Geneva, cooler than you think

When I speak about Geneva to virtually anyone outside the private banking and jewellery crowd, I hear one word : BORING. How wrong could they be; granted it's not London or New York, but Geneva has quite a lot to offer -and that is for the non jetsetting crowd. Apart from the food, astonishing (it is harder to get a bad meal in Geneva than in Milan or Paris !) the music scene gest this city going way far beyond a provincial status. The squat area calle l'Artamis, a stone's throw away from the world's richiest banks, has a few bars a an indie-cinema that's far more alternative than Copenhagen's Christiana. Set in a huge parking lot, the space, spread out over 200 m is filled with graphitia, burnt cars and hidden reggae and electro bars. A couple blocks away is l'Usine, a cultural centre hosting two clubs, one bar open practically 24/7 that ressembles a hip bar in Prague or Budapest, and a few other areas I don't know about. Naturally all the local deals about around that area, and anytime of day of night you're bound to get whatever you're looking for. Other than these two concentrated areas you find a few bars. Around the Université district, le Calamar sets the pace with great hamburgers and loungy bar; the café Bizarre, right behind the fancy Mandarin hotel is one of those bars you'd like to have in every city : cool, unpretentions, cheap and with the fussball table in the back beergarden. For the more upmarked crowd, the Shakers, Palladium of Java will satisfy those tastes. All in all, at least one good party, every night of the weel .