Odin

by Ami Kealoha

Tucked on a side street in New York's East Village, finding the men's apparel and accessories store Odin can feel like going shopping in your stylish best friend's closet. Opened in August 2004 by co-owners Paul Birardi (ex-financial planner to Coach and Barney's) and DJ/art director/designer Eddy Chai (the store's name derives from his childhood fascination with Norse mythology), it's still a relatively new kid on the block, but fashion hunters who seek it out will be rewarded with a hand-picked selection of goods that Chai describes as "thoughtfully edited." He and Birardi, inspired to fill the dearth of shops for men, stock the space with a unique mix of hard-to-find items that balance tailored looks with streetwear, keeping things fresh with new additions every couple of weeks. Their curatorial priority is as practical as it is personal; a "would we buy it ourselves?" test and fair pricing guide the process.

Cerealart @ Perry Rubenstein

by Josh Rubin

Cerealart is in the business of developing and manufacturing artists projects for distribution to a broader consumer audience. Balancing that mission with a well curated aesthetic and respect for artist integrity is no easy task. So far, they've done it quite well-- the work comes from Yoshimoto Nara, Ryan McGinness, Dalek and Laurie Simmons among others.

Initially, Cerealart was web based but now they're keeping close to their roots and hitting the art gallery world. For the rest of the Summer you can find a store installed at Perry Rubenstien on 24th Street in Manhattan.

Plein Air Movies in Barcelona

by Ami Kealoha

In BCN (as local expats call it) I've experienced some of the hottest, stickiest Summer nights. That kind of weather doesn't stop Spanish partiers, but sometimes the best way to cope is to do nothing but lounge outdoors screen-side. Cine Sin Techo is a free alfresco series held in Barri Gótic, a section of narrow streets and tall, crumbling buildings that is part of Barcelona's "old town." Most every Thursday through September 1st, a bar and seating for 400 are set up for filmgoers to watch movies projected on the walls of Plaza Isidre Nonell. The films, screened in their original language with Spanish subtitles, are indie 90s breakout hit-heavy, including Wayne Wang's Smoke, Jim Jarmusch's Night On Earth, and and Tom DiCillo's meta-Indie, Living in Oblivion.

For a dramatic setting (next to a castle on a hill), live music, a three-euro pricetag, and some classic picks, Sala Montjuïc kicks-off this Wednesday and Friday and every week thereafter through August at Castillo de Montjuïc. Michel Gondry's Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (laughably translated to Spanish as "Forget About Me") inaugarates the event and is followed by other English language films like Joshua Marsten's Maria Full of Grace, Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation, and Billy Wilder's The Apartment.