tell me about stockholm

[Guest donald petersen]

has anyone been to stockholm or do they live there?

can they explode on me any information about it.

my girlfriend is trying to get me to go with her to visit in june.

is this a good time to go? it seems like if the weather is nice, what's the point in going? i want to be cold if i am going to scandinavia.

her stepmom lives there so i guess we would have a place to stay. i don't like her. she is a super-nationalistic serbian who also thinks she is swedish.

but we would be going for a week, and no offense to anyone who is from there, but that sounds sort of boring. is there much to do?

i would like to take a train or something to oslo and pay homage to rainbow studios. but that's about it on my agenda.

i think i might pass on this trip.

anyone?

[Johnny E]

It's a psychological response sometimes seen in an abducted hostage, in which the hostage exhibits loyalty to the hostage-taker, in spite of the danger (or at least risk) in which the hostage has been placed. Stockholm is also sometimes discussed in reference to other situations with similar tensions, such as battered person syndrome, rape cases, child abuse cases, and bride kidnapping.

[Johnny E]

It's a CD which contains five excellent performances by the John Coltrane Quartet from two occasions when drummer Roy Haynes filled in for Elvin Jones. Although Haynes had a different approach on the drums than Jones, he fit in perfectly with the group, stimulating Coltrane to play brilliantly throughout these two sessions.

[Chuck Nessa]

For crying out loud, GO!

You could go to Oslo and sit in on an ECM recording session. You might be able to take Aric with you.

[Lush Life]

For crying out loud, GO!

You could go to Oslo and sit in on an ECM recording session. You might be able to take Aric with you.

I agree.

Stockholm is a beautiful city. The Old Town section is just delightful. You aren't being asked to live there, just go for a week. Life is too short to miss the chance to see the world.

[sal]

I've heard wonderful things about it from people I know who have been there. I'd go if I was you!

[Dig'Em]

Memories of Stockholm:

Winter: Cold.

Summer: Almost as cold.

Winter: Dark

Summer: "Would someone please turn out the lights?"

All year: "You want How much for a slice of pizza? No, not the whole pizza... Uh huh. I see."

I stayed in a boatel (boat/hotel). It was all I could afford.

I liked Norway too. Oslo, Bergen, and many small cities.

Don't fight it. Go with the floe.

[Dig'Em]

Oh, and as for kinda boring...

I'd say kinda not exciting. There are places to drink and dance. And listen to jazz. But it's not New York or even London. So, if you don't like beautiful women...

[catesta]

You might be able to take Aric with you.

hehe

[Aggie87]

Don't fight it. Go with the floe.

If you're going to make the effort to go to Oslo, it's definitely worth staying on the train all the way to Bergen. Some of THE most beautiful country you will ever see in your life is the fjords between Oslo & Bergen.

[Guest donald petersen]

aggie-thank you. that looks cool. that is what i would be going for. the stuff that looks like ECM album covers!

[Dig'Em]

Don't fight it. Go with the floe.

If you're going to make the effort to go to Oslo, it's definitely worth staying on the train all the way to Bergen. Some of THE most beautiful country you will ever see in your life is the fjords between Oslo & Bergen.

Yes, definitely. Train. Boat/ferry too. The Norweigan government/tourist board/something offers packages consisting of bus/train/ferry outings. Short, long, multi-destination. Reasonably priced, by Norway standards. Definitely worth doing. "Norway in a Nutshell" it's called. Easy to book in Oslo or in advance.

Dig: http://www.raileurope.com/us/rail/passes/norway_nutshell.htm

Also cool: if you haven't been at Northern latitudes in the mid-summer before, it's a trip. Daylight 23 hours a day (give or take).

[Jim Alfredson]

I can't imagine why you'd even be debating this?

[rockefeller center]

There's plenty of stuff to do in Sweden. For example:

[brownie]

If you're in Stockholm for a week, take time to visit the wreckage of the Wasa ship on one of the central islands of the city:

Not much a fan of this type of boats but the presentation of this one is really stupendous.

That's the ship which sank in the Stockholm harbour during its maiden voyage in 1625. It was brought to the surface in 1960! and was fished out of the muddy waters 335 years later.

[sidewinder]

Looks like I'll be in Stockholm for the rest of this week . Anyone have any gig or (affordable) jazz vinyl outlet recommendations?

[Christiern]

I second Brownie's old suggestion, the Vasa ship is a must, you won't find anything like it anywhere else—not even in England.

I picked up a beautiful book there...

Also, try to visit the Drottningholm Court Theatre. It is 250 years old and remarkably intact, even still used from time to time. I know that you are visiting from a country of great antiquity, but there is something very special about this place (which served for many years as a storage place, in essence, hiding the theatre beneath).

