I have a lot of friends who pass through Amsterdam for work, as a flight stopover, or who are just coming for a weekend break. They ask me what do I recommend within a very short time frame.

Then someone sent me this article by the New York Times: 36 Hours in Amsterdam. It's great. It really gives a complete schedule of Must See's and Must Do's over a simple weekend. And this list is for adult visitors, providing an alternative view of the city (not alternative in the sense of drugs and sex, but instead of them!)

Starting on a Friday afternoon (hopefully you were able to take Friday off of work!), you rent a bike, get your bearings in what is in fact a surprisingly small urban centre, and where to go for a trendy aperitif. By Sunday afternoon you will feel as if you truly experienced Amsterdam, although you will also know that a weekend if indeed not nearly enough to get to know all the offerings of one of Europe's most treasured cities.

Have you ever visited a city, fell in love with it, and just wished, oh wished, that you had a best friend there (or even an old acquaintance!) who could show you around, take you to the secret places and local's favourites??
I pretty much always feel like this when in a new place. For that, I tend to choose places where if I do not have a friend, I know someone who has lived there to give me some insider tips. Nothing worse than feeling like a tourist, agreed?
Here's someone who can help: Like a Local in Amsterdam. Like a Local will set you up in a houseboat, out for a drink or even over to someone's house for a home-cooked dinner!
Along with Amsterdam, the website has people for you to meet (*This is NOT a dating service!!!) in Portugal, New York City and others. It also allows you to meet new people in other Dutch cities like Rotterdam.

You can choose between 3 options: Live!, Go! and Eat! for accommodation, nightlife, or in-house dining. A real, live and friendly Dutch person will make you feel like a local. What could be better?

Little known factoid: the Netherlands has a national hockey league. Beyond that, Amsterdam has a team known as the Amstel Tijgers.

Most people in Amsterdam won't be able to tell you much about them. I myself have a limited amount of things I can tell you. Often times, late at night, I watch the news that is repeated from earlier in the day, and at the very end, there is an item about how the Amstel Tijgers have won a match or made the playoffs.

After examining their website a little it is clear that they're very involved in the community, organizing a children's hockey league as well as playing in the national competition. Looking through the agenda, December is a fine month to catch their matches at the Jaap Edenbaan, so if you like hockey and you're in town, check out the Tijgers website and see if you can get to a match.

Slick black caps, tight tuxedo vests, stunna shades, G STARs, and baggy white button downs swarmed the stage at Bittersweet last Sunday. The men cloaked in the free swag uniforms cruised the stage with assurance and ease. They looked like the Navy Seals division of One Nation Under a Groove, or Special Forces for The Black Planet; each piece of brass a different, military caliber weapon. Once the President declared war, in this case a wispy bearded Dutch nerd hollering “Ladies and Gentleman, The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble!” the elite squad brought forth a fury akin to Genghis Khan.
When accessing an army of such high quality, individual marksmanship is vital. The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, I am happy to report is chalk full of snipers. The trumpets hit fake notes up in the tops of trees and the trombones slung swarthy midrange progressions around the room like they were spewing machine gun fire into the crowd. The Tuba all the while laid a strong soulful baseline; each pursed lip blow, a land mind.
The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble unleashed a full armored assault on Bittersweet, and rolled through their short set with the technical acuity and attention to detail of General Sherman. Not only did each song strategically stumble itself into another, each solo, each chorus and each refrain progressed equally as fluid. What I am trying to say is quite simply, the band is tight. They burned our barns, let loose our cattle and sewed salt in our cropland.
Lest we forget, The Hypnotic write their own music. They are not mere foot soldiers, covering the Funk Generals and Colonels of old. Instead they offer an original battle plan. Their arrangements are heavily layered, pouring new riffs and sounds over an existing construct literally dozens of times in just one stanza. This cascading effect begs the listener to cringe and smile at the mere detail of the sounds they hear. It also forces said listeners to fuckin’ dance! Or at least, it should have! Sorry for the tangent but it must be said: If you are person who doesn’t dance on principle or fear, you’re pathetic. Fuck you. Honestly, you ruin scenes, stay home. As my head bobbed and swayed with the beat, I kept glancing at heaps of people loafing around, making small talk at the top of their lungs. I’m up here comparing this show to all out warfare while some people are cowering in the back like draft dodgers. Fuck’m.
Their is a reason the Army uses a bugle to wake up the soldiers and royalty use trumpets to announce grand entrances. Nothing on earth beats the power of a full fledged brass band. The Hypnotic Brass Ensemble is just that. They are also, “all blood” which I take to mean, a group of people willing to stick together. If they hold true to their convictions and keep on fighting, I predict they take over the world.

