Berliner born behind the wall. New Yorker to a fault.

Born in East Berlin, Yvonne Vávra had her first encounter with magical chaos when the wall came down opening up a whole new world of bananas, chewing gum, and freedom. It was as if someone had turned on the lights — a feeling she experienced tenfold when she first came to New York. This was it. It was on. She authored the book “111 Gründe New York zu lieben” (111 Reasons to Love New York) and writes for several German magazines. Check out some of her pieces here and on Medium. To release the madness that is her love for New York, she walks its streets voraciously. For hours on end, destinations be damned. She’s the kind of New Yorker who, when faced with sewer steam and urine smell, can't help but feel just a bit sentimental.