Weekend agenda, 11/12 August - Monocolumn | Monocle

Monocolumn

A daily bulletin of news & opinion

11 August 2012

This weekend check out a great new restaurant in New York, enjoy Oslo’s premier music festival, and pick up WHY?’s new album.

1. FOOD: NEW YORK

—Gramercy Park Hotel

Following a two-month renovation, New York’s Gramercy Terrace has reopened atop the Gramercy Park Hotel. Located on the hotel’s 18th floor with views of the city’s only private park, the restaurant serves breakfast and lunch and now features a coffee bar by Stumptown Coffee Roasters. A great setting for a relaxed summer lunch, we recommend stopping by for a lobster roll served with watermelon, radish and grilled spring onions.

2 Lexington Avenue. Open Monday to Friday 7.00–00.00, Saturday and Sunday 10.00-00.00gramercyparkhotel.com

2. MUSIC: GLOBAL

—WHY?: Sod in the Seed

The Cincinnati-by-way-of-Oakland trio (and sometime quartet) of WHY? have been mashing up hip-hop and indie-pop since main man Yoni Wolf first started making bedroom beats in 1998. Varying line-ups and stylistic shifts later, the band are tipped for a strong showing on forthcoming fifth album Mumps, etc> but right now we can all enjoy an equally tune-packed early EP – Sod In The Seed. Perfect for the close of summer, WHY?’s playful hip-hop sensibilities are at constant odds with Wolf’s lackadaisical, dare we say melancholy, delivery. Perhaps, as it’s summer, we should just say carefree.

Sod in the Seed is out on Monday [whywithaquestionmark.com]

3. GROCERIES: ATLANTA

—Boxcar Grocer

For a diverse selection of artisan goods, organic fruit and veg, as well as a good assortment of better known food brands, drop by the recently opened Boxcar Grocer in Atlanta’s Castleberry Hill neighbourhood. This independent, family-owned grocery store will satisfy all your summer-snacking needs while doing its part to promote ethically minded grocery shopping in the area.

249 Peters Street SW (at the corner with Fair Street. Open Monday 12.00-18.00, Tuesday to Saturday 9.00-20.00, closed on Sundaysboxcargrocer.com

4. FESTIVAL: OSLO

—ØYA

This Saturday is the closing day of Øya festival in Oslo’s Medieval park, featuring acts from barnstorming blues rockers The Black Keys to recently reformed British indie kings The Stone Roses. Over four stages Norway’s capital’s biggest musical festival also displays works by local and international artists and the usual litany of emerging and established musical talent. The venue is framed by the Oslofjord to the south and the city’s skyline to the west and is only a short walk from Oslo city centre. Must-see (and hear) this Saturday are Bon Iver, Charles Bradley and The War on Drugs.

Medieval park, Oslo gate 13. Saturday 12:00-23:00oyafestivalen.com

5. EXHIBITION: LONDON

—Grayson Perry: The Walthamstow Tapestry

If you want to avoid the last days of Olympic chaos in London, stop by the recently refurbished William Morris Gallery to check out Grayson Perry’s colourful The Walthamstow Tapestry exhibit. The Turner Prize winner, has always had an eye for bright patterns and rich textures and his astonishing 3×15-metre-long tapestry surely doesn’t disappoint. Following man’s path from birth to death, the vast panel is not just a compelling art work, but also an impressive result of dexterous craftsmanship.

William Morris Gallery, 581 Forest Road. Open Wednesday to Sunday, 10.00-17.00 Until 23 September 2012wmgallery.org.uk

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