Spotlight :: Copenhagen {Part 2}

[trip style = urban]

As soon as I arrived in Copenhagen, I noticed the bicycles—hundreds of them leaned up against fences, seemingly free from cumbersome locks. I wondered: does no one lock their bike because of the sheer volume of bikes in the city? Have I stumbled upon the safest and friendliest city in the world, where people don't just greet you with a single "Hi" but with a twice-as-nice "Hi hi"?

Upon closer inspection, I noticed a small round lock built into the frame above the rear wheel. This genius device allows Copenhageners to park their bikes anywhere, so it's not uncommon to constantly step around bikes perched on the sidewalk in front of shops.

All their cycling must make the healthy, beautiful and fashion-forward locals hungry, so it's a good thing they live in a city known for its food. Last week I covered where to drink and shop and today I'll recommend what to eat and do. I already can't wait to go back for more than a weekend; perhaps in the winter if only to verify that the Danes really do ride their bikes in the snow like they say they do.

Eat

Copenhagen is the epicenter of New Nordic cuisine, and their most hallowed ground is Noma, recently named the best restaurant in the world for the third consecutive year. At this prix-fixe restaurant, fine dining meets foraging and you have to call months ahead to get a table. If you haven't planned ahead, or reindeer moss and sea urchin toast isn't your thing, try one of the city's other adventurous restaurants—Radio, Relae, Geist, Host—whose chefs often come from Noma.

Trip Styler Tip: Copenhageners eat on the early side, so expect most restaurants to stop serving food between 9-10pm.

Torvehallerne
Try traditional Danish foods like smørrebrød {open-faced sandwiches}, pickled herring and rye bread, or go for modern options like cold-pressed juice, pour-over coffee and a Paleo omelette wrap at Torvehallerne, Copenhagen's vibrant market hall. More than 60 shops and food stands crowd the upscale market complex, made up of modern glass sheds on a cobblestone square. Prefer organic food? You're in the right place; Copenhagen is Europe's largest consumer of organic produce.

Trip Styler Tip: Expect everything to cost 1.5-2x as much as you're accustomed to at home.

Grød
Porridge probably isn't the first food that comes to mind when you think about eating out. But this porridge is less Orange is the New Black and more gourmet comfort food. Their goal is to redefine the concept of porridge and prove that it can be delicious, healthy and cheap. Porridge options include oatmeal with dulce de leche, apple and toasted almond for breakfast; risotto with tomato, parmesan and basil for lunch; and congee with chicken, ginger, peanuts and scallions for dinner. This is the type of restaurant I wish I had in my own neighborhood. Get ready New York—Grød is coming for you in 2015.

Do

Superkilen
A kilometer-long park in Copenhagen's Nørrebro neighbourhood, Superkilen's design was a collaboration between Danish architects Bjarke Ingels Group, art group Superflex and Berlin landscape architects Topotek1. Three zones—red, black and green {shown above}—form the urban park, which was created to unify a socially and ethnically diverse community. This park was the most pleasant surprise of my trip {and only a 10-minute walk from Jaegersborggade, one of the hippest streets in Copenhagen and home to Grød and The Coffee Collective}.

Christianshavn on two wheels
If you're brave enough to ride alongside the locals, rent a bike and cross the bridge from Copenhagen K {downtown} to Christianshavn and begin your cycle tour in "freetown" Christiania, founded in the early 70s as an alternative society with its own set of rules. In an episode of Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown, he called it a "well-established enclave of hippie anarchist squatters [which] sounds about as attractive as being sentenced to life at a Phish concert." Ride past creative ramshackle homes, galleries and world-famous Pusher Street a.k.a. the green light district.

From Christiania, ride along the water to the Copenhagen Opera House, a striking glass and steel building that locals—and apparently architect Henning Larsen himself—call the toaster. Stop at nearby Paper Island for coffee or lunch before finishing at Church of Our Saviour, where for a small fee you can climb 400 steps to its corkscrew spire for the best view in town.