It was just recently announced, and a very militant fan reminded me, that Radiohead will be playing in Amsterdam on July 1st, 2008. Normally a date so far away would be a little odd to inform you about now, but it is radiohead.. so I'm making an exception.

The venue will be one of the very summer-esque places for concerts, Westerpark! Yes, outdoors in the fresh air and the park where everything seems like it is brand new and clean... because it is brand new and clean.

While it is an outdoor concert, the shows at Westerpark are not free. No information has been put out yet about the ticket prices. Your job, if you're a crazy fan that loves Radiohead and would love to be in the Netherlands to see them on a beautiful July summer day... is to make the travel plans now, tickets and other updates I'll update you on as the information comes forward.

December is here and that means the holiday season is upon us. What to do...

Friday:

A special kind of Jazz by the name Wagon Repair at CLub 11. 10h30pm, 11€.

Puerto Rican Reggeaton Party, bet it's been awhile since you've been to one? Powerzone, 11pm, 29.75€.

Our friends over at EasyLaughs are doing their comedy thing Friday night at CREA. 8h30 and 10h30pm. 8€ and 5€ for the late nighters.

Anja Müller and Taavet Jansen do modern dance at the Melkweg Theater, Friday thru Sunday, 9pm, 5€.

Saturday:

The quintessential Amsterdam party known as Girls Love DJ's, at Hotel Arena, 11pm, 15€.

Sugar Factory is throwing a party entitled The Black Disco Bust. 11pm, 8€.

The legendary LGBT club iT is throwing a reunion party. Lexion Avenue, Westzaan, 11pm, tickets range from 25 to 40€.

Ontpop festival is supposed to be something special and ecologically friendly. Takes places at the Westergasfabriek, 3pm til 1am, 5€.

Sunday:

Anouar Brahem, John Surman & Dave Holland= beautiful music at the Muziekgebouw. 8:30pm, 40€.

Legendary rock band the Proclaimers play the Melkweg. 8:30pm, 20€ + membership.

Experimental Music entitled: Muziek Kapot Moet! at the unique venue known as OCCII, 9pm, 5€.

It is the holiday season. And by holidays Im thinking of all those special days that involve you having to give a gift to someone. Or even birthdays, lot's of birthdays in December.. including mine.. today.

On this fine day I wanted to share with you one of my favorite gifts to bring my friends in different parts of the world when I visit them from Amsterdam. It is a gift that costs very little, is very rare in the world, and you must have a taste for.... It is a word many of us know very well... BEER.

Now hold on.. I'm not talking about a can of beer with the Heineken label painted on the aluminum. I'm not talking about a six-pack of Palm in your suitcase to greet uncle bob with. NO NO.. this is a luxury item. Available only in Amsterdam.. for the most part.
A fine locally brewed beer from the Ij Brewery.

I hope this doesn't give away my best gift choice to all my friends, but if I'm travelling somewhere, I've usually got 2 bottles of some fine Ale from the IJ. It is dark.. it is tastefully labelled with the Ostrich standing in front of the Windmill. And for beer lovers or collectors... it is a fun experience to taste some authentic Amsterdam.

And to make things even easier, you don't have to go to the Brewery to get them. I get fine from the local organic grocery stores, known as Natuurwinkel. So if you're in town and you want to bring a gift for someone you know has a penchant for brews of the world, pick up an Ij Brewery beer. Let me know how that works out for ya.

Often times you'll learn things or experience things in the Netherlands that defy explanation. Things that don't exactly make sense, yet can be very nice.

Today I was told the the winner of the "World's Best Ice Cream Maker" contest is an ice cream parlour by the name of Gelateria Mazzoli in the Dutch town of Amersfoort. The award is legit, and internationally respected, but I know what you're wondering - ice cream in the Netherlands?

Indeed its true. We've had entries on this blog before about delicious ice cream in the city of Amsterdam. But now the fame of dutch (or italian-dutch) ice cream has gone global. As if having the world's best weren't enough, the second place winner was also in the Netherlands in the small town, which I've never heard of, known as Malden.

The local Amsterdam AT5 news has been giving a good amount of coverage to the ongoing controversy of taxi's and how taxi drivers behave in Amsterdam. I won't try to explain the problems as I don't fully understand what is going on myself. BUT, I will explain a few fundamentals for anyone coming to town for long or short stays and wondering about taxi's.

