Recovery is the name of the game, but for some people that requires some nice sounds and cozy events.

Friday:

De Biet are an old school band from Amsterdam Oost. 60's sound, they like to say: Maloe Melo. 10pm, 5€ entry.

Saturday:

You know before he was an actor, Ice-T was a rapper. And he's back, to be found at Melkweg; 9pm, 27€ + membership.

Sunday:

Lee Konitz, the legendary saxophonist, plays Bimhuis, along side the Concertgebouw Jazz Orchestra; 9:15pm, 16€.

Happy New Year all! Why not start off 2009 with a description of a great place to stay – at Schiphol airport.

Yotel is a relatively new concept that allows passengers to get a good night’s sleep at the airport. Hours between transfers can now be spent in comfort – and if you’re too lazy to get up at 4am for that early-morning flight, you can even stay over the night before.

Yotel’s décor is contemporary and the sleeping arrangements luxurious. Best of all? Standard cabins start at EUR 35 for four hours and EUR 70 for an overnight. Quick, tell all those people sleeping on chairs in the waiting rooms that there’s a better solution!

One of the not often mentioned traditions of the holiday season throughout certain towns in the Netherlands and Belgium, is the burning of the Christmas trees. Each year at the close of the holiday vacation (so around Jan 4th) cities and towns gather up all the thrown away Christmas trees in one particular location, announce a date and time to the public, sometimes they'll make a party out of it, and light the trees on fire.

This tradition actually goes back a long time as a religious ritual revolving around the idea that for some the tree was magical and for others it was important to get rid of them immediately after the holiday. From a more practical approach, it was better to gather them up than to risk the random trees that might be set on fire or otherwise cause problems while waiting to be disposed of.

The burning in Amsterdam was this past weekend. Unfortunately I missed the fun, but AT5 and flickr have some evidence of the event.

Everywhere you look in the Netherlands right now, people are ice skating. I walked by my local hardware store and people are standing outside looking in the store room window at various types of ice skates that are for sale. Every now and then I pass a sign on my street that reads the Dutch equivalent of "ice skate sharpening here". After over a decade of not having cold enough temperatures for good ice, skating fever has arrived.

Today, for the first time in 13 years, the Dutch Natural Ice Skating Championship took place. Here, watch the last lap for yourself:

No I will not stop talking about ice and skating yet. Although, its almost 5C today so that lovely ice is actually melting. But I digress, more ice skating tales!

Today I wanted to tell you about the tradition of the 11 city ice skating tour. Also known as the Elf Steden Tocht, it is a speed skating tour/race that passes through 11 cities in the magical Northern province of Friesland. Besides the long distance and the many cities, the race is also unique because it can not take place every year. In fact, in only takes place when the ice is thick enough so only if the winter is cold enough in the Netherlands, which it hasn't been since 1997. The race itself has only taken place 11 times, and this year the organizers are celebrating the 100th year of their existance as a group. To celebrate that anniversary, a theater group is putting on a travelling theater piece that takes you back through the century. (check out the youtube video, also available on the video player here on trippist)

But when the ice is thick enough, they announce the race and the whole country goes bananas. People flock to Leeuwarden to see the skaters and generally speaking, party like its 1999. Imagine ice skating 199km (123miles) with several thousand people!?

Will they be able to hold the race this year? The weather outlook for this week in Friesland says it will stay just above zero all week. So for now, the 11 city tour will have to wait.

Wandering the center of Amsterdam last week with a friend visiting from LA, we stumbled upon what looked like a skateboard shop. Stepping inside it became clear that this was more than a shop, it was also an art exhibit, chronicling the history of skateboarding. It just so happened that my buddy is a old school skateboarder, so we wandered by the old shoes, photographs, and time line of artifacts while he explained how it was to be a skateboarder in the 80's.

