Where to go in Amsterdam

[Twiggy's sis]

Will be spending New Year in Amsterdam - can anyone recommend the best places to go for special cookies etc.

Also suggestions for places to buy gear from. :weee:

Cheers

[mrskaists]

hey hey,

right,

i have to defiantly rate kadinskys, just off Rokin, wicked little modernist place, can take games in with you, only seats about 20 people max so its nice and chilled, there is a gay pancake place opposite which has brilliant food but screwy opeing times and is in a loft, so its a mission getting up those dutch stairs / ladders when you are trashed, iits right near the university too so its a nice cross section of people, we virtually camped out here every night playing scrabble and getting stoned, we had a flat there so could look out of the window and see if it was open.

stay clear of the larger tourist places and dont get stoned in the redlight district, not nice vibes after dark and way to eay to loose your wallet.

for buying gear, i am not too sure what you mean... dope or threads?

dope can be bought anywhere with a little green label in the window, places without it usually dont like you taking it in, dont get stoned on the street as its disrespectful to non tokers, esp if there are kids and families about, just because its legal doesnt mean everyone wants exposure to it. if its clothes then check out Rokin 184 on the top of Rokin, wicked skate shop and really good prices with smiley staff.

remember you are an ambassador for modern britian and we are not all beer swilling stag night piss heads.

take time to engage the dutch folk and you will find them utterly charming and as funny as fuck with a desire to take you to some cool places that the rough guides wont even have dreamt of.

have a good one and i hope you stub your toe on a two pin plug.. i am as jealous as anything.


oh oh oh.. and be sure to eat some fondue... i promise, get a little stoned, eat fondue and retire to hill street blues to eat yummy space cakes and mango milkshakes

baz

[globalloon]

hotel brian on the western section of the Singel canal is very central and has v friendly management (you'll need to book in advance)

if you get a map of the city, central station is on the north edge of the city centre, if you head down to dam square and then head towards the south western quarter, you'll find lots of lively and good places where the local dutch go for to hang out

the old jewish quarter to the west of central station also has some interesting stuff going on (pink floyd cafe are good dealers too - i was there once and they actually bought back the hash that we had bought from them as we had too much and didn't want to have to bin it or smuggle any!!)

and there's a really incredible flea market near the Amstel bridge

as mrskaists said try not to be a blatant drug tourist as dutch people get understandabley pissed off; one time i went and the little hotel i'd booked into wasn't open yet (i arrived at about 7 in the moring). I wandered in to the cafe opposite not realising it was a smoking cafe. the barman was still mopping the floor. as soon as he saw me he launched into a tirade about "fucking english tourists, all you want to do is get schtoned" for about 5 minutes. when i said "i suppose a coffee is out of the question then?" he was visibley relieved and we had a great conversation and he told me loads of good stuff to do on my visit

check out the stajdlijke museum (it's spelt something like that) - absolutely mind blowing modern art museum

[Twiggy's sis]

That's great - thank you so much - can't wait to get there now at least I have an idea of what and where to go. :cloud9:

[vicky]

one of my favourite coffeeshops is Paradox, not far from the Anne Frank House - it's a really small and freindly coffeeshop that doesn't see too many tourists. I've visited it five times in the last ten years and every time I've been I've seen the same local faces :) must be a good sign the gear is very good there and you'll see lots of locals stopping off to pick up their stufff there -- oh, and they have great fresh fruit milkshakes!

also, I would recommend some laughing buddha from Barney's Breakfast Bar on Harlemmerdijk - though it's always full of tourists the gear is good and they even have a microscope for you to look in detail at what you've just bought. great way to start the day!

I agree with globallon - go to the museums, it's such a shame when british tourists spend all their time in coffeeshops or the red light district - amsterdam has so much more to offer than that. The stedelijk has been closed for refurbishment for some time now, but the van gogh museum is great - especially when you've just had some mushrooms ;)

one other recommendation - if it's a nice day head to Oosterpark - it's a lovely park to just sit and chill and have a smoke without going in to yet another coffeeshop
have a great time - i'm sure you will!!