Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Terrace Drinks
On sunny afternoons young, artsy professionals flock to the massive outdoor terrace
(and one coveted comfy swing) at
Westergasterras
(
www.westergasterras.nl
;
Klönneplein 4;
from 11am Mon-Fri, from 10am Sat & Sun; 10 Van Limburg-Stirumstraat)
. A toasty fireplace
makes the cafe equally inviting indoors. It's perfect for a vino and mackerel salad
sandwich. Late at night it morphs into a club.
Caribbean Flavour
Toko MC
( 475 04 25;
www.tokomc.nl
; Polonceaukade 5; mains €17-20; from noon Tue-Sun;
10 Van Limburg-Stirumstraat)
fulfils many needs. It's part Caribbean-soulfood restaurant
(think grilled sardines and baked pumpkin), part paper-lantern-lit bar pouring cane-
sugar cocktails, and part late-night club where DJs spin world music. The attached
MC Theatre hosts multicultural music and dance performances.
Western Islands
The
Western Islands
(Westelijke Eilanden; 3 Zoutkeetsgracht)
were originally home to
shipworks and the West India Trading Company's warehouses, which buzzed with
activity in the early 1600s. The district is a world unto itself, cut through with canals
and linked with small drawbridges. It's well worth a wander among the charming
homes and artists' studios.
Scenic Zandhoek
Be sure to visit the
Zandhoek
(Realeneiland; 3 Zoutkeetsgracht)
, a photogenic stretch of
waterfront on the eastern shore. Now a modern yacht harbour (with motorboat rentals
available), back in the 17th century it was a 'sandmarket', where ships would pur-
chase bags of the stuff for ballast.
