Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam

by Downie, David

• ISBN13: 9780028637914
• ISBN10: 0028637917
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-05-01
• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc

Summary

"Like being taken around by a savvy local." -The New York Times "Little fluff and lots of fun." -Boston Globe "Hipper and savvier than other guides." -Diversion magazine Are you tired of cliché-ridden guidebooks packed with promotional fluff? Then move over to the Irreverent Guides-the travel series that no tourist board would dare to recommend. Look inside for the lowdown on: Where to stay if you want canal house coziness Dutch dining worth seeking out-and tourist traps to avoid People watching, hofje hopping, clog shopping, and canal cruising away from the crowds Cafes, tap houses, and smoke shops that locals love The top nightspots for getting arty, lucky, or kinky And much more! Frommer's. The Name You Can Trust. Find us online at www.frommers.com

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 1
Neighborhood Map	p. 6
You Probably Didn't Know	p. 7
Accommodations	p. 16
Winning the Reservations Game	p. 19
Is There a Right Address?	p. 20
The Lowdown	p. 22
In search of canal house coziness	p. 22
For tourists who want clogs, windmills, and tulips	p. 23
For enemies of clogs, windmills, and tulips	p. 24
The grande dames	p. 24
In search of the undefinable gezelligheid	p. 25
Taking care of business	p. 26
For travelers with old money	p. 27
For travelers with new money	p. 27
Dowdy but lovable	p. 28
For those who hate surprises	p. 29
Luscious love nests	p. 30
Rooms with a view	p. 30
Homes away from home	p. 31
Convention hotels with flair	p. 31
To relive the Golden Age	p. 32
In search of the perfect pool	p. 32
The royal treatment	p. 33
For cheap sleeps	p. 34
Lavender lodgings	p. 34
Party scenes	p. 34
Family values	p. 35
When smoke gets in your eyes	p. 36
When you've got a plane to catch	p. 36
When everything else is filled	p. 36
The Index: An A to Z list of places to stay, with vital statistics
Maps	p. 45
Dining and Cafes	p. 48
Only in Amsterdam	p. 50
Cafe Society	p. 52
Tap Houses	p. 54
How to Dress	p. 54
When to Eat	p. 55
Getting the Right Table	p. 55
Celebrity Chefs	p. 55
The Lowdown	p. 56
Going Dutch	p. 56
Dutch on the run	p. 57
Real Rijsttafel	p. 58
Bombay on the Amstel	p. 59
Thai me up, Thai me down	p. 59
Asian delights	p. 59
Utopian Ethiopian	p. 60
Multi Mediterranean	p. 60
The French connection	p. 61
For that special moment	p. 63
Overrated	p. 64
See-and-be-scenes	p. 65
Landmarks	p. 66
Cheap eats	p. 67
Isn't it romantic?	p. 67
Tourist traps	p. 68
Something fishy	p. 69
Can you put that out, please?	p. 69
When the play's the thing	p. 70
Kid pleasers	p. 71
For a quiet tete-a-tete	p. 71
Vegging out	p. 71
When the boss is paying	p. 72
Al fresco	p. 73
Take me to the river	p. 73
Cafes and Bars	p. 74
Vintage brown cafes	p. 74
Neo-browns	p. 74
White cafes	p. 75
Designer cafes	p. 75
Tap houses (proeflokalen)	p. 75
For suds	p. 76
Best cafe food	p. 76
The Index: An A to Z list of restaurants, with vital statistics	p. 77
Maps	p. 89
Diversions	p. 92
Getting Your Bearings	p. 95
The Lowdown	p. 96
Where the tourists go	p. 96
Don't believe the brochures	p. 98
For culture vultures	p. 99
Perfect picture	p. 101
Courting privacy	p. 101
Ladies with a past	p. 102
Looking down on it all	p. 102
Lifestyles of the rich and deceased	p. 103
Okay, if you've gotta see windmills	p. 105
For history buffs	p. 105
Moments in time	p. 106
Sacred sights	p. 107
Turrets syndrome	p. 108
