One thing you may not hear about on Queen's Day is the underlying spirit on the canals. Sure there are lots of drunken people, lots of loud music, tons of crap for sale, and plenty of men peeing in to canals. But what you may not hear about, and what Ive grown to love, is the spirit of sharing amongst boat people.

At some point all my passengers want off, so I pull over and off they go. Suddenly Im boating alone, trapped in the thickest boat traffic possible.. elbow to elbow with all kinds of people partying. And one after another, they all react the same way when they see me and my empty boat. "You're alone? Why are you alone? You need to pick up people!" And then comes the second phase, "Here, have a beer. Here have this fruit. Here have cheese and cake." Suddenly I've let go of the stick and people around me are pulling the boat along, from all sides, while I eat all this food people hand me.

And that is how it goes all afternoon long. At some point I want to give some love back, and just then - a boat pulls alongside me on the Amstel and asks "Do you have any beer?" I say nothing and hold up a wine bottle, handing it over to them. "Wait" they shout, grabbing my boat to keep me from floating away, "Have some wine with us", I put the engine in neutral and drink a toast to the Amstel river. We chat for a bit about what canal is good to ride on at this hour, and then I speed away.

You'll hear plenty of stories about Queen's Day, and mostly they'll paint it as one big mess. They're not wrong. But on the canals, I know a different tradition, and its the real reason I like Queens Day.

Last night was Queen’s Night, and I ventured out prepared for anything. I didn’t have any concrete plans because I, as always, really wanted to walk around and see as much as I could. So I wandered around for several hours, and saw a lot of craziness and a lot of not-very-good free open-air concerts. One of the things I found surprising about Queen’s Night was the number of places that were open. All the souvenir stores, a bunch of restaurants and bars, and some little grocery shops were still open. I grabbed dinner at Wok to Walk, which makes delicious stir-fry. The greatest thing about Wok To Walk is captured in their name—you can walk around with your dinner in one of their iconic orange boxes. I saw a lot of people around Leidseplein trying to walk, dance and eat all at the same time.
I made it a personal goal to find as many of those free open-air concerts as possible because the music and atmosphere different at each one. The first I found by accident heading down a side street (Reguliersdwarsstraat, if anyone is interested – there is a really good Mexican restaurant called Rosie’s Cantina there) to get away from a crowd, and found a great party in the street. Everyone was dancing to the pop/techno music, including a bunch of people in the apartments high above the street. After that, I headed to Leidseplein, and found a terrible pop singer there, but as always, Leidseplein was hopping and there’s always lots of people-watching to do. There was a street performer doing tricks with a ball, and a motorcycle gang in matching outfits. Despite the slight chill in the air, I got ice cream and ate it while walking around because any time there is a partying crowd of people walking fearlessly in the streets, I feel the need to eat ice cream. The trams were running, but only occasionally, so the crowds took over the streets. Being able to walk down the middle of the streets along with half of Amsterdam was great fun. I found another concert playing Latin music with a smaller, more relaxed crowd near the giant chess set (buried under the stage at the time), and a fourth on my way home on Haarlemmerstraat.
Even when there wasn’t music blaring from a stage or the entrance to a bar, there was always the sound of crushed beer cans and broken bottles underfoot. I was surprised by how much trash there was on the streets, although given Amsterdam’s lack of public trash cans, that shouldn’t have surprised me. I rather liked it though—I wouldn’t want broken glass around every day, but it definitely adds to the chaotic, fun, free atmosphere that is Queen’s Night.

An echo of Bicycle Mark's blog.. for those of us not fortunate enough to have our own boat, the absolute best way of spending Queen's Day is by canal hitch-hiking! Thanks to people like Mark, all the rest of us get to spend Queen's Day the right way - ON the water! Miss Manners would say, load your backpack full of supplies to share with those who pick you up, anywhere between the Opera House to the Jordaan, along the canals of the Red Light or down by Leidseplein. Of course, those supplies dwindle quickly, but thanks to the generousity of many boat-hosts, you can continue to party all through the day. I like to find the bounty of borrelnootjes within my hosts craft and throw them into the gaping pie-holes of the unlucky land-locked Dammers.

Herein I will make a confession. Last year on Queen's Day, after one of the best day's of my life, I committed the greatest error known to an Amsterdammer.. I fell into the canal. But only up to my chest! I didn't go under! As I climbed from a boat that had brought us back to the Opera House from down by Nassaukade, I slipped and went down into the chilly.. unknown depths. ewww...The two guys on the boat caught me by my left arm, my two friends caught me by my right, and I, helpless and crippled with laughter, was drug up and ashore. Everyone was cracking up, and then we walked home, I dripping yet somehow (?) not feeling the cold night air. This is one of our fondest Queen's Day memories, perhaps the perfect way to wrap up the day of absurdities. Last year a fellow student who found out felt obliged to tell almost all our mutual friends, and others, what had happened to me. My only consolation was that 1) it was the Amstel, at least a free flowing river and not a stagnant ring canal, and 2) I vowed not to repeat that, and I didn't. NOT falling in will be the new tradition. I hope.

