Copenhagen, Denmark

Often cited as one of the world’s most livable countries, Denmark seems uniquely poised to stand as an economic and cultural bastion amid today’s global turmoil. The country is a leader in both sustainability–bicycles are the life-blood of Copenhagen’s streets, and the country has plans to be carbon-neutral by 2050–and reliable economic growth in an otherwise lagging euro zone. Its landmark mid-century cultural exports are recently getting a much needed overhaul by innovative Danish filmmakers, musicians, designers and restaurateurs garnering new international acclaim. Denmark it seems, is finally a destination in which Poor Yorick might fancy himself a trendy, international gentleman of jest.

The charm of the capital city itself has only grown as the population has surged. Copenhagen’s adept urban planning has kept the design-conscious urban character intact even as the population has grown–in the fast-growing neighborhood of Nordhavn, for example, city planners have been digging new canals in an effort to re-purpose old industrial zones. Though the city has been long recognized as a hub for expertise in modern design and architecture, Danes have now begun exporting their gastronomical accomplishments (such as Joe & the Juice in London, and Aamann’sin NYC).

In November 2012, as winter bore down on Copenhagen and the sun skimmed its nadir, I spent a day and a half  between travels exploring the urban streets of ‘København’.