Hello everyone.Dave and Di here. Just made arangements for our first trip to Amsterdam (yeah,more Americans.) We'll be arriving in April and staying at the Swissotel (hopethat was a good choice) for 3 nights.Although both of us are in our early 40's, we still enjoy the lifestyle thatseems to make us the senior citizen's of the crowd. We're looking forward to acouple of nights at the hot spots in town (don't know what they are yet,) anddoing the whole redlight district thing while visiting as many coffee houses aswe can. Or better yet, finding the perfect one for us.With all the reading we've done, I worry that maybe we wont have the "right"look or correct attire to gain entrance to some of the clubs. I understand theno sneakers, sweats or ballcap thing, but will a pair of nice slacks (dockersbrand for example) with a suitable shirt do the trick? Or are we gonna have tobe in style for what the folks wear there? I (Dave) have very long hair andlike to wear it down when im not at work. Probably impossible, but I don't wantto pegged as a tourist from across the street.Ideally, we'd love to find a pen pal, so to speak, a local that we can get toknow somewhat via email or chat. Someone we could show our appreciation to, bybuying them dinner, drinks and some of the other fun stuff we hope to do. Justfor one evening to get us comfortable and past a couple of doormen and get usoff on the right foot. We only have 3 nights to take it all in. Actually,we'll be back in Amsterdam one last night before our flight home.Still need to make reservations for that night.Well, I'm sure this will be the first of many postings. Any and all advice willbe appreciated. Thanks. Dave & DI.
Well in terms of clubs and attire it depends on the club,some clubs which tend to be more upscale seem to have a dress code. But for the most part everything else doesnt. If clubs if you want to do then your 2 best bets are Leidseplein or Rembrandtsplein those are generally the best places to dance,eat and drink. Youll have to look that one up on a map to find it. Paradiso and Melkweg being the 2 biggest and there is usually a 10 euro door fee. During the day you can as you mentioned hit up the coffeeshops,one place you cant miss is called the grey area which is ran by a guy from Rode Island called John,youll typically find alot of americans there. Other places of interest are: The Rijksmusuem,Van Gogh Musuem,Anne Frank's house, the Heineken Experience, Albert Cuypt Market and Vondelpark. You will Be doing alot fo walking so youll find lots of cafes to stop and relax or you can go catch a movie at either the Pathe De Munt or Tuchinski theatre located near Rembrandtsplein. All movies from the states are never dubbed so seeing one isnt a problem. If you want to shop there is a large concentration of shops in the first few streets in front of central station where you can find anything from cheap souveneirs to fine clothing. Also there is China Town near the Red Light District where youll find lots of interesting shops and good Chinese Restaurants. Avoid Taxis at all costs,they love to rip off tourists. Stick to trams and buses for travel and strippen cards which can be bought from supermarkets and train stations avoid the need for change when travelling and saves you money. And finally to avoid being seen instantly as a tourist,be aware of your volume and behavior, loud and noisy usually mean American or English.
Welcome Dave & Di. Without knowing you better, it's hard to recommend the best coffeeshop or club for you. Your hotel is near Dam Square, so I would recomend these close by coffeeshops: 420 Cafe, Amnesia, Bluebird, Dampkring, Greenhouse centrum, Home Grown Fantasy, Nes and Sensi Seed (but bring your own smoke to this one). As for clubs, what type of music do you enjoy? While a majority of Amsterdam's clubs have house or trance music, a few on some nights have rock, latin or jazz. It also depends on what nights of the week you are going to be there. While some clubs have dress codes, I've often noticed at some of these clubs, it's not only what you are wearing, but they discriminate based on nationality, sex and age. Since my favorite music is rock and I don't like dress codes, I would recommend the folowing clubs: Paradiso esp. on Wed. for Classic Noodlanding http://www.paradiso.nl/; Melkweg on Thurs. for Poptrash & Sat. for Dance Areana http://www.melkweg.nl/voorpagina.jsp?language=english&disciplineid=muziek; Korsakoff on Fri. & Sat. http://www.korsakoffamsterdam.nl/. No problem smoking in these clubs, but you could be searched, so keep in under 5 grams.
yes please post your preferences as far as: music club atmosphere coffeeshop atmosphere (bright, dark, big, small, personalized service, good place to chat with others, privacy, etc) strength of ganja type of ganja also what time in april will you be there? beginning, end, which days of week?
You needn't plan what specific clubs you want to go to. The best time can be had just finding your way around, ducking into a place and see whats there. One of the best times me and my wife had was when we found this bar that had an accordianist playing Dutch folk songs. The place was singing along and going crazy. The Dutch locals welcomed us Americans as one of their own. It was a flippin' blast!
Dave & Di, What are your dates of travel? I'm from Cali and I'll be there from the 4-10th. It's my first time too. If you like we can meet up for a smoke. Just let me know. Wiley
Don't worry about your age and what to wear. You'll see "older" people in a lot of coffee shops. I'm in my 50's and I turned around only once because it was clear that the crowd and the music and the whole vibe was kind of teenagerish and I wasn't in that mood. No problem - on to the next.
Amsterdam is the only place where you can stay young forever. I will be there the last two weeks of the month. Happy to show you some good places.
Not the "only" place, but definitely "tops" on my list as well. Where exactly are these "good places" you speak of SinPusher? Sounds like you know a few things the rest of us don't. Do tell... Look forward to seein' and blazin' with ya's soon amigos! 6 Weeks!!
Thanks sooo much everyone. Wiley-X we are arriving the day you are leaving. But we get there about noonish. Wanted to make it for Queens Day but scheduling difficulties prevents that. I cant wait. Thank again for all your input. It helps. Sounds like whereever we stumble into, we will have a good time.
Since we're on such a roll with Dutch lessons lately, would this be the Dutch word for the word "FUCK!", or just another lame distillation of the wonderfully explicit term. Fudge, Frick, Friggin, Fargin'... Why not say what the fuck you mean?
Haha its another lame distillation. I used to write fuck, but a friend of mine (who lives in London btw) always says feck and it sounds funny when she does and ive started doing it too without even noticing it. But ill just say fuck again if it makes you happy.
It was nice meeting Dave and Di. They walked into Central CS right on time. We got good and stoned and tramed up to the Leidesplein for a nice lunch. I walked with them into Vondel Park and gave them directions to the Van Gogh Museum. It appeared they were having a marvelous time. SP
This site has a very nice overview of all the nice clubs + a recent agenda. Updated daily. http://www.clubamsterdam.nl
To Bad Dave & Di didn't come back and give a trip report. Next time when someone asks all these questions why not come back after the trip to give others your thoughts about Amsterdam. I bet they had a great time. We have been and can't wait to go back ! We have stayed at the Swissotel and its a great hotel if you want to be in Dam Square, a bit pricey but cool place. Loved lots of the shops, Damprking, Abraxas, Barney's , De kuil called 420 Cafe was close by and had awesome smoke. Went to the museums and Anne Frank House, took the canal bus and the trams everywhere. Went to Volendam & took a city tour. The pubs & restaurants in Leidseplein are very cool.