I started off my first Queen’s Day in the same way I set out on Queen’s Night, with no expectations or plans. I’d researched the holiday on the internet, talked with my Dutch RA about what would be happening, and ended up with only vague conceptions of what to expect. So I put on an orange shirt (of course!) and set out. My friend characterized it as half yard sale, half party, and that’s pretty accurate, although I’d throw some carnival in that mix. There was music everywhere I went yesterday. I walked along Haarlemmerstraat on my way to Damrak, and was amazed by all the stuff around me. I walk along this street everyday, but it was totally different – tons of people, streamers and confetti all over the place, people selling household stuff and toys on the sidewalks next to food stands selling every kind of food imaginable. It’s a good thing that there were no trams, buses, or cars, and very few bicycles, because there is so much to look at that it’d be impossible to watch out for cars. I stopped along my way and bought an awesome bag for 5 Euro from some friendly Dutch. It came in purple (grape) and yellow (mango), but I decided that I could rock the orange. I normally stay away from orange, even though it’s one of my favorite colors, because it looks odd on me, but Queen’s Day convinced me I could pull it off. The bag is hand-made from recycled materials, so I can feel good while looking good!
The Jordaan area that I walked around seemed to be the same as Haarlemerstraat, but with less food. Then I went to Damrak, where the local yard-sale appearance was replaced with a carnival/street-seller appearance, with a long row of professional stands sold foods, bags, novelty t-shirts, and every orange thing they could find. There weren’t as many local people selling their unwanted stuff in the middle of Amsterdam, although one could still find them on side streets and on the bridges over the canals.
The canals! Now there’s a party. Bicyclemark blogged about the experience of being on a boat, and I’m quite jealous, even though I disliked boats in general. Every boat I saw seemed to be having quite a good time. There was music blasting from every other boat, and while the boats appeared to be moving incredibly slowly, no one much cared. The sides of the canals were lined with people partying in moored boats, and observers cheering on the sidewalks.
There was a lot of drinking going on, but everyone was well-behaved. I’m from Boston, where drunkenness can turn pretty rowdy pretty fast, but everyone seemed to be having a good time peacefully yesterday. Maybe that’s because all the beer was outrageously priced and no one could afford to get drunk.
I’ve been to Leidesplein three days in a row, and have watched it get progressively more insane. Queen’s Day was the height of crowdedness – people were literally squished shoulder-to-shoulder just trying to get into the square. It was an interesting experience simply because being in such physical proximity to strangers is usually socially inappropriate. To be stuck in a crowd in physical contact with a million people I didn’t know was novel and kind of fun. You end up talking to people just because you’re sharing this crazy experience. It was a battle to get to the Haagen-Dazs, though, but the sweet sweet reward made it worthwhile. My new giant bag was difficult to navigate through the crowds. Luckily, it prevented pick-pocketing (an otherwise easy feat in such a close crowd) because all my possessions were so far down in it.
Other observations: The line at every ATM was absolutely insane. This was a problem, since I had approximately no cash on me, but I managed to get by. And take Janelle’s advice and carry lots of change for the bathrooms. The nice thing about paying to use one is that they are generally clean. Watch out for the free-standing urinals—they leak. Also, there was bungee-jumping at Waterlooplein!
Overall, Queen’s Day was crazy but definitely fun. I was astonished at how dirty this beautiful city got over the course of Queen’s Night/Queen’s Day, but I’m sure Amsterdam’s skilled street cleaners will return the streets to their ordinary shining glory soon enough.

If you've already read up on the plentiful Queens Day trippist posts, it is not over!

Of course not, now it's time to skim through the Queen's day posts on the expat/english language Amsterdam blogosphere!

First, you should usually start with Todd over at Waking Up in Amsterdam. Why start with Todd? Because he owns the night and if there is a party anywhere in this town, he's on the job.
Trouble is, like any veteran of the party scene, things sometimes go wrong. And judging by Todd's recent post about Queen's day, he had such a good time he hurt himself. So stay tuned, and umm.. hope you're ok Todd!

Next let's check Invader Stu. Who? Invader Stu... trust me.. you want to know what he's writing about, especially after a weekend like this one. This year you can read all about how Stu woke up following Queen's night wearing something surprisingly special.

And as my third recommendation today, you should check on James of "American in Amsterdam", where he provides a short but telling video entry of what the average street looks and sounds like on QD.

There you go, bicyclemark's 1,2,3 round up of some Queen's day posting from the NL blogosphere.

