Feeling the spirit of Helsinki, where?
When I visit a city, besides visiting the main tourist attractions, I usually like to see some places that can make me feel the true spirit of the place I'm visiting.
As an example, if you visit Pisa the square of the leaning tower is of course the main attraction but the inhabitants of the city usually go out in other zones, some of them quite far from the common tourist tracks. In Budapest you can find people playing chess at the thermal baths, and so on.
Now I'm planning to visit Helsinki and I'd like some suggestion about what are the places and the activities that most of the inhabitants love. For example: do they gather for picnic in certain areas? Do they have trip to some zones of the city? Is there something that if you see you say "this could be Helsinki and only Helsinki"?
To narrow the question and be a little bit clearer, I'm not speaking about particular events but just common life of the ordinary inhabitants of the city.
Best Answer
Helsinki (and Finland itself) has been characterized by a number wild, free-spirited innovators. Two main sites illustrate this point:
One is the so-called rock church. It was built at the location of a huge rock that no one thought could be moved. The architects were laughed at for "trying." But they didn't MOVE the rock, they carved the church out of the rock itself, using the remainder as a structure, and won their bets. [map]
Thanks to Wikipedia/Wikimedia
A similar exhibit is the Sibelius sculpture "organ pipes." They are "pipes" of all shapes and sizes, carved out in an apparently random fashion, and floating in air. [map]
Thanks to Wikipedia/Wikimedia
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Answer 2
First of all let me say I am not from Helsinki, or even a Fin myself. But I have visited several times.
You mention local people places, here's a Google map I made with some marked spots.
The fortress island to the south is not a place where locals venture much. But I thought I'd still point it out. If you're interested in that sort of thing it might suit your fancy.
The huge ferries going Sweden-Finland arrive in the morning around 08.00 local time and leave 12 hours later. With this knowledge you can follow the stream of tourists to the market or use it to avoid just that. I also bring it up because it is something of a phenomenon to have two such small countries as Finland and Sweden ferry so many people back and forth, it is a very common quick vacation get away for locals on both sides.
All the things on this map are within easy walking distance and can comfortably be visited within half a day. Straying from them is suggested for some great architecture if nothing else. I cannot say much more about where the locals gather up. There is an amusement park, but I've never been there.
Answer 3
When I visit a new city I like to go to a large shopping center and just sit on a bench there - and watch the people passing by. First, I'm more interested in people than places. Secondly, this way I'm not tireing out my feet.
In Helsinki I would go to one of those big department stores or similar. Picking three in the city center, and near to each others, I name Sokos, Forum and Stockmann. (map)
I think people make the city, not the buildings.
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