|
Sept.
30, 2002: If you’re in Amsterdam on short time, hit the
ground running to take advantage of its attractions and happenings.
Lots
to pick from in this progressive port town: Art, markets, history,
Heineken, flowers, pancakes, canals. Not to mention the city’s
knack for conjuring up distractions.
Autumn
in Amsterdam packs a dense events calendar, with fewer tourists,
plenty of discounts, and happy locals unwinding from high season’s
hubbub. Low season affords savvy travelers chances to soak in this
vibrant city’s waning warm days, at bargain prices, as cold
winter blows in from the North Sea.
Low
airfares help up the ante. Fall flights from the West Coast can
be booked now for around $550 round-trip, nearly half-off summer
prices.
Center
of the mercantile world four centuries ago, this hospitable port
town has been hosting guests for generations. Amsterdam bedecked
itself during the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th Century with lavish
architecture and rich public art, and developed its maritime lore.
Now
the Dutch capital caters to tourism’s gold, with a laid-back,
low-pressure pitch and anything-goes permissiveness. Like San Francisco,
another post sprung from gold, Amsterdam is famously tolerant, strikingly
handsome, and renowned internationally for its happening culture
and nightlife.
Fast
Facts:
Direct
flights from the Bay Area service Schiphol Airport, with 20-minute
rail connections to Amsterdam’s Centraal Station. The city
fans out in neighborhoods from the station along an arc of paths
and avenues, lined by 17th-Century row houses and interlaced by
canals.
Activity
pivots around several main squares (Leidseplein, Nieuwmarkt, Waterlooplein),
Centraal Station, and 118-acre Vondelpark, all conveniently interconnected
by tram lines and bike lanes.
Tips
and Pointers:
•
The VVV Amsterdam Tourist Office (551-2525) opposite Centraal Station
offers free maps and the Amsterdam Pass, good for free public transport
and entrance to more than two dozen museums and attractions around
town. (1 day/ $E 26; 3 days/ $E 46)
•
Book early – Amsterdam fills up, even off season. Ask about
discounts when booking and on check-in. When shopping, pick up value-added
tax (VAT) export certificates, and save up to 19 % on purchases
over $E 135.
•
Amsterdam’s cafés serve some fine coffees, but coffeeshops
vend so much more: hashish, marijuana, space cakes, and accessories,
sold in accordance with Holland’s famed tolerance for soft
drugs. Consult the menu for the day’s selections, or simply
trust the barista to steer you right.
Getting
Around:
Canal
boats provide quick city overviews and hop-on, hop-off day passes,
calling at major sites like the Rijksmuseum (674-7047), Anne Frank
House (556-7100), and Artis Zoo (523-3400). The Museumboat couples
50% admission discounts with stops on its cultural loop.
On
disembarking urban hikers can find helpful yellow directional signs
pointing the way, and numerous bike rental shops. Try Bike City
(626-3721), with rentals starting at $E 6.75 per day.
Don’t
Miss:
Daily
life percolates in city neighborhoods like the Plantage, the prewar
diamond center, and the Jordaan, where renovated warehouses, leafy
canals, and homey brown cafés set a relaxed pace. Amsterdam
City Walks (0031-6-18257014) unveils layers of history and spotlights
modern nightlife on day and evening tours.
Museumplein’s
Big Three – the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum (570-5200), and
Stedelijk Museum (573-2911) – serve up the 17th-20th Century
European masterworks, but don’t bypass Amsterdam’s quirky
smaller collections/repositories:
Woonbotenmuseum
(427-0750) details life aboard Amsterdam’s floating houseboats.
Joods Historisch Museum (626-9945) and the Anne Frank House cast
light on the city’s tragic Jewish legacy. The Tropenmuseum
(568-8215), formally an ode to colonialism, has been refashioned
as a study of daily life in the Tropics.
Amsterdammers of all stripes gather in Vondelpark, to stretch on
lawns or wander sculptured paths. Catch a screening at its Filmmuseum
(589-1400), or some rays at Café Vertigo (612-3021), perhaps
the nicest outdoor terrace in town.
Top
Lodgings:
Cozy
canal house hotels offer balconies, roof gardens, water views, and
plump breakfasts in bed, with doubles starting under $E 100 per
night. Ask about discounts. Amsterdam’s five-star hotels frequently
cut their rates come fall. Reserve in advance online at bookings.com.
