Amsterdam & The Netherlands Tourist Info

[666]

Free Record Shop? Don't let Ko hear you.

Free Record Shop is the McDonalds of dutch record outlets, with a few hundred stores in NL. You won't find anything there that you can't get in any other record store on the planet.

Are you sure you didn't mean the big Fame store in the same street (near Dam Sq.)?

If you want to go a bit off the beaten track, head to Concerto in Utrechtsestraat (near Rembrandsplein), my favorite record store in Amsterdam. They've got a giant collection of new and second hand CDs and vinyl spread over a bunch of old adjacent buildings that grew together over the years in an organic way.

the large 'Free Record Shop' is worth a visit too

[SE6Ajacied]

Free Record Shop? Don't let Ko hear you.

Free Record Shop is the McDonalds of dutch record outlets, with a few hundred stores in NL. You won't find anything there that you can't get in any other record store on the planet.

lol , no I meant the Free Record Shop. I visit Fame as well of course and also Concerto and a few other shops (I miss Boudisque) but I've got some good bargains in 'McRecords' and also some good DVD's too.

Free Record Shop are actually very good for DVD's I find, you can get (most of) the same stuff here in the UK of course, only for about 2 x the price.

[ajaxusa]

Hoi! Ryan and I landed here in AMS today, and we spent an hour at the ArenA this afternoon. While we were waiting for a friend in the reception area, we saw a bunch of players coming and going. It would have been easy to approach them for autographs or whatever, but Ryan was literally falling asleep on his feet due to major jet-lag... (the kid was too excited to sleep at all on the plane, and now he's paying the price). We saw Vertonghen, Emanuelson, Kennedy, Cvitanich, um... and a few more. :-P

I guess there's a reasonable chance that Monday's game at Toekomst will be cancelled due to freezing temperatures. Hope not!

We're back to the ArenA tomorrow night for the Heerenveen game. I hope the boys take proper revenge for the drubbing (was it 5-2?) in the away fixture...

[Cedric]

New moment of glory for "Ajax USA":



http://www.ajax.nl/web/show/id=154417/contentid=68681

[gordonvandekamp]

New moment of glory for "Ajax USA":

http://www.ajax.nl/web/show/id=154417/contentid=68681

That's pretty cool

[Daniel]

@ajaxusa; I'm so sorry for you and your son that Ajax played shitty and lost. Anyway, how's your stay in Amsterdam?

[ajaxusa]

Oh we're having a great time, anyway. (Pictures from my iphone on Flickr, if you're interested.)

We had a great time at de Toekomst yesterday and last night, meeting all the players and we saw a nice game, although it was cold...

Tonight, we're hoping for a better result.

Today, at the NEMO museum, a teacher in the science lab recognized me from the Ajax web site, and then proceeded to tell me why he thinks Van Basten is doing a shitty job... I was in no position to argue with him, as I was cooking up a batch of glue at the time.

[gordonvandekamp]

Just try and warm it up and bring the good weather so I can experience it next week. I already want a La Chouffe.

[aveslacker]

Just try and warm it up and bring the good weather so I can experience it next week. I already want a La Chouffe.

Why did you change your avatar? It was my favorite one!

[SE6Ajacied]

I was in no position to argue with him, as I was cooking up a batch of glue at the time.

I'd have had the arguement - you could have got really stuck in

(Sorry )

A bit envious of you in A'dam anyway - hoping to get over again myself sometime soon.

[gordonvandekamp]

Just try and warm it up and bring the good weather so I can experience it next week. I already want a La Chouffe.

Why did you change your avatar? It was my favorite one!

I figured it was time. We don't have Davids or KJH anymore, so figured something else was in order.

[aveslacker]

Just try and warm it up and bring the good weather so I can experience it next week. I already want a La Chouffe.

Why did you change your avatar? It was my favorite one!

I figured it was time. We don't have Davids or KJH anymore, so figured something else was in order.

Good point. The way things are going, I'm probably going to have to change mine before too long.

[ajaxusa]

Hey y'all.

I'm back in the City by the Bay, the Golden State, the Land of the Free (as soon as we close Guantanamo).

So Ajax were pretty much crap, even though they were clearly robbed of two points against Heracles... but Ryan and I had a blast anyway.

I've posted all our photos to a set, Amsterdam 2009, on Flickr, including some good ones of Ryan with players after training.

Enjoy.

[DanK]

Was great to see you guys again mate.

Oh and Happy Bday for tomorrow if I am not mistaken

[ajaxusa]

You are not mistaken. :-)

[bluedaddy19]

Hey y'all.

I'm back in the City by the Bay, the Golden State, the Land of the Free (as soon as we close Guantanamo).

So Ajax were pretty much crap, even though they were clearly robbed of two points against Heracles... but Ryan and I had a blast anyway.

I've posted all our photos to a set, Amsterdam 2009, on Flickr, including some good ones of Ryan with players after training.

