is considered a premium item in Europe, and BMW costs much more in Japan as well. If I want to purchase the same 335i in Japan, I have to pay $20K more.(only with 2-year warranty and no free maintenance) So they might wondered how this young asian family (asians tend to look younger than actual and they can't really tell we were from US) can afford a BMW.
Anyway, delivery experience was blast, and BMW took care of us very well.

P.S.
We've noticed when we were at the Welt, most cars delivered were 1 series hatchbacks which my wife wants it for herself. Hopefully BMW will bring the hatchback to US.

[DSXMachina]

I appreciate your compliment for my family. I hesitated at first taking kids with us, but after I've seen my kids enjoying our first trip to Europe, Welt Delivery, and screaming at me while I was speeding on autobahn:angel: , I am so glad I took my kids. Even my 11 year old daughter and Audi fangirl,my wife, became a big fan of BMW. It is pricelsee!!

I've noticed everyone in the lounge was much older than us and well attired. I knew BMW is considered a premium item in Europe, and BMW costs much more in Japan as well. If I want to purchase the same 335i in Japan, I have to pay $20K more.(only with 2-year warranty and no free maintenance) So they might wondered how this young asian family (asians tend to look younger than actual and they can't really tell we were from US) can afford a BMW.
Anyway, delivery experience was blast, and BMW took care of us very well.

P.S.
We've noticed when we were at the Welt, most cars delivered were 1 series hatchbacks which my wife wants it for herself. Hopefully BMW will bring the hatchback to US.

LOL, Andy your whole family screams American! You're wearing jeans and a polo shirt, your three ladies are wearing hoodies (grey hooded sweatshirts), the sandals are US style, the bags look J.Crew or LLBean, there's no Hello Kitty stuff in sight. And you're not photographing each other taking photographs. You're as American as pizza.:)

[drallafi]

My girlfriend and I are pretty attractive, and people stare at us a lot of the time whenever we go anywhere. I'm with the poster who said that they were probably staring at you in admiration. It used to annoy me, but then my dad pulled me aside one day and said, "Well, it could be worse...." So it doesn't bother me much anymore.

[mlieu]

I'm glad you and your family had a great time! Even if you were green martians, you still got to roll out of Welt in a new BMW!!!!!

I agree that, in general, us Americans stick out in Europe no matter what we do or look like. Very similar to how you can tell it's a Euro family on vacation in Los Angeles. It's human nature to stare/look twice at whatever is different or stands out. With that said, I'd stare at a Lambo as much as I would an old ford Pinto! :p

As for dress, I picked up my car last year in loud shorts, a polo, and flip flops! OOOPS! I completely forgot and didnt even think about my dress because I was in total vacation mode and beyond excited about taking delivery. Later that day, I realized we were the only people in shorts on the U-Bahn.

Here's picture of me in all my "'american" glory! :rofl::rofl::rofl:

[Edhermosa]

My wife and I dressed most of the trip in shorts and hawaiian shirts (Reyn Spooners - the best!). We only felt a little uncomfortable with people staring at us when we stopped in Innsbruck on our way to Verona. It was cool (high 50s) and drizzling. Everyone was bundled up and we were wandering from the parking structure to our restaurant in shorts and hawaiian shirts. I'm sure the locals thought we were nuts!!

[kenomail]

Don't beat yourself up. I wore jeans and a polo shirt also. Hey your travelling dude!

[claud 3]

My wife and I dressed most of the trip in shorts and hawaiian shirts (Reyn Spooners - the best!). We only felt a little uncomfortable with people staring at us when we stopped in Innsbruck on our way to Verona. It was cool (high 50s) and drizzling. Everyone was bundled up and we were wandering from the parking structure to our restaurant in shorts and hawaiian shirts. I'm sure the locals thought we were nuts!!

You and your wife are the people our parents warned us about.( a JBuffett tune)

[Edhermosa]

You and your wife are the people our parents warned us about.( a JBuffett tune)

:lmao:

[Edhermosa]

To be honest though, after we arrived back home and I reflected on the trip, next time I will definitely wear more polo shirts rather than hawaiian shirts. I did feel underdressed as compared to the locals and European tourists.

[German Expat]

We went this July and I am German (from Bavaria) and speak with the local accent (if needed :)). My wife is Chinese and we have a 3 year old son that we took along. The little guy was busy running around in the lounge and blew off some steam.
Nobody cared much but lots of people looked and he walked over to them and tried to chat them up with his language mix. I was dressed in jeans and long sleeve t-shirt, I don't see a single reason to dress up if I need to drive a couple hours afterwards.

The main reason people looked at you is that you are Asian, there are not that many Asians in Germany and to German eyes your kids looked very cute.

