Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Leidseplein
Filled with outdoor tables under trees, ringed with cafés, theaters,
and nightclubs, bustling with tourists, diners, trams, mimes, and
fire-eaters, and lit by sun- or
lantern-light, Leidseplein is
Amsterdam's liveliest square.
Do a 360-degree spin:
Leidseplein's south side is bor-
dered by the city's main serious
theater, the
Stadsschouwburg,
which dates back to the 17th-
century Golden Age (present
building from 1890). Tucked into the far corner of the theater is the
Last Minute Ticket Shop,
which sells tickets to all the shows in
town, including half-price, same-day tickets (after 12:00) to select
shows (Leidseplein 26, see map on page 81). To the right of the
Stadsschouwburg, down a lane behind the big theater, stands the
Melkweg
(“Milky Way”), the once revolutionary, now institutional
entertainment complex housing all things youth-oriented under
one roof (Lijnbaansgracht 234a). Step into the lobby or check out
posters plastered on the walls to find out who's playing tonight. On
Leidseplein's west side, at #12, is the
Boom Chicago
nightclub the-
ater, presenting English-language spoofs of politics, Amsterdam,
and tourists (see page 199; pick up their free, informative intro-to-
Amsterdam magazine at the door; see if any tickets are discounted
and on the push list for tonight). The neighborhood beyond Burger
King is
“Restaurant Row,”
featuring countless Thai, Brazilian,
Indian, Italian, Indonesian, and even a few Dutch eateries. Next, on
the east end of Leidseplein, is the
Bulldog Café and Coffeeshop,
the flagship of several café/bar/coffeeshops in town with that name.
(Notice the sign above the door: It once housed the police bureau.)
A small green-and-white decal in the window indicates that it's
a city-licensed “coffeeshop,” where marijuana is sold and smoked
legally. There's a proposal to close the
Bulldog by 2011, because it's located too
close to a school. Nearby are Rederij
Noord-Zuid
canal boats,
offering
one-hour tours (€10, 2/hr April-Oct
10:00-18:00, hourly Nov-March
10:00-17:00—for more info see “Canal
Boat Tours,” page 42).
•FromLeidseplein,turnleftandhead
along the taxi stand down the broad,
busy,tram-illedboulevardcalledKleine-
Gartman Plantsoen, which becomes
Weteringschans. At the triangular garden,
