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Hi guys,

Last year I worked on a design project with my girlfriend called 'Rotterdam Told by People', a set of mirrors based on people's stories and experiences in Rotterdam. We interviewed a whole bunch of them about the Dutch city.

We've been planning to expand the project, so we decided to submit it for a competition. However, we couldn't submit Rotterdam, so we picked Amsterdam instead. Rather than doing the interviews one-on-one, we put them in a short questionnaire, allowing us to reach a lot more people.

And this is where I need your help. Have you ever visited or lived in Amsterdam? If so, what are your experiences and thoughts on the city? And could you tell me about them?

You can find the questionnaire here. No worries, this little trip down memory lane will take only 15-20 minutes!

Thank you for your time!

And here is our banner

It's full of people with wrong accents.

And everyone there thinks i'm German, which is fun because it let's me play the offended Dutchman.

I'll look at it after work.

Most helpful/least annoying homeless people ever.

 Bromsy wrote:
Most helpful/least annoying homeless people ever.

Oh, do tell me more! What happened? That story alone sounds pretty cool!

@Soladrin: Don't get me started on the accents! Dunglish FTW! Thanks for looking into it!

 Malika2 wrote:

 Bromsy wrote:
Most helpful/least annoying homeless people ever.

Oh, do tell me more! What happened? That story alone sounds pretty cool!

@Soladrin: Don't get me started on the accents! Dunglish FTW! Thanks for looking into it!

I'm from Limburg, everyone outside of Limburg and Brabant think's I'm German.

 Malika2 wrote:

 Bromsy wrote:
Most helpful/least annoying homeless people ever.

Oh, do tell me more! What happened? That story alone sounds pretty cool!

Uh, every time I approached a street corner and looked around like I didn't know where I was at, some random person would wander up to offer advice.
Along the lines of "Oh, you're holding the map like this, when you want to be holding it like this. The -whatever- .... that's not far away. You want to take this street down three blocks, take a right, and you're there. It's pretty cool. By the way, I've been on the street for a bit, so if you want to sling a couple bucks my way, that would be great."

As opposed to everywhere else I've been where it's "My life sucks, give me money."

 Bromsy wrote:

 Malika2 wrote:

 Bromsy wrote:
Most helpful/least annoying homeless people ever.

Oh, do tell me more! What happened? That story alone sounds pretty cool!

Uh, every time I approached a street corner and looked around like I didn't know where I was at, some random person would wander up to offer advice.
Along the lines of "Oh, you're holding the map like this, when you want to be holding it like this. The -whatever- .... that's not far away. You want to take this street down three blocks, take a right, and you're there. It's pretty cool. By the way, I've been on the street for a bit, so if you want to sling a couple bucks my way, that would be great."

As opposed to everywhere else I've been where it's "My life sucks, give me money."

Ha, can I use this story? I need your name, age and email for it, can you PM those to me?

Awesome!


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 Soladrin wrote:

 Malika2 wrote:

 Bromsy wrote:
Most helpful/least annoying homeless people ever.

Oh, do tell me more! What happened? That story alone sounds pretty cool!

@Soladrin: Don't get me started on the accents! Dunglish FTW! Thanks for looking into it!

I'm from Limburg, everyone outside of Limburg and Brabant think's I'm German.

Hmm, but you guys say "wie" instead of "hoe" ("hoe" is Dutch for "how"), no wonder people get confused!

But then again, I had a similar experience at Miami Airport where the customs asked me to explain my fellow passengers, who were German, how everything works. "Dutch. Deutsch...it's all the same right?"

AT Miami Airport if you don't speak Spanish, we'd prefer just not to let you in.

"You're in America now! Speak Spanish!"

I was stuck in the amsterdam airport for 6 hours once, on the way home from a trip to greece. I wish I could have seen the actual city, but we just stayed at the airport. Anyway, what I remember most from over there were these waffle cookies... it was like a thin little waffle sandwich with caramel in the middle. I think they were called Syrupwaflen or something like that.

I miss those cookies the most :(

I think you mean Stroopwafels. I have never even been to Amsterdam, except to change trains, but I have friends from there and they made me love Stroopwafels.

Wine, Weed and Whores!