My parents are in a small town in Bavaria and my wife and my son get looked at all the time, people would come over and compliment our son how cute he is. Also in a small town everybody knows everybody and their grandmother, so most people would know my parents.

I doubt you got the looks, people were just curious and interested.

PS : I was not impressed with their kids lounge and our son gave up on it after like 3 minutes and decided the lounge is way more interesting.

[Dave 330i]

Bush is president? I'm Chinese. I had no problems in Germany. Of course I probably know more Germans than Americans. Maybe it's your demeaner? Stare them in the eyes and let them know who is the boss. I was there in May in shorts and tee-shirt the whole time (not for EU). Shown is Festers log book.

[mullman]

I did not get any weird looks, even in my wrinkled pants...

http://homepage.mac.com/mulls/ED/day%201_files/DSC_0009_3.jpg



FWIW, the wife and I usually do enjoy playing 'spot the American'.
New white tennis shoes, college sweatshirt, ball cap, talking very loud...

[adc]

Eh, let's just say I felt extremely at ease in the old delivery center at Freiman. :)


There can be drawbacks to appearing too European-like. The problem with nailing the accent in German, Italian or French etc. for a few short casual sentences is that it greatly encourages the other person to open up the conversational floodgates. It's like that time in Cinque Terre where I used my best Italian to ask about the next train and had to listen to the entire weekly train schedule in return. I think. Or maybe it was about the weather...

[am_ver]

It's like that time in Cinque Terre where I used my best Italian to ask about the next train and had to listen to the entire weekly train schedule in return. I think. Or maybe it was about the weather...

That reminds me of when I asked this lady walking on the street about where the Prada outlet was (south of Florence).. and she kept talking in Italian for a good 5 mins. we were clueless on what she was saying. And the only italian we used was 'squoozie'.:rofl:

[DSXMachina]

Eh, let's just say I felt extremely at ease in the old delivery center at Freiman. :)


There can be drawbacks to appearing too European-like. The problem with nailing the accent in German, Italian or French etc. for a few short casual sentences is that it greatly encourages the other person to open up the conversational floodgates. It's like that time in Cinque Terre where I used my best Italian to ask about the next train and had to listen to the entire weekly train schedule in return. I think. Or maybe it was about the weather...

Ah yes, the perils of nailing an accent. I can say "Guten tag" like I grew up in Donauworth, or "Bonjour" like a Parisian. I can also say "Ola" and "Ciao" like natives. Unfortunately that usually results in the other party taking off at 78rpm while I comprehend in a 33rpm world.
I once made the mistake of using flawless Italian to ask at Napoli Centrala for a ticket to Roma. The clerk slammed the shutter down on his window and put up the 'Out to Lunch' sign. The person behind me said I shouldn't have spoken so well as they assumed I was Italian and treated me as such. I was told tourists usually get much more polite treatment!

[mullman]

Ah yes, the perils of nailing an accent. I can say "Guten tag" like I grew up in Donauworth, or "Bonjour" like a Parisian. I can also say "Ola" and "Ciao" like natives. Unfortunately that usually results in the other party taking off at 78rpm while I comprehend in a 33rpm world.


LOL, exactly.
I can read French and German pretty well, but my conversational listening is quite slow while my brain processes. :rofl:
In the past 30 yrs of European travel, I find locals are usually very nice when they see that I am trying and not just insisting on English.

[Buzz_99]

Wife and I travel quite a bit and I always take a black sport jacket. Airplanes, esp window seat on a 767 can be very cold. The wool jacket comes in handy when dining out at dusk when it cools off. It's good camo for an old freak like me, and it just might get one a better table at a restaurant now and then.

I was too amped at the Welt to notice if anyone was checking me out, and now that I'm in my 50s, well, I appreciate any atttention I may get unless it is from the police. But I did notice we got the eye quite often in villages in Germany and the Alsace. I think they are merely inquisitve because saying "Guten tag, frau" generally turned frowns to smiles.

Buzz_99

[Papillo]

Americans simply stick out in Germany.

:rofl::rofl: you could say that again. I did my ED with a friend who is asian (also on ED), i am black. Boy did we stick out like a sore thumb. The some of the stares were curious but quite a few were pretty cold... I had fun there but sure was glad to be back home.

[AirBecks]

We take pride in our ability to be "Laid back" when not working. Apparently we all work SO HARD we need to get into our pajamas to go out.

How many times have you seen adults at the movie theatre in dress shoes and a blazer?

Having worked for a German company and travelling there often, you understand that Europeans as a culture believe they have a responsibility to "create society" and always dress and act responsible in public. Look at any Bavarian town square on a Sunday afternoon. The whole family dresses up for a stroll.

