Reykjavík Grapevine - júl. 2021, Blaðsíða 15

Dance, jive & have the time of your life
Alda Karen Hjaltalín
Alda Karen is a writer and speaker
who you might know for her cel-
ebrated Life Masterclass series and
her best selling book ‘Lífsbiblían’.
Here’s her perfect day!
Note: It’s my Perfect Day, and so I have
in my possession a space age tele-
portation device that allows me to
travel to all my favourite places—my
hometown Akureyri, New York City,
where I live, and Los Angeles, where
I will be moving to next year—in but
a moment.
Dopamine systems go
My Perfect Day would definitely start
in LA with a workout on the beach
with some of my friends. We’d get
our blood pumping to get our dopa-
mine systems working for the day
and we’d end the workout by running
into the ocean.
Then, it’s time to pop over to New
York City for brunch because no
one does brunch like New Yorkers
do brunch. My favourite restaurant
at the moment is Ladybird; we’d get
four vegan tapas dishes together.
There’s something about sharing
food while you talk philosophy and
contemplate life with your best
friends... Which always happens to
include a lot of bottomless mimosas,
of course.
Grandma knows best
After brunch, I’d go do a lecture,
where I talk to people about this
weird but fun life experience we’re
having together. Isn’t it insane how
we are all so concerned about life
being short when it’s actually the lon-
gest thing you will ever do?
Then I’d head to Akureyri to have
some co!ee with the family at Barr
Kaffihús in Hof. I’d definitely take
some time to have a one-on-one
with my grandma—that woman’s got
some kick-ass life advice. I’ll give you
a taste: Watch out for your thoughts
when you’re alone and watch out
for your behaviour when you’re in a
group. A"er giving grandma and my
parents a big old family hug, I take my
cousins out on the golf course and
whoop their ass on the green eagle
wise at !verá Golf Course. (Golf peeps
will know what I’m talking about.)
It’s been a big day already, so then
I’d take a little break to read by the
harbour in Akureyri with my feet in
the ocean. Right now I’m reading
Poetics by Aristotle and I’m loving it.
The Greeks really knew what was up
didn’t they?
I’m very inspired now so it’s off
to a soccer practice in Akureyri at
Boginn with FC Smice—we were once
sponsored by Smirno! and decided
to keep the “smice” name but that’s
a long story, even longer than the
story behind “Fearcity” the name of
my soccer club in NYC, which involves
some ex-cons, but I don’t think they’d
want me talking about them in an
Icelandic paper—my team, where I’m
a midfielder.
Bringing balance to the night
A"er I’m all fresh a"er practise, I’d
teleport all my friends from LA and
Reykjavík over to NYC to Riis Park
Beach for a beach barbeque. I’d
play some more soccer while other
friends had a few games of beach
volleyball. Then we’d watch the sun-
set together and talk about the
beauty that is life and friendship.
At the end of the night, I’d have
a movie night watching all the Star
Wars prequels with my surprise
guests, Abraham Hicks, Brené Brown,
Gloria Steinem, Julia Roberts, Mark
Manson and Alan Watts and talk
about human behavior and how R2D2
is actually the best thing to ever hap-
pen to the universe.
Perfect Day
Vital Info
Reykjavík Map Best Of ReykjavíkPlaces We Like
July 2nd — Au#ust 6th
In Your Pocket
Venues
The numbers (i.e. E4) tell you the position
on the map on the next page. The letter
is the row, the number is the column.
