ok last chance for amsterdam visit suggestions...

[amazona]

...any suggestions for my trip to amsterdam, now is the time.

[LincolnMcGrath]

1. Don`t get hurt at work

after you return home. Unlike *, you will have to take a drug test.

[amazona]

2. work ?

I haven't worked in 3 years. Coincidence, I think not.

:-)

[billbuckhead]

4. The torture museum, I know it sounds sick but there's something...

about the struggle for freedom in this exhibition. There are also many other museums in Amsterdam.

[jonnyblitz]

11. I thought the Torture Museum was very interesting

I would recommend it also.

[Intelsucks]

3. Coffee Shops. Coffee Shops. Coffee Shops. Coffee Shops.

Oh, and don't forget about the coffee shops.

Did I mention the coffee shops? :smoke:

[Wwagsthedog]

5. Grasshopper (great view) and Bulldog to name just two.

nt

[regnaD kciN]

7. But why?

Can't you get just as good a latte at Starbucks back home?

;-)

[Nlighten1]

13. LOL!

I second the coffee shops. Try some Thai Stick while you are there and don't blame me if you pass out from it.

[KC21304]

6. Don't miss Anne Frank's house.

And bring lots of kleenex.

[chicaloca]

8. and go to the resistance museum after that

Actually, I liked the Resistance Museum more than the Anne Frank house--but you should definitely see both! It educates people on how the Dutch resisted the German occupation during WWII. Bring Kleenex for that one, too. It's on the east side of central Amsterdam, right across from the zoo. The Dutch name for the Resistance Museum is the Verzetsmuseum.

On a totally different topic, if you decide to do mushrooms, make sure you do them in a place where you're comfortable and where you'll only be around people who you're really comfortable with. Have orange juice and cookies handy, as they'll help end your 'shroom trip if it goes bad. I'd actually recommend mushrooms over pot, but it's different for each person. There's also a Cannabis Museum, but I never went there so I don't know how good it is. Also, avoid bars near the red light district--they tend to have more fights and pickpockets, although the fights usually aren't too bad.

In the red light district, you might want to check out the Prostitution Information Center. It's run by former prostitutes, and is very small but has some interesting info and merchandise if you're interested in some of the sociological aspects of prostitution. Also, if you have to choose between the Sex Museum and Erotic Museum, pick the Erotic Museum. It's not as well-known as the Sex Museum, but it has a larger variety of stuff.

And finally, HAVE FUN!!! :)

[Dookus]

9. definitely the Ann Frank house

The Reichmuseum and the Van Gogh museum are both definitely worth a visit. And take one of those canal-boat tours you can pick up by the train station. They're actually rather interesting. The whole city has a really interesting history and the canal tour tells you a lot about it.

the Amerstdam Historiche Museum is also really good.

Oh yeah... and the coffeeshops :)

[jonnyblitz]

10. I just spent three weeks in Amsterdam last month.

I wouldn't know where to begin. I am not sure what your "thing" is but I would suggest that you buy the book "Get Lost! ThE Cool Guide to Amsterdam" by Joe Pauke. You can find it at most major book stores and they sell it everywhere in Amsterdam. My sister and her family are living there for the next 3 years so I will be there often. Feel free to PM me with specific questions. All I can say is that I have travelled all over the world and Amsterdam is one of my most favorite places. I could live there NO PROBLEM!

here is a link to amazon.com to the book I mentioned. Like I said I don't know what your interests are:

Get Lost! the Cool Guide to Amsterdam
by Joe Pauker

Amazon.com
Joe Pauker, who refers to himself as "a goof," has compiled what is perhaps the funniest, most original guide available to the city of Amsterdam. Get Lost! The Cool Guide to Amsterdam, which is clearly not aimed at mainstream travelers, will take you to the places that standard guidebooks don't bother to cover (at least not in any detail): sex shows, hemp and 'shroom shops, and places where you can get free samples of cheese when you're too low on cash to buy food. Pauker's not shy about sharing his opinions, either. On taxis: "They're expensive, and they treat cyclists like shit, but if you really need one ... very comfortable." On banks and developers who would evict squatters: they're "conservative pigs who care more about money than people." And on cannabis: "nederwiet (Dutch grown weed, such as Northern Lights) is spectacular."