•
Waterfront Hotel (421-6621) overlooks the Flower Market on Singel,
near happening Reguliersdwarsstraat.
• Hotel de Filosoof (683-3013) attracts the existentialist
set, expounding barside on philosophical themes.
• The Winston Hotel (623-1380) has funky art rooms, a 24-hour
bar for guests, and a central location with neighbors bathed in
red lights.
• Art Gallery Hotel (626-1711) offers rooms facing the Rijksmuseum,
and prime Museumplein access.
• From the bedclothes to the beer on tap, it’s all hemp
at the Hemp Hotel (625-4425), sure to be hopping for the Cannabis
Cup in November.
Good
Eats:
Standard
Dutch fare – hearty meat, vegetable and potato dishes –
draws mild raves, but welcoming brown cafés serve it up with
ample conviviality. Queue with locals at street-side herring stalls
to snack on Dutch-style sushi.
Sup
beneath chandeliers in gilded Art Deco splendor at Café American
(624-5322), Amsterdam’s oldest grand cafe, dating to 1902.
City
ethnic and fusion restaurants pack in returning crowds: Waiters
sing opera arias between Italian courses at Pasta E Basta (422-2229);
Sama Sebo’s (662-8146) 20-dish rijsttafel rice plate tops an
elite Indonesian menu.
Eclectic
combos, free-range fajita meats, and frosty margaritas help land
Rosa’s Cantina (625-9797) on locals’ favorites lists,
year in and out.
Try
Chez Georges (626-3332) for four-star Belgian by candlelight in
the Jordaan, or Stereo Sushi (777-3010) for the DJs, disco balls,
and sake.
Nightlife:
Nightlife
or daylife: Amsterdam starts it up early. Locals pack the cafés,
pubs, and coffeehouses around Leidseplein and Rembrandtplein, with
crowds spilling onto adjacent streets. Hipsters hit the Eastern
Docklands, renovated with trendy eateries and avant-garde architecture
in the 1990s.
The
gay and lesbian scene hops, with clubs on Reguliersdwarsstraat (“the
Straat”), Amsterdam’s latest, great party district.
Touring
acts and DJs play Paradiso (626-4521), while famed concert hall
Melkweg (531-8181) now features film, dance, and theatre along with
live music. Top jazz names headline at Bimhuis (623-1361).
Sample
the illicit (in America, at least) namesake wares of Absinthe (320-6708),
or lounge outdoors at Moko’s (626-1199).
Ready
for the next coffeeshop? There are 900 to choose from in Amsterdam.
De Dampkring (638-0705) and Greenhouse (673-7430) routinely top
Cannabis Cup charts.
Special
Events:
Autumn
arrives packed with festivals and happenings:
•
Amsterdam Dance Event:
Europe’s premiere electronica conference draws more than 120
artists and DJs, plus legions of fans, to shows and workshops throughout
town. 10/17-19
• Amsterdam Marathon:
Fast, flat course passes Rijksmuseum and Vondelpark en route to
Olympic Stadium. 10/20
• Crossing Border:
Spoken word and declamatory art takes center stage at this text-based
arts festival. 11/7-9
• International Documentary Film
Festival: Screening and debating more than 200 films. 11/20-12/1
•
Cannabis Cup: The granddaddy
of global cannabis tasting competitions reconvenes to sample the
latest wares. 11/24-28
Shopping:
Amsterdam’s
mercantile history lives on in its 10,000 + stores and shops.
Antiques are clustered in Spiegelkwartier, along Nieuwe Spiegelstraat
by Museumplein.
The
Bloemenmarkt, or Floating Flower Garden, makes for fine canal-side
strolling. Albert Cuyp and Waterlooplein markets offer new and used
goods ranging from furniture and clothing to art, rare bulbs, and
junk.
Diamonds
factories offer tours: Try Amsterdam Diamond Center (624-5787) or
Amstel Diamonds (623-1541).
Jazz
lovers check Blue Note (428-1029) for new pressings and rare imports;
bibliophiles can lose themselves in the passages of Oudemanhuispoort,
vending second-hand books since the 1700s.
–
Jay Cooke is a San Francisco-based travel, food, and culture writer.
<<back
|
