Reykjavík Grapevine - 07.04.2017, Side 29
Perfect Day:
A face of the downtown scene tells us how to spend a perfect day in Reykjavík
Reykjavík Map
Vital Info
Places We Like Best Of Reykjavík
April 7 - April 20
In Your
Pocket
Margrét Bjarnadóttir
Choreographer and visual artist
Margrét Bjarnadóttir recently wowed
the audience at Reykjavík City The-
atre with her choreographed piece “No
Tomorrow,” a collaboration with artist
Ragnar Kjartansson which presents
a group of girls dancing ethereally
whilst playing guitar—a part of the
'Fórn'/Sacrifice program. Get to the
theatre by the 9th April to watch its
final performances.
“I live in Vesturbær (on the west side
of Reykjavík) by the seaside and my
studio/office is on the opposite side
of the centre,” said Margrét. “So
my days are usually spent between
those two places.”
First thing in the morning
I wake up. The light is gorgeous and
very still. I make coffee and take it
down to the shore where I sit on a
black rock, drinking my black cof-
fee, looking at the sea and the light
on the mountains which is never
the same. It’s an extreme place that
works as an amplifier
for both beauty and
brutality. I think about
getting a kayak. Once I
finish my coffee, I feel
unusually connected
with myself and the
big picture, so I sit down at the desk
in the living room and write for a
few hours.
For lunch
On the days I’m working at home,
I might go to Kaffihús Vesturbæjar
for their highly addictive tuna tar-
tine. Kaffi Vest is one of those places
that’s opened in my area in the past
few years and simply made it better.
If I’m there for dinner I usually get
the vegan burger.
In the afternoon
I bike to the Marshall House in the
harbour area to look at contem-
porary art. I feel like Reykjavík in-
stantly became 30% better when the
Marshall House opened a few weeks
ago—such an exciting and positive
addition to the city and the cultural
life. I drop by at my friends’ art stu-
dio across the road and just laugh
for about 45 minutes.
I stop at Borðið on Ægisíða 123 to
grab their raspberry cake—some-
thing I get a very regular craving
for. I walk or bike along the seaside
on Ægisíða all the way to Öskjuhlíð,
without having to cross a road. This
is my perfect day, so I’m lying in
the woods in Öskjuhlíð, eating the
raspberry cake, reading poems by
Tomas Tranströmer and writing in
my diary. Damn, this is a good day!
For dinner
Today I’m going to Snaps. It’s just
consistently good, the food and the
atmosphere …The confit du canard …
In the heat of the night
I head to Mengi on Óðinsgata,
which often has interesting con-
certs or performances
in a wonderfully inti-
mate setting. My friend
Kristín Anna is play-
ing songs from her up-
coming album, ‘I must
be the devil’. We feel
so full of spirit after the concert
that we don’t feel like going home.
Someone suggests the “nameless
pizza place” on Hverfisgata for some
cocktails. Then we dance.
Top Picks
Hatari x Andi
Friday, 7 April, 21:00, Hurra, 1.500 kr
Thousand Years of Silence
Sunday, 9 April, 21:00, Mengi, 2.900 kr
Kristín Anna concert
Friday, 14 April, 21:00, Mengi, 2.500 ISK
SHARE: gpv.is/tw04
Venues
The numbers on the right (i.e. E4) tell you
position on the map on the next page
Austur
Austurstræti 7 D3
B5
Bankastræti 5 E4
Bar 11
Hverfisgata 18 E5
Bar Ananas
Klappastígur 28 E5
Bíó Paradís
Hverfisgata 54 E5
Bjarni Fel
Austurstræti 20 E4
Bravó
Laugavegur 22 E5
Boston
Laugavegur 28b E5
Café Rósenberg
Klapparstígur 25 E5
Den Danske Kro
Ingólfsstræti 3 E4
Dillon
Laugavegur 30 E5
Dubliner
Naustin 1-3 D3
Dúfnhólar 10
Hafnarstræti 18 D3
English Pub
Austurstræti 12 D3
Gaukurinn
Tryggvagata 22 D3
Green Room
Lækjargata 6a E4
Hressó
Austurstræti 20 D3
Húrra
Naustin D3
Kex Hostel
Skúlagata 28 E7
Kaffibarinn
Bergstaðastræti 1 E4
Kaffi Vínyl
Hverfisgatur 76 E6
Kaldi Bar
Laugavegur 20b E5
Kiki Queer Bar
Laugavegur 22 E5
Loft
Bankastræti 7 E4
Paloma
Naustin D3
Prikið
Bankastræti 12 E4
Reykjavík Roasters
Kárastígur 1 F5
Stofan Café
Vesturgata 3 D3
Ölsmiðjan
Lækjargata 10 E3
Ölstofan
Vegamótastígur 4 E5
Tivoli bar
Hafnarstræti 4 D3
Museums & Galleries
ART67
Laugavegur 67 F7
Open 09-21
ASÍ Art Gallery
Freyjugata 41 G6
Open Tue-Sun 13-17
Aurora Reykjavík
Grandagarður 2 B1
Open 09-21
Ásgrimur Jónsson
Museum
Bergstaðastræti 74 G4
Mon-Fri through Sep 1
Berg Contemporary
Klapparstígur 16 E5
Tue-F 11-17, Sat 13-17
Better Weather
Window Gallery
Laugavegur 41 E6
The Culture House
Hverfisgata 15
Open daily 10–17 E5
The Einar Jónsson
Museum
Eiriksgata G5
Tue–Sun 14–17
Ekkisens
Bergstaðast. 25b F4
Gallerí List
Skipholt 50A H10
M-F 11-18, Sat 11-16
Hafnarborg
Strandgata 34,
Hafnarfjörður
Hannesarholt
Grundarstígur 10 F4
Hitt Húsið
Pósthússtræti 3-5 D4
Hverfisgallerí
Hverfisgata 4 D4
i8 Gallery
Tryggvagata 16 D3
Tue–Fri 11–17,
Sat 13–17 and by
appointment.
