When I travel I prefer to stay in a rented apartment rather than a hotel. While a hotel may feature a central location, an apartment puts you in a lively and living neighborhood like Grünerløkka.

Grünerløkka is a hip and lively neighborhood northeast of the city center. Once a working class neighborhood “Lokka” is now a Bohemian enclave full of cafes, bars, restaurants, and vintage shops.

It was a short walk across Birkelunden Park to the tram stop. The lines 11 and 12 took me to Central Station. The 12 was my lifeline while in Oslo.

The 12 also took me to the ferry terminal for the boat to the Bygdoy Peninsula and the Fram, Kon-Tiki, and Norwegian Folk Museums. If I stayed on the 12 a bit longer, it stopped at the entrance to the sketcher’s paradise: Vigeland Park.

The other bonus of my Grünerløkka apartment was the restaurants, bars, and cafes that were a short stroll from my digs.

One of my favorite places to relax in the afternoons was just a half a block away from my Oslo stay. This is Grünerløkka Brygghus. I loved to sit on the cobblestones enjoying a local cold one as the trams passed by, a few feet from my right elbow. So I did a sketch of it (featured sketch).