KIOSK HELLO

I have had so many types of licorice today that I really feel suuper-duuper-sikk. Been in Helsinki for two fabulous days now going to great stores and watching finns having a great late summer days. Did you know that finnish is completely uncomprehensible, but really beutiful as a language? Whenever they speak to me, I pretend I just didn’t hear them so that they will repeat themselves to me. After letting those spritzy sounds sink in, I sheepishly admit I only speak english. That is not nice of me at all, but I can’t help it. When people don’t hear me, I utter some mock-finnish just because I like it – I like the sounds as much as I like the place. I am hosting a crush on Helsinki in summerdress… /Marco

Here is our route! Getting pretty excited leaving Tuesday morning! Seems like it is going to be great, we have a list of all sorts of things to do, see, people to meet. Finn people have been really supportive, thanks to everyone who has posted info here!

hey! ryan air, your just great, we really like starting our holiday in an airport in the middle of the swedish countryside for 8 hours waiting for a spare part to the plane,  I’m making up t-shirts: “we sat for 8 hours of delay at an airport in sweden thanks to ryan air and all we got was a crummy half a sandwich and a tea.” Meanwhile, guess what, no ryan air staff here to talk to so no one can answer our questions because they “don’t work for ryan air” they work for the airport services, with the weak dollar we aren’t even flying on the cheap, the flight stockholm to marseille rt is costing us $250 each. Welcome to the new economy america! here we are the underdog…low cost flying is bullshit, flying in general is pretty uncool, seems like KIOSK needs to take to the rails, but then again it’s hard to get to europe by train from the usa, crap, anyway, don’t fly ryan air if you want to play it safe

My top 3…

Thielska Galleriet, on Djurgården
http://www.thielska-galleriet.se/

Biological Museum, on Djurgården, amazing dioramas
http://www.biologiskamuseet.com/

Modern Museum on Skeppsholmen, good cafe there too
http://www.modernamuseet.se/index.asp?bhcp=1

I am a little hotel obsessed right now. We did not have a hotel to suggest in Berlin since we stayed with friends, so I asked a girlfriend who recommended Flowers. It looks lovely and I really trust my friends suggestions! If anyone stays there please let me know what you thought!
Alisa

www.flowersberlin.de

Stockholm hotels, is anything inexpensive? Here is a list of suggestions….from top dog to youth hostel

the clarion is nice, good location although not perfect…but a modern “design” hotel (on sodermalm south)
http://www.clarionstockholm.com/default_en-us.asp

hotel rival is very nice and I really like the location, good vibe: (on sodermalm central)

Startsidan

hotel tegnerlunden is less expensive but totally a-ok, very central and on a nice little park, more of a generic hotel, not in the middle of the action but well located
http://www.hoteltegnerlunden.se/eng/tegner.html

There is also a hostel I heard is good, I did not stay in it but I have stayed in hostels in sweden and they are always clean and nice and a good deal
http://www.citybackpackers.se/

recent favorite is the Art Hotel, very central, looks totally acceptable
http://130.242.60.30/rum.html

Next country up is Finland, we are looking for suggestions of Finnish products, everyday things, things you love or things you hate, things you ate. Places to go in the country and in Helsinki, where to sleep, eat and have a drink. Suggestions would be appreciated! Please post them here so everyone can access later! We are going at the middle of August. Thanks! Alisa

thanks Souris for being a great detective! this story is very funny!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/hustlerofculture/618138286/

Word on the street is a well-known childrens store on Wooster between Prince and Spring pays $38,000 a month in rent. What in the world is the world coming to? That’s a decent years salary in most other places. New York is mad, Kiosk Omaha next? Damn…ground-floor retail in New York only allows the big out of town corporations, thank god we are on the second floor, to make that kind of rent we would need to sell approximately 13,000 bubble bags a month! Help!

It got lost in the sauce of the ICFF (new york furniture fair) festivities but we have launched our first book in the KIOSK BOOKS series. Germany is number one. Inside is the German collection and our resources from the trip…where we ate, slept, places we went, suggest to go to in Germany, etc etc… Produced under the gun and self-published at Prince Street Copies (great guys I have been visiting for over 10 years, support your local stores!) in Soho, hand-stamped and numbered, we could only afford to print 160. Next country is Finland, we will be making a book for every country if all goes as planned! Will be posting German resources on this blog as time permits, have to add Stockholm first as friends are traveling there soon!

Update: You can find it here on the site.