It's Friday, and that means another face from San Sebastián.  In 2016, San Sebastián is one of Europe’s Capitals of Culture, which is why once a week you will hear from a different figure from the cultural scene around these parts.

Presenting this week:  

Ane Rodríguez Armendariz is the Cultural Director of the new Tabakalera, also known as the Centro Internacional de Cultura Contemporánea. She has lived and breathed culture management, leaving her job as content coordinator in Matadero Madrid to take on the challenging space of the Tabakalera. She has also worked in the Madrid Contemporary Art Fair, the Contemporary Art Museum of Castilla y León, controlling everything from adquisitions and budgets. She studied Communication at the Universidad de Navarra and holds masters and diplomas in art from London and Barcelona.

*Current gig:  en Tabakalera
*Twitter: @anerodriguez_a
*Website: www.tabakalera.eu
*I’m reading: Album: Cinematheque de Tanger. Ed. Yto Barrada and Omar Berreda
*I’m listening to: At the moment, it's random.

Where are you from?
 Hernani.

How long have you lived in San Sebastián?
Three and a half years.

San Sebastián in one word:  Comfortable.

What is your favorite way to experience the culture of San Sebastián?
Maybe this is bad, but the Tabakalera.  It brings together different cultural plans that I find interesting—of course, it's not the only place that does that. For exhibits, I like Koldo Mitxelena and Museo San Telmo; for movies, Trueba; for music, Dabadaba, Bukowski or GazteEszena.

What is the café/bar/restaurant you find yourself in most often?
Km 0, Bodega Donostiarra, Ciaboga, El Vallés, Botanika.

What’s your Saturday plan in San Sebastián?
I usually work a little bit in the morning (or in the afternoon, though I also take time out to go shopping at the market and put on a load of laundry. I have a pre-lunch aperitif in Ciabogo, have a relaxing lunch at home, a 15-minute nap, then movies or a concert in the afternoon/evening and a mini-completo at Bodega Donostiarra, for example.  Sometimes I have to go meet guests from the Tabakalera, and I show them around these spots.

What is your favorite pintxo?
The completo at Bodega Donostiarra.

The best spot for a selfie in San Sebastián?
Ulia.

What changes do you see happening here in the next 10 years?
A rise in tourism and the effect this has on the city. It has its positive aspects (a more open city) but also its negatives (the affect on pricing and the danger that this will turn into a cookie-cutter place in certain ways, like partying and bachelor/bachelorette parties, etc).

What is the thing you hope never changes?
I think change is always good, but in small doses.

It’s January 20th, the day of San Sebastián. What are you doing?
This year, I took advantage to make a whirlwind work-related trip. 

In your opinion, what makes San Sebastián stand out, what makes it different?
The size, the sea, the mountain, the food culture and the good living.

What is the moment you have felt most proud to be donostiarra?
As my mother would say, I'm Hernaniarra, ha. But I love living in Donosti and I've always pretended to be from here. I think you feel proud everytime you leave and you see or hear a reference to the city. It always makes you smile and feel a bit of pride, like, yeah, I'm from there. 

If San Sebastián were your best friend, what advice would you give her?
That she should let loose and have a bit of fun.

If you were a foreigner, what would the ‘insider’ tip that you would like to know about San Sebastián?
I think Ulía is an under-appreciated spot.  It's wonderful, for hiking and eating, for example in the Albergue with unique views of the city. But I would also like to know about the surroundings.

The most overrated thing about San Sebastián:
The railing of the Concha bay. 

A typical day for you::
During the week, I arrive at the office around 8:30, and at 9:30 I start a series of meetings that last until lunchtime. Depending on the day, I eat a delicious tupperware of homemade food, or I go over to Km0 if I have made plans to lunch with someone. In the afternoon, although I try not to have meetings to be able to work, I often have to go back on the front with more meetings. Work at the office ends around 7 or 7:30 pm, but at home I go through emails I have pending, look over dossiers, or take the chance to write some reports. However, lately I'm trying to get a little bit of my personal life back and watch a TV series with my partner. And so far, it's worked. Some days I have to be at Tabakalera at night, if we have a guest or a special session. That's about it.

Thanks to Ane for agreeing to appear! Come back every Friday for a new Face of Culture from San Sebastián.  If you missed last week's, with Alex López, click here.  Read the rest of the features from so far in 2016 here.