First off, like Mrs. Gump once told her son Forrest, you never know what you're going to get. Like most cities, sometimes you find the driver that is wonderful, and sometimes you find the worst human being in the world. So that is true for Amsterdam as well.

However, you must be prepared to spend; taxi rides in Amsterdam and many parts of the Netherlands are expensive. In the blink of an eye, a 10 minute ride can cost 30 euro.. or so it seems to me the times that I take cabs. Although taxi's are almost always nice and clean, and the drivers themselves very well dressed with the latest navi-gadgets in the car... you pay a premium for all this. Or none of it... either way.. you'll pay.

Also be prepared, especially from central station, for the taxi drivers who simply refuse to take you anywhere. YES. Sometimes, if you're not going far enough for their tastes, they will pass you off to another driver or make any excuse possible to get rid of you.. because your destination doesn't amount to enough money for them. So be prepared, and feel free to argue even if it is probably impossible to win.

There is a rather new solution in Amsterdam, without mentioning the bike-taxi's which are cute but not practical. There is a rik-shaw style, motorcycle taxi service called Tuc-Tuc that takes you anywhere in the city for significantly less money than taxi's. As long as you don't have much luggage, and you can tolerate the thin-plastic covering that separates you from the bitter cold, Tuc-Tuc's are fun and a great value in a town with overpriced taxi rides.

So, if you must take a taxi, get yourself mentally ready for a ride. Or, find a Tuc-Tuc. (they're so new I can't find a website for them)

It is that time of year where many Amsterdamers go home to see their families... I'm referring especially to the ex-pat community. For those who stay around.. there are rewards:

Friday:

French Blues by Big Dez at Maloe Melo, 10pm, 5€.

Australian singer songwriter Graham Rix at Skek, 9:30pm, free.

Over in Haarlem, The Situations play at the Patronaat. 9pm, free.

Saturday:

Beloved homegrown favorites De Dijk play Paradiso, 8pm, sold out (find a way!)

Golden Earing! The legendary Golden Earing at Heineken Music Hall, 8pm, 25€.

Beatallica; If The Beatles and Metallica mated; Melkweg, 9pm, 12€ + membership.

More Wa, Fu = Polish Hip Hop. YES, I'm serious. OCCII, 9pm, 6€.

Clash Tribute Night at Maloe Melo, I so regret I can't be there; 10pm, 5€.

Sunday:

Romengo; gypsy music from Hungary; Bimhuis, 9pm, 14€.

Choro Del Campo; a Flamenco Choir at the Badcuyp, 9pm, €7.50.

A Filleta; a Cosican Polyphony!! Concertgebouw 8:15pm, €28.50.

4pm this Sunday there's a Christmas Cooking Clinic at the Waag, free.

Being pulled in many directions in this the final stretch before the holidays. For now I wanted to inform you the public about extending shopping hours in Amsterdam. They call it Koopavonden... literally Buy-Evenings; when shops extended their normal hours (which are typically til 5 or 6). During Koopavond days shops will be opened until 10pm.

The next few dates for extended hour nights are: this Thursday the 20th, Friday the 21st, and Sunday the 23rd. This effects all the good shopping districts, especially in the center of town. Other cities may have similar initiatives, I haven't really heard/seen specifics.

People often ask, are they as holiday shopping crazy in the Netherlands as they are in the US? The simple answer is YES. This whole week, all day and into the evening, you can bet the shopping streets are filled. The only difference is you don't have to worry about finding a parking space.

Amsterdam's comedy troop Boom Chicago is always up to something, be it on the internet, on stage, or on their new television news program.

Recently I went to go see what videos they had up on youtube, and found this perhaps already well known "Im From Holland" remix video.

Enjoy:

Amsterdam has its share of special museums: Sex museum, torture museum, etc. Add one more to that last, opened as of tomorrow: The Death Museum. Ok that is only a description of what it is about, the real name of the museum is the "Uitvaart Museum".

The website doesn't offer much in the way of description and the location sounds pretty special. Located several blocks east of Oosterpark, the building itself is built on a graveyard. It also includes a café which might be nice to stop in at for a drink.

The theme of the museum is death, how we treat death, and what that says about our past and present. There are several sub-themes that you'll have to discover for yourself, all of which relate to treatment of the dead.

As of tomorrow the museum is open for visitors and its normal hours will be Tuesday to Sunday, 11am to 5pm.