Googlemaps. The city is very confusing for people who have never been there. On our first business trip to Amsterdam, we, I kid you not, accidentally stumbled into the sex quarter. Overall very interesting city. Great architecture, lots of business, fair prices.

 Necros wrote:
I was stuck in the amsterdam airport for 6 hours once, on the way home from a trip to greece. I wish I could have seen the actual city, but we just stayed at the airport. Anyway, what I remember most from over there were these waffle cookies... it was like a thin little waffle sandwich with caramel in the middle. I think they were called Syrupwaflen or something like that.

I miss those cookies the most :(

From somebody that has had multiple 4+ hour layovers at that airport:

-lock up your suitcase in a locker.
-hop on a train.
-be in downtown Amsterdam in 10 minutes!
-visit the Anna Frank house, have a coffee, walk the canals, look at windows.

Easy, cheap, great way to spend a couple hours.

 d-usa wrote:

 Necros wrote:
I was stuck in the amsterdam airport for 6 hours once, on the way home from a trip to greece. I wish I could have seen the actual city, but we just stayed at the airport. Anyway, what I remember most from over there were these waffle cookies... it was like a thin little waffle sandwich with caramel in the middle. I think they were called Syrupwaflen or something like that.

I miss those cookies the most :(

From somebody that has had multiple 4+ hour layovers at that airport:

-lock up your suitcase in a locker.
-hop on a train.
-be in downtown Amsterdam in 10 minutes!
-visit the Anna Frank house, have a coffee, walk the canals, look at windows.

Easy, cheap, great way to spend a couple hours.

All, of the above can be replaced with hookers and blow.

But yeah, Amsterdam has plenty of sights.

 Soladrin wrote:

 d-usa wrote:

From somebody that has had multiple 4+ hour layovers at that airport:

-lock up your suitcase in a locker.
-hop on a train.
-be in downtown Amsterdam in 10 minutes!
-visit the Anna Frank house, have a coffee, walk the canals, look at windows.

Easy, cheap, great way to spend a couple hours.

All, of the above can be replaced with hookers and blow.

But yeah, Amsterdam has plenty of sights.

-lock up your blow in a locker?
-hop on a hooker?

 d-usa wrote:

 Soladrin wrote:

 d-usa wrote:

From somebody that has had multiple 4+ hour layovers at that airport:

-lock up your suitcase in a locker.
-hop on a train.
-be in downtown Amsterdam in 10 minutes!
-visit the Anna Frank house, have a coffee, walk the canals, look at windows.

Easy, cheap, great way to spend a couple hours.

All, of the above can be replaced with hookers and blow.

But yeah, Amsterdam has plenty of sights.

-lock up your blow in a locker?
-hop on a hooker?

Still works.

Most overrated city in the country.
But it does have a Madame Tussaud's, which my girlfriend (from Brazil) and I had a great time in. And a Sex Museum, although honestly a visit to one of the gazillion sex shops is more arousing.

Also, it's weird. I'm from Limburg too, but I've never had anyone from Holland (the provinces, not the country) tell me I'm German.

Maybe your Dutch teacher in high school sucked, Soladrin?

Bran Dawri wrote:
Most overrated city in the country.
But it does have a Madame Tussaud's, which my girlfriend (from Brazil) and I had a great time in. And a Sex Museum, although honestly a visit to one of the gazillion sex shops is more arousing.

Also, it's weird. I'm from Limburg too, but I've never had anyone from Holland (the provinces, not the country) tell me I'm German.

Maybe your Dutch teacher in high school sucked, Soladrin?

What does that have to do with it? It's simply my accent/speaking dialect that get's them to say that.

Though to be fair, I do think Dutch is pretty gak language, prefer english in general.

 Fifty wrote:
I think you mean Stroopwafels. I have never even been to Amsterdam, except to change trains, but I have friends from there and they made me love Stroopwafels.

Stroopwafels... yeah that was it. I'm gonna have to try and order some online or something, this thread brought my craving back with a vengeance.

 d-usa wrote:

 Necros wrote:
I was stuck in the amsterdam airport for 6 hours once, on the way home from a trip to greece. I wish I could have seen the actual city, but we just stayed at the airport. Anyway, what I remember most from over there were these waffle cookies... it was like a thin little waffle sandwich with caramel in the middle. I think they were called Syrupwaflen or something like that.