My daughter lived in Brussels for a year, and it changed her dramatically. She's a Junior in College in the US now and ALWAYS dresses up for school.

Have you seen what college kids where to class? I've seen better Pajamas!.... amazing...

On my ED day every Euro national taking delivery were dressed very smartly. Coincidence?

[SusieBelle]

People still find it odd that even though I work from a home office, I still get dressed for work just like I used to when we all drove to the same outside office. That being said, it was a fairly casual environment, but just as I wouldn't dream of wearing my pjs and slippers to the office, I don't do that just because I work from a home office either. I regard it as showing respect, if not for myself, for those around me (even my family!). It also ensures that I get the laundry done regularly! :)

[bimmer_fam]

People still find it odd that even though I work from a home office, I still get dressed for work just like I used to when we all drove to the same outside office. That being said, it was a fairly casual environment, but just as I wouldn't dream of wearing my pjs and slippers to the office, I don't do that just because I work from a home office either. I regard it as showing respect, if not for myself, for those around me (even my family!). It also ensures that I get the laundry done regularly! :)

You must be participating in video conferences from home...:rofl:

[Gig103]

I'm ashamed at all of you 'festers who dressed so casually for such an important day!! ;)

[nahugry]

Judging by the picture you posted OP, you got the looks cause you look like you can be an older brother of your children (you look very young). Who flew from some other continent with siblings to take delivery of your BMW.

[rich8566]

When we (wife, 11 and 1 year old) were at the Welt for our first ED last month ( i still owe festers my report ), I felt we should have dressed a bit better than old navy jean and a polo shirt. Everyone else, probably Europeans, were much older than me and dressed nice. They were staring at us like we don't belong there while I was waiting for signing documents.:confused:
It is because either I took my kids, my race (Asian), European dress code violation, or my age ( i am 35 ).
So we decide to hide in the kids room and eat and enjoy Disney movie in German until my delivery time. My kids were not screaming nor running around in the waiting area, but we were just sitting in sofa innocently and drinking carbonated water uncomfortably ( i didn't know the blue cap was carbonated ones...). I still have no idea why they were looking at us like we came from 100 million light years away.:dunno:

Here is a pic of my kids hiding in the kids room.My 3 kids noticed some stares more than a few times while I was driving my 2007 335 around Germany. I came to the conslusion that were amazed at our US Spec car. :rofl:

[machonachos]

When we (wife, 11 and 1 year old) were at the Welt for our first ED last month ( i still owe festers my report ), I felt we should have dressed a bit better than old navy jean and a polo shirt. Everyone else, probably Europeans, were much older than me and dressed nice. They were staring at us like we don't belong there while I was waiting for signing documents.:confused:
It is because either I took my kids, my race (Asian), European dress code violation, or my age ( i am 35 ).
So we decide to hide in the kids room and eat and enjoy Disney movie in German until my delivery time. My kids were not screaming nor running around in the waiting area, but we were just sitting in sofa innocently and drinking carbonated water uncomfortably ( i didn't know the blue cap was carbonated ones...). I still have no idea why they were looking at us like we came from 100 million light years away.:dunno:

Here is a pic of my kids hiding in the kids room.

I took delivery last year within the 1st 2 weeks of the Welt opening and I will tell you I was treated with top notch customer service. Im asian and 27, so I cant say those factors wouldve made a impact in your experience. On that note, I will say that in most places in Europe treated us well. Which Im sure had to due to the fact that we could have easily been taken as freely spending japanese tourists. Which there are plenty of throughout Europe at any given season.

I saw plenty of kids at the Welt. I do not know if things have changed but the Welt was like the grand opening of Disneyland when I went, it was jammed packed with local families and tourist alike, kids were running around leaving fingerprints on the white E92 M3 and everything.

I dont feel the "always welcoming" German hospitality wouldve be gone now that the dust had settled on the Welt grand opening. But perhaps it dissapated a bit :dunno:

[chaz58]

Sure, there is a dress code at the Welt – even if it is unspoken.

In General, if one wants to be respectful and blend in, you will dress nicely and at least learn ½ dozen words in German.

If you want to be the typical American, you will show up in T-shirt, shorts/jeans with sandals/sneakers. You wont be the first.

Neither one is particularly right or wrong – just depends on whether you want to fit the tourist stereotype or blend in a bit more. The latter shows respect, but isn’t required.

In this particular case, your whole package was unusual (dress, kids, Asian). Its not ‘wrong’, but does make you unique.

[buccsmf1]

was there with my dad and both of were in shorts and t-shirts and didn't really feel out of place. But knowing my dad if anyone would have given him a look he'd certainly say something to them (he is THE arrogant american :) but i love him anyways)