Going to Helsinki
isn't there a Mountain Goats song called that?
anyway i am indeed headed to Finland for a music conference called Is This It...
it's just too warm here in NC in the Spring, needed one more dose of Winter....
if anyone has tips for the Finnish capital city, leave them here!
posted by Mac at 9:19 AM
5 Comments:
Try Frank Zappa - You Can't Do That On Stage Anymore - Vol 2 - The Helsinki Concert.
Great band with killer Zappa solos. One of my favorites.
On a Brazilian note, try Sergio Mendes '65 or Swinger From Rio, I think you can find them on a single disc. Also, Walter Wanderley for some organ bossa lounge stuff. Really nice.
Please visit Chicago soon!
Go in the summer ;-)
My wife and I spent about five days in Helsinki on vacation, and I loved spending time there. It is my favorite city in the world, the public spaces are wonderful. Yet, at the same time, I can't think of anything particular to tell you to do... just enjoy the architecture and squares. It has a wonderful scale. Of course, it is even better when the days are long and the weather warm.
We did go to an indie rock show in a club by the museum, which was notable mostly for being exactly like being at an indie rock club in the US. However, I suppose you've spent enough time in European indie rock clubs to be familiar with that phenomenon.
I have lots of family in and around Helsinki and was just there for two weeks last August (missed REM there by a week).
The city is very walkable so I would recommend just getting out and strolling around. I would swing by Kaivopuisto Park near the harbor, it's surrounded by a nice neighborhood. The daily market (tori) at the main harbor is not to be missed (if open this time of year). The whole area just north of the tori is great for exploring.
Also, the Kiasma modern art museum near the city center is not bad.
Eat lots of ice cream and Fazer chocolates (I'm partial to the Geisha and Marianne varieties).
No "Going to Helsinki." You should get John on that.
Watch Jim Jarmusch's "Night on Earth" then when you get there, get drunk and ride around in a cab all night to conflate reality with art.
Finland, Finland, Finland! The country where I want to be... (Monty Python song; check it out!)
Me and Chris (whom you saw at the 'Chunk show at the Cradle recently) lived in Helsinki for a year when we were kids. If I'd a known you were going to Helsingfors, I'd a told you to...
Go to Kaivopuisto Park and try to find the big rock split in half
Go to the Harbor and check out the cafes and public art gleaming in the sun...
Tour the Fazer chocolate factory...
Walk on the ocean ice if it's still frozen enough.
And marvel at the dark mornings and afternoons though it's not so bad now. Go back in the summer; it's a trip to have it be light at 3 am. Hope you enjoyed!
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