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Travel Whim: Kobenhavn, Denmark
I just came back from my first European excursion to Kobenhavn, Denmark and had an amazing time. I spent 8 days touring buildings with architecture students, and saw some of the most beautiful designs. The Danish people live in small spaces (hence, Ikea) and take pride in their modern living spaces. Women hold many of the top jobs- thus marriage and having babies don’t top their to-do list. As a result, the birth rate in Copenhagen is considered “dangerously low.”
The country provides social programs such as free medical care and college tuition. Yes, free tuition, housing and a $1000/month stipend! Danish people don’t seem to worry too much about money, which is probably why they are considered the happiest people in the world. They love to shop, eat at cafes and travel. They appear genuine, less intrusive than Southerners (groan away, its the truth!) and were glad to help if one of us needed directions.
Most importantly, even the immigrant neighborhoods appeared suitable for living. Subsidized housing is required in many of the ritzy condos and apartments and unemployment is only around 1%. Compared to my hometown, Kobenhavn is the Taj Mahal.
LET’S EAT!
I ate, A LOT. Danish food was better than I expected. Smorrebrod (open sandwiches) are delicious! They are often topped with fresh fish, meat, caviar, greens, eggs and even fruit. Some of my other obsessions: Belgian waffles, Turborg beer (in the morning) and almond cake.
Contrary to Ikea’s frozen food section, Scandinavians don’t just eat salty fish and bread. The city has a juxtapose of immigrants from Poland, East Africa, Italy, and China so there were countless dishes to choose from.
Cycling Superhighway
Nearly 55 percent of people in Copenhagen use biking as their means of transportation. The Danish government is big on clean air and green energy using wind power to produce 50% of the country’s energy as a result of global warming; which they started tackling in the 80s. The government discourages driving with high gas prices. It was somewhere around $8 per gallon during my stay but I was only in a car twice- to and from the airport.
But unlike many American cities that don’t accommodate bikers, here cyclists have their own lanes, which include traffic lights at busy intersections and even designated turning lanes. These are necessary because just like in cars- traffic on the bike lanes occur during the early mornings.
IF YOU BUILD IT…
If you are a design buff, than Kobehnhavn is the place to go. Many of the tourists were design and/or architecture students, professors and investors. Some of the biggest name in architecture are Danish, including Bjarke Ingels (BIG), whose designs include the 8 House, a three-dimensional housing block that connects by a continuous walking and bike path from the bottom to the 10th floor. Its amazing to see in person.
View of the 8 House from the top
“An alley of 150 rowhouses stretches through the entire block and twists all the way from street level to the top and down again. Where social life, the spontaneous encounter and neighbor interaction traditionally is restricted to the ground level, the 8 House allows it to expand all the way to the top,” -Bjarke Ingels of the 8 House
I end with a drunk Danish man (or maybe he was just really, really happy) dancing during the Midsummer Eve Festival. No beer glasses were thrown during the making of this clip, although we were told this is common when Danes get drunk.
Web Whims
Boston marathon victim, Jeff Bauman throws the first pitch at a recent Red Sox game at Fenway Park.
Coca Cola is reintroduced in Myanmar with an intricate marketing plan.
Forbes contributor Tim Worstall claims Bangledesh is too poor for to enact safe working conditions so we should all go shopping.
Tyler Perry’s new soap opera drama, The Haves and the Have Nots is popcorn worthy.
Boston marathon victim, Jeff Bauman continues to inspire with his first pitches.
Whim Breaker: My 610 Sq Ft. Space
Decorating on a budget when you’re already cheap requires lots of time and patience. It took me six months to furnish my apartment, considering my move-in boxes only consisted of books, journals and a few dishes. I was practically starting from scratch, so it was important for my new space to feel like home, and I didn’t want to hurry the process. Size was an important factor in the selection process of furniture and accents so naturally, Ikea was my #1 go-to stop. But Ikea can be so overwhelming so I made sure I searched for items online first- via the catalog, Pininterest or Craigslist. When it was time to visit the actual showrooms, I went during non-busy hours- weekdays during the day or later in the evening to avoid the amateurs milling around. Oh, and always check out the As-Is department first. I’ve purchased everything from an extra sofa cover to coffee cups for more than half-off the original price. How I decorated my 610 sq ft., 1 bedroom/1 bath space after the jump:
Ikea’s Blekinge White Karlstad Sofa was a Craigslist find for $100. I searched for months till I found one in decent condition for under $150. It was originally green so I swapped out the removable cover for a white one, and even found extra pieces on clearance. Perfect for fabric rotation in between washes. Its summer so I’m keeping the colors light with bright yellow pillows imprinted with eclectic, white patterns, and gray trim to bring out the rug (Ikea, $27).
A vintage, black and white photograph of my parents is the centerpiece, and makes the room dreamy and romantic (Ikea frame, $15). Any photograph will do. Just make sure its big and in black and white. Office Depot did the print for $10.
It took me three months till I finally purchased a foam mattress. Yes, it had to be foam because well their better and after sleeping on a friend’s rustic couch for two months, I deserved it.
The ottoman was a recent splurge-(Ross, $100) Yes, Ross has items that cost $100. I know, cray. But it doubles as extra seating and storage unit for winter clothes.
Polka-dotted Ralph Lauren sheets (Marshalls, $40) give the room some texture. My minimalist approach to designing makes me shy away from patterns and heavy textures but I take chances when I can. Prior to these, I stuck with all-white, el cheapo sheets, which were incredibly thin and wore out after a single wash. So if you’re going to do better quality on anything in your apartment, let it be the sheets and pillows. A good night’s sleep is priceless.