SPANISH FILM FESTIVAL
Semana de Cine Español will show 16 movies including the Dutch premiere of AzulOscuroCasiNegro and Alatriste. For the complete program check out the website (unfortunately only in Dutch and Spanish).
Melkweg Cinema - Lijnbaansgracht 234a
May 2 -16
7.50 Euro (on May 3 & May 10 free entrance after 11PM to latin fiesta ¿Que Pasa? when you show your ticket)

CLUB
Vienna Weekender: features Viennese DJ's such as Makossa & Megablast, Kadenza & Jurgen Drimal, Philip van het Veld and Rodney Hunter.
Sugar Factory - Lijnbaansgracht 238
May 3 - 5, 11PM
From 8 Euro

Mathew Jonson and Cobblestone Jazz
11 - Oosterdokskade 3-5
May 5, 1030PM - 6AM
15 Euro

CONCERT
Cold War Kids (pop/rock)
Melkweg - Lijnbaansgracht 234a
May 5, 930PM
10 Euro

EXHIBITION
The art exhibtion Tijdelijk Museum Amsterdam - (Con)temporary Museum Amsterdam looks at the city as if it were one big museum using art institutions like Foam and Stedelijk Museum as exhibition rooms. A 15 Euro pass will get you into all 13 temporary exhibitions and lets you attend a public debate. Check out the website for the complete program.
May 9 - 13

Despite having my little place in the Oud West of Amsterdam, I do manage to hang out at quite a few hotels. Thanks to a steady stream of visitors, I often get to put my feet up, flip through the cable channels, and test how fluffy the beds are at some of this city's finest hotels.

Recently I found myself in a double room at the American Hotel, very prominently located at Leidseplein.

I've seen the hotel many times from the outside. I've also crossed through the very simple lobby during some infrequent visits to the fancy-shmancy American Café. But this was my first time hanging out in the rooms and wandering the halls.

My friend was busy finishing some work, so I threw myself onto one of the beds and proceeded to flip through the channels. Immediately I noted the very very soft bed under me... fighting the temptation to sleep. Channel one on the TV was some kind of permanent camera pointing down at Leidseplein. Perhaps not interesting to most people, but I sat there for a good 15 minutes trying to see if I knew anyone riding by.

A quick visit to the bathroom, which was very small. Lots of little toiletries so you can polish your broken buttons and sew your shoes back on. Luxury hotel bathrobe that we'd all like to take with us but wouldn't want to suffer the extra charge -- check. Surprisingly weak built in hair dryer -- check.

Everything else was pretty standard for a good hotel, except one very irritating detail. Internet. Whether you chose to stay in your room and plug into the ethernet line, or walk down to the mezzanine and use the hotel's computers, you have to pay a pretty price for use of the information super highway. Some swiss company apparently made a deal with the hotel so that every guest has to pay for either one hour, one day, or one week and it is quite the opposite of cheap.

Do we get charged for having standard cable channels? No. Do we get charged for the fancy bathrobe, the comfy bed, or the nice shampoos? No. So in the year 2007, in a city like Amsterdam where internet is cheap and everywhere, why oh why, American Hotel, do guests have to pay all this extra just to have some internet?

My verdict: No good. Nice hotel otherwise, but in an era where most of us need the internet to do our work and do the most basic and necessary tasks, I would rather choose a hotel that understands that need. Especially in a city like Amsterdam, where you can certainly find such a place.

There's alot of stuff on Utrechtstraat. If you spend any quality time in Amsterdam, you'll surely end up on this street, by accident or on purpose.

If you step out on the town and head there just as the sun is going down, especially at this time of year, you'll see lots of people sitting on terraces, eating tapas, and making a whole lot of noise to celebrate.... whatever they're celebrating.

One place you could easily miss, but would be wise to experience, is one of my top 10 all time Amsterdam restaurants for average cost. The Golden Temple.

Now I don't know the exact details on how it began, but when you walk in and notice the very "zen" atmosphere, you'll probably get that the owners are passionate hippies through and through. And if you walk all the way to the back of the restaurant you can say hello to two very kind and skilled cooks, always ready to give you a smile.

The one thing that gets me about Golden Temple, besides the extremely delicious whole-wheat pizza's they serve up, are the ladies. That's right, I'm talking about the waitresses. I have no idea how this place recruits help, but they manage to get some extremely beautiful and kind employees, and Im telling you.. it throws me off whenever I eat there. I'm trying to focus on the delicious chai or the ginger drink, not to mention my jalapeño pepper pizza, and one of them will just look my way and ask how I'm doing... suddenly I forget how to use my words.

Ok, Ok.. nevermind my bizarre restaurant observations. Golden Temple = GOOD. Just follow the Utrechtsestraat all the way down from Rembrandtplein, its on your right just after a spanish tapas place. (number 126)

Finding a cheap and decent place to stay in Amsterdam is not always easy, especially during the busy summer months. Qbic Hip Hotel is therefore very very welcome! It's a new low cost design hotel, with rates starting at 39 Euro. The earlier you book the cheaper the room, the most you'll pay is 139 Euro. It's located a bit outside the center, near the WTC in the south of the city, but well connected by tram, train and Schiphol airport.

Rooms are cube-shaped (surprise surprise), called a Cubi, only 75 square foot but very practical in size and set up with Philip Starck design, beds from Hästens and wireless internet. You can adjust the lighting in the room according to the mood you are in, Mellow Yellow, Red Romance or Deep Purple Love... In the lobby you will find a digital concierge service, recommending local restaurants and places of interest.

The hotel opens in June but since you should book early we didn't want to keep it from you.. Reservations can already be made on their website.

Whether you're in Amsterdam for only a few days or for a long haul, I must insist that you make your way to Paradiso this Friday, May 11th.