I miss those cookies the most :(

From somebody that has had multiple 4+ hour layovers at that airport:

-lock up your suitcase in a locker.
-hop on a train.
-be in downtown Amsterdam in 10 minutes!
-visit the Anna Frank house, have a coffee, walk the canals, look at windows.

Easy, cheap, great way to spend a couple hours.

Can you tell me more about it! How did you find the Anne Frank House? What was it that made it so special to you?

 Malika2 wrote:

 d-usa wrote:

 Necros wrote:
I was stuck in the amsterdam airport for 6 hours once, on the way home from a trip to greece. I wish I could have seen the actual city, but we just stayed at the airport. Anyway, what I remember most from over there were these waffle cookies... it was like a thin little waffle sandwich with caramel in the middle. I think they were called Syrupwaflen or something like that.

I miss those cookies the most :(

From somebody that has had multiple 4+ hour layovers at that airport:

-lock up your suitcase in a locker.
-hop on a train.
-be in downtown Amsterdam in 10 minutes!
-visit the Anna Frank house, have a coffee, walk the canals, look at windows.

Easy, cheap, great way to spend a couple hours.

Can you tell me more about it! How did you find the Anne Frank House?

My people have been looking for it for almost 60 years now

But if I remember right the directions were available at either the airport or the train station.

What was it that made it so special to you?

It's a very interesting piece of history.

 d-usa wrote:

 Malika2 wrote:

 d-usa wrote:

 Necros wrote:
I was stuck in the amsterdam airport for 6 hours once, on the way home from a trip to greece. I wish I could have seen the actual city, but we just stayed at the airport. Anyway, what I remember most from over there were these waffle cookies... it was like a thin little waffle sandwich with caramel in the middle. I think they were called Syrupwaflen or something like that.

I miss those cookies the most :(

From somebody that has had multiple 4+ hour layovers at that airport:

-lock up your suitcase in a locker.
-hop on a train.
-be in downtown Amsterdam in 10 minutes!
-visit the Anna Frank house, have a coffee, walk the canals, look at windows.

Easy, cheap, great way to spend a couple hours.

Can you tell me more about it! How did you find the Anne Frank House?

My people have been looking for it for almost 60 years now

But if I remember right the directions were available at either the airport or the train station.

What was it that made it so special to you?

It's a very interesting piece of history.

He wanted to see Justin Biebers autograph.

I've been to Amsterdam once. Dutch people there are rude and impolite, it was way too crowded and there were more foreigners than actual Dutch people. The city itself was kinda nice, altough not really special compared to smaller Dutch cities. I think the city lacks a really special large landmark, like Moscow has St. Basil and Paris has the Eiffel Tower.

The taxi-drivers sell cocaine, and let you try before you buy. Room service will send hookers and beer to your room, no matter how late it is. There's a place there that specialises in all-you-can-eat ribs and football. It's next to Bulldog Palace, a pub that sells weed.

Amsterdam: My kind of city.

 Albatross wrote:
The taxi-drivers sell cocaine, and let you try before you buy. Room service will send hookers and beer to your room, no matter how late it is. There's a place there that specialises in all-you-can-eat ribs and football. It's next to Bulldog Palace, a pub that sells weed.

Amsterdam: My kind of city.

Oh oh oh oh, tell me more about the cocaine selling taxi-drivers! What was your first reaction to that? What impression did that leave you?

Regarding the room service, where were you staying? What can you tell me about the place, its surroundings? Did you have a good time?

 Malika2 wrote:

 Albatross wrote:
The taxi-drivers sell cocaine, and let you try before you buy. Room service will send hookers and beer to your room, no matter how late it is. There's a place there that specialises in all-you-can-eat ribs and football. It's next to Bulldog Palace, a pub that sells weed.

Amsterdam: My kind of city.

Oh oh oh oh, tell me more about the cocaine selling taxi-drivers! What was your first reaction to that? What impression did that leave you?

Regarding the room service, where were you staying? What can you tell me about the place, its surroundings? Did you have a good time?

He got cocaine and hookers, of course he had a good time!

Unless it was bad cocaine and the hookers were ugly of course!