6.09.2009

reflecting on stockholm



here's a quick run down of my thoughts on stockholm.

food: as for savory, i'd skip it & did. most meals were made at the hostel with theresa. as for the sweet - sign me up! with all of the licorice, jellies & pastries that stockholm had to offer, i've had my sweet tooth satisfied for days. my favorite - salted black licorice gummy. you'll also find many wonderful sidewalk cafes & chocolate shops perfect for people watching & spending a slow afternoon.

accommodations: stay at city backpackers, it was perfect. the facilities were great, free internet & bikes, many tours available, hip cafe upstairs (for the nights you want to stay in without feeling like you're at the hostel) & friendly staff. i was there for 7 nights & dropped a mere $350.

fashion: stockholm has tons of big shopping districts filled with h&m, gina tricott, acne jeans, whyred, fillipa k, face stockholm, pub & othe swedish staples; as well as great neighborhood boutiques & vintage shops - spending your entire trip shopping could easily happen.

it seemed to me that the locals were really well dressed, perfectly put together in a non-flamboyant sort of way; men & woman alike seem to have a natural, classic style. i will say that there is a definite uniform right now - white sneakers (vans, keds, converse, adidas), skinny jeans, layered tops, short jackets (leather or nylon) & scarves. not too different from the states right? other things i noticed were pants with drawstring bottoms (which i loved), hammer pants (ugh), & straight up 80s.

design: i don't need to say too much about this right?! it was incredible. form & function integrated, even the hand soap in restrooms is sexy. from urban planning, interior spaces, products, architecture, wayfinding & signage, stockholm showcases some of most intelligent & careful design.

people: everyone in stockholm was fantastic & helpful, not to mention that most were quite beautiful. even the bartender at the hip local bar was more than happy to give advice & take care of you as if you were a regular.

things to see: between the 80+ museums, intimate & hip neighborhoods, historic landmarks, parks & outlooks, the archipelago & waterways - you could spend some hefty time in stockholm without finding yourself bored.

there is so much more i could write, but how much more can i do right now? not much - time to hit the hay & get rid of this cold so that i can wake up to a proper day in copenhagen.

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