Amsterdam, tips and shopping.

[hexiplex]

Hello RFFers,

After finishing the opposition on my essay next tuesday I will be leaving to Amsterdam to let off some steam that has been slowly building up during the term. Besides doing what all young people and tourists do in Amsterdam I want to do the following things, and I hope that you can help me with some tips.

1. See some art, preferably of the modern variety.

2. See some sights.

3. Eat some great (but inexpensive!) food.

4. Buy a lot of film.

5. Look in to buying a Rolleiflex or a Summitar.

6. Whatever you guys suggest.

Thanks beforehand for the ideas and tips.

[Michiel Fokkema]

1 Van Gogh museum.
2 Just walk around and you'll see plenty.
3 Food is not that cheap in A'dam. Nam Kee, is rather famous and good Chinese restaurant.
4 Will be hard to find decent film in A'dam except at http://www.fotodenboer.nl/cms/index.php. He is a great guy and has a nice election of secondhand camera's. Has all the film you need.
5 Photo gear is scarce too in A'dam and especially not cheap. BUt go to http://www.nivo-schweitzer.nl/ and http://www.fotodenboer.nl/cms/index.php

Have fun,

Michiel Fokkema

[Renzsu]

Tip: Go into a supermarket (Albert Heijn) or kiosk (AKO / Bruna) and buy a pre-paid public transport chipcard. It'll save you a lot of money on the trams and busses. They're the best option for getting around town, besides renting a bicycle (MacBike). Make sure you use the card to check in and check out every time you get on and off a bus / tram.

In the same street where you will find Nivo-Schweitzer, there's also a second hand shop for all kinds of gear.. Leica, Hasselblad, Rollei, etc. etc. But, the owner is kind of notorious for being weird, it's like he doesn't want any customers.
Anyways, if you go to the east, there's a very nice little camera shop called Foto Fransen:
http://www.fotofransen.nl/, very nice people. They usually got a bunch of Leica's and nice medium and large format stuff. Sometimes you can get really lucky (I picked up a mint noctilux there for a very nice price).

Food wise, stay away from the Leidseplein area, it's a tourist trap and things are overpriced and very mediocre. Zeedijk / Nieuwmarkt has some nice and cheap restaurants, Bird is nice if you like Thai. If you like Belgium beer, you should go to De Zotte, they have great food as well (you could go there just for the food).

Check out the Foam photography museum, they usually have a nice exhibit going on (plus they now have a popup shop/gallery near the Museumplein I think, which is free to enter).

Walking around the center is of course something you should do, I can recommend De 9 Straatjes area: http://www.de9straatjes.nl/ Lots of little shops and nice houses.
If you feel like going off the beaten path a little bit, the east has a nice area to walk around. Leave from the Central Station area and walk toward this place:
http://maps.google.nl/maps?f=q&sourc...,0.045061&z=15
If you walk a bit further you can sample some nice beer in a brewery that is housed in a proper Dutch windmill (but check the opening times first). It's a short ride on Tram 10 back to Leidseplein from there:
http://www.brouwerijhetij.nl/

[robbert]

as mentioned, def. go to FOAM click for adress
Also you need to see Huis Marseille in the same street, also a photography museum.

If you want good honest food you can eat at Marqt at Overtoom, it's right behind Rembrandtplein. You can also shop there for eco/bio food.

Also if you're interested in more Modern art you can visit the Stedelijk I don't know if they have photography up now, but last time I went they had Rineke Dijkstra's latest work.

[Phantomas]

1. Foam Museum (damn good photography museum).
2. Roam
3. Cafe Zotte near Leidseplein. Plus lots and lots of good beer. Restaurants around Albert Cuip area and near Nieuwmarkt.
4. It ain't cheap. Buy in Sweden or any photostores in town (with sometimes limited selection).
5. Your best bet is Foto Jenssen on Harlemerdijk. Unfriendly, expensive, largish selection. As always - internet is much cheaper.
6. There's no such thing as the "best coffeeshops" just go into ones that catch your eye. Avoid central touristic ones - they're too uptight. And don't drink piss beer, order classy ones (no, Heineken is not a classy beer).


Bars (use google) - Soundgarden, Zotte, Brouwerij 'Ij, bars on Nes street, bars West of Leidseplein, random ones in Jordaan and Westermarkt. If you're "alternative" type Swedish kid place to get girls would be Kadinski, or some lowbrow parties. I don't go there coz I'm old and classy.
(Music) venues - Paradiso, Melkweg, Biterzoet, OCCII squathouse, Club 8 (sometimes I think).

[Peter S]

Renzsu and Phantomas gave plenty of good advice. Cheap good food is hard to find in Amsterdam. There are some good Thai and Chinese restaurants on the rim of the red light district. Use www.iens.nl to find the addresses of Nam Kee, Bird, Mee naam Naan, Ocha. Some good woodoven pizza places: Trattoria Yam Yam, Mangiassai, Da Portare Via. Good burgers at Burgermeester. The Pijp area (van Woustraat, Ferdinand Bolstraat Albert Cuypstraat, Heinekenplein, Gerarddoustraat, Frans Halsstraat etc) has a nice couple of bars/restaurants and also some good Indonesian (Sari Citra in Ferdinand Bolstraat is the best takeaway Indonesian in Amsterdam I know) and Surinam food (Albina, Albert Cuyp).

Photography is found in Foam and Huis Marseille and at this moment World Press is being shown in the Old Church in Amsterdam (Red light district). If you don't mind taking a train for 15 minutes and renting a bicycle for a 10-15 minute bike ride you should go to a beautiful old fortified town called Naarden Vesting (train station Naarden Bussum) and see the photography festival http://www.fotofestivalnaarden.nl/. The site is in Dutch, but I am sure they will have English guidebooks available. The exhibition locations are spread throught a small historic town, easy to visit everything by foot and it makes for a very nice daytrip if you are fed up with the hustle and bustle of Amsterdam.