MyWestworld

24 Hours City Travel: Amsterdam

Posted on 06. Oct, 2009 by BCAA in International

by Helena Zukowski

As Geert Mak, one of the Netherlands’ most prominent journalists, says: “The monumentality of Amsterdam exists only in the heads of its inhabitants, not on the streets.” But Mak means no Dutch put-down. He’s talking about the unshakeable inner security Amsterdammers possess, which means they have no need of grand palaces or broad avenues as displays of urban pride. The result: a city that remains a collection of folksy villages where travellers can still find themselves on the cutting edge of global trends.

courtesy Helena Zukowski

Insiders say Amsterdam’s contradictory nature springs from cultural compromise: people have to work together to stop the sea from inundating their land. The byproduct of all this “togetherness” is what the Dutch call gezelligheid – an inner confidence that keeps them open to whatever new style blows northwards. Like cultural magpies, Amsterdammers can always sense the hottest new fashion trend and who will be the next major musical talent. Not surprisingly, perhaps, theirs is a city with more museums per capita than anywhere else in Europe (prodigious in their collections and wacky in their themes) but also a place where one can while away the day in a traditional Delft-tiled “brown café” (so named for their smoke-stained walls and dark furniture), sunbathe in the buff on a canal, wave to a “working girl” in the red-light district or steam in a mixed-gender sauna.

As for great neighbourhoods that best personify the city’s eclectic character: the Nine Streets is a narrow collection of stylish bohemian boutiques, cafés and galleries linking Amsterdam’s western ring of canals; De Pijp, just south of the museum district, is a stew of subcultures, with Turkish, Moroccan and Indonesian restaurants and shops cheek-by-jowl with brown cafés; and the abandoned and decaying 19th-century city gasworks (Westergasfabriek) was recently transformed into Amsterdam’s most dynamic cultural district.

insider’s guide

courtesy Helena Zukowski

The Go Spots

• Amsterdam’s revitalized Eastern Docklands area, dating back to the city’s 17th-century Golden Age, is a progressive bit of urban planning that mixes living space, restaurants, businesses, galleries, restaurants and clubs. For theatre and live music: Panama, a trendy café/resto/nightclub. 311-8686
• Lovers of Delft porcelain will find hand-painted replicas at the Galleria d’Arte Rinascimento. 622-7509
• The newest addition to the city’s Jewish heritage: the children’s museum (opened December 2006) in the Jewish Historical Museum. 531-0310
• Like-a-Local sets visitors up with local hosts. Cruise the canals via private barge or dine with Amsterdammers in their homes. 670-2483

Trendy Vittles
• De Silveren Spiegel Traditional Dutch cuisine (try the lamb trilogy) in a crooked 400-year-old house. 624-6589
• Café-Restaurant Dauphine This transformed Renault garage, now a chic brasserie, features seafood platters, soft-shell crab and crème brûlée. 462-1646
• In a Frankendael Park greenhouse, the roomy De Kas serves fresh, organic herbs and veggies from its own garden. 462-4562
• Pancakes Restaurant — for a taste of the Dutch national staple, served with every filling imaginable, even sushi. Berenstraat 38.

Best Crash Zones
• The Lloyd Hotel in the new Eastern Docklands advertises equal service to all, but rooms range from one- to five-star. From 95 euros. 561-3636;
• The legendary madame Xaviera Hollander has turned her talents to Xaviera’s B&B. 110 euros, including breakfast for two. 673- 3934;
• Two-night city stays for Cdn.$405 (includes four-star hotel, airport transfers, sightseeing tour). bcaa.com/citystay

Lead image courtesy Helena Zukowski.

Tags: Amsterdam, City Travel