<snip>

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/9076499039/qid=1073220892/sr=1-1/ref=sr_1_1/104-8795824-2923143?v=glance&s=books

[Robb]

12. Get out of Amsterdam

...It's not a huge country, but some of the other little towns have a lot of good country-vibe going. Leiden sticks in my mind.

Oh, and have fun. :)

[cosmicdot]

14. Rijsmuseum - I really didn't know the Night Watch was that big

... having only seen little pictures of it in books ...

it's huge ... Rembrandt had a good eye for upclose perspective work



Rijks Museum
Stadhouderskade 42
Amsterdam

http://www.rijksmuseum.nl

[trof]

15. steam train/ferry trip

If you'll be their long enough, ask at the central station about the steam train tour. It may not run in winter.

It's kind of tacky, but a stroll through the red light district is VERY interesting. Especially the glass fronted cribs across the street from the church. I had the surreal experience of hearing the choir while viewing the prostitutes.

Visit the Leidsepleine:
It's near the Reichsmuseum and the Van Gogh. Lots of restaurants, bars, nightlife, street performers, and the (in?)famous Bulldog. If you're a Scotch drinker, ask around the Leidsepleine about the Whiskey Bar. A menu of over 100 Scotches.
The Blauw Hollander (sp?) is a hole-in-the-wall that has typical stick-to-your-ribs Dutch comfort food.
The Klos-Kerkstraat 41-about 4 blocks north of the Leidsepleine and take a right, it's a few doors down on the left. The waiters are hilarious. Be prepared to be kidded.
Review: A Real Score
With the many restaurants I have sampled in New York City, I unequivocally endorse Cafe de Klos. You go there for one thing, and one thing only - the positively, unmistakably, and most assuredly the best ribs in this galaxy. The portions are huge. P.S. Don't miss the bread and garlic butter ... as with the ribs, simply delicious. The chicken is good too.
http://www.greatestcities.com/Europe/Netherlands/Amsterdam_city_state_capital/restaurants.html

Have fun.

[kath]

16. Eat at an Indonesian restaurant and order a rijstaffel -

lots of little dishes, served with rice. Fun!

Also try a pancake house - wide variety of pancakes, sweet and savory, and the milk is fabulous.

Take a bus (we just used the local bus service out of Amsterdam, got info at the Tourist center near the train station, didn't need any kind of a special tour bus) to some of the small villages out of town along the Zuider Zee (sp?) We did this, and walked along the Zee between some villages. In Edam, by pointing and gesturing we managed to order some cheese and chocolate and other things and had a wonderful picnic under a tree by a canal (in the cities, everyone speaks English and is *very* helpful. On at least two occasions in Amsterdam when we had stopped for a moment to look at our map and get our bearings, someone rushed up to ask us if we needed any help.)

Also visit the outdoor markets/flea markets.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

17. Van Gogh Museum, Anne Frank House, Resistance Museum

they have a GREAT flea market and definitely take a day trip out to Haarlem, Leyden, or Marken.

[jonnyblitz]

22. the homeless cat houseboat on the singel across from #20

It's a homeless cat shelter on a houseboat in the canal.

I used to go to the Waterlooplein flea market near the Rembrant House. It had everything from clothing to porn and sextoys real cheap.

[WilliamPitt]

18. The White Widow

[jonnyblitz]

19. we met. I got to know her quite well.

:)

[Kellanved]

20. Frikandel is horse

and damn tasty.
Fries with speciaal saus; come to think about it anything fried with any saus is delicous in the Netherlands.

[CanuckAmok]

21. Get some of those cool wooden shoes!

Smoke some hash, hire a window hooker, and go skating.

I'm not sure if there are any other options.