Checking out Puu-Vallila, Helsinki's wooden house district + some biking around the city's parks

Saturday would be my last full day in Helsinki, so I wanted to cover some ground. First thing I did was head out to Puu-Vallila, aka the Wooden House District. It makes a lot 'must see' lists for its distinct history and character. My takeaway after checking it out is that it's cool if you're planning to spend more time up in the broader Vallila area, but not necessarily worth the trek if you're just flying through this particular subslice of Vallila. It's a lazy analogy, but from what I'm reading it sounds like Vallila has vibes like parts of Brooklyn did in the early 2000s (thinking Carroll Gardens up through Williamsburg). It also sounds like coming to Helsinki and spending a long summer weekend focused on Vallila specifically could be fun. For your reference and consideration I'll share a few links from MyHelsinki.

* Up & coming Vallila

* 7 Vallila "must dos"

* 72 hours in Vallila

What I did was take the tram up to spin around Puu-Vallila for maybe 20 minutes before hopping on a City Bike to head back downtown.

For orientation, let's see where Puu-Vallila is within the city. It's a bit north. Again, my apartment is marked by the southern-most heart icon you see in the image below and Puu-Vallila is that red pin up north.

Getting up there was straightforward, but took some time. Two trams, twelve stops, and ~35 minutes.

Another delightfully quiet tram ride. And, fyi, that little blue terminal you see in the pics below is how and where you pay for your ride. Dead simple and convenient.

I hopped off the tram at Vallian kirjasto, just like the app told me to. It's right on the southestern edge of the district, as you can see marked by the red pin in the first image below. Second pic is what I saw when I hopped off this lovely Saturday morning.

I snapped some pics of the perimeter as I looped around to the main area.

Soon enough you get a glimpse of the traditional homes that are the area's calling card.

This green building here is Pikku-Vallila, which appears to be very well reviewed. Perhaps if you were coming just to see Puu-Vallila it would be a good idea to swing through during this pub's limited opening hours and enjoy a pint or coffee on the sidewalk.

Snapped a few more pics that caught my eye. Foilage, solid color facades, bright blue sky. Very nice.

And that was it. As you get out to the nothern point of the neighborhood where Maekelankatu and Sturenkatu intersect you find a generic, wide open intersection. Underscores how Puu-Vallila really is a rather small oasis within the broader Vallila zone.

Rather than tram it back to the center, I decided to get one more ride out of my City Bike pass. Picked one up and generally pointed myself toward the center via the paths along the ... ponds? lakes? ... bodies of water that lie right in the middle of the city on either side of the train tracks that run down into the center of the city. You can see them below in the first image. Following image is my route, kinda, indicated by the darker blue line.

I only snapped a few pics. Again, I was enjoying the ride and didn't want to hop off every 30 seconds to take pictures. But you can get the idea of how it was. Really pleasant.

Altogether that accounted for about 1h 45m ish and it was time for the next stage of the day, which would be a bit of wandering / shopping in the Kammpi area.

Assorted slices from a Friday afternoon exploring Helsinki

My bus back from the Porvoo daytrip dropped me off a little after 3pm. That left me about 3.5 hours before sunset, so I tried to make the most of it with an admittedly loose agenda:

* Walk / bike along the southern edge of the city
* Check out the Old Market Hall
* Pass through that stretch of Bulevardi to pick up something for Judy

The pics and notes below are what I could grab / thought to take. As I was using a City Bike for a decent stretch of this and can't snap and ride simultaneously, I'll just have some of those memories in my head.

First move was to simply start walking south from my apartment in Ullanlinna. Took a few vibe shots of what is a stylish, upscale little area. Enjoyed staying here and would recommend it for sure.

Google tells me my apartment was about a 15-minute walk from Kaivopuisto. Maybe that's right. I was zig-zagging a bit just taking it all in. Could have sworn I had taken more pictures that what I'm seeing in the fotoroll. Might have been distracted just enjoying the day. You'll have to trust me or seek out other pics of that park, but it's beautiful. Great place to enjoy some nature in the city. That is a theme I definitely noticed. Read about it before arriving and experienced it while there.

Pretty sure I picked a City Bike at that location highlighted on the map below (the unmarked heart icon is where my apartment was). This was my first time cashing in on the 10 euro week pass I has secured upon arrival. Little snafu prevented me from using them earlier. But nicely responsive customer service via email helped me figure out my issue and this time I pulled the bike w/o any problems.

It was a beautiful time for a ride. Sunny, clear, crisp. Park was surprisingly empty. But maybe everyone had been out enjoying it earlier and was now getting ready for their evening plans. Or, I guess it was Friday late afternoon. i.e., still working hours for many.

One sight that inspired me to hop off the bike and take a specific foto was the juxtaposition of modern and traditional waterfront homes. These two shots were taken just a couple hundred meters apart from each other. Both pretty great vantage points for enjoying the setting sun over the coastal horizon.

I did want to check out the Old Market Hall, so I doubled back on the bike and headed toward the center of the city. My route is largely what you see in that dark blue line below. First leg south was me walking through the park to the City Bike, then biking along the waterfront before taking it to the center.

Dropped off the bike near Savoy, which is apparently a very nice Finnish restaurant, and the Royal Bank of Scotland, which has an eye-catching exterior.

Also liked the look of this Taito shop that I walked by on the toward the Old Market Hall.

I did not take any pictures inside the Old Market Hall. Did a very quick lap. Looked mostly like food options as other shops had closed earlier. Unsurprisingly, it felt pretty touristy. As I mention in a previous post, if I do make it back to Helsinki --- or if you're heading to Helsinki --- Hakaniemi Market Hall is the one I would want to check out. However, the folks using their boats to merchandise their wares was a nice touch. Nothing I was in the market for. But if you're a more adventurous eater than me (likely 99% of the planet, tbh), then you might spend more time chatting these folks up to learn more about what they had on offer.

Snapped a pic of the Upsenski cathedral standing out there in the sun.

Had to keep it moving as I was working the clock before some of the shops along Bulevardi closed for the evening. I had spotted Chez Marius the day before and wanted to get over there to find something for Judy. Some other window fronts caught my eye along the way. Fasetti is apparently a furniture store. Sure. I just liked that fanciful circus ostrich thing in the window.

Argentinian Embassy has a nice location. I'm sure there are worse postings around the globe.

Couple of general vibe shots. Really liked the feel of this area.

Pieni astiakauppa also jumped out to me. Anything ceramics will get my attention. Did remind me of what we saw in Bolesławiec. I scanned the shelves quickly through the window in case there was an obvious espresso cup I could secure for myself. But I did not go in. Sitting here now I'm kinda wishing I did. But I had other things to take care of.

I did take care of those things at Chez Marius. So, mission accomplished, I hoofed it back to the apartment. Kaisan pitseria which is maybe 50 meters up the street from where I was staying looked great. Snug, cozy. Took the pic before seeing online that the reviews are spectacular. It's a must-visit next time. Wasn't going to step solo into an 8-seat little local joint and ask for spot.

Called to mind Angelina Ristorante in Chicago, which I'm delighted to see is still going strong 28 years after I first spotted it and thought it represented everything I liked about my new city. Understated, authentic, warm.

With that, I retired to the apartment with another prepared meal from K-market and a nice Finnish IPA. Tomorrow would be another full day.