Why I'm going to Copenhagen alone for 7 days

On Wednesday (the one in 48 hours).

About six months ago, I was itching to make some change in my life.

I was single and going on dates, but nothing was sticking. I felt lucky to have the best friends in the world, but still found myself a little lonely. I was wondering where I would be, what I would be doing in a year from now, five years from now, ten.

I’ve spoken ad nauseam on here about feeling odd and lost at this juncture. 25/26 is a strange age—

I feel weird about turning 26 which is really annoying for everyone older than that to read. It’s true though, this is such a bizarre time where you become more independent and are responsible for more, and everyone around you is on completely different pages. I have friends getting married and texting me about wedding websites, and friends going to group dating dinners and agreeing to last-minute vacations with someone they just met. I have friends buying property and I have friends negotiating with landlords to forgo the $300/month increase for the fourth year in a row. I have friends going to boyfriend’s cousin’s daughter’s graduations and I have friends waking up in neighborhoods we didn’t know existed. I guess this is why Lena Dunham wrote Girls. It just feels extremely weird.

Heat advisory

I just resigned my lease on my 1 bedroom for the third cycle and passed the four-year anniversary of graduating from college. I’ve been in the real world as long as I studied, and it’s the open ocean from here on out. I’ve learned more about myself in the last two years or ~700 days than I did my entire life before that. My therapist admitting to me that I’ve had “a pretty crazy few years!” was the catalyst for a lot of things; writing a book for one, and making myself uncomfortable, second.

Another thing I talk a lot about is how hard it is to sit down and write for fun, on Substack, or the book. Coming out of the winter I was in a creative slump, and it felt like I needed to take drastic measures if I wanted to move the needle at all.

I’ve also worked harder at my job this year than ever before. I’ve only had a real job for four years, so that’s not really saying much, but being in the office every single day, commuting in rain, snow, or shine, hungover or well-rested, while it’s everything I wanted when looking for a job as a Covid-era student, can be super exhausting. I earned every penny of every paycheck, and I wanted to spend it.

So I decided to go on my first (and maybe only) solo trip. I figured there was no other time in my life I would be able to do this, a time where my PTO wasn’t eaten up by weddings, a time where I was single and autonomous, a time where I could explore a new part of the world and go on sort of an Eat, Pray, Love type of adventure. I love London and Paris so I considered both of those for a time being, but there are so many places I haven’t been since I didn’t get to study abroad, that I felt like this would be a good time to try something new, especially since I was the only one who was planning it.

I asked Gemini what the safest place was to solo travel as a young woman was and it told me Dublin or Copenhagen. Right now, as I write this, Dublin sounds pretty great. I could use a week full of 50-60 degree gloomy weather, some light layers, and wool sweaters. Then, when I was booking this, we were fresh out of the harshest winter New York had experienced in decades, and the idea of spending a week of the summer in doom and gloom felt non-conducive. I was also planning on spending the 7 days on a “writer’s retreat” to work on my book, so I wanted to feel inspired and change up my scenery.

So Copenhagen it was. Many of my friends both new and old say it’s their favorite city, my trusted advisor Gemini told me it was very safe for young paranoid gals such as myself, and I had enough Delta miles for a Comfort Plus round trip to be $100. The writing was on the wall. I booked a 1-person AirBnB in Nørrebro from a girl named Liv which felt serendipitous, and the plan was set.

I’m hoping to write a travel journal entry every day that I’m there for you guys to make up for lost time. Everyone will access the last one, but the first six will be for paid subscribers only.

Two years ago, I wasn’t able to walk down the block alone, let alone go to Europe. More on that in the book I’m writing, and maybe here eventually. Since booking this trip, I’ve gotten into my first relationship in nine years, gotten even busier at work, turned 26, and have a whole new set of priorities. Although I’m in a different place than I was in the beginning of the year, this trip is more important to me than ever 48 hours out. I’ve never spent seven consecutive days by myself. I’ve never been on a trip by myself. I’ve never been to Copenhagen, and I’ve never written a book. I have a feeling that I will look back on this time in my life when I’m in my 40s, 60s, 80s, and my kids and their kids will be sick of hearing about it. One could only hope.

I’ve received more recommendations than days to accomplish them, however if there’s anything I must do that you haven’t told me already, feel free to hit my line. I plan on going to the Louisiana Museum, writing, eating bread, swimming, walking, biking, and having one really nice dinner.

This weekend, I had tickets to see the penultimate performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway. I read it in high school and have a strange affinity for great American literature. I have an even stronger affinity for Christopher Abbott. We ate at Jeffrey’s Grocery before, my first time there, if you can believe it, and had a seafood tower that made me feel opulent and rich, and a dry martini that made me feel like Patricia from Southern Charm. I wore my new favorite dress from Favorite Daughter, my Bottega clutch (linked similar here), and my Tabi ballerina mules. Before heading to the theater we tried Birdie’s for dessert, which I did not find very good. 16 Handles reigns supreme in my mind as far as frozen yogurt goes, and I’m not afraid to publish that sentiment.

Death of a Salesman was incredible and exceeded my expectations. I think it’s the best adaptation of a play I’ve ever seen. The performances were quiet incredible, and I felt so lucky being able to see Nathan Lane, Laurie Metcalf, Christoper Abbott, and everyone else in the flesh in front of me, acting out a piece of art over eight decades old, still maintaining so many truths even to this day. I feel even luckier I have a boyfriend who would sit through all 2 hours and 50 minutes of it.

My packing list for Copenhagen is fairly slim. Since I’m not planning on doing much, I kept it as light as possible with lots of layers and different combination possibilities. I’m only bringing one handbag, which for me is a feat. I’ll provide a full and comprehensive breakdown on Wednesday.