Row, row, row your boat	p. 109
Diamonds in the rough	p. 110
Sex, drugs, and torture museums	p. 110
Museums that won't bore the kids	p. 111
More kidding around	p. 112
People-watching	p. 113
Behind the eight ball	p. 113
Chess cafes	p. 114
Where to escape the crowds	p. 114
Art nouveau to go	p. 115
When you're down to your last guilder	p. 115
The red-light district	p. 117
The old Jewish district	p. 118
Hofic-hopping in the Jordaan	p. 119
The Grachtengordel mansions	p. 119
A Singel-minded stroll	p. 120
Haarlem days	p. 121
The Index: An A to Z list of diversions, with vital statistics	p. 122
Maps	p. 134
Getting Outside	p. 138
The Lowdown	p. 140
Green spaces	p. 140
Two-wheeling it	p. 141
Cycling beyond the city limits	p. 142
Pedaling and paddling on the water	p. 144
Horsing around	p. 145
The squash and tennis racket	p. 145
Jogging and pick-up sports	p. 146
On ice	p. 146
In the swim	p. 147
Tiptoeing through the tulips	p. 147
The windmills of your mind	p. 148
Shopping	p. 150
What to Buy	p. 152
Target Zones	p. 152
Outdoor Markets	p. 153
Bargain Hunting	p. 155
Trading with the Natives	p. 155
Hours of Business	p. 155
Sales Tax	p. 156
The Lowdown	p. 156
Budding prospects	p. 156
Where you'll be pampered	p. 156
Everything under one roof	p. 157
Diamonds are a girl's best friend	p. 158
Club gear	p. 159
Royal fashions	p. 159
Wacky and one-of-a-kind	p. 160
Bags and beans	p. 161
Fashion forward	p. 161
Everything you always wanted to know about sex	p. 161
For foot fetishists	p. 162
Home designs	p. 162
Mosquito nets and hammocks	p. 163
The art scene	p. 163
Very old things	p. 164
Kid stuff	p. 164
Incredible edibles	p. 165
Smokes	p. 166
Book nooks	p. 166
Clogs, china, and kitsch	p. 167
The Index: An A to Z list of shops, with vital statistics	p. 168
Nightlife	p. 178
Smoke Houses	p. 181
Sources	p. 182
The Lowdown	p. 182
Kink on stage	p. 182
That arty, multi-culti thing	p. 182
Dutch drinking songs	p. 182
Smoking out	p. 183
Painting the town pink	p. 183
Dance fever	p. 184
All that jazz	p. 185
For fabulous, beautiful people	p. 185
For youthquakers	p. 186
For baby-boomers and up	p. 186
Where to drink hard	p. 187
Erotic play for gays	p. 187
The Index: An A to Z list of nightspots, with vital statistics	p. 188
Entertainment	p. 194
Info Sources and Tickets	p. 196
The Lowdown	p. 197
Classical sounds	p. 197
Music for the masses	p. 198
Modern sounds	p. 199
Kitsch concertos	p. 200
Theater you can understand, sort of	p. 200
What's opera, doe?	p. 201
Men in tights	p. 201
On the fringe	p. 202
Life is a gamble	p. 203
Life is a cabaret	p. 203
The sporting life	p. 203
The Index: An A to Z list of venues, with vital statistics	p. 205
Hotlines and Other Basics	p. 212
Airport	p. 213
Airport transportation to downtown	p. 213
Baby-sitters	p. 214
Banks and exchange offices	p. 214
Car rentals	p. 214
Consulates and embassies	p. 214
Currency	p. 215
Doctors and dentists	p. 215
Driving and parking	p. 215
Electricity	p. 216
Emergencies and police	p. 216
Events information	p. 216
Festivals and special events	p. 217
Gay and lesbian sources	p. 217
Holidays	p. 218
Internet	p. 218
Language	p. 218
Newspapers	p. 218
Opening and closing times	p. 219
Passports and visas	p. 219
Post office	p. 219
Public transportation	p. 219
Radio and TV stations broadcasting in English	p. 220
Standards of measure	p. 220
Taxes and duty free	p. 220
Taxis and limos	p. 221
Telephones	p. 221
Time	p. 222
Tipping	p. 222
Trains	p. 222
Travelers with disabilities	p. 222
Visitor information	p. 223
Weather	p. 223
Index	p. 224
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