Our hotel was pretty convenient, right in sight of the train station. We had a nice view over the station and a tall tower from the room.
Because we only had this one day, we took the U-Bahn to the other side of town and started walking back.
Hamburg seems a much more modern, working town, with lots of glass and innovative architecture, seemingly more cars but oddly less traffic. There is an interesting juxtaposition of old and new; for example there is a stone building, looks like it is from the 1800s or so, and on top they built two stories of glass condos. As we sat at the take out cafe eating pizza, I tried to imagine what it would be like living in one of those condos.
The old town square area is classic old Europe, with the huge Rathaus (City Hall: I think it is appropriately named. Rat House.) and a covered walkway lined with cafes and stores. It is a small area, so you are soon out of it back into a working city.
The waterfront reminds me of Seattle, the riverbanks lined with brick buildings, and the bridges seem like Pittsburgh. Parts of the town are like San Francisco minus all the traffic, and people are hanging out on the steps, the bridges, the cafes. It's an interesting city. But it is certainly not a "cute" town, like some of the quaint, touristy places. But it is comfortable.
For dinner, I had to have... What else? A hamburg in Hamburg! This reminds me of the time I ate pizza in Pisa.