Media Markt

This huge two-story megastore located by the Amsterdam Arena has just about everything electronic you could desire. Probably the best selection of stereo equipment in the city, plus TVs, computers, printers, phones, car stereos, major appliances like refrigerators, washing machines, small kitchen appliances and much more.

Good prices and excellent selection make this the place to get those things you really need. They take credit cards, but returning items is quite an experience, as you must go to another entrance, wait in line in a very small room, and then, rather than just refunding your money or offering a replacement, you pretty much must prove that the item is defective or they won’t give you a refund! And yes, they’ll make you take it out of the box and plug it in if necessary and they have workbenches in the back to test it out too…

Convenient access via the metro, Bijlmer station. Or you can park in the Arena parking lot (one of the cheapest in the city).

Conscious Dreams – Kokopeli

Smart shop on the Warmoesstraat with lots of open airy space. Displays of San Pedro cactus with Peyote grafted onto them is interesting, as well as lots of books and information for the shaman in all of us. Of course mushrooms and herbal preparations for your head are the order of the day here. They offer a neat chill space in the back of the shop, overlooking the old inner harbor of Amsterdam, and the canal tour boats docked there. I’m curious about the “brain machine” they have back there, I’ll have to go visit again… They have two other locations in Amsterdam as well.

Bird Snackbar & Thai Restaurant

Fancy Thai place with a “snackbar” across the street. The “snackbar” is one of the most popular places on the Zeedijk, with patrons lining up and ordering in advance while waiting for one of the small tables on the sidewalk. The service was fast and friendly, and food arrived quickly. Tom Yam Koeng soup was delightful, spicy-hot with lots of lemon grass and galanga, and featured a couple of great big shrimps. The Pad Thai (my benchmark for good Thai cooking) was okay, and only mildly spiced. You need to ask for the hot chili peppers in this place! My friend’s dish of Sweet & Sour Chicken was unfortunately flavoured with tomato ketchup.
A nice place for a quick meal, reasonably priced.

Concertgebouw


Official home of the Koninklijk Concertgebouworkest, on the Museumplein. A fabulous concert hall well-known for excellent acoustics and free lunch-time concerts for Amsterdammers. I have enjoyed several wonderful concerts there, while basking in the glow of the masters who have played in this venerable hall. The orchestra also holds an occasional concert outdoors on the Museumplein, which has recently been completely renovated.