On my next visit, I plan to visit Tivoli, the second-oldest amusement park in the world, which is said to have inspired Walt Disney's vision for Disneyland, as well as Ordrupgaard Museum and Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

Related
Spotlight :: Copenhagen {Part 1}
Jetset Style :: Scandinavia-Inspired Jackets

[images by @heatherlovesit & @graceyvr except top-right torvehallerne images via food republic and bottom-left superkilen image via superflex]

Spotlight :: Copenhagen {Part 1}

[trip style = urban]

Wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen / Friendly old girl of a town
'Neath her tavern light / On this merry night
Let us clink and drink one down
– "Wonderful Copenhagen"

Cocktails and coffee in Copenhagen almost sums up my two-day trip to the Danish capital, where as the lyrics go, I clinked and drank one down. While I'd recommend a few more days to explore, two days were just enough to get a taste and know I'd be back for seconds.

Today I'll cover where to drink and shop and next week I'll recommend what to eat and do. And yes, it involves bicycling, because when in Rome {except in this case Rome feels more like Amsterdam of the North}. In a city of 570,000 people and 650,000 bikes, I wonder if their biking habits contribute to their nation's ranking as the happiest country on earth? It could be the fresh air and exercise, but it could be the cocktails and coffee.
 

Drink

The Union Bar
Head towards the charming yet touristy Nyhavn Street, turn right down a side street and look for an unmarked black door, ring the golden bell above the sign that says "Nordic Fitting Models" and wait to be buzzed in. In this dark, dimly lit speakeasy, innovative and approachable bartenders serve killer cocktails. The prices are steep—about $25 cad—but the drinks are strong and the experience is unforgettable. That is, if you can find it. {Neighborhood: Nyhavn}

Mikkeller Bar
If you like boys with beards or girls with topknots, you will like this bar. If you like neighborhoods formerly known as red light or meatpacking districts, you will like this bar. If you like communal picnic tables and cozy industrial-styled basements, you will like this bar. And if you like imaginative beer dreamed up by a gypsy brewer, you will like this bar. {Neighborhood: Vesterbro or Nørrebro}

The Coffee Collective
My morning coffee fix was satisfied at The Coffee Collective in Nørrebro, on a street occupied by small boutiques, progressive restaurants and cool dads out with their kids. If the sun is shining, sit at a long table outside this compact coffee bar and roaster and enjoy a cortado and vibrant street scene view. {Neighborhood: Nørrebro, Torvehallerne or Frederiksberg}

Den Plettede Gris
You don't have to ask me twice to visit the tiny cafe attached to the workshop of my favorite Danish designer—especially one as eccentrically appealing as Henrik Vibskov. A three-minute bike ride from the Opera House, on an island that's home to a science museum, a food truck hall and several design businesses, Den Plettede Gris is an ideal escape for coffee and a peek into the designer's creative center. {Neighborhood: Paper Island}

Shop

The city's main shopping area centers around Strøget, one of the longest pedestrian streets in the world at over 1 km. Look for department stores, high street chains and design shops on the main drag, and specialty and high end shops on the side streets.

Every good shopper knows you start in the sale section. Don't miss the deals at the Acne Archive outlet store, where I spotted an impressive selection of denim, and the Wood Wood Museum outlet, where I spotted stylish Japanese sneaker collaborations and discounted Common Projects sneakers.

More shops worth your time are the flagships of Danish womenswear brand Ganni and Danish menswear brand Norse Projects, as well as lifestyle concept stores Storm and Normann. Keep an eye out for Danish brands like Rains and Ilse Jacobsen, whose rain jackets and boots will keep you dry in style.

Finally, mentally furnish your dream home with contemporary Danish designs from Hay House. Even if you can't fly home with a sofa, you can pick up a neon geometric tea towel or brass kitchen tool from the gorgeous shop on Strøget. And set aside time to browse the massive Illums Bolighus, purveyor to the Royal Danish Court and temple of modern Scandinavian design.