Besides being a shrine to the history, this place is also a Nike SB shop, featuring all the newest and flashiest boards and gear related to skateboarding. It also seems to be a popular hang out for some young skaters, at least on this particular night. I've never seen so many shiney new skateboarding sneakers in my life... which by the way, used to be considered shameful (having new looking shoes) in that world. See, I learned a bit about their culture! (after years of ignoring my many skateboarding friends in high school)

According to the internet the exhibition should be over by today. However the space itself is so big, I predict there will be something equally as interesting going on over at the Made for Skate location.

Shop Name: Made for Skate
Location: Spuistraat 125a
Hours: 12 - 7pm Daily.

Well I’m a little late on this one, but it seems earlier this week Minneapolis got a lesson in how to become a more bike-friendly city.

In a blog entitled “Let's bike like Europe,” Bradley Campbell talks about the free event and describes the presenter, a woman named Jane Shey who’s working on her PhD in Belgium:

She has reviewed several studies that identify key municipal policies, which indicate how several cities including Copenhagen, Amsterdam, and Groningen, have become the "Gold Standard" in cycling.

The presentation includes pictures to show how bike accommodations are structured, including bicycle lanes, paths, and cycle tracks, as well as bike parking facilities at transit stations. It will also include information about the policy changes that were instituted, problems of cyclists (including bicycle theft), attitudes about safety, and funding schemes to improve cycling

Not a bad idea! Pay close attention, Minneapolis.

Thanks to Jesse for the link!

The ice is gone, its back to normal winter January in Amsterdam. Lets go to the list:

Friday
Wristcutters, A Love Story, is one of the films currently playing at the SMART project space. Starts at 8:15pm, price is not listed but its a small budget event.

Saturday
It's Spellbound, the LGBT underground dance party. Starts at 11pm, 7€ entry and it all takes place at OCCI.

The Hey Kids Part Your Life Away involves good DJ's and alot of partying at Sugar Factory. 11pm, €12.50 entry.

Sunday
10am, its the annual RadioTV North Holland Vondelpark run. 10am, free!

Dutch jazz singer Soesja Citroen is doing her thing at the Bimhuis. 8:30pm, 15€.

Once again De Nieuwe Kerk (located on Dam Square) has put together a great exhibition. This time they focus on religion and spirituality in modern art. It is in cooperation with the Stedelijk Museum, which is currently closed for renovations. The exhibition enables the public to see part of Stedelijk’s extensive collection while final preparations are made for it to move to its new premises on Museumplein at the end of the year.

Admission is EUR 10 – and just EUR 3.75 if you have a Museum card. The exhibition runs from Dec. 13, 2008 – April 19, 2009, so there’s plenty of time to check this one out. Don’t miss it!

You might be wondering if indeed, as CNN tells you, people in other countries were really watching as closely to the inaugeration. What were they doing in the Netherlands? - I can hear you asking your computer screen.
I'll tell you what I know, and that's the scene in Amsterdam - THEY WERE WATCHING. Not only were they watching, they were gathering, at a quarter to 5pm CET I saw people rushing out of the grocery store, riding faster than normal towards their destination, and people flocking into bars and café's with their eyes fixed on the tv screens. Even at some squares, like down in the WTC business district where there are some outdoor screens, cyclists just pulled over and crowded around the bright blue light.
Being such an international place, a culture that greatly values travel , a country where many in the past immigrated to countries like the US and Canada, the significance of an Obama inaugeration was certainly felt here. And just like you may have heard, even over here.. they are excited and eager to see this happen.
A little more illustration, the video below is in Dutch, but the visuals say it all.. its the Obama Club of the Netherlands (yes that exists!) who threw a big party today, just outside the Hague. Enjoy:

The International Film Festival Rotterdam kicked off today and with that kick off come many special events. Among them: Size Matters, the projecting of a series of films on several sky scrapers and buildings of importance around Rotterdam. The films are old black and white films and are being played on huge screens that are visible from very far away.

The production is entitled Urban Screens, and seeks to explore the place that screens have in public life. Actually it seeks to do alot more than that, but of course its really about how it effects the individual watching the screens.