Not for a band. It is something much more than a band and it is unique to Amsterdam. They are called Pips:Lab, and they are impossible to describe in words. But this is a text blog, so I'll write a bit more.

I had the pleasure of meeting some of the Pipslab people last year and going to their hilariously messy HQ at a local squat. I've never gotten to see a live performance, as those are rare, but I have seen videos of their shows. The best being "The Washingpowder Conspiracy", which of course, I now believe in. These guys are technological geniuses, not to mention musically inclined and dam funny to boot. Their performances not only entertain, but they specialize in making the audience be IN the performance. Their topics are bizarre and you'll sometimes wonder if either they or you are high on something. But in fact, it may just be that they're that good.

This friday they're not only doing the Conspiracy, but they're also doing Wortel Combat III. If I explained it all to you, I would have to kill you. So it's best to just go because no matter how many performing artists tell you they're unique, they're not. Pips:lab is Über unique times infinity.

PAradiso, 21h, Main Space. Cost: don't know, don't care.

Wherever you live in the world, a free newspaper has probably popped up. Maybe two or three. They're only about 4 pages thick, and designed to be read in 10 minutes (I haven't properly tested the theory)

The Netherlands has 3. Correction, there are now 4 of these things. Which kind of defeats the purpose... 4 free newspapers, 10 minutes each.. isn't that the equivalent of one normal newspaper minus the quality journalism?

Whatever the case, that seems to be the trend at every train station. Big bins or people reaching out to hand you there free newspaper. One after another: Metro, Spits, De Pers, and now DAG!

Meanwhile if you walk to your local supermarket you'll find annoying people trying to sign you up for the traditional broadsheets, which still do quality journalism covering the globe, but their subscriber numbers have plummeted.

Of course if you don't read Dutch, you can try to ignore all these papers and all these people. But even the English language press is getting competitive.

The month-long period of warmth and sunshine in Amsterdam came to an end yesterday with a day of rain. Today, the sun broke through for a brief happy moment (just long enough for me to walk home, which was excellent), before retreating into a thunderstorm. When I compliment the great weather, I'm often told that we've been especially lucky this spring and had unusually great weather. Even now, the weather is better than at home - it drizzles rather than pours.

I listen to the Boston NPR station (all NPR stations are available streaming over the internet) to keep up with the news at home, and since there is a six-hour time difference, I often listen to the morning news before I go to class. The morning news includes the weather report, which is usually pretty bad in April and May. It's odd to hear "it's currently 45 degrees with a possibility of showers" and look out my window at the bright 70 degree sunshine. Now, however, I listen to WBUR and hear "50 degrees and raining" and when I look outside, it's true!

Recently I went to dinner at a friend's home, who's parents are Dutch (papi) and Italiana (mama). We had an amazing dinner of mozarella di buffalo, a Salerno specialty, salad and pasta with a fresh tomato sauce. Mmm! What was amusing to me is how these two cultures blend in holy matrimony. His parents fought constantly through the dinner, the momma arguing loudly while the father resisted with silent brooding, occasionally tossing irritated glances. On the whole, they still appeared very much in love, and it reminded me how although my mother always warns me of the difficulties of mixing backgrounds within relationships, love really shouldn't allow such a simple boundary. The Dutch, with there mild austerity, critical and superior natures really accent well the Italian boldness, outrageousness and spontaneity. I do not mean to have any of those adjectives come off as 'bad', or negative, but simply common traits I have seen. A funny story we learned that night over coffee- Once, when the father had sufficiently angered the mamma, she proceeded to collect all of their wedding photographs and promptly burned them. The sole survivor of the massacre is a shot of most of the uncles, placed on the mantelpiece and serving as the unitary visual reminder of their deepened lifelong commitment to each other. She told the story with pleasure, while he groaned inwardly (and outwardly) and went to watch TV.

One visit I schedule into any trip regardless of where I am: A trip to the local grocery store. I am facinated with the differences in grocery stores, an essential in any modern city. Different ideas about organization, content (dry goods, produce, toiletries, etc), origin of foods (local or imported), range of products, signs, etc... the list goes on. Since I've been living here, I've become intimately familiar with the local Albert Heijn, especially since I am a lazy college student who doesn't want to carry a week's worth of food home on my bike, I go grocery shopping almost every day. One thing I have realized over time: the grocery store doesn't always have food. Granted, my store is a little neighborhood store, not one of the big ones you find in the center of the city. Still, the fact that I can walk in and be unable to find any bread or vegetables is pretty crazy. It's not that big of a deal, since I can always find something else (and the inability to find vegetables for stir-fry one night led to a change in dinner plans and ultimately some very tasty fajitas), but after the overabundence of food in the grocery stores at home, it's surprising. Sure, you can't always count on being able to find your very favorite variety of apple or ice cream, but not being able to buy bread? Any bread at all? Craziness!
Another difference that could be surprising for American ex-pats is the absence of baggers. Not only that, but the fact that you have to pay for a plastic grocery bag! It's only 20 euro cents, but still. I like this system, since it means (I hope) ultimately less plastic is used. Instead of relying on the store's plastic buys, most shoppers bring bags with them. I use my basic messanger bag, but I've seen people with big backpacks, suitcases or reused Albert Heijn bags. The lack of baggers also means that you have to grab your groceries quickly, as the cashiers will move on to the next customer the second you've paid. It took me awhile to learn how to stuff my groceries into my bag with Dutch speed and avoid getting in the next customer's way. It is more efficient though, once you master the system. It helps that I'm not buying much at any one time.
I'm really going to miss grocery shopping here after I return to the States. Walking or biking to the local AH takes a maximum of ten minutes here, but getting to a Stop & Shop from my dorm takes at least a half hour each way. Ah, the virtues of living in a city!