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

Related
Jetset Style :: Scandinavia-Inspired Jackets
Spotlight :: Copenhagen {Part 2}
Spotlight :: Amsterdam

[images by @heatherlovesit & @graceyvr except union bar via stirred.dk, mikkeller bar via their website, hay house via joelix.com]

Dog Styler: Have Pup Will Travel

[trip style = glamping + luxe + urban + weekend getaway]

In my mini family of 2.5, the .5 is my furry wonderdog, Mr. Nacho King, whom Mr. Trip Styler and I adopted from a Washington State county animal shelter seven years ago. When I found him online I knew we had to be together. When I met him face-to-face it was kismet: I cried and he peed his fur-pants {pictured below}.

I don't talk about "Dog Styler" much on TS, yet he deserves more lip service—just don't get too close, his breath smells like the beach at low tide—as he's one of the most trip styled pups on the block. Case in point: he has more Instagram followers than I do! 

As an important member of the Trip Styler clan, Mr. Nacho King does not stay at home every time we escape the roost. Au contraire; he accompanies us on all local getaways, though he leaves the jumbo jet travel to his parents because he'd rather eat spinach drenched in lemon juice than fly. 

Like a true trip stylin' sidekick, Nacho lives the dream traveling once every two weeks. And while his human owners love a styled stay complete with a cushy bed and a panoramic vista, he prefers a cool bathroom floor to sleep on—Carrara marble, preferably—and hotel staff who dole out dog treats when he glances their way. Bonus points go to dog-friendly accommodations with a bacon or salmon scent wafting toward his nose.   

For some dog-sight into how we've fairly effortlessly incorporated Nacho into our nearby jaunts without sacrificing our regular repertoire of cool hotels, it restaurants and boutique shopping, check out the recent article I wrote in the Expedia Viewfinder chronicling some have-pup-will-travel tips, and our recent road trip to San Francisco.  

PS: Later this week Nacho's tagging along on a beach trek we're taking down the Oregon Coast. Follow along via Instagram: Trip Styler // Mr. Nacho King. 

Nacho's Five-Paw Review Hotels
{penned from his POV}

The Wickaninnish Inn {Tofino, BC}: Because I got my own welcome email, my own après-beach shower station and a resort amenity kit worth its weight in treats.

Four Seasons Resort Whistler: Because the staff—shout-out to my homeboy, Paul {pictured above}—gave me treats every time I walked in their direction.

Painted Boat Resort {Sunshine Coast, BC}: Because it smells like a cocktail of forest and sea, and they let me go stand-up paddleboarding with the humans.

The Alexis Hotel {Seattle, WA}: Because dogs are welcome at the nightly human wine hour, and my presence was announced on a welcome board in the lobby.

Rolling Huts {Mazama, WA}: Because dogs dig glamping. 

Ace Hotel Portland: Because I can eat kibble and sample my parents' Stumptown coffees {I like mochas} in the lobby. That, and my fur really pops against the industrial backdrop.

[photos by @tripstyler]

Tokyo: A Shrine to Sushi

[trip style = food + wine + luxury + urban]

It's rare {get it?} for us to feature one restaurant, let alone an eight-seat sushi bar in a city where the seaweed-wrapped staple is peddled everywhere from conveyer belts to vending machines. Yet, when a chef enchants you beyond your taste buds {and you wish he would become your BFF-slash-personal cook}, you have tell the story. This is the case with Chef Yasuda, the one-man-show behind Sushi Bar Yasuda in Tokyo.

When I was in Japan's most major metro two months ago, I saved myself for Yasuda. Sure, I'd heard of the Michelin-famed Jiro and his equally talented son Takashi, two gents at the helm of Tokyo's most "es-steamed" chefs, but I felt more drawn to Yasuda's approach, choosing to run a small, side-street bar in an effort to semi-retire and focus on the joy of his craft.   

