Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ride. The “experience” also includes do-it-yourself music videos, photo ops that put you in-
sideHeinekenlogosandlabels,andnosmallamountofhypeabouttheHeinekenfamilyand
the quality of their beer. It's a fun trip, if you can ignore the fact that you're essentially pay-
ingforanhourofadvertising(overpricedat€17,includestwodrinks,daily11:00-19:00,last
entry at 17:30; tram #16, #24, or #25 to Heinekenplein; an easy walk from Rijksmuseum,
tel. 020/523-9222,
www.heinekenexperience.com
)
.
This former working-class industrial and residential zone (behind the Heineken Experience,
near the Rijksmuseum) is emerging as a colorful, vibrant district. Its spine is Albert Cuyp-
straat, a street taken over by a long, sprawling produce market packed with interesting
people. The centerpiece is
Restaurant Bazar
(marked by a roof-capping golden angel), a
▲
Leidseplein
Brimming with cafés, this people-watching mecca is an impromptu stage for street artists,
accordionists, jugglers, and unicyclists. It's particularly bustling on sunny afternoons. The
Boom Chicago theater fronts this square (see “Entertainment in Amsterdam,” later). Stroll
nearby Lange Leidsedwarsstraat (one block north) for a taste-bud tour of ethnic eateries,
from Greek to Indonesian.
This huge, lively city park is popular with the Dutch—families with little kids, romantic
couples, strolling seniors, and hippies sharing blankets and beers. It's a favored venue for
free summer concerts. On a sunny afternoon, it's a hedonistic scene that seems to say, “Par-
ents...relax.”
Oneofthecity'spremiernightlifespotsistheleafyRembrandtplein(theartist'sstatuestands
here, along with a jaunty group of statues giving us
The Night Watch
in 3-D) and the adjoin-
ing Thorbeckeplein. Several late-night dance clubs keep the area lively into the wee hours.
Utrechtsestraat is lined with upscale shops and restaurants. Nearby Reguliersdwarsstraat (a
street one block south of Rembrandtplein) is a center for gay and lesbian nightclubs.
The
Tuschinski Theater,
a movie palace from the 1920s (a half-block from Rem-
brandtplein down Reguliersbreestraat), glitters inside and out. Still a working theater, it's
a delightful old place to see first-run movies (always in their original language—usually
English—with Dutch subtitles). The exterior is an interesting hybrid of styles, forcing the
round peg of Art Nouveau into the square hole of Art Deco. The stone-and-tile facade fea-