[sidewinder]

Thanks for the suggestions, Chris. Unfortunately the daytimes will be occupied with work and the only sight-seeing I can do will be at night. I guess I will have to make a return trip to see these sights !

[BruceH]

I'd jump at the chance to go there.

(With or without the syndrome.)

[gnhrtg]

Beautiful town. I've been there three times and already making plans for another visit before 2010.

For live music (jazz, mostly free-jazz) and food that is not at all bad: http://www.glennmillercafe.com/

Looks like you just missed The Electrics (on the 27th) and though I know nothing about the bands scheduled to play for the rest of the week, I would go for the atmosphere and the food. Beware, food is not cheap - but not much in Stockholm is.

You probably have been to the Modern Museum and the other one (is it their National Museum?) that is nearby. The walk there from the center/downtown is quite pleasant, especially if you can take some time to walk around the Old Town.

For affordable LP's, i really do not know. One nice (but generally expensive) shop is Harald Hult's. The record label is called Blue Tower and so is the store, I think. I've been there a number of times but cannot recall if the store has a different name. They do not open before noon. I'm sorry but I cannot find its address at the moment, though I heard they have moved recently anyway. There are a number of other second-hand music stores in the vicinity (of where the store used to be, though his is the only vinyl specialist I can think of). I'm blanking out on the name of the metro station and the street name but hopefully someone will tell you.

Salmon sushi is good in general, and relatively cheap for good sushi and there are lots of nice cafes if you have the time to walk around.

Edited October 29, 2008 by gnhrtg

[AllenLowe]

I was there about 15 years ago, though I passed through only briefly - only thing I remember is that there were more McDonald's than in any other city I've been in - strange....

[A Lark Ascending]

Another vote for the Vasa - despite being a history teacher I'm not a great one for museums. This one held me fascinated. Seems to be open till 8 pm on a Wednesday.

Don't know about vinyl, but I recall a couple of good CD shops in the rather Stalinist square in the centre where the main underground station lies (its on a couple of levels so you might have to look. One was inside a major department store (Ahlens?).

There was also a small but packed shop near the opera house, not far from the square.

And if you want something to read, now's the time to start Henning Mankell's wonderful Wallender detective series - about to be serialised over here on the TV with Kenneth Branagh in the leading role (there's been a long running German version). Swedish bookshops are full of English language titles.

[Daniel A]

Sent you a PM, Sidewinder (though I don't know if you'll be able to check it from here - Stockholm, that is).

For affordable LP's, i really do not know. One nice (but generally expensive) shop is Harald Hult's. The record label is called Blue Tower and so is the store, I think. I've been there a number of times but cannot recall if the store has a different name. They do not open before noon. I'm sorry but I cannot find its address at the moment, though I heard they have moved recently anyway. There are a number of other second-hand music stores in the vicinity (of where the store used to be, though his is the only vinyl specialist I can think of). I'm blanking out on the name of the metro station and the street name but hopefully someone will tell you.

Harald's shop - "Andra Jazz" - is probably the best in Scandinavia for jazz LPs. Current location: Rödabergsgatan 9 (Nearest subway station: S:t Eriksplan). The shop is usually open around 2-6.30 p.m. Mon-Fri, a bit earlier on Sat.

Don't know about vinyl, but I recall a couple of good CD shops in the rather Stalinist square in the centre where the main underground station lies (its on a couple of levels so you might have to look. One was inside a major department store (Ahlens?).

The records shop at the so-called Stalinist square ("Sergels torg") is - like every other shop of that kind - useless these days. It's practically impossible to buy new CDs anywhere in Sweden except on the internet. Second hand shops have been reduced to half during the last 10 years; those surviving most often also sell DVDs. If you're looking for jazz, second hand shops are the only choice. You might also want to check out "Cosmo's Factory", Upplandsgatan 47, Subway Odenplan.

[sidewinder]

Thanks Folks - I had a tortuous journey via Paris (original transit point Amsterdam was fog-bound) and it turned out there was fog in Paris too so landing at CDG Airport in an ATR-42 in bad fog was a bit nerve-racking to say the least. Time is against me I think so I'll probably kick the vinyl shops on the head. This is a real nice place though - will have to come back and see it properly next time. Great flight last night over the coastal areas of Denmark and Sweden.

By the way - it's warmer here than it is in England !

Great that Daniel has touched base - looks like a beer or two and some music tonight.

Edited October 30, 2008 by sidewinder

[Aggie87]

Great that Daniel has touched base - looks like a beer or two and some music tonight.

Enjoy the beer and company, both of you!