Reykjavík Grapevine - 20.04.2018, Qupperneq 25

Unnsteinn Manuel
Unnsteinn Manuel Stefánsson is a
musician and TV personality who
rose to fame as the frontman of
Retro Stefson. He was also a judge
on the Icelandic version of ‘The
Voice.’ Here’s how he’d spend his
perfect day in Reykjavík.
First thing
First thing I do when I wake up is I go
to Sundhöllin. Sundhöllin is my temple.
I have been going there since I moved
to Iceland in 1995 when I was five
years old. It reopened after renova-
tions a few months back, and now
there’s an outdoor pool. My mental
health starts to blossom in the early
morning sunlight so it is a perfect
spot to start the day.
In the morning
I try to be at my studio, 101derland,
every morning before lunch. After
lunch is when the younger guys get
in, so I try to get all my work done
before lunch. On a perfect day, I
write a song from A to B in these
hours.
For lunch
For lunch, I usually go with the guys
from my studio to Hlemmur or our
local Thai spot Mai Thai. What we eat
depends on the mood of the day.
Normally there are sandwiches, soups
or Mexican at Hlemmur. But if there’s
a reason to celebrate we go to Skál
where our friends Gísli and Fanney
worship the God of Culinary Arts with
their highly original cooking.
In the afternoon
In the afternoon I’d go home for more
songwriting on my own. I like work-
ing at home with headphones in the
kitchen. But on a perfect day, I’d get
in the groove with a group hit-making
session in my studio. It’s very fun to
write pop music with other people.
The other day we had Eva808 on the
beat, Birnir with the lyrics, Auður doing
hooks and myself trying to weave all
this talent together without being in
the way.
For dinner
Me and my girlfriend would go to
Vitabar, our local pub on Vitastígur,
for dinner and a game of chess. That’s
how a perfect evening sounds to me.
Afterwards, we go back to the temple,
Sundhöllin (yes: on a perfect day I go
there twice). This time around is when
I meet some friends and people from
the community and get the lay of the
land.
In the heat of the night
If my brother, Logi Pedro, is DJing at
Prikið I go out to “djammið.” He plays
there once a month, and it’s my favou-
rite club night in Reykjavík. If he’s not
playing, I’d go to Bíó Paradís for some
world cinema, or stay at home, con-
nect the projector, and watch Star Trek
with my love.
Perfect Day
A face of the downtown scene tells us how to spend a perfect day in Reykjavík
Reykjavík Map
Vital Info
Best Of ReykjavíkPlaces We Like
Mar 16th - Apr 06th
In Your
Pocket
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.
t
gpv.is/perf
For more perfect days
Photo: Timothée Lambrecq
Words: Unsteinn Manuel
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