VIVA MADRID

We just got back from a short trip to Madrid, where we visited our store. Lucky for us, we also had some time to explore the city. For those of you visiting this great Spanish city any time soon, check out our tips for shopping, eating and sleeping.

The Scotch & Soda store is located on Barquillo 38, in the Chueca neighbourhood - definitely one of the most exciting areas of the city, with lots of little shops, bars and restaurants.

For a good lunch we recommend Olivia te Cuida (close to our store, Santa Teresa 8), a small joint with breakfast, coffee, lunch and wine. The interior is exactly our taste, including the DIY toasters on the tables. Another favourite is Mmm_Us (Calle del Duque Rivas 5), that serves amazing organic food in a hip and eclectic setting.

If you’re in the mood for some trendy concept-store shopping, then head over to either Magasand or Kikekeller. Both very stylish, both serving drinks on the side. Also, make sure you don’t miss the Rastro flea market if you’re in Madrid on a Sunday; you can find amazing vintage treasures here.

Obviously you want to eat tapas. A great place to do this is at one of the food markets, such as the San Miguel or San Anton, where you can taste every possible piece of tapa (accompanied by a glass of delicious local wine of course). We also discovered this amazing restaurant La Gabinoteca, serving haute cuisine tapas in a cool and no-nonsense interior.

We stayed at the Praktik Metropol Hotel a very affordable design hotel that is located in the heart of the city – with all the neighbourhoods very nearby.

Muchos gracias Madrid, we’ll be back soon!

PULSE NEW YORK

Arriving in New York City tomorrow is PULSE New York 2013: a much-anticipated annual art fair dedicated solely to contemporary art, and the perfect weekend activity.

Now in its eighth year, the fair has become known for hosting dozens of the best international and national galleries that showcase artists of all mediums including photography, painting, sculpture and installation art, among many others.

We’re particularly excited to visit the booth of Kavachnina Contemporary, a gallery located just around the corner from our store in Miami’s design district. The fair not only features established galleries like this one, but also has a special section called IMPULSE that is dedicated to emerging galleries. Amsterdam’s very own Galerie Roger Katwijk is one of only a few galleries invited to show in this portion of the fair. PULSE prides itself on cultivating talent, and offers one artist featured in IMPULSE a cash award grant to further their career.

The show runs from May 9-12 at the Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC. See you there!

WORLD PRESS PHOTO

It’s that time of the year again! The World Press Photo exhibition will be set up and travel the world, starting today in Amsterdam.

World Press Photo is the largest and most prestigious annual press photography contest, exhibiting the winning photographs that are submitted by photographers, agencies, newspapers and magazines. Every single picture is somehow news-related, and all together they give a great overview of what’s been happening in the world over the last year. Of course, lots of pictures will present the harsh reality of some events, but also the beauty of life, art, sports and nature (like swimming penguins).

World Press Photo will be in Amsterdam for the next two months, in the Oude Kerk. After that, it will travel to cities like Zurich, Lisbon, Rome, Sydney and Tokyo.

A WEEKEND IN VIENNA

Last Thursday, we threw a party in our Vienna store. The perfect opportunity for us to stay a little longer, explore this beautiful Austrian city, and share our findings with you.

The Scotch & Soda store is located on Seilergasse 12, in the First District of Vienna. This neighbourhood has lots of small, characteristic streets with shops, galleries, café’s and lots of other hidden gems. One of those gems is Rudolf Scheer & Sohne (Braunerstrasse 4), who belongs to the top bespoke shoemakers in Europe. This is your go-to for classic leather gentleman’s shoes.

For the perfect cup of coffee, we recommend Delia’s (Tuchlauben 8). The strawberry with cream next to your coffee is a detail we immediately fell for. When it’s time for lunch, you should head to Orlando di Castello (Freyung 1). A super kitschy white interior, but also a gastronomic highlight and a club at night. Right across the street is the Bank Austria Kunstforum (Freyung 8); a museum with the biggest collection of Austrian art – from Art Nouveau to Temporary Abstraction.

A must-visit in Vienna is the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, a stunning Romanesque church from the 12^th century. After that you can recharge at the Kleines Café (also seen in film classic Before Sunrise), a cute little place with no-nonsense bites and great coffee, located on the hidden Fransziskanerplats square.

If you have any energy left, it’s definitely worth it to pay a visit to the Viennese Film Museum (Augustinerstrasse 1). With interesting theme programs and lots of retrospectives, this is a candyshop for cineholics. Time to eat! For dinner, we recommend Procacci’s, right next door to our store on the Seilergasse. A stylish Italian restaurant with typical Tuscan specialties (so lots of truffle!) and great wines.

See below for some pictures we took. Check out our Facebook page for pictures of the party. Thank you Vienna, we hope to see you again soon!