I live in one of the 20 hipster neighborhoods in the world
Where does the word hipster come? I’d say first three letters ”hip” would come from hippie, like kind of boheme style. But then ”ster”? Brings to my mind the cheapest beer in Germany – Stenrnburg, which people call ”Stern”. Also stern means in German ”a star”.
A bohemian star. Makes sence. You are boheme, but in a fashionable way. Shining hippie. Nice and polished.
I live in Kallio, which apparently just got chosen as 14th hipster in the world, according to Skyscanner. These words summarize why my neighborhood is hip: ”Kallio is Helsinki’s brunch central. For example, try out Made in Kallio, a local design shop and also delicious bar, which serves blueberry smoothies on a terrace with chairs on the sidewalk, and the action spills out into the street.”
A view from Kallio
For me Kallio is my home. I don’t see that this place is any hipster than other places. People have been moving here because rent’s were cheaper - before. Actually Kallio used to be pretty dodgy neighborhood, with all the hobo’s and drugas. And we have here one place which is still known as ”Amfetamin square” – Piritori. It’s just upstairs of Sörnäinen metro station. There – still – some dodgy things happen middle of the day. It’s a memory of what Kallio used to be. Kallio used to be place for 2€ beer pints (now they are over 5€!), a place where police was keeping eye all the time, where my friend got stabbed while walking on the street middle of the day, where on sundays you had to walk carefully to not walk on vomit. Therefore there are so many well eaten looking seagulls. ;)
Where Hursti’s free food queue takes part three times a week and which has been issue because ”It’s not making the scenery very welcoming”. And where every second door was Thai-massage place. Or sex shop.
Karhupuisto is the place to get some free vimanin D as sun shines there for hours and hours!
Kallio used to be the part of the city where workers lived in the past. Also our ex Persident, Tarja Halonen (Social Democratic Party), is from. Kallio used to be much working class neighborhood and therefore politically mostly left-minded people were living here. During her President years, Halonen got many comments from being too left-minded. During last president elections not Left party, The NCP or Social Democrats were big in Kallio – it was all about The Green Party. And that tells a lot about the people living in Kallio – we like our city like our country is: green and neat. We want to recycle, we are open minded – most of us stand strong for gay marriages, we want our country to be it’s citizens country. We like it equal, but not in a communistic way. We’re all highly educated, but don’t believe in capitalism. Is this what makes us hipsters?
I think this summarizes Kallio: A nice flower buckett in a beer pint
Actually I got surprised when I noticed most of these Thai-massage places are gone. Now they are vintage stores or arty coffee shops. Now there’s even ”Berlin style kebab-place”. They are trying to make Kallio trendy and hipster place with all these influences coming from Berlin and so, and this might be the reason Skyscanner put a note on Kallio…
But the best thing is the people that live here. The atmosphere in Kallio is welcoming and warm, which you won’t experience in other near neighborhoods, like in Töölö, Punavuori or so…
In Kallio we greet our neighbors. In other parts of this city it’s likely to be rare.
Big music festivals are organised just next to Kallio, in Suvilahti
For me it’s not hipster that this place is. I think this place is something that you won’t find from anywhere else in Finland. And as it’s unique, why it’s categorized as hipster? Because of blueberry smoothies?
You can get a blueberry smoothie from anywhre in Finland. Even from a petrol station in middle of nowhere – I reckon. And the streets of Kallio have always been full of life – even if bars close at 2 am, the party continues in the streets or at someone’s flat. That’s what’s Kallio – a place with limits but where no one cares. Until police comes.
A place for people who want to be free from rules.
Here’s my TOP 5 things in Kallio:
1.Pelmenit Ukrainian restaurant – my alltime favorite!
(Address: Kustaankatu 7, 00500 Helsink)
2. Heinähattu Bar – have a drink with local punks! (Address: Vaasankatu 23, 00500 Helsinki)
3. Karaoke Bar Populus – you just have to experience it. Locals go there for afterparty on Sundays! (Address: Aleksis Kiven Katu 22, 00500 Helsinki)
4. Karhupuisto – where lot’s of people hang during summer days. Also Kallio library is located in Karhupuisto.
5. Walking around in Kallio, but not cycling because Kallio is located on a hill and it’s not actually very pleasant place to ride your bicycle ;)