Yes there are people who spend xmas in Amsterdam. I am not one of them, but I've brought you the run down of what the weekend in town will bring:

Friday:

The Hellcats play Italian... yes.. Italian Rockabilly; MaloeMelo, 10pm, 5€.

3XLive does punk rock, and they're doing it at the Winston Kingdom; 9pm, 5€.

The NEw Model Army are a big deal, so big that they're playing Melkweg; 8:30pm, 16€ plus membership.

And at Carré, you can catch the "World Christmas Circus"... seriously; 8pm, and tickets range from 15€ to 49€.

Saturday:

Tease-a-Gogo is a new Burlesque show in town; Comedy Theater, 11:59pm and tickets go for about 12€.

For classical Christmas music you can go to the English Reformed Church to hear Ralph Meulenbroeks; 8:15, 15€.

There's also the big doek#6 jazz festival going on for much of the weekend at Bimhuis; 9pm, 14€.

Fancy DJ's for a party called Au10tique; De Kring, 10pm, 8€.

Sunday:

The party is Kortsluiting and it takes place at Studio 80, 11pm, 6€.

Pakhuis Wilhelmina has ska from Venus Hill; 4pm, FREE.

From Senegal, the wonderful Ami Collé; Melkweg, 9:30, 18€ plus membership.

My friends at the Cameleon have a piano recital by Rita Knuistingh Neven; 4:30pm, 10€.

Not that I expect any of you to be running around Amsterdam or anywhere in the Netherlands, lighting off fireworks. But you may find this tradition and the rules that surround it fascinating. So here's the most recent version of the rules regarding new years and fireworks:

Normally you cannot buy or sell fireworks in Amsterdam. However, from December 29th til the 31st, fireworks can be bought at specific shops during normal working hours. These shops are said to be observing the required safety standards for selling fireworks, but if memory serves, you'll find fireworks in the most unlikely of shops. (BIKE SHOP!?)

The only officially sanctioned time for setting off these fireworks is between 10pm and 2am on the New Years Eve. Anyone who violates this rule is subject to fines from the police. Also, no aiming fireworks at community zoo's, menageries, or any kind of animal housing. (!!!)

These rules may sound rather odd, but the truth is, New Years is Amsterdam is an odd experience in itself. As every kid and his parents seem to hit the streets, every street, launching fireworks in random directions. It can be very dramatic. I used to wonder aloud if people who remembered the second world war don't freak out on New Years Eve as it really sounds like the city is under attack.

Like most cities, Amsterdam between xmas and new years is quite tranquil. The streets are less crowded, and likewise, the bars have a been more free space for you.

Tonight I made my way over to Lux to meet some friends, on the eve where many of us will hit the road for a New Years journey. Normally I would tell you about Lux and how crowded it was... because on the average night, it is.

But this being the in between time, and so many people being with family or travelling to far away places, Lux had plenty of space for my friends and I. Lots of elbow room for me to enjoy some port wine and a comfy chair. Just enough people so you hear signs of life, but you don't have to shout your conversation.

The moral of the story is that when there is room, Lux is lovely for a drink with friends. And if you're wondering about a good time to visit such fine bars in Amsterdam - between the holidays in December is an excellent time for some relaxing fun.

Before running down the list for this weekend, you should really focus on those New Years Plan. I mean, you never know when the year won't turn and time will stand still and then you'll be home thinking... dam I should be partying like it's 1999... in the Netherlands.

That said, he's the Saturday and Sunday lowdown:

Sat:

Yuri Honing presents his big Jazz fest at Paradiso; 8:30pm, €17.50 + membership.

Vienna Art Orchestra, featuring lots of Strauss; Bimhuis, 9pm, €16.

Pakhuis Wilhemina has Acidos, with DJ's and all you'd expect from this fine establishment; 10pm, €5.

Alex Lin & Pablo play gypsy music at Skek; 9:30pm, and free!

Sun:

The last Sunday Morning Concert of the year at Concertgebouw, featuring saxophonist Ties Mellema and pianist Wijnand van Klaveren; 11am, €15.

Former pianist with Branford Marsalis, Joey Calderazzo plays bimhuis; 9pm, €14.

Winston Kingdom has Beatskool Sunday; hiphop and dubstep, 11pm, €6.

Don't let 2007 end without seeing some typical Dutch rock; Van Dik Hout at Melkweg, 9pm, €20 + membership.

And for advice on those New Years plans.. tune in tomorrow.