There's a seedy underbelly in most American cities - the neighborhood you don't want to be in after dark. If there's one in Stockholm, I couldn't find it. While I was there in September, warm weather added to the utopian vibe. My Swedish friend swore the weather was always nice, but I know that it's dark and cold in winter, and the water that sparkled from all sides would be mostly frozen in a few months. But before all that, I had five perfect days to explore the little islands that make up Sweden's capital city.

Boot Quest

I didn't want to find the scary neighborhood, but I did want the funky 'hood with the great deals. I needed boots.

First I wandered out on the Strandvagen, near my hotel, and as with all cities of a certain size, there were the ubiquitous McDonald's and 7-Elevens, but alas there was also Gucci, and other stores I couldn't afford. I got slightly off the beaten path, and found some pedestrian malls nearby that had much more reasonable wares - clothes, fragrant soaps, shoes, and more. But, no boots for me.

There are ferries, taxis, and a subway system, but I walked. I heard there was more shopping a short walk south of the Strandvagen. After passing H&Ms on every corner, I found another pedestrian mall on Drottningg that had cafes, shops, and lots of souvenir stores for tourists. That's where you can buy the plastic Viking hat with the horns, little wooden horses, and other Swedish treats.

It wasn't until I crossed Gamla Stan into Sodermalm (all little islands), that I eventually found the perfect boots. Think pink. I'd heard that Sodermalm had a neighborhood, a "SoFo," like New York City's SoHo, but while it's South of Houston in New York, here it's South of Folkungagatan. It's not like SoHo, though, it just doesn't feel as much like a happenin' neighborhood than like a regular neighborhood with a few cool spots. Part of this was timing, I did most of my walking around in this part of town late on a weekend afternoon and lots of places were closed already. Another night, I went to SoFo again to try to find somewhere to relax. But the fun places aren't obvious. It reminded me of San Francisco, where it's hard to find the heart of the city. There are lots of cool places, though. They're just tucked away among the quiet streets. I did find Roxy, a most delicious brand new restaurant, and the WC (I assume that stands for something besides "water closet"), a cozy bar. (CONTINUED...)