From Workers’ Rows to Amsterdam’s Sweet Spot Back in the 19th century, De Pijp was Amsterdam’s answer to a housing crisis — a fast-built district for factory workers, tradesmen, and migrants. Designed in a long, narrow layout known as the “pipe model,” it was cheap, crowded, and full of life. People called it “the Jordaan’s […]

A Street That Held Back the Sea (and Now Holds a Lot More) Before the bubble tea, before the bao buns, before the oesters at Nam Kee — the Zeedijk was built for one thing: survival. It was a sea dike, plain and simple. A wall between salty chaos and soft cheese. For centuries, this […]

From Church Walls to Rock Halls If walls could talk, the ones at Paradiso Amsterdam would be screaming guitar solos and whispering prayers. This legendary venue near Leidseplein may look like a church — and that’s because it once was a meeting hall for the Vrije Gemeente of Amsterdam, a progressive breakaway from the Dutch […]

Sticky bikes, sunburnt tourists and stroopwafels that melt in your hand — welcome to Amsterdam in July. The Dutch might be masters of managing water, but when it comes to tropical heat? Let’s just say… we’re still adapting. That said, summer in Amsterdam has its own kind of sweaty magic — especially if you know […]

If you’ve walked across Beursplein recently and thought, “Am I hallucinating or is that an elephant covered in tulips?” — good news: you’re not losing it. You’ve just stumbled upon the Elephant Parade, a global open-air art exhibition that’s brought a herd of painted pachyderms to the heart of Amsterdam. And no, it’s not your […]

Look up when you’re wandering Amsterdam’s canals, and you’ll notice something charming — the houses lean. Some tilt forward, others sideways, and a few even seem like they might tip over if you blink too hard. But why? Is it Dutch quirkiness? A result of too many Heinekens? Nope, there’s some serious history (and a […]