Joonas Pesonen
The diversity of districts is what makes Helsinki strong.
Joonas Pesonen, a social media influencer from Korpilahti, Central Finland. The man who lived for a full year in the high-rise hotel at Jätkäsaari, observed Helsinki from a bird's eye view and reported on his life. What does he have to say about his life now?
"I would say that I am a Helsinki native from Korpilahti. I feel I have assimilated into the city extremely well and found a neighbourhood that suits me. The diversity of districts is what makes Helsinki strong. I used to live in Meilahti and then moved to Vallila. They are like two different cities. I also spent a year in Jätkäsaari, but the sea is a foreign element for me. I noticed I started to navigate towards familiarity. Vallila felt like a place I can call home. There is even a street called Päijänteentie as in Päijänne, the lake I grew up beside."
Vallila feels like such a homey district for Pesonen that he has been able to liberate himself to dress and act as he wishes. "I tried to hide my countryside identity earlier and wanted to come across as a Helsinkian. I’ve flipped this around over the years. Now I am a proud countryside person, a railway transplant. We represent 60 percent of the population, so it's actually a strength! Nowadays I sometimes step into my corner shop for breakfast supplies wearing Crocs."
Pesonen never planned to move to Helsinki. It just happened. "I feel like the city has given me more than I expected. My prejudices and the division I felt earlier between countryside and city folks proved meaningless. People are people just the same."
He feels that the best feature in Helsinki is the tolerance towards difference. "There is so much diversity in Helsinki that it is not even diversity anymore. Flow Festival is a good example of this. It's an event where many individuals meet one another, and differences turn into norms. There is also plenty of diversity all around the country, but not in such a density so the experience is different. That is why I don't see a confrontation between Helsinki and the rest of Finland."
The wooden housing district Puu-Vallila is one of my favourite areas in Helsinki. It reminds me of the quaint village mood I know from back home in Korpilahti, like a countryside community in the middle of the big city. There are also high rock formations there that one can climb up and admire a fabulous view over Helsinki. There is spaciousness and room to breathe. Puu-Vallila also has the Helsingin kahvipaahtimo coffee roastery, where I often get a take-away coffee for my walk.
I grew up by Lake Päijänne, and this coffee house named after it always reminds me of home. They have the best carrot cake and cinnamon buns in the city, big ones. The owner throws in a little lime into the cake, it makes it light. And did I already mention that the sweet treats are huge in size?
I really love plants. The Winter Garden is an oasis right in the city. You can enjoy the green scenery anytime of year. Even with its central location and free entry, it is a surprisingly peaceful place. Whenever I visit a new city, I try to always visit the local gardens. I can say from my own experience that the Helsinki Winter Garden compares well on the international scale. A cool place.
I've spent the night in Vallisaari's Nolla cabin twice. The island is a calm and exciting place. Abandoned buildings, rough edges. You can hear the gunshots from the Santahamina garrison while observing the abandoned cannon towers and fortress structures. There are still some areas awaiting demining, so there is a chance that there are some mines still in the ground. The ice cream shop Paja has exceptionally amazing artisanal ice cream. The island is easy to reach, there are frequent ferries and they are affordable.
It is wonderful that there is a spot so near the city centre where people tend to their gardens. I find it very unique that you can do some farming in such a calm atmosphere only six kilometres from the downtown streets. I haven't yet seen such a thing on my travels abroad.
The Abattoir reminds me of zones in Copenhagen or northern Amsterdam. The vibe of a former industrial area. This area is now dotted with restaurants and the citizens have taken it over. You can barbecue and there is often some music playing. The theme parties at B-Side Bar are a classic, you can get into Madonna or Britney Spears for a whole night. I hope we can enjoy that this summer!