Since I myself am not able, I will hereby recommend to you all something I mentioned once before but that warrants a reminder:

The Weekly Specials page of the Amsterdam Weekly offers freebies all the time and this week are some of the best in a while. Free passes to see Sunshine the movie, party tickets to Confessions on the Dancefloor at Koepelkerk (haha! Eurovision Song Contest May 12th), and even Tori Amos and her American Doll Posse World Tour! at the Heineken Music Hall on the 3rd of June!

They are giving away 10 tickets in pairs of two to see her, so if you can handle this wild woman, go to the page and fill in a quote or caption to the image found on the page. If you're creative enough you will receive the tickets and go to this special concert.

I happened to be on the international train yesterday and as I walked into the train car I noticed all the colors were different in second class, and there was a promotional web address written on the windows NSHispeed.nl

After some research I've learned that the high speed rail lines from Amsterdam to Rotterdam and beyond (to Brussels, Paris, Cologne, etc) are almost complete. This means, that as of December of this year, you can take a wonderfully fast Thalys, Eurostar, or ICE train and travel at speeds just under 120MPH (200KPH). Beyond that, apparently for national rail travel between Amsterdam-The Hague-Rotterdam-Breda they're introducing a new kind of TGV train. EXCITING!

Of course the full high speed power won't be ready til 2010, at which time you can get to Paris in 3 hours, Brussels in 1 hour 46min, or Frankfurt in just under 4 hours. Naturally it won't be the cheapest thing in the world, but with the amount of trains available to choose from, it will certainly be affordable in comparison to the cost and stress of dealing with air travel to cities that are all nearby.

By the way, if you go to the website click on the part "Our Network" there's a great little animation that shows you an animated comparison of flying, driving, and taking different kinds of trains... it's cute!

One perk of living in Amsterdam is its great proximity to so many other exciting destinations. A few years ago, in appreciation of this convenience, I visited Edinburgh. With a friend, we flew on easyJet for cheap and found an even cheaper hostel.

Edinburgh is a beautiful city, and highly recommended for exploration. The best way to do so is by booking a tour with Adrian's Edinburgh City Cycle Tour. Adrian really knows his stuff and does everything from setting you and your friends up with great photo ops to taking a break with hot chocolate.

The center of the city is filled with intimate pubs with humorous names, and the night life is very entertaining. Get ready to enjoy the delightful Scottish accent and book your trip soon!

One interesting thing I've noticed about Amsterdam as compared to other European cities is the relative absence of American products and stores. I've seen Starbucks, The Gap, Barnes & Nobles or Urban Outfitters or other such stores in London, Athens and Paris, but none in Amsterdam. I didn't realize it at first, but after being surprised after seeing a Gap store in London, I started looking for American stores in Amsterdam, and not finding many. I did catch a glimpse of an American Apparel store on Westerstraat in the Jordaan and a Timberland store near Leidseplein. I don't mind - what's the point in buying something here in euros that I could get at home in dollars? - but I am impressed with Amsterdam's ability to fend off American companies. I can't imagine that such corporation don't want to open up stores in this great city.
There aren't many things I dislike about Amsterdam, but the absence or inaccessiblity of some American products does make me sad. For instance, I can't find maple syrup. I'm sure it's available somewhere, but I haven't found it yet, and so delicious maple syrupy pancakes remain out of my reach at the moment. There is a sugar syrup available in Albert Heijn, but it is not the same at all. I'm not homesick, exactly, but there are some American foods I crave. Boxed macaroni & cheese was high on that list until a friend's parents brought me some when they visited (they are kind kind souls). Paris and London both have more American foods available - London especially. So if you're craving something, you might want to make a field trip over there. It's easier than getting back to the US!

A friend from Paris is coming to town, apparently for a rowing competition somewhere south of Amsterdam.

I've met a few people in this city that are part of the different rowing clubs. These clubs remind me of college fraternities, complete with hazing and infamous parties. The one I know best is called Nereus. There is also the more student friendly one known as Skøll.

According to my sources, there are also some low key community rowing clubs that leave out the stupid rituals and all the top-secret details. Many have nice terrace café's on the water, but it can rather tricky to find them.

Still... if you should be so lucky, head over to where the rowing clubs are, in the spring time, you might catch a beautiful competition.