The Calvin Klein pillows in the back come extra firm, while these jumbo size Cynthia Rowley bean-bag style pillows are used to accent the bedspread (Marshalls, 19.99 each)
I don’t spend much time in my kitchen except to grab more wine but that doesn’t mean I overlooked it in the decorating process. I’m a regular juicer and raw foodie so glass tupperware, a cutting board and easy access to utensils and a dish rack are essential. Ikea has great hanging dish racks and cup holders (originally a plant rack) that I purchased for under $15. The silverware rack was a Target find for $5.
Ah, where all the magic happens. I like a big desk, and the fact that my office is in my living room didn’t stop me from buying one. This one from Ikea ($69) sits pretty in an L-shaped corner of the room where it faces the front door. I’m not a fan of desks facing walls. As a writer, being able to look outside the window for inspiration is essential Sidenote: my home office is always a bit cluttered, but I never feel compelled to tidy it up. Despite its location, it in no way overpowers the room.
The hanging shelves (Ikea, $10 each) are perfect for small spaces like these. I use them for notebooks and journals. And in case you were wondering, those white things that look like blenders are speakers. Don’t worry, I get that all the time. (Amazon, $69).
Its typical for the older apartments in my city to have ugly bathrooms, and mine is no exception. The kiwi green tile doesn’t help the situation so I keep everything white besides a large Leonardo Dicaprio poster hanging over the toilet.
The story: my aunt found it in a thrift store bin for $3 and thought it would look great in my male cousin’s bedroom. He of course, disagreed but when I saw it sitting outside her house awaiting trash day, I couldn’t bear to see it go. Heeey Leo!
Total Cost: $1200
Inspiration: apartmenttherapy.com, PinInterest, Vogue Decor
Sources: Ikea, Marshalls, Target, Craigslist and Amazon
Seanny Georgie of No Eyes
Twenty-eight year old musician, Seanny Georgie of the band No Eyes, is black, punk and lovin’ it. via Facebook
I recently sat down with Seanny Georgie of the trans-techno, shoegaze group, No Eyes, to discuss his life growing up black and punk in America. The 28-year-old comic book fiend and bona-fide punk rocker, hails from New York City, where he lived until he moved to Conyers, Ga. when he was 6-years-old. Georgie, whose family is from Trinidad and Tobago has also lived on the small island, which he says “has the most amazing weather,” and really cheap gas.
“Georgia was actually a culture shock,” he says biting into Cameli’s monster slice pizza. We met at their Little 5 Points location on the rooftop, where the heat was slightly unbearable but Georgie, who was dressed in distressed, skinny jeans didn’t seem to mind. “Obviously, racism exists everywhere you go but when I first moved here it was very obvious.” After moving to Conyers, Georgie recalls him and his brother being the only black kids in school- the norm for many minority youths in suburban towns. Thankfully, he says, he had his family for moral support. “My mom is very open-minded and a huge influence in my life. She was always accepting of what I wanted to do and always encouraged us.“ He adds, “she had to deal with conservative parents who were always like “you have to live this way and everything you do is wrong,” and crap like that. But she was super supportive with us and I am happy for that.”
Seanny Georgie of the band, No Eyes, describes his sound as a mixture of trans-techno, electronic and dark metal; with artists such as Tupac and Rage Against the Machine being major influences. via Facebook
After first being introduced to punk music, courtesy of his big brother’s CD’s (“I used to take them and listen to them in my room),” Georgie began listening to a range of music, from death metal to gangster rap and even Rage Against the Machine, which he laughs about now. “I mean, they were pretty mainstream but I heard them back when I was like 12, and at the time they were the few mainstream bands that were questioning society. “ Punk became Georgie’s haven outside of mainstream culture, which he felt, didn’t openly welcome him being black and “different.” “When you’re the black kid that wears tight pants and doesn’t listen to mainstream stuff, pretty much people label you and look at you different. When I moved to Atlanta, I realized that the culture here is extremely different from what [I experienced], in New York. The people [here] seemed more arrogant and stuck in their ways.” Georgie recalls being a huge hip-hop head up North, where it was more vibrant and accessible, but the South was less welcoming.
It could be why Georgie identifies so much with Todd McFarlane’s, famous comic book superhero, Spawn, who Georgie believes, is the “first and most critically amazing black superhero ever.” Spawn, who is arguably the first mainstream, black superhero, is Al Simmons, a former CIA agent who was murdered and sent to hell where he makes a deal with the creature, Malebolgia, to return to Earth. Over the course of the series, Spawn has superpowers, which he uses to fight evil. “In any other comics you can think of, all the black superheroes were cheesy and had names like “Black Thunder,” but Spawn was just Spawn. “
“Spawn was just Spawn and he was incredible.” Georgie says of one of the first major African-American comic book superheroes. via Spawn.com
Spawn. A fictional comic book character that was black. Maybe not that big of a deal to some but to a young, African-American, punk rocker attempting to live outside of society’s norms- he was the ultimate and necessary badass. “He was McFarlane’s way of going against racism and [promoting] diversity, and I thought that was incredible.”
So outside of superheroes, punk rock and a really cool mom, how does Seanny Georgie continue to stay true to himself? “Easiest thing to do? Don’t put up with other people’s crap. And do lots of drugs.”
He’s kidding.
URBAN WHIM 