The "L'Estel Ferit," or "The Wounded Shooting Star," by Rebecca Horn, is composed of four steel blocks and was commissioned for the 1992 Olympics in honor of the local Barceloneta neighborhood.
Part of (the free part of) Gaudí's Park Güell.
I always like to walk down to the beach, if it’s a sunny day. Free! It’s the beach, right, so it’s always free. Sometimes they also have free yoga or meditation sessions. Gaudí's Park Güell is also free if you don’t want to pay. Well, for the more touristy things, you have to pay to get in, but the park itself is free. It’s just a park on top of a mountain that has an amazing view.
If you want to avoid the tourists, go to Gràcia. There’s slightly more alternative stuff there, it’s a mix of things. There are some Japanese tapas places—one’s called Samsara. You know, they take some sushi, and they take some tapas, and put it together.
Personally, I prefer the more traditional tapas. El Glop is a good one. Very traditional Catalan food, not too expensive. You can get paella, tapas. In January until about April, they have calçotada, with these giant green spring onions. You’re supposed to grill them and dip them in romesco sauce. You might find it outside of those months as well, around Barcelona, but I don’t know why. Personally, I don’t like them, because it just gives me indigestion, but it is a very traditional Catalan thing.
And if you don’t mind the tourists, La Rambla and the Gothic Quarter. But I tend to avoid these areas most of the time. My favorite neighborhood is Gràcia. I moved there 12 years ago, and I won’t move again. You can get everything you need there—shopping, movies, restaurants. It’s getting quite touristy, because there are a lot of hostels there, but the neighborhood is still there.