Kulosaari II

Living on the island of Kulosaari for the past two months has had its pros and cons.  I'm neighbors with the Iranian Embassy and diplomats from many other countries -- a departure from my typical kind of neighbors.  I'm walking distance to Mustikkamaa and the zoo (which I still need to visit), but not walking distance to downtown or work.  There's a casino nearby (which I don't plan on visiting), but no pharmacy, gas station, or shopping center.  The bus stops right across the street from my house and the metro stop is less than a 10 minute walk away, but it's been closed since June 7.  There's a small grocery store for (overpriced) essentials, with a consistently poor selection of bananas.  I can buy stamps at the convenience store, but there's no post office.  The island is beautiful, safe, quiet and there are lots of gorgeous homes with waterfront views.  Unfortunately, mine is not one of them.  And though I'd prefer to live in the heart of downtown, I really can't complain too much about living for free in Helsinki!

Backyard neighbor