The Penis Museum
Laugavegur 116 F8
Kirsuberjatréð
Vesturgata 4 D3
Mengi
Óðinsgata 2 F5
Mokka Kaffi
Skólavörðustígur 3A E5
The National
Gallery of Iceland
Fríkirkjuvegur 7 F3
Tue–Sun 11–17
The National Museum
Suðurgata 41
Open daily 10–17 G2
The Nordic House
Sturlugata 5 H2
Mon–Sun 11–17
Reykjavík Art Gallery
Skúlagata 30 E7
Tue-Sun 14–18
Reykjavík Art Museum
- Hafnarhús
Tryggvagata 17 D3
Open 10-17, Thu 10-20
Kjarvalsstaðir
Flókagata 24 H8
Open 10-17
Ásmundarsafn
Sigtún
Open 10-17
Reykjavík City Library
Tryggvagata 15 D3
Reykjavík City
Museum -
Árbæjarsafn
Kistuhylur 4
Daily tours at 13
The Settlement
Exhibition
Aðalstræti 17 D3
Open daily 9–20
Reykjavík Maritime
Museum
Grandagarður 8 B2
Open daily 10-17
Reykjavík Museum
of Photography
Tryggvagata 15 D3
Mon-Thu 12–19, Fri
12-18, Sat–Sun 13–17
Saga Museum
Grandagarður 2 B2
Sigurjón Ólafsson
Museum
Laugarnestangi 70
SÍM
Hafnarstræti 16 D3
Mon-Fri 10-16
Sólon Bistro
Bankastræti 7a E4
Mon-Thu 11-23:30
Fri-Sat 11-01, Sun
11-23
Tveir Hrafnar
Baldursgata 12 G4
Thu-Fri 12-17, Sat
13-16
Wind & Weather
Gallery
Hverfisgata 37 E5
Venue Finder
Useful Numbers
Emergency: 112
On-call doctors: 1770
Dental emergency: 575 0505
Taxi: Hreyfill: 588 5522 - BSR: 561 0000
Post Offices
The downtown post office is at
Pósthússtræti 3–5, open Mon–Fri
09:00–18:00.
Pharmacies
Lyf og heilsa, Egilsgata 3, tel: 563 1020
Lyfja, Laugavegur 16, tel: 552 4045
and Lágmúli 5, tel: 533 2300
Opening Hours - Bars & Clubs
Bars can stay open until 01:00 on week-
days and 04:30 on weekends.
Opening Hours - Shops & Banks
Most shops: Mon–Fri 10–18, Sat 10–16,
Sun closed. Banks: Mon-Fri 09-16
Swimming Pools
Sundhöllin, the downtown pool at
Barónsstígur, is an indoor swimming
pool with hot tubs and a diving board.
More pools: gpv.is/swim
Open: Mon-Thu from 06:30–22. Fri from
06:30–20. Sat from 08–16. Sun from 10–18.
Public Toilets
Public toilets in the centre can be found
inside the green-poster covered towers
located at Hlemmur, Ingólfstortorg, by
Hallgrímskirkja, by Reykjavík Art Mu-
seum, Lækjargata and by Eymundsson
on Skólavörðustígur. Toilets can also be
found inside the Reykjavík City Hall and
the Reykjavík Library.
Public Transport
Most buses run every 20–30 min,
Fare:440 ISK adults, 210 ISK children.
Buses run from 07–24:00, and 10–24:00
on weekends. More info at: www.bus.is.
Photo Art Bicnick
t
"Damn, this
is a good
day!"
The viking:info
Skólavörðustíg 3 · Reykjavík
Skólavörðustíg 25 · Reykjavík
Hafnarstræti 104 · Akureyri
e:info@theviking.is
www.theviking.is
TAX FREE
Akureyri
Reykjavík
Great collection,
good prices