With the limited amount of Danish that I know, I can only speak in one tense so far. I can only say what I will do instead of what I’ve done or am currently doing. . . useful huh. So I’d really like the title of this post to say “Last weekend I went out on the town.” instead of “This weekend I will go out on the town.” Small technicalities for any of you checking up on my Danish skills.
Last Friday in an effort to explore some new neighborhoods in Copenhagen a few of us figured the best way to get to know a neighborhood is a bar crawl. You know, stop in, say hi, make some friends, order a beer, and move on to the next place. This particular Friday we’ve decided to explore a neighborhood called Nørrebro. A little place where the beers are cheap and the tourists are scarce. In other words, heaven. Five people from my floor and a few others met up at our friend, Kristen’s residence hall in Nørrebro. Here we discussed our game plan. It turned out our game plan was to meet up with some of Kristen’s Danish friends who live in the neighborhood and leave the planning to them. Excellent.
Anyway, we headed out around 10:30 to meet up with our new Danish friends Brian, Morton, Morton, and Morton. (This vaguely reminded me of that Bob Newhart show – “Hi I’m Larry, this is my brother Darryl and this is my other brother Darryl.” Apparently Morton is just a common name and I was not in fact on a sitcom as Bob Newhart didn’t pop out of any corner as the lovable owner of a small B&B. Shoot.) We started at a cozy bar that had a few big booths open and Ella Fitzgerald playing on the juke box. I decided to try out my Danish skills and I tried to order three beers. The bar tender looked confused and then asked me if I really wanted 60 beers. Three = tre. Sixty = tres. Apparently I need to brush up on my pronunciation. After successfully (depending on how you define the word) procuring three beers, one for me and two for other friends, we sat and enjoyed the atmosphere. Thirty minutes later we were on the move to the next destination. Guess I have to learn to soak up the atmosphere and beer more quickly for this evening.
We ventured to three other bars that were quaint and had their own feel and character. A few people decided they were tired and headed home. I decided that since I was out I should continue to see where this night leads me. Kristen, her friend McKelland, my roommate Will, and two Mortons decide to head to another neighborhood, Vesterbro. Sweet two neighborhoods in one night!!! The destination was the Ideal Bar. Literally, that was the name of the place. It was pretty ideal. Good music, cool ambiance, very attractive people (at least in this lighting after four beers). We spent some time here until the Danes we were with got antsy and wanted to go to the Meatpacking District. I figured I should go for the trifecta, so Will and I headed to the Meatpacking District with our hosts.
Now I don’t know too much about New York City’s Meatpacking District (since I’ve only been there once. . . at night. . . to go to a gay bar with friends. . .) but I do know that there isn’t a lot of real “meatpacking” going on down there. I did a bit of research and of the 250 slaughter houses that were in business in 1900, only 35 of them are still operational. The rest of that prime real estate has since been filled with high fashion boutiques, fancy restaurants, exclusive clubs, and trendy bars. Last Friday, when I was asked if I wanted to go to Copenhagen’s Meatpacking District this is the image I conjured up in my mind. Oddly enough our taxi pulled up to a strip of warehouses with refrigerated trucks parked outside. Instead of walking past pricey boutiques and fancy restaurants we strolled through a parking lot with a hint of fish in the air to get to Karriere, a new club built to bolster the development of this area. Inside the club was pretty sheik and the music was good. The crowd was extremely fashionable and lively. Will and I stayed and danced for a bit, until I noticed it was 4 a.m. We decided to call it a night and headed home. We thanked the Mortons for a lovely evening and caught a nice BMW taxi cab.
The night was a success. I’m glad we got out to see other parts of the city. Although it is extremely nice to have so many restaurants, cafes, and pubs close to home. I think we’ll definitely head back to the Meatpacking District, however next time I’ll go with proper expectations and be ready to dodge a refrigerated truck or two. . . All in all it was a good night out. Thanks Mortons, each and every one of you. . .
Go Big or Go Home 