http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl The no-nonsense travel guide to Amsterdam, Holland Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:50:56 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/762-rental-rates-in-quarter-of-amsterdam-shopping-streets-reduced http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/762-rental-rates-in-quarter-of-amsterdam-shopping-streets-reduced#comments Sat, 17 Oct 2009 17:21:17 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=762 Rental rates for retail space in one quarter of Amsterdam's shopping streets have gone down this year, Amsterdam daily Het Parool reports.

The crisis is to blame, but in some streets so are the much-delayed construction activities surrounding the problem-plagued new metro line.

Meanwhile, shop keepers in one popular shopping district are being priced out of their stores.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/762-rental-rates-in-quarter-of-amsterdam-shopping-streets-reduced/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/641-irish-drug-dealer-amsterdam http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/641-irish-drug-dealer-amsterdam#comments Mon, 30 Mar 2009 09:30:55 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=641 An Irish drug dealer whose remains have been found in an Amsterdam canal had fled Ireland to avoid imprisonment and to escape gang members who held him responsible for revealing information that led to discovery of their drugs factory.

Amsterdam police found his remains three weeks ago in the water near Diemerzeedijk.

The body of Keith Ennis (30), from Clondalkin, Dublin, had been dismembered and stuffed into bags, suitcases and trash bags.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/641-irish-drug-dealer-amsterdam/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/636-amsterdam-canals-cleaning http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/636-amsterdam-canals-cleaning#comments Tue, 24 Mar 2009 07:52:52 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=636 Radio Netherlands reports that rubbish is dredged from Amsterdam's waterways at the rate of 18,000 cubic metres per year, including beds, couches, small boats, stethoscopes, guns and even a dead body. Not to mention hundreds of discarded bicycles.

Ashleigh Elson goes out on patrol with Waternet's dredging team. [video] ]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/636-amsterdam-canals-cleaning/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/608-fabchannel-amsterdam http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/608-fabchannel-amsterdam#comments Mon, 09 Mar 2009 09:15:55 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=608 Started nine years ago, Fabchannel webcasts shows from Paradiso and Melkweg -- the best two music venues in Amsterdam.

Recalcitrant record companies and a drop in advertising revenue are forcing the Amsterdam-based web broadcaster offline.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/608-fabchannel-amsterdam/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/605-amsterdam-traffic-rules-canals http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/605-amsterdam-traffic-rules-canals#comments Sat, 07 Mar 2009 06:49:43 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=605 Amsterdam may be known as Europe's bicycling capital, but it is also home to a fast-growing fleet of pleasure crafts.

Over the past ten years the number of pleasure boats using Amsterdam's canals has double to 14.000 vessels -- anything from small sloops to converted military landing crafts, and from water bikes to larger-than-life floating wooden shoes.

The city is now introducing new traffic rules for its busy waterways.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/605-amsterdam-traffic-rules-canals/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/578-starbucks-schiphol-airport-amsterdam http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/578-starbucks-schiphol-airport-amsterdam#comments Sun, 15 Feb 2009 23:49:34 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=578 We've given the two Starbucks stores at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport a fair try -- nine times, actually. But we're still not impressed, and we'll tell you why.

We'll also point you to some alternative Schiphol stores that serve excellent coffee drinks.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/578-starbucks-schiphol-airport-amsterdam/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/555-squatting-in-amsterdam http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/555-squatting-in-amsterdam#comments Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:53:41 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=555 The Netherlands is among a handful of countries where -- under certain circumstances -- squatting is not forbidden by law. If a building has not been used for a period of twelve months, and the owner can not demonstrate that he plans to 'soon' start using the building again, squatting is tolerated.

The squatters movements gained much sympathy during the seventies and early eighties, but in recent years the increasingly anarchistic nature of these groups has had politicians calling for changes to the squatting laws.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/555-squatting-in-amsterdam/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/548-amsterdam-closing-coffeeshops http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/548-amsterdam-closing-coffeeshops#comments Fri, 21 Nov 2008 09:38:13 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=548 The City of Amsterdam has announced it will close 43 of its 228 coffeeshops because they are located too close to schools.

In doing so, Amsterdam mayor Job Cohen "reluctantly" follows up a federal government directive to establish 'distance criteria' between schools and coffeeshops.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/548-amsterdam-closing-coffeeshops/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/542-hallucinogenic-magic-mushrooms-netherlands-amsterdam http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/542-hallucinogenic-magic-mushrooms-netherlands-amsterdam#comments Mon, 10 Nov 2008 22:37:41 +0000 Amsterdam Guide http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=542 A national ban on the sale of fresh hallucinogenic 'magic' mushrooms will take effect in the Netherlands on December 1, 2008. In dried form those mushrooms already were banned under Dutch Opiate Laws.

The ban was first proposed in October 2007, after as series of high-profile deaths and injuries linked to magic mushroom trips -- most of them involving tourists in Amsterdam.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/542-hallucinogenic-magic-mushrooms-netherlands-amsterdam/feed 0 http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/491-medieval-amsterdam http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/491-medieval-amsterdam#comments Mon, 20 Oct 2008 14:56:21 +0000 CityDesk http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/?p=491 Amsterdam's medieval core is divided in an 'Old Side' and a 'New Side.' We'll show you which is which, and tell you how these terms came into use. And yes, the Old Side is actually slightly newer than the New Side.

Included in this entry: the oldest known city map of Amsterdam, painted in 1538.]]> http://www.dutchamsterdam.nl/491-medieval-amsterdam/feed 0