Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.07.2013, Blaðsíða 27

Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.07.2013, Blaðsíða 27
ACTIVITIES AND FUN-TIMES Best Pool LAUGARDALSLAUG Oh, we know, we know! Everyone has such strong opinions about their local pool and fights for their sundlaug to the death, so people generally furious and defensive about this category. Through all the myriad opinions and local favouritisms, Laugardalslaug still manages to shine through like a beacon of watery pool good- ness, especially since their exten- sive revamp that’s still in process. This pool literally has it all – fun and games, relaxation and leisure, exer- cise pools, therapeutic hot tubs and sports facilities. This place is so icon- ic, too; a must-go for any visitor. 2012: Laugardalslaug 2011: Neslaug 2010: Laugardalslaug 2009: Laugardalslaug Sundlaugavegur 30 Best Museum THE NATIONAL MUSEUM There are so many curiosities about Icelandic culture, art and history that have been focused on in other museums around town, but this one has neatly condensed it all into one awesome building. We were totally on board to give it this honour as it’s one of those places that kind of blends into the landscape, but when you go for a visit, you remember how fucking cool this country is. The permanent collection is impeccably displayed and is full of hidden gems (look up, look down) and their tempo- rary exhibits are state of the art. Plus, they turned 150 this year! Top THAT! 2012: The National Museum 2011: The National Museum 2010: Þjóðmenningarhúsið Suðurgata 41 Best Gallery I8 GALLERY In terms of the sheer level of success and popularity of a gallery’s artists, i8 is unquestionably leagues beyond the rest. They represent people like Ólafur Elíasson, Ragnar Kjartans- son, Elín Hansdóttir and Sigurður Guðmundsson and consistently display work from top-notch inter- national artists as well. Their space alone is great, being simple, stark and spacious, allowing the exhibitions to be unimpeded by structural bells and whistles. Plus, going to an open- ing there makes you feel so fucking fancy! 2012: i8 Gallery 2011: i8 Gallery 2010: i8 Gallery 2009: Gallery Kling og Bang Tryggvagata 16 Best Place to Spend Time with Kids FJÖLSKYLDU- GARÐURINN (THE FAMILY PARK) Nestled right in the same spot as our Best Place to Cheer Up (The Zoo), is another super uplifting, fun place that is pretty much unbeatable for enter- taining the kiddies. Whether with your own or babysitting someone else’s, this activity park in Laugar- dalur is chock full of fun shit to do: a mega-huge trampoline to bounce on, little go-kart dealies for kids to speed around in, a small rollercoaster for thrills and a generally awesome playground. If your kids aren’t smil- ing when they leave here, you need to take them to the doctor. 2012: Lynghagaróló Playground Múlavegur 2 Best Place to Spend A Rainy Day REYKJAVÍK ART MUSEUM – HAFNARHÚS This was hard to settle on because, obviously, there are a fuckload of rainy days here and “on my couch watching movies!” wasn’t a valid contender (although that is one of our favourites). We had to agree that if you had to be out of a rainy day, you’d want to be dry, have lots to do and maybe be able to get some refresh- ments, all under one roof. Our winner is one of those places that you basi- cally want a minimum of three hours in to take in the vast exhibits and permanent collection by Erró. Mean- while, you can also sit and read about art in their little library or go upstairs for a coffee and light lunch. Bring on the rain! 2012: Bíó Paradís 2011: Bíó Paradís 2010: A hot tub 2009: Borgarbókasafnið Tryggvagata 17 Best Place To Spend A Sunny Day NAUTHÓLSVÍK You probably didn’t come to Iceland to hang out at the beach. You prob- ably would have picked a tropical island if that’s what you were after. That said, Nauthólvík is a pretty awesome beach and it’s probably the best place to spend a sunny day. The water is warm thanks to the hot geothermal water that gets pumped into the ocean and the sand was apparently imported from Morocco. There’s also a great beachfront hot tub there if it’s getting chilly. 