Society Travel Guide: Amsterdam

Amsterdam……. Amsterdam, Amsterdam, Amsterdam. I’ve been around the globe since a child. Literally was on my second passport by the time I was 15. Amsterdam is one of those city’s that sounds like a dream when you mention it. You immediately get the thoughts of cannabis smoke everywhere, picturesque canals, even thoughts of beautiful ladies filling redlight promenade windows. Now these aren’t complete lies, Amsterdam does offer many of the delights not to be found outside of the Netherlands. But I’m going to give you the REAL. The real spill about our experience in the Dam.

Get settled, acclimated, get your bearings

As with any foreign destination or spot you’ve traveled far and long to; you need a minute to unwind. Lets not take a whole day to recoup here but hopefully you booked a flight that landed at the latest mid-afternoon. This gives you a chance to drop bags, grab whatever essentials you need, then organize house. Having done the proper research ahead of time, I booked us an apartment style hotel. Our spot was about 5 minutes train ride outside of Amsterdam Centraal (city centre), which may have been both positive and negative. We did have an apartment with space for both of us, nice bathroom; but sometimes late nights when there were no trains running it sucked to have to pay around 50 euros for an uber. But hey…when in Rome…right? If you get an apartment style accomodation in Amsterdam, save yourself a few dollars by grabbing some groceries from a SPARS or other market. O and I were in Amsterdam for a full week so we had time to settle in after landing. Unpack suitcases, maybe a hot shower…whatever you need to do to relax. Then I recommend go out and get your bearings.

Amsterdam is a place where you really might as well take the train and public tram system. Similar to New York, its just WAY more convenient. Being that we were 5 minutes from Centraal Station, we decided to hop on the train and at least hit the main city to see where it was and how to navigate. So instead of going out and partying the first night, we touched down, got the apartment straight, then got our bearings. This helped us get a leg up on the following days of the the Amsterdam leg, which itself was about a week.

Streetwear, streetwear…..then art & Culture

Now I have to give Amsterdam its props in certain circumstances and areas. When it comes to fashion; especially in a streetwear sense…..Amsterdam is ON THE ONES!!!! There are SOOOO many storefronts and streetwear labels that come from the Netherlands….pumping out some FIRE!!! One of my favorite picks; that of which I literally was on a mission to hit up is Patta. Edson Sabajo and Guillaume 'Gee' Schmidt are the founders of this brand, which arose out of their mutual efforts within the sneaker resale and dutch hiphop / DJ community throughout the 1990’s. Really inspiring, organic story of two urban guys taking their passion and transforming into a business and lifestyle. Admitttedly I have to say Patta is a brand I would model and stylize the GoodSociety lifecycle after. Snipes is also a store you should hit up when in Amsterdam. Its almost like our version of Footlocker mixed with a Flightclub. Lots of generic clothing and sneaker offerings, but the colorway options are CRAZY expansive compared to the US market. Also they have a wild sneaker section that has a lot of releases you wont find at home. Collectthelabel was a great RANDOM find for us. Housed in a small storefront, this brand uses clothing to exhibit the works of various local visual artists. From what I understand the clothes and the shop almost are the gallery for these artists to get out work. Really great story behind the clothes, so I had to buy a simple bag to support the brand.

After taking in the streetwear scene and hopping around to some various shops; those of which included a few coffeeshops (make sure you get some Moroccan hash to mix with your bud!) and a local record store…..you need to take in the art scene. Amsterdam is home to a HOST of museums and artistic vibes. Before we even landed in the Netherlands, we purchased tickets to both the Vincent Van Gogh museum and the Anne Frank museum. The Anne Frank museum was a really moving experience. To hear the story as a child, watch the movie in school then actually walk and spend time in the building where this girl and her family hid for two years was amazing. Unfortunately they do not allow photography inside the museum, which is why there is no footage there. The Van Gogh museum was great as well. I think most kids in American Education who have taken ANY sort of art class have seen a few Van Gogh’s at some point. The CRAZIEST thing is that O and I felt like we both were going to straight, medical emergency, PASS OUT / PASS AWAY & DIE in the museum. If you have never felt serious jetlag; combined with a slight continuous hangover and lack of sleep……you have a deadly cocktail. I mean we felt REAL BAD. Like we both barely could stand. So we pushed through about half of the Van Gogh museum, then promptly decided we needed to hightail it back to the apartment and catch some rest.

find your favorite food and drink spots…then rinse & repeat; rinse & repeat

Now look….every fairytale has its downside. The pain points. The dark side of paradise that reminds you “its messed up wherever you go”. Amsterdam definitely had its share. As urban American males, we thought we would be getting a fair share of love from the ladies and the locals. Turns out the Netherlands has a palpable level of racist / classist undertones to it. Although I did a decent amount of research beforehand in finding which spots would be jumping during our trip, apparently I missed all the negative reviews outlining how if your skin is darker than your average Eastern European tourist (many of whom filled the city during our stay), you are going to encounter some friction. You can find more than a few reviews such as this, this and this…..all of which speak to widespread discrimination and racism within the cities hospitality venues. There is a great scholarly article published by Ariana Rose entitled “Dutch Racism is not Like Anywhere Else”; theorizing that the Dutch have a “distant” and “forgotten” relationship with their colonial, racist past.

Now its not ALL bad. But like stated before, this perspective is coming from the view of an urban, American male. Black male at that. So my advice would be to find the nightspots that show you love. Don’t be scared to explore EVERY nook and cranny; run in the different bars and pubs. Try to get in some of the clubs. But understand you might encounter some BS. For us, we found a few gems that were scattered around. First off, Rembrandt Square has a great vibe, filled with eateries and late night pubs / cafes you can drink and even smoke outside. Cafe Duivel is a smaller bar, known for playing urban and hiphop music for decades now. Formosa Argentina is a GREAT place to go get food; the spices and recipes will ATTACK your palette. We also found a dope brasserie to eat at one night. But hands down the chillest spot we found ourselves was this hookah lounge called Wonder Bar. I mean the owner literally kicked out a guy who was hating on us for no reason other than asking to sit by him and his ladies. The Moroccan brothers…..they show love.

Like the old adage goes…I can lead you to water, but I cant make you drink. You just got to hop out there and see how Amsterdam treats you. Maybe its the fact that we visited in the dead middle of winter. I mean the US gets chilly but the Netherlands was BRICK (New York slang for extremely cold). If I were to return it would likely be during warmer months. Great place to visit, awesome architecture, art and cultural scene….but entertainment wise and hospitality felt….as a black male…..not my most favorite destination. But take a chance; see how your experience goes!