Great venue! About an hour and 1/2 drive from our house in Niedernhausen, but well worth it…read more My daughter wanted to see a live musical, so... Rocky Horror Show it was. Despite the nose bleed seats, a great view. I seriously don't think there's a bad seat in the house. Whether it's a musical, a play, or a rock concert, I think you'll be pleased with this venue. Parking was even easy... Prost!

Some reviews deserve a context…read more.. The man asked what I wanted to do for my birthday. I do not celebrate birthdays, sometimes I do not even remember it until the last minute. However, I said I would like to see Sade when she goes on tour in 2011 because only Lord knows when she will go on tour again. It's been 10 years since her last tour, and I missed the last one because I was in an inaccessible country at that time. I told him I am not missing her this time. Normal people, who are not crazy, will wait for their favorite artist to come to town (or a nearby town) and see him/her. Not us! We are two crazy guys, we don't do things normally. Instead of waiting for Sade to come to Chicago in August, the man bought me tickets to see her on the exact day of my birth (in May). The only issue: the concert is in Cologne, Germany. Kinda far from Chicago. Not the kind to flinch at such decisions, we hopped on a plane and flew to Cologne (there were other European cities to be visited on the trip, but that is a separate topic). The concert took place at the Lanxess arena, which leads us to the review at hand... Located on the east side of the Rhine, Lanxess arena is a moderately sized venue. It pales in comparison to the huge arenas we have in the US (United Center, Staples Center etc), but this is Europe, things are not as big as the US. They are just well designed and pretty. The acoustics were perfect. Lighting arrangements added an extra punch to the show. We had excellent seats, just a few rows from the stage and the view was spectacular. Sade brought the crowd to their feet swaying in harmony. I have never seen a more sophisticated and classy concert in my life. Vendors selling pretzels and beer, clean bathrooms and orderly crowd made the experience better. This would be a five star concert venue if not for the small projection screens. People in the US have TVs bigger than the screens inside Lanxess. Best birthday ever!

An enjoyable way for both adults and children to while away a day. I thought that the exhibits were…read morevery well done, educational, and engaging for the whole family. For English speakers, there are English language exhibits as well as complimentary audio headsets that can be plugged in at various stations. We listened to stories told from the POV of neanderthals. There were also plenty of tools and hands-on exhibits for kids to play with. The permanent collection included introduction of discovered remains, evolution of bodies and tools, myths and religion, health, and communication, etc. Don't forget to check out the outdoor exhibit, a 5-minute walk away, where neanderthal bones were discovered. Fantastic outdoor playground. Nearest parking lot charges 1.5 euros per hour. Also, check out the lovely Cafe Neanderthal No. 1 nearby for a sweet treat.