1. One of the key things to see if you visit Amsterdam at the right time of year is the tulips. Every time I’ve been to Amsterdam before has been during the fall or the winter, so I didn’t get to see the sheer variety that was offered by the Bloemenmarkt in central Amsterdam. Since I was only there for 48 hours and I was visiting with two people who had never been before, I didn’t take my friend Diana‘s advice to visit the tulip fields outside of the city, but I guess that just gives me a good reason to go back!
2. Stereotypical bike shot. But seriously, the locals are pros on bikes. I tried to ride a borrowed one and failed miserably. And to think, I used to spend my whole summer on a bike, barefoot. The times they really are a-changin.
3. There’s something about Amsterdam that always reminds me of New York. I always thought it was obvious, but my sister couldn’t see it, at least not at first. I started to wonder if I’d made it all up because I know that New York used to be called New Amsterdam… but then I saw rows of brick buildings like this and felt like, if you just got rid of the canal, you could be in Alphabet City.
4. Every other time I’ve been to Amsterdam, I stayed in the city center or in an area with lots of hotels. This time, we rented an Air Bnb in a residential neighborhood, giving us a chance to see a new side of the city. I liked the way the canal was at street level here.
5. Despite the fact that we visited in springtime, the city was throwing some major fall vibes at us, which is totally fine by me.