2012: Hjartagarðurinn Nauthólsvík Best Biking Tour NAUTHÓLSVÍK – ÁRBÆR The City of Reykjavík is about pour money into maintenance that includes sprucing up streets, bike routes, and public spaces before the year is out. This promises good things for those of who like to get around by bike, as Reykjavík isn’t the most bike- friendly of towns. Still, there are some nice places to go for a ride and one of these is a ride that starts at Nauthóls- vík and takes you into Fossvogsdalur and up to Árbær. It’s basically the same Best Biking Tour as last year, but this one goes even further, up to the swimming pool. It’s a good one. Bring your bathing suit. Even if you don’t top it off with that swim, it’s a pleasant ride mostly along the coast and you hardly ever have to cross any streets. 2012: Nauthólsvík - Fossvogsdalur Nauthólsvík – Árbær NEW: Best Place to go to a Movie BÍÓ PARADÍS Bíó Paradís is hands down the best place to go to a movie. This art house theatre always seems to have some- thing exciting going on with regular festivals all year round. During the summer they have a series called ‘Cool Cuts,’ featuring six Icelandic films show with English subtitles. This summer they are showing ‘White Night Wedding,’ Sigur Rós’ ‘Heima,’ ‘Children of Nature,’ ‘Either Way,’ ‘Backyard,’ and ‘Noi the Albino’ (read a review of this one elsewhere in the issue). The theatre also has a huge room with tables where you can drink coffee or beer and play games or catch the occasional concert. Hverfisgata 54 Best Romantic Walk GRÓTTA There are really few walks as roman- tic as the one to Grótta. An island at the end of Seltjarnarnes, Grótta is easily reachable by foot. As you get further away from downtown Reyk- javík, you won’t have anything to distract you from appreciating each other’s company (save for other romantic couples maybe). DO NOTE: The island is only reachable when the tide is low, so watch your step lest you get trapped by the lighthouse (and wouldn’t that be inconvenient? Being trapped on a beautiful remote island with your lover… hmm…). 2012: Grótta 2011: Grasagarðurinn 2010: Sæbraut 2009: Öskjuhlíð Grótta Best Place To Go For A Jog ÆGISSÍÐA Once again we’ve voted Ægissíða best place to go for a jog. With the ocean on one side and beautiful houses on the other, this coastal path in 107 Reykjavík is hard to beat. If you’re not super hardcore about your workout, you can stop along the way to admire the old fishing station there and read the information placards about the area and its history. And, like we said last year, if you’re feeling really good, you can run all the way to Nauthólsvík and take a dip in the hot tub. See: “Best Place To Spend A Sunny Day.” Runner-up: Laugardalur, with its tree- lined paths and footbridges, is also a good option, especially if it’s a windy day and you don’t like the wind. 2012: Ægissíða 2011: Laugardalur 2010: Laugardalur 2009: Elliðaárdalur Ægissíða Best Place To Enjoy A Zen Moment TJÖRNIN It’s a common saying in zen practice to “keep your mind like calm water.” Since that is exactly what Tjörnin (“The pond”) is (except on some of the most astonishingly windy days), it’s the perfect spot to accept what is and feel relaxed and at peace. Those ducks know what we’re talking about. 2012: Öskjuhlíð 2011: Húsdýragarðurinn 2010: Alþingi 2009: Reykjavík Botanical Gardens Tjörnin NEW: Best Shock-Walk 5:00 IN THE MORNING ON LAUGAVEGUR If you’re looking to be dragged into the throes of both utter disgust and complete amazement, try to stay lucid enough on a weekend night out to catch the revelry of the post-clos- ing time parade on the main drag. A few things we’ve witnessed: people vomiting over their shoulder as they stumble-walk, girls hiking their skirts up and literally pissing in the middle of the sidewalk, two obvious strang- ers approaching and making out with- in 20 seconds, the list goes on. Maybe this is a bit of a no-brainer, but we still think Laugavegur at 5 AM is a sight to behold. Laugavegur Best Place To Cheer Up HÚSDÝRAGARÐURINN Another third time winner, Reyk- javík’s petting zoo is just perfect if you’ve got a terminal case of the blues. There are few things as uplift- ing as watching the baby seal cubs swimming around in their massive pool, or watching those adorable lambs take their first shaky steps on the green meadows. If you’ve got a dark sense of humour, you can also cheer up over the fact that at the end of summer the seal cubs get fed to the foxes, and members of the staff eat the oh-so tender lambs. 