Austur
Austurstræti 7 D3
American Bar
Austurstræti 8 D3
Bíó Paradís
Hverfisgata 54 E5
Bravó
Laugavegur 22 E5
Dillon
Laugavegur 30 E5
Dubliner
Naustin 1-3 D3
English Pub
Austurstræti 12 D3
Gaukurinn
Tryggvagata 22 D3
Hard Rock Café
Lækjargata 2a D3
I"nó
Vonarstræti 3 E3
Kex Hostel
Skúlagata 28 E7
Kaffibarinn
Bergsta$astræti 1 E4
Kiki Queer Bar
Laugavegur 22 E5
Loft
Bankastræti 7 E4
Mengi
Ó$insgata 2 F5
Nordic House
Sturlagata 5 H2
Ölsmi"jan
Lækjargata 10 E3
Paloma
Naustin D3
Priki"
Bankastræti 12 E4
R6013
Ingólfsstræti 20 E4
Röntgen
Hverfisgata 12 E5
Reykjavík Roasters
Kárastígur 1 F5
Tjarnarbíó
Tjarnargata 12 E3
Museums & Galleries
ART67
Laugavegur 67 F7
Open daily 9-21
Ásmundarsalur
Freyjugata 41 G6
Open Tue-Sun 8-17
Aurora Reykjavík
Grandagar$ur 2 B1
Open 09-21
Ásgrímur Jónsson
Museum
Bergsta$astr. 74 G4
July 8-Sep 1, Mon-Fri
Berg Contemporary
Klapparstígur 16 E5
Tu-F 11-17, Sat 13-17
The Culture House
Hverfisgata 15 E5
Open daily 10–17
The Einar Jónsson
Museum
Eiriksgata G5
Open Tue–Sun 10–17
Exxistenz
Bergsta$ast. 25b F4
Gallerí List
Skipholt 50A H10
M-F 11-18, Sat 11-16
Hafnarborg
Strandgata 34, 220
Open Wed-Mon 12-17
Hverfisgallerí
Hverfisgata 4 D4
Tu-Fri 13-17, Sat 14-17
i8 Gallery
Tryggvagata 16 D3
Tu-Fri 11-18, Sat 13-17
The Penis Museum
Kalkofnsvegur 2 D4
Open daily 10-18
Kirsuberjatré"
Vesturgata 4 D3
M-F 10-18, Sat-Sun
10-17
Kling & Bang
Grandagar$ur 20 A4
W-Sun 14-18, Th 12-21
Living Art Museum
Granadar$ur 20 A4
T-Sun 12-18, Th 12-21
Mokka Kaffi
Skólavör$ustíg. 3A E5
Open daily 9-18:30
Museum of Design
and Applied Art
Gar$atorg 1
Open Tu-Sun 12-17
The National
Gallery of Iceland
Fríkirkjuvegur 7 F3
Open daily 10–17
The National
Museum
Su$urgata 41 G2
Open daily 10–17
The Nordic House
Sturlugata 5 H2
Thu-Tu 11-17, W 11-20
Hafnarhús
Tryggvagata 17 D3
Open 10-17, Thu 10-22
Kjarvalssta"ir
Flókagata 24 H8
Open daily 10-17
Ásmundarsafn
Sigtún
Open daily 10-17
Reykjavík City Library
Tryggvagata 15 D3
Mon-Thu 10-19, Fri 11-
18, Sat-Sun 13-17
Árbæjarsafn
Kistuhylur 4
Open daily 13-17
The Settlement
Exhibition
A$alstræti 16 D3
Open daily 9-18
Reykjavík Museum
of Photography
Tryggvagata 15 D3
Mon-Thu 10-18, Fri 11-
18, Sat-Sun 13-18
Saga Museum
Grandagar$ur 2 B2
Open daily 10-18
Sigurjón Ólafsson
Museum
Laugarnestangi 70
Open Tu-Sun 14-17
SÍM
Hafnarstræti 16 D3
Open Mon-Fri 10-16
Tveir Hrafnar
Baldursgata 12 G4
Open Fri-Sat 13-16
Wind & Weather
Window 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 Office
The downtown post office has moved to
Hagatorg 1, open Mon–Fri, 09:00–17:00.
Pharmacies
Lyf og heilsa, Fiskisló$ 1, tel: 561 4600
Lyfja, Hafnarstræti 19, tel: 552 4045
Opening Hours - Bars & Clubs
Bars can stay open until 1:00 on week-
days and weekends until 4:30.
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 outdoor swimming
pool with hot tubs and a diving board.
More pools: gpv.is/swim
Open: Mon-Thu from 06:30–22.
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, Ingólfstorg, by
Hallgrímskirkja, by Reykjavík Art Mu-
seum, Lækjargata and by Eymundsson
on Skólavör$ustígur. Toilets can also be
found inside the Reykjavík City Hall and
the Reykjavík Library.
Public Transport
Most buses run every 20–30 minutes
Fare: 490 ISK adults, 245 ISK children.
Buses run from 06–24:00, and 7–04:30 on
weekends. More info: www.bus.is.
t
Words: Hannah Jane Cohen
Photo: Art Bicnick
“R2D2 is actually
the best thing to
ever happen to the
universe.”
SIGUR!UR
GU!MUNDSSON
10.07."15.08.2021
BRÆ!SLAN,
DJÚPIVOGUR
THE
UNIVERSE
IS A
POEM
ALHEIMURINN
ER
LJÓ!
SÓKNARÁÆTLUN
AUSTURLANDS
Bar & Restaurant Hver!sgata 26
Bar & Restaurant
Hverfisgata 26