I moved - sorry, immigrated - to Stockholm end of 2016.
At that time the sensationalist media was reporting on 'no-go zones' - parts of town that even the police were too afraid to go to.
One night I was sitting on the subway when a guy came and sat down opposite a girl, and started telling her he was gonna go check out one of these 'no-go zones'. His destination was östermalm.
"Elegant Östermalm is known for its smart bars and restaurants on Stureplan square, and its cultural venues, such as the Swedish History Museum, displaying Viking weapons. Designer boutiques dot the area near Östermalms Saluhall, a food market known for traditional specialties like gravlax and smoked shrimp. Centered on the imposing National Library of Sweden, tranquil Humlegården park hosts plays in summer."
You can do the same for anywhere. For example Tenderloin:
"Tenderloin in San Francisco is known for its cultural diversity - home to micro-neighborhoods representing the Vietnamese, Thai, Korean, Pakistani, Central Asian, and Yemeni communities. There is a bustling cultural scene with numerous live jazz bars, theaters where bands like The Rolling Stones and Beatles have headlined, and museums highlighting the historical numerous LGBT+ community".
That said, Östermalm didn't feel bad when I visited. I think op is confusing Östermalm and Östberga.
I heard Östermalm correctly - it was a vivid memory and where I worked at the time. Reading about "no-go zones" was fresh in my mind.
I remember thinking "Really? Where the Bentley dealership is?" Good luck finding graffiti there, let alone circumstances rough enough to scare the cops away.
Yea must have been a joke or an actual ignorant tourist. When I was there it seemed the less well off areas tended to be extremely cut off from the rest of Stockholm too.
I made an actual effort to go to Tensta when I was there (it's hard to find good Levantine food in the US) and it definetly felt dislocated. Very much like a purposely created ghetto. Like Visitation Valley and Bayview in San Francisco.
Östermalm is the most bourgeois area in central Stockholm. It’s the kind of place where the weekly supermarket offers are for lobster and caviar instead of chicken breast or potatoes. Certainly not dangerous by any standard. Must’ve been a joke that went over op’s head or a misunderstanding.
I guess it's a joke. Östermalm is very unlikely to be counted as a typical no-go zone. The joke is that every area of town can have weird people after dark