FESTIVAL
(H)OT Scenes Festival: more than 40 known and unknown bands and acts will perform. Check out the website for the line up.
OT301 - Overtoom 301
Until May 13
5 Euro a day

CONCERTS
Lisa Germano (piano/ballads)
Paradiso - Weteringschans 6-8
May 11, 7PM
9 Euro

Battles
Paradiso - Weteringschans 6-8
May 14, 10PM
10 Euro

Nas (hip hop)
Melkweg - Lijnbaansgracht 234a
May 15, 9PM
39.50 Euro

Nneka (hip hop/soul/reggae)
Paradiso - Weteringschans 6-8
May 16, 9PM
15 Euro

PARTY
5th EuroSongTravestival by Chicks with Dicks hosted by Coco Coquette, Jet Lag and Desiree dello Stiletto!
Winston - Warmoesstraat 129
May 13, 8PM - 3AM
10 Euro (5 Euro after 10PM)

Starting today, the Westertoren/tower can be climbed again. The tower offers a breath-taking view of the city center and Jordaan district. The 279 foot tower of the Westerkerk church dates back to 1638 and although slightly off-balance is completely stable. It's been closed for renovations for a year. Opening hours are 10AM-530PM.

Many historical towers in Amsterdam’s center are open for climbing. The Zuidertoren is open Monday to Saturday from 12PM-4PM, and the Oude Kerkstoren is open on weekends from 1PM-5PM.

Westertoren - Prinsengracht 281
Zuidertoren - Zuiderkerkhof 72
Oudekerkstoren - Oudekerksplein 23

Traveling to Amsterdam is a great experience, but if you're coming from the United States, be prepared for one important issue: The dollar exchange. As of today, the exchange rate is 1 Euro = 1.35 US dollars. Ouch.

It's especially painful for us that were around when the Euro was first introduced back in 2002, when the currencies were practically equal. Everything was so simple - no calculations required!

Just keep this in mind when planning for hotels, meals etc. The difference seems only to be slowly increasing, so start saving for your dream holiday early.

In response to another Trippist blogger's message (see below) on the difficulties of finding American (USA) food in the city, I must mention Eichholtz, the best source of anglophone expat food in all of Amsterdam.

Located at Leidsestraat 48, Eichholtz offers British and American 'delicacies' (if we can call them that?!?). The prices are premium, meaning you might end up paying 2.50 euros for a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese that normally 0.80 cents US (about 0.45 euro cents) at home, or for a can of Heinz Baked Beans. You can find Oreos, maple syrup (Emily!), chocolate chips, puddings, and many other preservative-filled delights. Eichholtz also stocks Dutch souvenirs, for one stop shopping!

Others can be found at this website from AmsterdamConnect, listing American food and specialty food shops around Amsterdam.

Here are the dates my university is closed in April and May this year:

April 6 (Good Friday)
April 9 (Easter Monday)
April 30 (Queen's Day)

May 1 ( Labour Day)
May 5 (Liberation Day)
May 17 (Ascension Day)
May 18 (Ascension Day bonus)
May 28 (Whit Monday)

I call this the Dutch pre-summer holiday season. Even though the Dutch are rather non-religious, they still love their Christian holidays. So if you are - or will be - in NL this spring season, be prepared to join the Dutch in skipping work (unless you're a student), relaxing, and contemplating the deeper meaning of what these holidays might mean to them.

I have a Dutch friend who is the best source of 'to-do' in the whole of Amsterdam. A truly outgoing and unique individual, she seems to have not just 1 good underground party to go to on the weekends but several, and is often conflicted with how to spend her time. Whatever she decides, she always looks good doing it. This is the type of person that looks hot every time I see her, with an ensemble interesting or outrageous enough to draw the eyes of everyone in the room (even in Amsterdam she stands out!). Furthermore, she can wear red lipstick and it doesn't smudge all night- how?!? I do not understand it.

Finally I asked her where she shops, and she told me about the best vintage shop in Amsterdam. Located in the 9 Straatjes (Wolvenstraat), Laura Dols specializes in period clothes from the 1920s to the 1970s. Their strength is their glam-wear-: fancy dresses and formal clothing for any event. Across the street is another Laura Dols, offering vinage linens, napkins and drapes.

Laura Dols is not simply a second-hand clothes shop- and therefore it is not cheap. When I went to check it out, I realized how my friend can afford all the beautiful pieces in her closet on a student budget- she works there.

Since I recommended going to see Pipslab last Friday at Paradiso, naturally I want to tell you a bit about how it went.

With the entire main space of the club divided into two sides, Pips kicked off their evening with Wortel Combat... a performance incorporates live music (especially acapella and beat box type songs), video art, comedy, and general insanity. People slowly rolled in as Duke Nukem and Pacman squared off against each other, manipulated by the volunteers from the crowd.

By 11pm, it was time for the Washing Powder Conspiracy, and president Omo was on stage with his washing machine, banging away and urging his followers to fight dirt and use his brand of washing powder. The ladies of the band, dressed in their traditional Dutch girl clothes, use electronic synthesizer sounds on a long line of irons. Seriously... irons.. like for your clothes. Add to that, the ketchup terrorist and a whole lot of brain washing.. the full house went wild. And when I thought it couldn't get any better weirder, an old Dutch raggae star shows up to sing his old hit song all about washing clothes. I had never heard it before, but the sight and sounds of the whole crowd going wild and singing along told me that this man was once loved.

