Day 9: My brief (5-hr) experience in Helsinki

(Him: Charlie)

"Oh man! Helsinki is freezing! It was sunny and warm a couple hours ago in Tallinn! I’m glad that we are only here for a few hours!"

My first impression of Helsinki is, let’s say, not so impressive. Things are ridiculously pricy and the weather is brutally cold (in May!).

However, by the second hour of our visit in Helsinki, we began to scratch the surface. We began to get to know this funky, vibrant and creative city!

First off, Helsinki is the World Design Capital of 2012. The City organized a lot of activities that showcase designs in many aspects. In general, creativity is ubiquitous – even the McDonald’s restaurant incorporates specially decorated interior and funky looking furnitures.

("Shopping carts" and "aisles" of linen products in a small H&M store.)

Perhaps because of the World Design Capital designation, Helsinki is featured in the May issue of Monocle. After reading the interview with Helsinki’s mayor, I have become deeply moved by the high quality of life in this City. According to Mayor Jussi Pajunen, his tenure in the last 7 years has focused on making Helsinki “fund and functional”. Fun and functional indeed… From World Design Capital to creating an air transit hub linking the world (in fact, Helsinki airport guarantees 35 min transit time), every achievement points towards a bright and prosperous city. The mayor emphasizes the strength of Helsinki is that everyone wants to get involved in making the City a better place. Hard to believe, but it’s not hard to find out why. When the City encourages residents to host dinners for members in the community, instead of worrying about feeding less fortunate people below the poverty line, and when the City is on track to building one sauna facility for every 3 households, instead of worrying about meeting affordable housing needs, the City is on to something great! If the residents are well taken care of, naturally, they would care for others and a strong sense of community would start to form.

To me, this high quality of life makes Helsinki one of the most livable cities, leaving the rest of world catching from behind.