Things to do: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Tour Heineken Brewery

One of the must see places for beer lovers. The original Heineken brewery in Amsterdam dates back to 1930. Between 1930-1988 tasty beer was made right at this spot. Now the building is the Heineken Experience beer museum.

For an admission price of 10 EUR you can discover the secret of making one of the best beers in the world. From the big malt silos to the steering wagons, and of course to the bar where you'll be given a Heineken beer to "taste".

In my opinion, Heineken is a good beer, but gives me nowhere near the level of drinking satisfaction of a Goose Island 312, Bells Oberon Ale or Red Stripe. (I sound like an alcoholic don't I? I'm just a beer snob, trust me.) Nonetheless, I think this would be interesting. Has anyone been there?

The Red Light District

Ok, I have to make a confession. This is one of the places I am not leaving without seeing. To me Amsterdam is everything I am not used to and I think that is part of the attraction. This trip is about getting outside of the norm. Walking down these very streets will ensure that this is not a usual "Disneyland" type trip. For those who do not know, the Red Light District is known for its legalized prostitution and legalized Marijuana.

After some googling, I stumbled into some organized tours of the Red Light District. The tour seems to be the best idea when you want the inside scoop. There are some good reviews of that particular tour. From the research I've done, this costs 13 EUR. Some of the reviewers said that the tour guide even takes you out to a bar and buys everyone a round at the completion of the tour. It looks pretty sweet and I think would be worth looking into.

To my readers, I know you are out there. I've seen some rapid blog growth as of late. Got any tips or Red Light District stories?

Go Clubin' - Amsterdam Style

Little known fact: Amsterdam has over 1200 pubs. Each very unique in its own way.

For pre-partying, head to Lux (Marnixstraat 403), Bitterzoet (Spuistraat 2), or Seymour Likely (Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 250) for live DJs.

Join the dance crowd at Club More Amor (Rozengracht 133), and Paradiso (Weteringschans 6-8). For a laid-back vibe and chillout atmosphere check out Café Alto (Korte Leidsedwarsstraat 115) for local jazz acts. According to iamsterdam.com, Café Alto is a great first date place so I guess if I meet the woman of my dreams in Amsterdam, I'll take her there.

This list is also a great resource for those of you who might be staying in Amsterdam for a longer period of time. It was created by Thomer M. Gil, who once was a resident of Amsterdam. The site was updated this past January so it has information that is relevant and not dated.

I cannot wait to hit the clubs here. You have no idea. I'm a drummer and Amsterdam is DJ Tiesto country. I've got to be honest though, Oakenfold and Tiesto are about the only electronic artists I get into. I'm not really sure why this type of music only exists in niche clubs over in America because musically its more in depth than a lot of garbage they play on the radio these days over here in the states.



This post will be updated....

Last Two:
Justin Timberlake - What Goes Around
The Crystal Method - London