holy moly amsterdam is no joke. it is a haven for gluttony. not all gluttony is bad, unless perhaps you are a jesuit or some other pleasure represser. my friend marcin, who lives in poland, is neither of the two. i called him up three days before i was scheduled to arrive in amsterdam, and told him of my plans. within a day he was signed up for the trip, plane and hotel reserved. there's something remarkable to be said for impulsiveness.
i arrived a morning and an afternoon ahead of my companion. i decided to get a haircut and some advice from the kapperskademie. i didn't get much advice, but i did get a pretty nice haircut. afterwards, i ventured out to find the newly opened pristine amsterdam fixed gear. i arrived after some basic navigation issues to see the blinds down, and the shop closed. i knew there was a bike polo tournament on the north shore of amsterdam that day, but was banking on someone holding down the shop. not only was this not the case - it didn't open again until tuesday - by which time i would be in rotterdam(nit)!
i hung out for a minute, in hopes the guy working went across the street for a sandwich or out back for a smoke. this proved to be a good idea, as within minutes, a commuter named matt pulled up to the door on an rih. he was interested in where the polo tourny was being held. matt was surprised that i knew this, but even more astonished that i knew about pristine (special thanks to peter from cog magazine).
though i never got to enter the shop, i felt some sense of accomplishment after befriending the dutch equivalent of a hipster. i received a bunch of tips about what to do/avoid and also learned that rih, the storied holland framebuilder's workshop, was in the vicinity. i traded business cards with him and set off to westerstraat.
amsterdam can be a treacherous place to navigate: the streets have a minimum of sixteen letters; the canals, which should help wayfind, are so many and turn so frequently that they serve to confuse as much as guide; and soon, the snow began swarming down in wet, heavy flakes. i stopped in another bicycle repair shop to ensure i was still headed in the general direction. indeed i was - naturally, i arrived ten minutes too late.
even though rih was closed, there were still lights illuminating this and several other beautifully handbuilt track frames. i ooohed and aahed until my camera couldn't withstand any more moisture. soaking wet, i stepped in a grocery to get some snacks and began the six kilometers trek back to the hotel. luckily, i guessed the right tram. now warm and without a need to rush, i was able to take in some of the city.
i gasped when i saw a baby on a pillow literally strapped into a rack on a typical dutch bicycle. though he was wrapped up well, the baby's face was completely red and you could tell he was not a happy camper. what was shocking is that the baby was on the front rack, as might be the case with a bike like this:
this is not an uncommon thing at all in amsterdam; its just the culture. the majority of bicycles are for commuting from point a to point b rather than recreation. because of this, it was rare to see much else parked on the streets then a clunky, old lead-pipe cruiser, either rusty or with its fifth coat of paint, as seen here:
on the other hand you have a catastrophe like this, which is interesting in a grossly over-engineered way. lights built into the top tube? no thank you.
once back at the hotel, i crashed for a few hours until i woke up to the knock of my friend marcin at the door. he had made it! we caught up for a little bit, took showers, and ventured out into the amsterdam night. the precipitation now frozen over, we did our best to stay on two feet. after unsuccessfully trying to find a specific joint, we opted for the spontaneous adventure. we stopped in a couple shops to warm up, cruised around the red light district, and ended up in a taxi on our way back to the hotel after having the best pizza amsterdam has to offer.
the next day we capitalized on post christmas sales at one of countless h&m's in amsterdam. after a blt lunch, we went to grasshopper for an afternoon cocktail. here i proposed renting a bike. i was talked out of it quickly, due to the weather and the ease of walking pretty much wherever. plus, there was an overlying chance that it would get stolen. this was news to me; with so many bicycles, not particularly rare or of any value, who would steal a bike? i mentioned this to someone nearby to confirm/deny this rumor. half-seriously he concurred, saying the lock is more important than the bicycle. in the early evening, i introduced marcin to the vegetarian staple, maoz. we had an incredible falafel and fry combo that was quick and light. we picked up some brownies for dessert, and spent the remainder of the evening discussing the legitimacy of the world's oldest profession.
amsterdam is amazing, but can ultimately be overwhelming. if you have been before and have any sort of conscience, you know exactly what i am talking about. it blows your mind to witness firsthand such a liberal culture, people smoking marijuana on the streets, women selling themselves in windows, multi-level bicycle parking garages. can you imagine trying to find your bike here?
on the other hand, there were abandoned bicycles in various stages of disrepair, streets and sidewalks covered in rubbish and saturated firework remains, and the center's constantly looming with tourists, day and night.
at one point in the trip, i even overheard drunken banter about dumping a bicycle into the canal. i couldn't believe it; fortunately this was not an option as the canals were completely frozen. it would have been fun to toss one of these d-bags in the canal. it made me ponder though, how many more bikes are submerged in the city?
the last day was great. marcin and i finally had a sense of direction, and this time the cold came with a wonderful layer of fresh snow. this skim coat of white disguised some of the grit of the city and gave it a temporary purity. it made me miss my bike.
we spent the afternoon cruising the straats and taking a ton of photos, then found a deliciously, spicy si-chuan restaurant. in the evening, we did some window shopping while entertaining an idea to attend banana bar. if you are curious, look it up. it was enticing, just not my cup of tea. marcin was mildly disappointed at my unwillingness to indulge; nonetheless, we ended the night completely happy enjoying slices of our favorite new york style pizza.
after three days in amsterdam, i was content. i didn't do the museums or the heineken brewery tour. i did check out some architecture my last morning there. after a typical english breakfast and a farewell to marcin, i was back on my own for a couple hours. i visited a few mvdrv projects, arcam, and the best bookstore in amsterdam.
i left with a peculiar amusement for amsterdam. there is certainly an allure to my own personal id, and i can only imagine how it would be in the summer, but is it a place i would like to live? i don't think so. would i go back again? most definitely.
Yeah! We surely did a lot of cruizing around Amsterdam. Thanks for a great time :)
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