Day 1 - New Amsterdam to Old Amsterdam

Press Play. That's the general theme at the start of this little European excursion. It's been a busy first half of the year and this vacation is a well needed break. It allows us to get off the hamster wheel for a bit, reset, and enjoy some travel and leisure. It's time to Press Play.

We arrived Saturday in Amsterdam around 3pm local time. We were able to get some sleep on the overnight flights - Greg from LA, Matt from NY - so we weren't exhausted when we arrived. That allowed us to enjoy the remaining part of the day. Plus, with the Amsterdam sun setting around 10pm, it felt like we had a full day to explore and enjoy.

Icelandair from JFK to Reykjavik, Iceland and then onto Amsterdam; 8.5hrs total travel time

Rise of the European sun

Amsterdam's name derives from Amstelredamme, literally meaning the dam of the river Amstel, which is how the city began back in the late 12th century. It started as a small fishing village but eventually grew to become one of the most important ports in the world during the Dutch Golden Age (17th Century). Today it is still one of the financial centers of Europe as well as a cultural hub for art, music, food, design, and fashion. 

Central Station, appropriately located in the center of Amsterdam. A lot of the city's architecture dates back to 16th and 17th century, considered to be the Dutch Golden Age. There are a variety of modern structures and buildings, but the streets are dominated by a historic look and feel.

Sun setting over the Amsterdam canals around 9:45pm

The view of Rembrandtplein (Rembrandt Plaza) from our hotel room. Rembrandtplein is a main square lined with bars, restaurants, clubs and shops. It's also a nice spot to relax on the grass and enjoy the sun.

Enjoying Rembrandt Plaza with the man himself

With the sun shining we popped into Cafe Monico, one of the many cafes lining Rembrandtplein to grab a few beers and get this trip started.

Beer one of the trip...

Amsterdam is an amazing city. It doesn't take long to realize that. It's a lively city great for people who like to get out and be active, but unlike most lively cities, people are not in a major hurry to do things. It's similar to NY in that it has bars/restaurants/shops on every corner. However, it's very different because not everyone is in a rush to get somewhere. People take their time here. Amsterdam is also unlike NY in that it's circular so it's difficult to navigate. And we can't pronounce the street names. However if you were to get lost in any city in the world, Amsterdam would be it. The canals, architecture, boats, people, shops, plazas, and so much more will keep you stimulated for hours and you won't even know your lost. 

After walking around town, enjoying some beers, and catching a surprise concert on one of the canals, we showered up and headed out for our first night.

Outdoor street urinals...so convenient...this needs to be brought to the States ASAP

We headed to the nightlife part of town called Leidseplein. We hit Suzy Wong's for a drink and then jumped next door to the Chicago Social Club.

DJ Rachel Green on the turn tables

Greg boogieing

We left the club around 4am and grabbed a bike taxi home. The sun set around 10:30pm and you can see it's already starting to rise, so it's only dark for about 6hrs a day at this time of year. 

I told you these street urinals are convenient 

Solid first day and night in Amsterdam. Big U.S. match vs Portugal on Sunday night. Kickoff here in Amsterdam is midnight. There's been no problem finding bars and restaurants showing World Cup matches; in fact just about every place we've been thus far has had the games on. The trick is going to be finding a place that shows it in English.