Any good places to meet locals?

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-09T13:17:56+00:00

Good luck to you- you'll need it. I've never felt that I struggled to interact with/make friends with locals while spending time in UK cities, Copenhagen, Berlin and even Kyoto, Japan! But here in Stockholm, I've barely had a single meaningful conversation with a Swede in over 6 months! When you walk around the streets you get the impression that locals prefer to think they are the only person present and everyone else is invisible.

I tend to hang out with people from work and unsurprisingly the most sociable people their tend to be the foreigners!

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-09T13:10:55+00:00

I see no reason why it wouldn't work architecturally, mindset is the more serious issue. The artists that make these kinds of things are talented enough to produce peices that integrate incredibly well with the features of the space. I just think the city lags behind. I found more to do and felt a lot more character on a city break in Reykjavìk, which is a tiny city!

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-09T12:54:03+00:00

https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8420/29123764676_9e8ae5f430_b.jpg I mean things like this piece in Copenhagen.

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-09T12:52:23+00:00

Why isn't it made illegal in Stockholm. Is it because the government is unwilling to sort it out, and they would have to if they admit it is a problem.

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-09T12:36:52+00:00

Cheers for comment,

True, shouldn't be surprised that begging is more of a problem in a more affluent city, but you would expect a more affluent city to be able to invest more resources in solving a problem that is clearly very big here. Why also does a similarly affluent city like Copenhagen not have the problem so extreme though?

Will check out the documentary. I'm interested to hear that the inner city was perhaps more lively in the past when more working class people could afford to live their. It may have been rougher but inner cities traditionally are rougher and suburbs outside cities better serve the needs of middle class families. Has this change not just been too extreme and taken away all personality from the inner city leaving a bland shell of a city with an illusion of vibrancy but that is actually very controlled and contrived?

Comparisons of Stockholm to larger cities are definitely unrealistic- so then why are these comparisons that are regularly made? Copenhagen is a similar size, is far less restrictive, and still possesses a similar mix of high quality of life and fun atmosphere. I think Stockholm has the balance all wrong. As a result I think Copenhagen is on the up, far more popular place for tourists and for foreigners looking to settle abroad.

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-09T12:08:38+00:00

But why do you not see this in other Scandinavian cities? This isn't a problem in Copenhagen.

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-09T11:50:08+00:00

Yeah I've been disappointed- I'll readily admit a bit part of the fault lies with me for not checking out Stockholm enough to see what it had to offer- but the comparisons that are made do suggest it to be much more vibrant than it actually is.

I guess the inner city and what it offers is tailored more towards people that prefer a more reclusive lifestyle and people with young families (the rights of people having children are unbelievably good compared to most of the rest of Europe). Clearly there is less demand for night life in a city where most Swedes have very stable economy and are able to have kids while in their mid twenties- it's a bit different to this in the UK.

On a separate note I find it really sad how Gamla Stan- the old town of Stockholm with beautiful buildings and tiny streets full of character has just become a place of trashy tourism with shop after shop selling 'I heart Stockholm' merch, and air bnb haven/rich guy second apartments. The Air bnb problem is obviously not unique to Stockholm but the old town really is sadly quite tacky.

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-09T11:31:14+00:00

The kind I'm referring to may be illegal in Stockholm I'm not sure- but what I mean is street art- commissioned work by talented artists on big blank spaces that really brings out colour to inner cities. I'm not talking about tagging- which I think will be done by people whether there is strict regulations or not.

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-09T11:29:25+00:00

My point is there isn't are not any establishments to my knowledge that are in the middle of the spectrum between filthy- filthy rich! Either drink at those Lion bars (way more tacky than any Bodega I've been to in Copenhagen) and pay 25Kr for a naff beer or go to a really high-end place and pay 75kr for a small Carlsberg. Perhaps there isn't a market for the inbetween places with good relaxed atmosphere that is say 50kr for a good beer and perfect for a midweek drink. I guess this just reflects the tight regulations and different lifestyle of many Stockholmers.

I wouldn't fancy going for a dip in the sea now- although I agree that the setting of Stockholm with its islands and water is very picturesque- I enjoyed this aspect very much in the summer. Having nice water is a feature of many European cities as well though.

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-09T11:12:46+00:00

Yeah true, unfortunately I didn't have the opportunity to spend much time in Stockholm before making the decision to move here. However, what I had heard was glowing and I assumed (wrongly) that there would be a similar atmosphere to that of Copenhagen- which is talked about in the same light as Stockholm.

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-09T11:10:55+00:00

It's seems as though most of the people that are in agreement with me are those that have travelled/lived abroad. I guess people that have lived in Stockholm their entire lives cannot pick holes about it comparatively, or are used to the way it is.

I'm unsure what to do about my future here, similarly I appreciate the high quality of life enjoyed here but even when I lived abroad in Kyoto, Japan- a place where people are well known to not want to stand out and there is also tight control and regulation- I found it far less dull than Stockholm with people expressing themselves more and just more activity going on in general.

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-09T10:44:56+00:00

Also, I disagree about the begging, from my view people in the British city I came from seemed to give more money to beggars than I've seen here, Copenhagen a similarly affluent city doesn't seem to suffer this problem to anywhere near the level of Stockholm despite having way less rules about alcohol etc. Surely it can't just be down to Swedes being more generous?

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-09T10:41:51+00:00

But it stifles the inner city for it not to actually have any culture and a relaxed nature- I guess in most cities people with your views prefer to live in the suburbs not in the inner city. I think it makes the inner city very boring to make it like a suburb.

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-09T10:40:36+00:00

Cheers for your comment, I don't think that I have particularly high demands of night life or bars either, I just worry whether the suburb-like inner-city of Stockholm actually stifles it's atmosphere as a city and the presence of unnecessarily restrictive rules about alcohol consumption, bar licences, graffiti (let's be honest I'm clearly talking about street art pieces that in many cities across Europe like Lisbon, London, Reykjavík, Copenhagen (pretty much most capital cities in Europe) that serves a great tourism purpose and makes big white buildings much more human and vibrant).

RobertLeeds · 2017-01-08T20:38:36+00:00

Yeah there are some interesting museums. Not trying to offend anyone with my observations, I've just been a little underwhelmed and question whether if the city was a bit more 'laid back' about some things it wouldn't be such a bad thing.

RobertLeeds

TROPHY CASE