One woman on the local evening news commented that growing up she used to stare at the giant Robeco sky scraper imagining what could be done on such a large surface. Maybe she was a spiderman fan, who knows.

The film festival is going from today until February 1st. Tomorrow I'll get into some possible highlights and suggestions of what you can catch if you make it over to Rotterdam in the coming weeks.

The rain will never stop. So don't bother waiting for that to happen, instead put on rain gear and head out. Here are my simple highlights.

Saturday:

Alkaline Trio, I'm actually a fan of this great rock band with an oh-so-heavy guitar sound. Melkweg; 9pm, 12€ + membership.

Amsterdam Soul Club is heavy on the soul and taking place at the Badcuyp; 10pm, 5€.

Sunday:

Sunday Night Jazz at Club Panama looks good this weekend; 8:30pm start, €22.50 at the door.

Plague of the Zombies is a super old horror film and the TropenTheater is playing it; 2pm, 5€.

I said I would talk about some more films going on the the International Film Festival Rotterdam right now and indeed I will. Despite the fact that I won't get down to Rotterdam until Friday, I've been reading the blogs and the newspapers and keeping my finger on the pulse of the people, and here's what I've got for you:

The big film that gets alot of the public eye this year is The Hungry Ghosts, by Michael Imperioli, you remember him as Chris from the Sopranos. So far its hard to get alot of details on the film, but looking at IMDB, it seems the critics aren't thrilled. Still, the festival is all about you making up your own mind, so ignore IMDB, right?

Another director with a film thats getting some attention at the festival, Lav Diaz's film Melancholia is said to be extremely sad and very good. Diaz recently won a best feature award at the Venice Film Festival so needless to say, he could be on a roll.

Reading through the Guardian's film blog, they're big on the Rotterdam Film Festival in general, going on about how its unique among film festivals in Europe -

While Cannes, Berlin (which follows directly on from Rotterdam) and Venice court the red carpet, Rotterdam, alongside Vienna and Turin, make up a triumvirate of second-rung festivals far more concerned with the experimental, the global and, not least, public participation. All showings are open to the public at this freezing cold harbour on the Dutch North Sea coast, and the festival is all the better for its engaged and democratic nature.

Of course I should also mention the Tiger Award nominees, but that alone takes alot of explaining. So go check out the list for yourself.

Last week the Democrats Abroad threw a smashing inauguration party in honor of the new U.S. President, Barack Obama. They closed down the Hard Rock Café and provided special meals for attendees. The Dutch press was there, snapping pictures of entranced spectators. There was even a cardboard cutout of Obama himself. Attendees could pose with the man of the hour for the sum of 10 euros.

Not sure if it’s a regular thing, but the Hard Rock is a great venue for such a special event. It’s definitely worth checking into!

Last week I had the privilege to visit Los Pilones, the only authentic Mexican restaurant in Amsterdam. But it wasn’t at their original location on Kerkstraat 74. In 2008 they opened a second restaurant in the Jordaan, located at Eerste Anjeliersdwarsstraat 6, right around the corner from Café Nol.

The food is of the same outstanding quality – maybe even better! But the big surprise was that Los Pilones now makes its own tequila. For you experts out there, you can choose from blanco, reposado, and añejo. I tried (a small amount!) of all three, and though torn between the blanco and añejo, I took home a bottle of the former.

Los Pilones is a must-visit – and I haven’t even mentioned the fantastic décor. They’re open Sunday through Saturday (closed Monday) starting at 4pm. Buen provecho!

Ever heard of TripAdvisor? If you’re looking for a hotel in Amsterdam (or anywhere else, really) it’s a great place to start. Not only to they list 570 hotels and accommodations, but they employ a system of peer review to the order in which the hotels are listed.

For example, the top-rated hotel today is called Fusion Suites, and its high rating is based on 80 traveler reviews. Many of the raters take their time to explain exactly what they loved (or hated!) about the hotel, including its location, price, and tidbits about public transportation or nearby shops.

