What to do in Barcelona
Barcelona – a hot spot for fashion, Graf, sneakers, food and weather (all of which I share an admiration for). It was a trip I had wanted to do for a while.
I was there for 5 days; I believe this is ample time to get around three to four attractions a day – it’s all personal preference! What may appeal to me, may not appeal to another.
During my stay, I visited majority of the tourist stuff first like: Sagrada Familia, Gaudis buildings, Torre Agbar at nighttime and Tibidabo (something I get out the way first wherever I go). After that, I sourced specific interests of mine.
For sneaker enthusiasts, I visited 24Kilates and LimitEDitions. The stores themselves were epic (tonnes of GRs) and I was able to see some of the collaborations these European giants have done – it was a unique experience. I also found a store called Sivasdescalzo – not too far from sagrada familia – it’s a very bespoke looking store, reminds me of NikeLab and Footpatrol all rolled into one. The Marble courtyard alone is quite something to see.
Being an employee of Carhartt, it was obligatory for me to check the stores out. One is right next to LimitEDitions (my favourite of the two) and the other is not far from 24Kilates. Both are worth the visit for Carhartt WIP enthusiasts.
Food and Night Life
It really is all personal preference, and being in a new city there isn’t too much time to find the perfect spots. Throughout the day, I would have the odd Costa (which is me staying in my comfort zone) other days; I would try little back-street cafes, which were quaint and quirky.
For a nice meal for two, I would recommend “La Barra” which is next to a sneaker store called AW Lab (before the gothic quarter entrance) if you can get a balcony seat that would be epic.
Being into rock/punk music a ‘must’ is the ‘NEVERMIND’ bar. There are 2 bars in the city, but I visited the main bar on “Carrer Dels Tallers” wall-to-wall graffiti and sticker bombed and seats made out of skate decks. On the night, it’s humming with people and, if that’s not enough, there is also a skatebowl right next to bar that people are razzing around in – it’s a rad little place.
Another hot spot for skating/photography is the Museum of Contemporary Art. I went when it was relatively quiet, around 30 skaters outside the entrance. Some days, there can be up to 100 skaters all crammed into the little corner, gapping ledges and doing all sorts. It’s unusual to see so many skaters in one spot that’s not a park or bowl. It’s a Mecca for skating – not only for the people of Barcelona, but also for people from across the world.
Now, as for bars, relating to other genres and “scenes”, I can’t help with that I’m afraid, but visit a Carhartt store and they will help you out easily.
I could talk about the intricacies of my trip forever, but that’s a vague idea of what to check out if you are into the same digs as I am.
The things I would make sure you check out are:
- Tibidabo
- NEVERMIND (at night)
- Sivasdescalzo
- El Món Neix en Cada Besada by Joan Fontcuberta
- Sagrada Familia
You can check out the rest of the photos on Tom’s IG here.
Edited by Darren Stoddart and Daniel Hawksworth.
