Stockholm for Hipsters
We catch up with writer and blogger Adam Groffman to chat about his guide to Stockholm for hipsters.
In 2010, Berlin-based blogger Adam Groffman quit his job as a graphic designer in Boston and traveled around the world for a year. Since 2012, Adam has been living in Europe and blogging about his travel adventures at Travels of Adam. His Hipster City Guides currently feature 12 cities from Bangkok to Brussels, including Stockholm for hipsters.
So we caught up with Adam to chat about his latest guide to Stockholm for hipsters.
Can you provide some background about your Hipster Guides? Why did you start the series?
I’ve been writing my blog, travelsofadam.com for almost 6 years (though I’ve been a blogger ever since writing an embarrassing amount of poetry as a 14-year-old boy in Texas). My blog began as a personal project to learn new skills and stay productive while I was backpacking around the world, after quitting a job in the height of the USA recession. The Hipster City Guides were just a natural evolution for the blog.
When I moved to Berlin, Germany in 2012, I found myself traveling around Europe not for the basic tourist attractions, but to discover the local arts, culture, and nightlife. And because my blog has always been about helping others travel, the city guides were just a way to further connect to other travelers.
The series began with my Berlin guide and I try to add a few more to the collection each year. In November last year, all the guides got an update and a refresh to the design.
Tell us more about your Stockholm Guide.
I wasn’t 100% certain I’d produce a Hipster Guide to Stockholm when I visited last summer, but after the first two days in the city, it was pretty obvious that creating one would be possible. I was staying in Södermalm for the first half of my trip because I was in town for the super-cool Popaganda Festival – read my story – and it was readily apparent that I was in the coolest part of town.
All photos courtesy of Adam Groffman
With my guides, I try to show that it’s possible to travel just like you would be at home. When we visit new destinations as tourists, there’s often this feeling of “foreignness” but that doesn’t always have to exist. It’s possible to travel “like a local” — you just need to know where to go! In my Stockholm Hipster Guide, I’ve put together a carefully curated list of all those places that will help you feel like a local, while still getting that experience as a tourist in Stockholm.
What are your top three hipster tips for Stockholm?
1. Stay in Södermalm! It’s clearly the place to be. It’s a big island, obviously, but there’s such a great variety of things to see and do there. If you stay in the area, you’ll be close enough to all the action.
2. Shop! I always expected the Swedish people to be stylish and trendy, but I felt like a total slob in Stockholm. Luckily the city is swarming with shops—many of them by Swedish designers so it’s quite easy to up the fashion game while in the city. Just bring a credit card.
3. Pick up a copy of the local neighborhood map to SoFo. I had a few other guides to the city, but the SoFo map was easily the only guide I really needed. With restaurant, nightlife and shopping recommendations—it covered all my bases for my weekend in Södermalm.
Where can people get your guides?
My guides are totally free and always available online. I believe in an open internet which is why I give away all my tips and recommendations for free online.
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Adam’s Illustrated Guide to Fika
With the help of his friend Clairkine, they’ve put together an illustrated guide on what you need to know for a proper fika.
Perhaps the strongest culinary tradition in Sweden is the fika. What is fika? It’s the everyday tradition to have coffee and cake each afternoon — something you really have to experience in Sweden because it’s a truly unique experience. Somehow it’s more than most other culture’s “coffee and cake” afternoon traditions! It’s not just about a quick coffee and a sweet treat, but rather you usually spend it meeting with a friend over a leisurely break.…Adam Groffman
Follow Adam on Twitter @travelsofadam for more travel stories and photos as well as tips on Stockholm for Hipsters.