Enjoy.

great pics! sorry i missed you fellas this time

[Tom_]

Hey guys,

Just thought I'd write in to say that I really enjoyed my first time in Amsterdam last weekend. It certainly is a beautiful and interesting city. It's funny how the central square is almost entirely populated by British men on buck's parties. I did have a walk through the Red Light District on Saturday afternoon to satisfy my curiosity and that was more than enough.

Unfortunately that was the extent of my tourist activities - didn't really bother with any of the sights, except the canals which are very pretty at night (got some good photos).

Of course I followed the advice on the forum and stayed at the Hortus. Unfortunately the guy who was working there for most of the weekend was a football hater so I didn't get much joy out of him, and the hotel was entirely filled by, you guessed it, a British buck's party, but it was a pretty good place to stay for someone on a student's budget.

Our basic night-time approach was to go in the opposite direction to the tourists so I spent most of my drinking time hopping from pub to pub in the outer bits (outside the three circular canals). I was on a bike so I can't tell you which pubs or areas I was in but we barely put a foot wrong; almost every pub had a decent atmosphere and some had great music. Good beer in general as well. The ones that were crap (two or three at most) we just swallowed our drinks and moved on - a five minute walk to the next place, at most.

What else to report? Managed to get season tickets to Ajax - Volendam from some nutter who owned a bar and hotel so that was obviously a highlight. Went to the supporters' home for a beer before and after the game. All up had a great time. Oh and Dutch girls are really pretty. Hmm, maybe I can find an excuse to move there...

[DanK]

Amsterdam is a wonderful city. One of my faves. Its a city where the more you put in, the more you get out of it. Just avoid anything to do with English bucks nights, which basically means staying out of the red light district and Leidseplein. Especially on the weekend.

Glad you enjoyed it mate.

[ZoefdeHaas]

Hey, couple friends of mine want to go to the Sensation Dance party in Amsterdam this summer.

I've never been, and don't know much about it. I looked at the website but didn't get much out of it.

So anyone know things about it? Can tickets be bought at the door?

[SE6Ajacied]

I was talking on this thread a while back about the Oranje Football Museum in Amsterdam.

There's a short film tour here http://www.frontlinefootball.com/Video- ... ll-museum/ for anyone who's not managed a visit yet.

[martinkohout]

I was talking on this thread a while back about the Oranje Football Museum in Amsterdam.

There's a short film tour here http://www.frontlinefootball.com/Video- ... ll-museum/ for anyone who's not managed a visit yet.

That's really fun - many thanks for posting it. Love the bit on Gullit's boots.

[martinkohout]

Seems to be my day for catching up on football magazines (see post on Jol on the "Ajax Coaches" thread).

I was flipping through the January 2010 issue of World Soccer and came across the latest installment in their series "Soccer Cities," titled "School of excellence: Peterjon Cresswell takes a tour of Holland's most forward-thinking and multicultural city."

While I'm always glad to see the club featured in the media, I thought it was a pretty superficial piece. ("With Romanian coach Stefan Kovacs taking over the helm, Ajax adopted 'Total Football', a fluid 4-3-3 system in which all outfield players were interchangeable, team-mates anticipating runs from deep in defence, not least by the attacking sweeper".) However, anyone planning a visit to Amsterdam might appreciate the sidebar, "Going Dutch," which contains a few tips on hotels, restaurants, bars, transport, etc., though anyone on this board will already know all this (and probably have different and better suggestions!).

[ajaxusa]

Hi Friends,

My nephew Wilson is visiting Amsterdam soon for a long weekend with a few other friends. He's a cool guy, not a big partier, not a soccer fan per se, but very much into good music and always looking for adventure. He's from LA but studying at Oxford at present. He's asking me what they should do while they're there. My first thoughts are as follows:

See some live music at one of the great venues (names of which I forget).

Walk around Jordan at night and get a meal (Do I remember a great Italian restaurant called Vesuvio?)

Canal boat ride (seriously).

Rent bikes and just explore the city.

What else? Keep in mind, there's 8 of them, they're young, and they only have a few (3-4) days.

Thanks for your suggestions!

- jim

[SPL]

Although it will be sad I suggest they visit Ann Frank's house. I have never been anywhere that has moved me so much. Words fail you .

As for adventure our friend SE6 would recommend Volendam, he had a lovely tale of going there one Friday night to watch footy and waited on this lonely dark road for a bus back to civilisation ie Amsterdam.

Seriously if they have time and want a trip out of town Volendam and a boat ride to Marken is worthwhile.

3 weeks today I should be in Amsterdam but I have already told the wife I will need to go again.
My cousin wants me to spend time cycling around Huizen , 15 miles east of Amsterdam. I do not think
I am going to do much sightseeing as I plan to visit de Toekomst and Ajax Museum the day before the big game and have to see my Aunt but she lives near the Arena.

So a trip later on in the year to stay in the centre of Amsterdam ,with a game of course is already on my agenda.

[ajaxusa]

Indeed, visiting Anne Frank house is required, I think. I went early morning, right when it opened, and it was very quiet and I did not feel rushed. That's the way, I think.