2012: Reykjavík’s pond “Tjörnin” 2011: Nauthólsvík 2010: Húsdýragarðurinn 2009: Húsdýragarðurinn Múlavegur 2 Best Place To Read A Book STOFAN If your living room isn’t good enough, Stofan is really the next best thing with its vintage parlour décor, antique furniture that cradles you like a hug, mix-and-match wall hangings and unobtrusive music picked by the warm and lovely staff. It’s the ideal spot to really plow through those last chapters of that novel you can’t put down, whether its by day with their great coffee or by night with their even better whisky selection. Our book-reading, whisky sipping contin- gent gave this one out hands-down. 2012: Stofan Aðalstræti 7 NEW: Best Day Trip from Reykjavík REYKJADALUR Less than an hour’s drive away, the road takes a massive curve down to the southern lowlands and into the geothermal area of Hveragerði. Here is one the closest and easiest places to escape to for a beautiful hike and a swim in a natural hot spring when you reach the end. This incited us to wholeheartedly declare this the best day (or night!) trip, given its proximity, ease and enjoyability. Plus, a bunch of bus companies organise tours now, so it’s as easy to go on your own or by public transport. Reykjadalur NEW: Best People- Watching Spot THE BOOTHS AT HRESSÓ Okay, okay we admit it – we’ve given Hressó a lot of flak over the years! It was mostly about how much Nick- elback they played, but we can’t deny that we kind of love that place. It’s charming and entertaining, and has the unquestionable best spot to spy on passersby in the form of the booths in the window that skirts Austurstræti. Get there early to watch your acquaintances and enemies drag their asses to work (or do the walk of shame), or head there after work to feast on the evening’s brew- ing debauchery. Austurstræti 20 NEW: Best Graveyard to Hangout In HÓLAVALLAGARÐUR CEMETERY Hanging out in cemeteries isn’t just for goths anymore! On a tangent discussion from another best of cate- gory, we suddenly realised that, holy shit, we LOVE hanging out in grave- yards! Especially this one, which is actually full of vitality: plants grow abundantly from the graves creating one of the few places in town with a full canopy. It’s also crawling with neighbourhood cats, who accost people for cuddles and sit on head- stones to lick their butts. Insert some platitude about life and death here! Suðurgata Best Place To Spend A Rainy Day: Reykjavík Art Museum – Hafnarhús 27 The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 9 — 2013
Blaðsíða 1
Blaðsíða 2
Blaðsíða 3
Blaðsíða 4
Blaðsíða 5
Blaðsíða 6
Blaðsíða 7
Blaðsíða 8
Blaðsíða 9
Blaðsíða 10
Blaðsíða 11
Blaðsíða 12
Blaðsíða 13
Blaðsíða 14
Blaðsíða 15
Blaðsíða 16
Blaðsíða 17
Blaðsíða 18
Blaðsíða 19
Blaðsíða 20
Blaðsíða 21
Blaðsíða 22
Blaðsíða 23
Blaðsíða 24
Blaðsíða 25
Blaðsíða 26
Blaðsíða 27
Blaðsíða 28
Blaðsíða 29
Blaðsíða 30
Blaðsíða 31
Blaðsíða 32
Blaðsíða 33
Blaðsíða 34
Blaðsíða 35
Blaðsíða 36
Blaðsíða 37
Blaðsíða 38
Blaðsíða 39
Blaðsíða 40
Blaðsíða 41
Blaðsíða 42
Blaðsíða 43
Blaðsíða 44
Blaðsíða 45
Blaðsíða 46
Blaðsíða 47
Blaðsíða 48
Blaðsíða 49
Blaðsíða 50
Blaðsíða 51
Blaðsíða 52
Blaðsíða 53
Blaðsíða 54
Blaðsíða 55
Blaðsíða 56
Blaðsíða 57
Blaðsíða 58
Blaðsíða 59
Blaðsíða 60
Blaðsíða 61
Blaðsíða 62
Blaðsíða 63
Blaðsíða 64
Blaðsíða 65
Blaðsíða 66
Blaðsíða 67
Blaðsíða 68
Blaðsíða 69
Blaðsíða 70
Blaðsíða 71
Blaðsíða 72

x

Reykjavík Grapevine

Beinir tenglar

Ef þú vilt tengja á þennan titil, vinsamlegast notaðu þessa tengla:

Tengja á þennan titil: Reykjavík Grapevine
https://timarit.is/publication/943

Tengja á þetta tölublað:

Tengja á þessa síðu:

Tengja á þessa grein:

Vinsamlegast ekki tengja beint á myndir eða PDF skjöl á Tímarit.is þar sem slíkar slóðir geta breyst án fyrirvara. Notið slóðirnar hér fyrir ofan til að tengja á vefinn.