#5 - A stroll around the block

I'm getting adjusted quite well to my new neighborhood. I live in an area called "de Pijp" which is pronounced as "the Pipe" (very fitting for Amsterdam, I know). Traditionally this has been a younger neighborhood and has gentrified over the last 20 years or so. It's an area with lots of nightlife, cheap eats, and lots of everyday stores too. Time for a quick tour.

First, leaving my apartment, check out the mailboxes for my building. See those stickers? You put these on your mailbox to tell the postman whether or not you will accept junk mail. If you say "nee", you won't be given any mail that isn't addressed directly to you. Pretty nice!






Walking down the street you can see the parking situation. For my neighborhood there is a 7-month wait for a parking permit. So far I'm enjoying the hassle-free options of biking, walking, and public transit:




As you can see, bikes are a very popular option:



About two blocks later we arrive at the Albert Heijn, which is basically the monopoly supermarket chain in the Netherlands. Notice the parking lot in front:



A few blocks north in the opposite direction, you can see the bane of many Amsterdammers' existence - construction for the North/South metro line. It will be awesome once it's done ... in 2017. They realized that building a new subway under an 800-year old city built on wooden pilings wasn't the best idea after some historical houses started tipping and sinking, but now it's too late to stop:



About 5 blocks further north (and a 5-min walk from my apartment) is the Albert Cuyp market, which is purportedly the largest street market in Europe. Great place to come for french fries served in a paper cone, produce, cheese, clothes, just about anything.



Back near my place, here's a canal view a view to the northwest and the Rijksmuseum. This is basically Amsterdam's version of the Louve:



Typical Amsterdam street - notice the part of the sidewalk that is a different color. This is the bike lane - walk in it at your own peril. At best you'll be greeted by angry bell-ringing, and at worst you'll be plowed down (as witnessed by the unfortunate timing of three hot girls riding by while a dirty old guy headed the other direction turned back to look and plowed right into somebody who stepped in front of him).



Finally, this is about 20 minutes away in the center of town, but a nice canal shot on a relatively sunny fall day:


Want to see more? Come and visit.