"Tonight, I can make 48 different kids of sushi for you" he tells me when I walk in. "Perfect, we'll go with the omakase menu", meaning 'chef's pick', I tell him {about USD$150 per person}. Who am I to argue with a man whose restaurant is booked weeks in advance, year-round? 

Believing so deeply that much of the world's sushi is done wrong—many sushi chef hopefuls in Japan are placed on rice duty for six-to-seven years before they graduate to cutting fish—he asks every patron "what fish do you hate?" Both Mr. Trip Styler and another sushi groupie at the bar, say "sea urchin." Yasuda's eyes sparkle and he replies, "great, I'll make you a few pieces of sea urchin sushi" intent on demonstrating that when fish is picked and aged right—fresh isn't always best in the sea of sushi—the haters become lovers.   

While Yasuda could have a fancy high street address and a whole team of apprentice chefs dedicated to his teachings, he chooses the simple life. He alone makes trips to the fish market; he alone ages the fish; he alone serves interpretative menus for patrons {with this help of his wife in the front-of-house}.

Dining under Yasuda’s wing is an exercise in stomach stretching and in-depth sushi education. “There are 12,000 types of seaweed in the world, and I use the best in my sushi” he tells me as we’re discussing my meal. Upon further probing I learn he is the only chef in Japan to even attempt use this type of seaweed. {Most shy away from it due to its ultra-finicky and fragile composition.} 

I’m now hooked—on the conversation and my radish-spout handroll—and can’t stop asking questions between bites. I glean chef brews his own soy sauce and concocts his own miso soup. He then tells the guy beside me {who basically traveled to Japan to eat at Yasuda} where to find the best sushi knife in Japan. When you've reached the top of your game, why not share your secrets? 

As if the evening couldn’t get any more interesting, it turns out, the famed rice-and-fish aficionado is buddies with Anthony Bourdain (appearing on the 2013 episode of Parts Unknown: Tokyo), a friendship forged when Yasuda wowed this side of the Pacific at one of New York's most famous sushi restaurants. {Apparently, I was sitting in the same seat as "Tony" when he dined at the restaurant in for the show.}

As the night drew to a close and my appetite alerted me there was no wheelbarrow service to roll me to my hotel, I asked chef if I could take his photo. Instead of standing with his old-faithful sushi knife and a choice cut of fish, he opted for another pose: a Popeye-style bicep flex showing off his massive pipes—seemingly not developed from moulding rice into rolls. Between visits to the fish market and soy sauce brewing, the 54-year-old works out with the gusto of an athlete half his age, and can karate chop like an olympic medalist. And yet, his burly hands craft sushi with the gentle touch of a geisha. 

Related
A Tokyo Coffee Crawl
48 Hours in Tokyo {my article in the Expedia Viewfinder}

[photos by @tripstyler]
 

The Savvy Traveler :: [SEBELL]

[trip style = urban, food + wine, luxe]

This post is written by Trip Styler's Assistant Wayfarer/Editor Heather.

It’s hard to feel at home when you’re bouncing nomadically between Nashville, Los Angeles, Toronto, Vancouver and B.C.’s Interior, but recording artist Sebell is content to call home wherever his suitcase lands. The multi-award winning musician, whose infectious Top 20 hit single Till the Sun Burns Out is playing on radio now, has an EP releasing with Universal Music in the fall. I sat down with him over coffee on a brief stopover in Vancouver to talk travel and bond over our shared affection for Instagram, Scandinavian design and the American South.

1/ Pick your top three trip styles
Trip style = urban, food + wine, luxe
My job tends to keep me in major cities, so for that reason urban is my main trip style. I’m a firm believer in “working vacations” and making even a weekend work trip memorable. That usually means trying out a new restaurant I’ve been following in my Instagram feed or checking out an espresso bar that my serious coffee connoisseur friends are raving about.