To give you a little taste, here's a video from my mobile:

As much as the people who run cities like Amsterdam or the Hague would like you to think everything is clean and beautiful all the time, that is - of course- not true. Dutch cities have their share of problems, even if they are much better compared to what I remember growing up in Newark, NJ.

There are lots of issues you never hear about: homelessness, theft, neglect of the elderly, drug abuse... just to name a few.

Today begins a campaign to address some of these issues, where volunteers will take to the streets for the next three days, helping those who need help, visiting those that have no one; all manner of reaching out to the urban community. It's called SERVE THE CITY, click the link for more information. If you're in town, you might want to join the movement and be part of something very special.

Video from Serve The City:

CONCERTS
New Cool Collective Big Band (jazz)
19 piece live band from Amsterdam is releasing it's long awaited live album!
Paradiso - Weteringsschans 6-8
May 18, 9PM
12,50 Euro

De La Soul (hip hop, R&B, soul)
Melkweg - Lijnbaansgracht 234a
May 18, 930PM
20 Euro

Hanne Hukkelberg (electronica/experimental)
Paradiso - Weteringsschans 6-8
May 19, 7PM
8 Euro

DANCE
DJ set VS. Ensemble with DJ 100% Isis, DJ Shiva, Mr C and Dollz at Play from the UK.
Escape deLux - Rembrandtplein 11
May 19, 11PM-5AM
10 Euro

FILM
Netherlands Transgender Film Festival from May 23 - May 27. This years festival not only includes screenings but also a live performance by Kate Bornstein (Gender Outlaw), Anita Khemka's documentary Between the Lines: India’s Third Gender on Hijras accompanied by the photo exhibition Hijras of Mumbai at Lloyd Hotel opening on May 21 (free). One of the photographed hijras will be present as well as Anita Khemka. One freak trans comedy show from Lynnee Breedlove (Tribe 8), Berlin drag kings and much much more.
De Balie - Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10
Check the website for full program, dates and tickets.

EXHIBITION
Awoiska van der Molen - Maintained Ground
Dutch photographer Awoiska is attracted by places that are secluded, isolated from their environment. She photographs in and around cities that lack liveliness, cities that feel uncomfortable.
Foam - Keizersgracht 609
Until June 20, 7 Euro

There's a lot of great resources if you're considering a move to Amsterdam, and here's another site with lots of information: I amsterdam. In their Living & Learning section, they tell us that "Amsterdam ranks high for overall quality of living" and "that since 1992, the city’s expat community has grown by 9,000 to now totals circa 100,000."

100,000 expats! There's a good reason to take the plunge. If you're interested in continuing your research, check out their other info-packed sections, such as "Getting Started" and "Networking and Interacting."

It's always good to make an informed choice before decided to move, whether it's permanent or temporary. Even though I already made that decision long ago, I still like to find resources that tell me more about this beautiful city.

Off of Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal (on a side street- towards the left), just above Dam Square towards Centraal station, is a gorgeous little Belgian Beer bar aptly named Cafe Belgique. Cafe Belgique was once described to me by the Swedish friend who introduced me to it as a real 'gem'. Indeed it is. I bring all my beer-appreciating friends there, and although it is normally crowded, we always find a seat. The music is nice, the atmosphere is nice. What is great are the beers. I know that Amsterdam has Gollem, also a Belgian beer bar. But Cafe Belgique is more unique and with better character. My favorite choice is whatever is on special, and when I've tried that, I will take a random pick off the list. When I am not feeling very experimental, I will go for my alltime favourite beer in the universe, Leffe Blonde.

If you go with a novice, advise them to choose Kwak, a beer known for its very intriguing glass and holder, and one that makes the sound Kwak! once it is nearly finished. The beer, tipped to the right degree, catches in the narrow neck, breaks through and splashes the consumer on the face, a funny trick. Also good are La Chouffe and Lucifer.

This is a friend of mine who loves her Framboise Belgian beer (available here). In this picture she is taking a Kwak.. but she knew the beer so wasn't fooled.

It was a perfect evening out with a friend. We had finished dinner and decided to have a drink before parting ways. We strolled down the Reguliersdwarsstraat and then we saw a sign that seemed to fit our wishes: "Amsterdam Wine Bar."

We scurried in and found an empty table, and began exclaiming over how cute and cosy this place was. Then the waiter came, and found out that we were only having drinks. He frowned, then told us it was fine, but if other people came that wanted to eat...(shrug). We pointed out the obvious sign in the front, and he shrugged again like he didn't know what we were talking about.

Other than the pressure to drink fast, we ordered a decently priced glass of wine and chatted away. In case you're interested, it's called Knus, and it apparently has decent reviews. Check it out, but be prepared to eat if you want to drink.

Based in NL, have a bunch of money burning a hole in your pocket and looking for a way to fill your spare time? ACCESS is a non-profit organization designed to support expats in the Netherlands. I've occasionally come across their website during my hunts for NL-based activities, and thought I'd share a few.

