“What art does — maybe what it does most completely — is tell us, make us feel that what we think we know, we don’t. There are whole worlds around us that we’ve never glimpsed.” Greil Marcus — Friday October 21st — —

The idea is to die young as late as possible. — Ashley Montagu — Friday October 21st — —

I love listening. It is one of the only spaces where you can be still and moved at the same time. — Nayyirah Waheed — Friday October 21st — —

Underscore in the Neighborhood

Underscore Magazine asked me to share my neighborhood favorites with the rest of the world in their new issue ‘The Fight’. I suggest you to buy the magazine, listen to the tracks to accompany your reading pleasure and enjoy this truly lovely magazine! Meanwhile you can read my favorites here.

— ‘Five years ago, we moved from Amsterdam to Utrecht, 40 km south of Amsterdam. It is the fourth biggest city of the Netherlands, but small enough to cross on your feet. Moving from Amsterdam to Utrecht is something like moving from Manhattan to Brooklyn; it is not that far, it is a calmer place and you don’t have to walk over the heads of tourists.
My favorite places in Utrecht have a good mix of everything:

Start in the morning with the best coffee, probably of the Netherlands, at The Village Coffee & Music. A rough and uncompromised space with art from young and upcoming artists on the walls and music from punk to singer-songwriters coming out of the speakers.

From there you walk a 100 meters to Pappa’s Haar Dude. One would think this coiffeur was a surf dude in his former life, and maybe he was, but this place looks like it was transported all the way from Los Angeles to Utrecht, Erwin (the barber/shop-owner) included. If you ever come to Utrecht and need a perfect haircut or the old way of beard grooming, go to Pappa’s.

From there you cross the small and busy city centre to the other side, to Cris. Before I partnered in Tenue de Nîmes, the denim inspired boutique in Amsterdam, this was definitely my favorite shop of the Netherlands. A sublime collection of Italian, French and Scandinavian labels in a challeng- ing interior of wood, stone and copper designed by Cris himself.

To end the day in my neighbor- hood it’s a five minute walk crossing the Dom Tower of Utrecht, to Deeg. A beautifully designed restaurant full of Dutch Design, serving the most delicious organic food. With a mix of lovely food, great wines and perfect service, this is definitely my favorite place to eat in Utrecht.