I Heart My City: Katie’s Reykjavik

August 16, 2011 · Updated September 2026 · BootsnAll

Though I live in Chicago, there’s no place I feel more at home in than Iceland. From the moment I saw the lights of Keflavik airport blinking in the darkness after the (surprisingly short) flight from New York, it just felt familiar, comfortable. Since then that feeling has only gotten stronger. Though I spend most of my days in an apartment thousands of miles away, my heart is in Reykjavik. So when National Geographic asked me to complete their “I Heart My City” questionnaire for Reykjavik, I was thrilled.

From where I go for late night eats to what I do when I’m feeling cash-strapped, you’ll find all my best tips for seeing Reykjavik like a local in my answers. So if you’re dying to know which celebrity the city would be (hint: she’s pretty and feisty) or which song most reminds of Reykjavik, click on over and read it here: I Heart My City: Katie’s Reykjavik.

What’s still there (updated 2026)
The questionnaire ran in 2011, and most of the picks are still going, though prices have climbed. Here’s where they stand as of 2026:

The tower of Hallgrimskirkja is still the first stop, and a ticket to the top costs 1,500 ISK for adults.
Baejarins beztu pylsur, Mokka, Thrir Frakkar, Prikid and the Fish Market are all still open.
The Noodle Station has left its original spot on Skolavordustigur; it now has branches at Laugavegur 103, in Kringlan and in Hafnarfjordur.
The city’s public pools are still the better deal than the Blue Lagoon: a single adult swim is 1,500 ISK as of May 2026.
Kolaportid flea market, 66° North, the Settlement Exhibition on Adalstraeti and the Reykjavik Park & Zoo are all still there.
The nightlife picks have changed. NASA on Austurvollur closed in 2012 and the block is now part of the Iceland Parliament Hotel, and Oliver’s old address at Laugavegur 20a is now Lebowski Bar.

Or read more about Reykjavik:

Photo by Alex J. White