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-- Anonymous, September 06, 1999

Answers

I'm surprised I haven't listed this already... Amsterdam is well suited for bicycles, and I've been very happy with Mac Bikes for rentals. Good locations, cheap, and good sturdy bikes and locks.

See www.macbike.nl/english / for more information.

-- Anonymous, November 04, 2002

For all Ajax fans visiting Holland this summer, this may be worthwhile...

Café and art-gallery Het Boek (Ruyschstraat 42 in Amsterdam- East) presents a photo exhibition of Ajax related work by Yvonne Witte. Witte is a life-long Ajax fan. Last year she published the beautiful photo book In De Catacomben ("In The Catacombs", sub- title "About Ajax & Boys' Dreams"). It contains photos taken during the last couple of season in De Meer and the first ones in the ArenA. They're not game pictures, but real football pictures: together they show the soul of Ajax.

I truly recommend this book to any Ajax fan. There's hardly any text in it (except for the photo captions) so it doesn't really matter that it's Dutch. Pick up your copy when you're visiting; it's only 13 or 14 euros. It's also available in the on line Ajax.nl Fanshop (go to 'Shop', then click 'Multimedia') for 11.53 euros.

The exhibition in Het Boek consists of photos from the book, but also more recent work, of the 2002 championship and Amstel Cup victories, and the celebrations. Admission is free. Het Boek is opened daily, from 5:00 PM 'til late. The Yvonne Witte exhibition will be there until 05 July.

Go take a look if you're visiting!

-- Anonymous, May 28, 2002

Okay, I feel compelled to offer this cautionary tale...

If you're going to Amsterdam for Ajax football, then don't get distracted by the other temptations of the city and mess it up for yourself. More to the point: avoid delving too deep into the drug scene.

Do I sound like Nancy Reagan? Well, here's my reason: I still have an UN-USED ticket for the Ajax-Feyenoord game on March 03, 2002. Is that amazing or what? An American paid for the ticket, traveled to Amsterdam, and then imbibed some substance that incapacitated his mental faculties to the extent that he was arrested for his own safety and spent the night and much of the next day in an Amsterdam police station jail cell. He missed the game. I still have the ticket, unused.

End of cautionary tale.

-- Anonymous, May 02, 2002

When you're in Amsterdam, you'll probably still want to stay in touch with the rest of the world. And of course you'll still want to visit Ajax USA every day. I recommend the Internet cafe Easy Everything which has two locations in central Amsterdam: Reguliersbreestaat and Damrak. Clean, safe, relatively cheap and open 24/7.

-- Anonymous, February 19, 2002

Got Guilders?

If you're like me, you hung onto some Dutch Guilders from your last trip to Ajax-land, and now you're worried about the advent of the Euro. Well, don't worry.

The last day on which guilders are accepted in shops is 28 January, 2002. However, you can change guilders for euros at the Dutch Bank until January of 2007. So no worries. You'll be able to get rid of 'em.

(thanks to Menno for the information.)

-- Anonymous, January 17, 2002

You might want to include t'Arendsnest Bar, located at Herengracht 90, in your next visit to Amsterdam.

It's a fantastic place that only sells Dutch Beer and is owned by an Ajax season-ticket holder. Wonderful atmosphere. It isnt a "lets get blotto in a few minutes" type of pub, but one where you can enjoy the fruit of the hop to your heart's content in a very relaxed atmosphere. 5 Star Rating.

-- Anonymous, January 09, 2002

Wow. This is a good deal. Bestfares.com is now promoting the following:

21 U.S. Cities to ... Amsterdam From $282 RT

"Bestfares.com members can travel from 21 U.S. cities to Amsterdam plus receive a free stopover in London from $282 roundtrip; children ages two-11 fly from $226 roundtrip. You could save up to $500."

Some examples:

• 226-- New York City and Newark
• 234-- Boston
• 322-- Atlanta
• 346-- Los Angeles
• 386-- Denver and Seattle

Full story: http://www.bestfares.com/travel/desks/story.asp?id=50745

FYI, I booked my own travel through BestFares.com. They are legit. You do have to subscribe to the BestFares magazine ($69/US) in order to book a trip through them, but it's worth it. The magazine is pretty cool. If you travel at all, it'll more than pay for itself within a year.

-- Anonymous, January 07, 2002

Here's an interesting little article on Amsterdam from the International Herald-Tribune:

Amsterdam: History and Handlebars

-- Anonymous, December 13, 2001

I know this group will be primarily interested in soccer. But, there are great things to see in Amsterdam. The Rijks and van Gogh museums are worth the time. I like the maritime museum by the harbor - it shows the history of how Holland was the dominant sea power in the17th century. Also, right in A'dam is the Dutch museum that gives the history of Holland. Not far from A'dam is Zaandam, which has a replica of an old Dutch village. At that time of year Keukenhof (kitchen garden), not too far south of Schipol, will be in bloom - but that may not excite your group. A thing that should be of interest is Leidseplein (Leiden's Square) that has a lot of nightlife, street entertainers, and restaurants.

-- Anonymous, November 16, 2001

Response to Going to see Ajax in Amsterdam (not about Tickets)

Who's up for a beer before the Sparta game on Sunday ?

-- Anonymous, September 21, 2001

Response to Going to see Ajax in Amsterdam (not about Tickets)

GREAT 2 HEAR YA ENJOYED!!!!!!!!And glad you saw some goals...I made a friend in The States an Ajax Nut as well...even had him sign up...i hope one day he will enjoy Ajax as much as you have. Come back soon!!!!!!!!!!! note to the wife: Amsterdam heeft het nog steeds.

-- Anonymous, December 05, 1999

Response to Going to see Ajax in Amsterdam (not about Tickets)

Well I'm back from Holland, and I can die happy now. I've been to see Ajax at the Arena. I had a GREAT time. First off, the arena is an amazing facility. Very nice. The field looked kind of rough, and the 1st half monsoon didn't help it either, but the building is great. The atmosphere can't be compaed to anything in the states. My seats were upper level above the die-hards (F-SIDE?), which made it better, and seeing a 6-1 win over Den Bosch topped it off. I had a wonderful time at the match, and the whole trip in general. Now I'm back to my miserable life in Oklahoma, or Hell, same thing really. My wife wants to move back to Holland, and I'm not completely against it, just the whole language thing is my big hang up. That's all, just wanted to share my experience with you all.

-- Anonymous, November 01, 1999