Six Things We Love About Stockholm

Sweden's capital is a bounty of great restaurants, striking waterside views, and some of world-class art galleries. Oh, and then there's the shopping... herewith, a list of 6 things permanently on our Stockholm bucket list.

1: Shopping in SoFo
Once a blue-collar neighborhood, now a center for clothing boutiques, design stores, and cafes, SoFo--or South of Folkungagatan in non-abbreviated form--is where the pretty people hang.

Celebrated Swedish labels like Acne and Cheap Monday have outlets here, but more interesting are the independent stores such as Grandpa, which stocks work from Scandinavian designers such as Swedish Collective Uniforms for the Dedicated and Denmark's Norse Projects.

2: Dancing at Patricia
Housed on an old steam ship, Patricia regularly lures hundreds of gay men for a rocking Sunday night dance party - sometimes including foam parties. She's a siren, but not the kind with a post-coital appetite.

3: Art Appreciation at Artipelag
Artipelag, a privately owned gallery (founded by Bjorn Jakobson, of "BabyBjorn" fame) on a bucolic pine-fringed island in the Stockholm archipelago, promotes itself as "a meeting place for art, culture, music, design, and gastronomy." Score on all counts. What more do you need from a world-class city? From now through September 28, Artipelag is showing No Man is an Island, exploring the cultural representation of the archipelago from the 19th century to the present day. Artipelag.se/en

4: Breakfast at American Table Brasserie Red-hot chef Marcus Samuelsson, best known for Harlem's award-winning Red Rooster, offers the best breakfast you'll find in Stockholm.

5. Take in the view at Fotografiska
Stockholm is awash with galleries, but for contemporary photography, Fotografiska is one of the best in the world. Housed in a converted industrial art nouveau factory from 1906, the gallery hosts blockbuster exhibitions and a terrific cafe overlooking the water. Until September 14, you can catch the gallery's blockbuster Sebastiao Salgado exhibition.

6. Aquavit and art make a great combo
The wonderfully eclectic Spritmuseum where drinking (in moderation) is encouraged. Armed with a "manual" containing small vials of flavored aquavit, visitors literally drink their way around the principal exhibition--one room even simulates the effect of a hangover.