I’ve been fortunate enough to experience some pretty luxurious hotels in my travels and that’s something that never gets old. I feel a little like Kevin in Home Alone 2. One time I had a cold and without even a conversation about it, the concierge noticed and sent an assortment of fresh lemon slices and hot teas to my room with a handwritten get-well note. Another time guest services arranged for a hair stylist from a local salon to give me a trim after hours when I couldn’t get a booking in the city and had a televised event the next night. You don’t get that kind of service at a Motel 6.

2/ I can't travel without...
Must-have items
Eye mask {yeah, I’m one of those}, Killspencer Daypack, Aesop Deodorant Spray {a.k.a. the red eye refresher}, Colgate Wisps, D.L. Eyewear Sunglasses, Saturdays NYC trunks {you never know when you’ll find a great pool}, KIND Almond & Coconut Bars and magazines like Inventory, Monocle, GQ, Entrepreneur and Inc.

Apps
UBER, Evernote {it’s where I keep all my frequent flier numbers}, Instagram, VSCO Cam, Hotel Tonight, Mini Piano {it looks useless, but it's an essential if you’re a singer or keyboard player on the road} and Full Fitness {great for keeping up a workout routine}

3/ Memorable travel story?
I was in Nashville one summer a few years back, in town playing a couple shows and getting to know the city. A friend randomly invited me to drive down to Florence, Alabama for a special show with The Civil Wars. It ended up being at designer Billy Reid’s flagship store. The band was on the cusp of breaking and Billy had just won GQ’s “Men’s Designer of the Year” Award. We sat in his studio, surrounded by his mood boards and sketches, everyone was drinking wine out of mason jars, the place was flooded in candlelight and we sat cross-legged on the floor listening to Joy and John Paul perform one of the best acoustic shows I’ve ever witnessed. One of my favorite music – and travel – experiences ever.

4/ Favorite spots in...
Nashville
– Pinewood Social: For the fantastic vibe, coffee, brunch, lunch, dinner, drinks and bowling. Yes bowling. You could literally hang here all day. 
– Patterson House: For a relaxing evening cocktail with friends
– Imogene + Willie: For some handmade Nashville raw denim

Los Angeles
– Larchmont Village Wine, Spirits & Cheese: For the best sandwich on a fresh baguette you’ll ever eat
– Mohawk General Store: For a great selection of men’s and women’s clothing, housewares and magazines
– Baxter Finley Barber & Shop: For a fresh fade and beard trim {and to stock up on Baxter of California products}

Vancouver
– Revolver: For fantastic coffee
– Old Faithful Shop: For Paine’s Cedar Incense, Hot Cakes Cold-Smoked Chocolate Chips and everything else that is good in life
– Ask for Luigi: For weekend brunch {believe the hype}

Toronto
– Pilot Coffee Roasters Tasting Bar: For the “Trust the Barista” special. A little hard to find, but worth it.
– Electric Mud BBQ: For a fresh take on BBQ. You’ll feel like you’re eating at a roadside shack in Texas–a hip roadside shack.
– The Drake General Store: For great wares and fun things you can’t find everywhere else. While you’re at it, check out the Drake Hotel next door and the Drake Underground for great live shows.

5/ You recently did a cross-Canada tour promoting “Till the Sun Burns Out”. What are some of your favorite stops in Canada?
Vancouver, Montreal and the Alberta Rockies. Any chance I get to stay in Banff, Lake Louise or Jasper, I’m in. It’s the Canadian Promiseland as far as I’m concerned.

6/ Destinations on your radar?
– Japan for the architecture and the fashion scene
– Sweden for the culture, design, fashion and music scene
– Palm Springs because it's always a good idea

More Savvy Travelers
Leighann, Work & Play
Jesse, I'm With The Band
Shaun, Packing Like A Rock Star

{If you know anyone who should be featured in our Savvy Traveler series, drop us a line!}

[photo by @chuckdwillis c/o @sebellmusic]