Here's one you may not have known: it is the 400 year anniversary of Henry Hudson's journey from Amsterdam to New York City.
As an Englishman hired by the Dutch East Indies Company, Hudson set sail in 1609 and the original purpose of the voyage was to find a passage to the pacific. Instead he found the area known today as the Hudson River Valley, as well as what would later become New Amsterdam... even later- New York City.
But this post is not just a history lesson, there's a big celebration in honor of his voyage going on throughout the year.
The joint effort between Amsterdam and New York City is entitled Henry Hudson 400. Among the big events, a special art exhibit of Van Gogh's work here at the Van Gogh museum, a self-guided multi-platform walking tour in Manhattan focusing on historical sites of New Amsterdam, a Water Forum at the Liberty Science Center in New Jersey including guests from both Amsterdam and New York, and much more. I mean... much, much more. I though I could list it all, but I can't, check the website for yourself. As each HH400 event comes up I'll be writing about it here on Trippist, and of course I'll participate in as much as I can.

So 400 years.. that's an impressive anniversary.

Goodbye January 2009 and hello weird February, and I'll show you some reasons why its going to be a strange month:

Friday-
Hip-hop perenials Capone-N-Noreaga are playing Melkweg, 9pm, 22€ + membership.

Saturday-
Occi is having the Embroyopunks Release Show, featuring names like Antidote, Bratpack and Citizenspatrol; 5€, 9pm start.

Sunday-
Adding a twist to Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds, the Nieuw Anita will have DJ Ghost Trucker spinning during the film. 7:30pm, 6€ entry.

And if you've got money to burn and you're looking for an epic superbowl party, ESPN is launching a new American sports channel in the Netherlands, and the party is fancy, read all about it.

Looking further: Feb 3rd-
The New Kids on the Block, yes you read that right, are playing Heineken Music Hall. 45 euros and an 8pm start and you're guaranteed to feel like you're back in the early nineties.

Tomorrow I’m heading to the Rotterdam Film Festival. It’s been playing for a while now but tomorrow is the last day. Better late than never!

If you’re in the area and want to try to get in a few screenings before the festival shuts down for this year, have a look at Saturday’s program. But make sure you call and reserve tickets before making the trip to Rotterdam. Though friends of mine have had luck buying seats until recently, you never know.

There’s more than 20 theaters to choose from all over the beautiful city of Rotterdam – definitely worth the trip.

On Sunday (and Friday and Saturday) the Theater aan het Spui in Den Haag is showing “A Christmas Carol.” It is put on by the AATG, and it’s a panto. Ever been to one? The website proclaims:

Ding dong, Ding dong, t'is Christmas time. Oh no it isn't, Oh yes it is. Ok it's not, but at the end of January it will be again because the AATG will present their annual Christmas Panto. This time it is A CHRISTMAS CAROL –the panto. This classic story by Charles Dickens is a tale of good and evil, ghosts, men in dresses, redemption, choirs, screaming children, magic and a few custard pies for good measure.

So come one, come all to boo at the baddies and cheer for the goodies. Will Scrooge find redemption? Will Bob Crattchet get a pay rise? Is that a bloke in a dress? Where did I leave my car? To find out the answers to at least some of these questions come to the panto.

Tickets are EUR15 for adults, EUR10 for those under 16 and over 65. If you can manage to get a group of 10 together at this late date the tickets are cheaper (EUR13).

Concerned about whether Dutch children are reaching a satisfactory language level, Amsterdam schools have come up with a list of 2,000 words that every child should know by the age of four or five.

According to Expatica:

The city council commissioned the 2,000-word list and wants to ensure that all children are familiar with its basic vocabulary before learning to read and write in the third year of school. The list will eventually be added to the school curriculum at national level.

Sounds like a nice idea. Now I just need to find a way to get a hold of that list…

There's nothing particularly educational about this film, yet it was my experience this morning choosing what films to watch with a group of friends at the Rotterdam International Film Festival. Film reviews later this weekend....