For me there is nothing better then having a routine in a foreign city, and my stay in Helsinki really allowed me to do that. Passing (and stopping in at) the Ateneum, Kiasma, Amos Rex or the Glass Palace every day as I made my way to appointments or catching a movie at the Oodi Library cinema was cool. But beyond the many architectural, cultural and culinary delights, the stay helped me discover Helsinki’s true charm: its vibe. I think you could describe the Helsinki vibe as very chill: not rowdy but always exciting. Everywhere else they call it ‘lifestyle’ but here it’s just a way of life. That means, always feeling close to nature; what city can match Helsinki’s access to shoreline, forests, islands and sea all just minutes away from downtown?
Canadian Karen Burshtein visited Helsinki in summer, and published several articles about her stay on Matador Network and Atlas Obscura.
Here follows a short summary of those articles with 4 tips out of her recommendations in Helsinki:
1) Best place for hyperlocal gifts: I love to browse around supermarkets when I am in a foreign city. It's a great window into local culture (one local told me I could tell a lot about the culture by looking at the varieties of berries and dairy in Finnish supermarkets). And they are a great source for inexpensive gifts to take home. But the cool looking packaging is also fun to look at. There are Super K’s all around town and they have a great selection. They also make and sell "Korvapuusti" cinnamon buns which are made in-house each day. I am one of the very few non-Nordic salmiakki fans. I like to stock up on the salty licorice treats when I am in Helsinki. The new food hall at the Stockmann Department Store has a wide variety of salty licorice and other candies, and cans of bear and reindeer meat, if you want to take home something more exotic. Great non-food gifts include tar and birch sauna soaps or other sauna accessories, all of which you can find in their homeware section. But I buy Salmiakki only for myself!
2) Best place to take a picture and take in a picture: Riviera Cinema. This cool retro cinema in Kallio has tons of charm and vintage appeal. It’s intimate: there are only about 50 seats, (some are two-in-one for couples) and you can get a drink at the in-house bar before, or take one into the theater with you. They show first run films. Get there early because you will want to Instagram this cool space first!
3) Best place to explore Helsinki history. One of the great museums in the city is The Helsinki City Museum. They have very cool and interesting exhibits about day-to-day life in Helsinki through the ages. Not just twee stuff but also real life. I think they did an exhibit on homelessness. It’s in a beautiful building in a great location, just a few steps from Senate Square. It’s also next to one of the city’s best cafes, El Fant. And the museum gift shop is a great place to pick up postcards with vintage photos of daily life in Helsinki.
4) Best restaurants to experience Helsinki’s new culinary wave. Helsinki is the food capital to watch now. The local culinary scene has been developing rapidly in recent years and focuses heavily on fresh ingredients, local produce and exciting flavours. Chefs are forever innovating the future of the food culture. Toni Kostian, the Chef of the year 2016 and owner of Restaurant Grön does amazing Finnish modern cooking. At Ultima, Henri Alén is another innovator chef with a star menu. And it's all delicious. Nolla is another restaurant that everybody is talking about: It's a fantastic zero waste eatery restaurant in a beautiful Art Deco building. They are even trying to make beer on zero waste principles. Garden by Olo is the new bistro restaurant. It's sort of hidden, which makes it more fun. It's set in the glassed courtyard of a building not far from its Michelin-star namesake Olo. The space at Garden is beautiful, and what’s on the menu is delicious, and fun. Besides being incredibly talented cooks, they have the future of food and our planet on their minds.
Read her other article on Atlas Obscura here!