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In a recent post I blasted Anne Frank as a “one trick pony” and said that it was disgraceful that the young author had rested on her laurels after writing a single book. I went on to take the world of literary criticism to task for fawning over a writer who seemed even more stubborn than J.D. Salinger in her refusal to write a follow-up. I now regret those remarks, and I apologize to the entire Frank family.
As embarrassing as it is now, my refusal to read The Diary of Anne Frank in the 5th grade was not popular with my teacher at the time either. I still firmly believe that reading another person’s diary is morally wrong, whether the school district insists upon it or not, but recent e-mails to me have made it clear that this is an exceptional case, so I’m now rethinking my policy.
One ironic thing is that I’ve done the full tour of the Anne Frank House and I quite enjoyed it. I vaguely remember there being detailed explanations of what we were looking at, and I think for a brief time I must have understood the gravity of the story. But in my defense, the famous Amsterdam attraction is very near the Grey Area, which has probably the best reputation for quality among all Amsterdam coffee shops. So it was a strange twist of fate that made me forget most of what I saw, and it wasn’t really my fault at all. If anything, I’m the real victim here.
Nevertheless, I regret my previous statements and I intend to go back to the Anne Frank House soon, and this time I’ll go straight there.
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Since a big chunk of Europe itself takes the entire month of August off from their jobs, you should expect crowds during the month in Amsterdam. Some Dutch locals will flee the city this month, but the influx of visitors will more than make up for them. There are several interesting events in August, though really no one needs an excuse to visit Amsterdam in summer. There are outdoor cafes set up all over the city, and quite a few of the Amsterdam coffee shops even have tables set up out front, so in addition to all the famous indoor activities you’ve got plenty to see and do outdoors as well.
August events in Amsterdam
De Parade – One of Amsterdam’s favorite recent traditions is this 17-day event that takes over Martin Luther Kingpark, which is about 4 km south of Centraal Station and easily reached by tram or metro. The atmosphere is sort of a twisted traveling show combined with a Renaissance Fair. The shows and performances start at 3pm and go until 1 or 2am each night. Many are in English, or at least Dutch isn’t required to enjoy them, so this event is suitable for tourists. Children are welcome during the afternoon portions and things get a bit more adult as the night goes on. The 2008 dates are August 1-17 and it’s €6 for general admission.
De Parade page on iAmsterdam website
Just as is true in nearly every big city on the planet, Amsterdam has an abundance of “escort” services that help lonely clients meet partners for a bit of short term fun at a predetermined price. One difference here is that since prostitution itself is completely legal, the escort agencies here are also completely legal and they don’t have to pretend to offer just “companionship” or “nude modeling” or anything else so unsubtle. The entire Amsterdam XXX scene is very out in the open and relatively safe as well.
Here you’ll call an agency or contact them through their website, and assuming everything goes well you’ll have the woman (or man, actually) of your short-term dreams on their way to your hotel or apartment, or at the very least you’ll have an appointment set up for sometime soon.
One thing to start with upfront, escorts in Amsterdam are among the clumsiest and most expensive ways to get laid for a fee in this city. There are three other ways to buy some quality time with Amsterdam’s famous hookers, so we’ll give you a short introduction to those now before we discuss the escort scene in detail.
[more]People who’ve traveled extensively before arriving in Amsterdam are well aware that learning at least a few phrases in the local language is at the very least the polite thing to do, and in many cases it’s critical to even performing basic tasks like buying things or checking into a hotel. That’s not actually the case in Amsterdam, but nevertheless I think this short video from the people at Geobeats is definitely worth your time. The host gives you the top 10 Dutch phrases you’ll need when visiting Amsterdam, and it’s nicely produced and very interesting, even though there really isn’t much reason to actually memorize them.
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This former home of the famous 17th-Century Dutch painter is one of the more popular museums in Amsterdam, though it’s definitely a notch below the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum, and the Anne Frank House on most people’s checklists. Much of Rembrandt’s known work is on display here, alongside many pieces by students of his and others who shared influences and styles in that era. Its official name is Rembrandthuis, which is obviously Dutch for Rembrandt House.
So who is this Rembrandt guy anyway?
[more]If you’ve not yet been to Amsterdam, or you haven’t made a trip in a while, I’ve collected up some videos that I think do a good job at capturing the unique charms of this city. I’ve left no cliché out in these choices. You’ll find a secret tour of the Red Light District, an entrance and weed purchase at one of the city’s famous coffeeshops, a really nice story about how the Red Light District is changing into a fashion zone, a portion of a canal cruise, and a salute to bicycles set to a song you’d never guess.
Red Light District prostitutes
Here’s a popular 2-minute video some guys took while wandering around the Red Light District checking out the window prostitutes. The quality isn’t great, but if you’ve yet to make it to Amsterdam it should be interesting. There are actually plain-clothes security guards in the RLD who are there to protect the girls and also prevent filming of any kind. Anyone trying to capture this area on film runs the risk of being assaulted by these guys, which explains why this video was kind of taken on the sly.
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