ACCESS has some nice-sounding workshops, although I've never attended myself. On May 24 they have a workshop on Active Job Hunting, and on June 5 they sponsor a course on Intercultural Communication (both in Den Haag). They also have an online magazine available, plus lots of other goodies. Explore for yourself on their website.

Somewhere at some point on trippist, someone must have recommended that you go to see the wonders of Amsterdam Noord.

Thats a pretty vague recommendation as Noord is huge, and hopping on the ferries, you could end up in a whole series of different places.

However if you're me, and luckily for you you're not, but still.. I very often end up taking the ferry to the destination with all the letters... NDSM or something to that effect. (it is the ferry furthest to the left when you're facing the north.)





So you take that ferry, which is free, and in about 10 minutes, you arrive at a little dock complete with Greenpeace ships, a German party boat, the pancake restaurant boat, and a former Soviet submarine turned squat. As if that weren't already enough reason to visit, you also have the Ij Kantine, which I want to recommend to you today.

The IK is a big brown circa 1940's box. And they've managed to park a very hip and spacious café-restaurant in it. And while the menu isn't dirt cheap, you could definitely afford a drink and a snack. Plus you've made it all the way to Noord... why not splurge and eat a gourmet meal?

Eating at nice restaurant's in Amsterdam, for me, requires a little creativity and even luck.

What I'm saying is, I am a man of modest income. So modest the main course had better not go over 15 euros or I can't replace that pair of socks with a hole this week.

However, if I get a visiter who offers to treat me to dinner. If a wealthy relative comes to visit (do I have any of those?). Or if by some luck someone just says -- come with me, Im buying you a fancy dinner... I GO!

Recently that happened, and our destination was Balthazar's Keuken (Kitchen) in the historic Jordaan. When I think Balthazar I think wizards or ancient history, not necessarily gourmet cooking. But this kitchen is more than gourmet.. it's gourmet times 10 with a cherry on top. (literally I think my desert had a cherry on top)

Don't ask me how much the meal ending up costing, I really don't want to know. But I do think you should be aware the the main course is about 27.50€, and that isn't including the wine.

On the bright side you get alot of exciting food, including an array of appetizers with both veggie and non veggie friendly choices. The main course is meat or fish, unfortunately for the vegeterians. I splurged and went for the fish, which was not only delicious, it was really decorative in that "we're a fancy-cool restaurant" style. Then you finish it all with a painfully delicious desert, which I thought was ice cream but after one bite I realized they had taken ice cream to some new level that could potentially be the key to world peace or at least eternal happiness.

So if you're wallet is thick enough and your stomach demands the finest, head to Balthazar's Keuken and you'll know what it is to do fine dining in Amsterdam. (directions on the website)

When traveling back and forth from the Midwest to the Netherlands, there's always a million differences that beg to be observed. Since I'm a runner, the roads definitely are one of the top attention grabbers. There's nothing like running for a few weeks on blacktop and then switching back to cobblestone.

If you live in a Dutch city you're probably familiar with the constant road construction. But have you seen the bricks being carefully fitted back into place after the work is finished? Workers painstakingly place bricks onto a level bed of sand until a (hopefully) airtight surface is created. It's probably much more labor intensive than rolling a new layer of blacktop, but the result is oh-so-charming.

Call me crazy, but I think it's easier on a runner's legs than blacktop, too.

Photo: Alexandra Saito - Flickr

EXHIBITION
Lise Sarfati - La vie nouvelle
Photographs of a journey through the US, showing young adults in the context of their solitary lives in towns such as Austin, Berkeley, Oakland, Los Angeles, Portland and New Orleans. With minimal directions Sarfati finds connections with her subjects in their everyday spaces and situations – bedrooms, backyards, kitchens, grocery stores.
Foam - Keizersgracht 609
May 25 - July 8
7 Euro

CONCERTS
Kristen Holly (acoustic)
‘Skek - Zeedijk 4-8
May 24 and 25, 930PM
Free

DJ Kid Koala (hiphop)
De Melkweg - Lijnbaansgracht 234a
May 25, 9PM
14 Euro

Several years ago, when my student life was new and social activities were almost daily, I tolerated the smoke. So well in fact that I started smoking. About two years ago I managed to lose that terrible habit, and now my tolerance for smoky places is very low. Which is unfortunate, as Amsterdam (and most of Holland) seems to thrive on smoke-filled environments.

While searching for a clean-air establishment in which to meet some friends, I found another great resource: Smoke Free Netherlands! From smokefreeworld.com, this website lists a small but comprehensive variety of hostels, hotels, restaurants, and even one bar that has a smoke-free room. Hopefully in the future the list will grow longer, but for now I've found a goldmine.

I fell in love with orchids many years ago, but never purchased my own because of the hefty US price tag. But in the Netherlands, you can buy a bundle for quite cheap. If you're willing to make the trip to IKEA, for example, you'll find them priced at 5 euros. If you're looking closer to home, check out any flower store - it should be possible to find a beautiful specimen for around 15 euros.

Orchids bloom for weeks or months and even after the flowers say goodbye, the plant lives on. What a great investment! Just one more way to enjoy the plentiful variety of flowers that can be found in NL.