Wim Crouwel – A Graphic Odyssey
http://Amsterdamduplexapartment.com

If you can’t get to Amsterdam over the next few weeks have a taste of great Dutch design in London

The Design Museum celebrates the prolific career of the Dutch graphic designer Wim Crouwel in this, his first UK retrospective. Regarded as one of the leading designers of the twentieth century, Crouwel embraced a new modernity to produce typographic designs that captured the essence of the emerging computer and space age of the early 1960s.

Spanning over 60 years, this exhibition will cover Crouwel’s rigorous design approach and key moments in his career including his work for design practice Total Design, the identity for the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, as well as his iconic poster, print, typography and lesser known exhibition design. The exhibition will explore Crouwel’s innovative use of grid-based layouts and typographic systems to produce consistently striking asymmetric visuals.

Family workshops
Loopy Letters and Futuristic Fonts
Sunday 10 April, 2pm – 4.30pm
Sunday 1 May, 2pm – 4.30pm
Details and booking on the workshops page

Poster Competition for 5 – 11 year olds
Design a Wim Crouwel inspired poster for the chance to win a goody bag.
Download competition details here.

Talks and Events

Working With Wim
Monday 9 May, 7.30pm, £15 / 7.50 members
Book now

Rick Poynor on Graphic Design the Netherlands
Monday 23 May, 7.30pm, £15 / 7.50 members
Book now

Pioneers of Industrial Culture with Wim Crouwel
Thursday 23 June, 7.30pm, £15 / 7.50 members
Book now

PechaKucha X Wim Crouwel
Friday 1 July, 7.30pm, £15 / 7.50 members
Book now

Design Overtime
April Font Night
Friday 1 April, 6 – 10pm, £7.50 in advance
Details and booking on the overtime page

Summer Party
Friday 1 July, 6 – 10pm, £7.50 in advance
Details and booking on the overtime page

Sunday Gallery Tours
17 April, 1.30 – 2pm
15 May, 1.30 – 2pm
19 June, 1.30 – 2pm
Curator or specialist led tours of the exhibtion.
No booking necessary.

Media Partner

Original Page: http://designmuseum.org/exhibitions/2011/wim-crouwel

Shared from Read It Later

Vacationing in Amsterdam

by JAMES CARELESS, montrealgazette.com
March 26th 2011

Trying to define Amsterdam in terms of 10 fun things to do will not be easy. This gorgeous, historical and legendary maritime city in the Netherlands offers so much more! Still, first-time visitors need to know where to start, so here are 10 suggestions – given with the knowledge that, once you’ve arrived in Amsterdam, you will find much more to keep you entranced.

1) Some of the best fun you can have here is to wander around the old city , which is built around a series of canals. Not only is the landscape stunningly beautiful, but the bridges and well-tended buildings that line the canals are hundreds of years old. Many of the buildings have hoist beams sticking out from their gables, close to large windows or doors. These were designed for hauling furniture to the upper floors, thus avoiding the need to cart them up narrow staircases.

2) Speaking of canals , the Singel Flower Market is located here on floating barges. Founded back in 1862, it’s named for the Singel canal, on which it is located. Whatever your taste in flowers, you will find them here in abundance. Remember, Holland is the country that made tulips famous. There was a time, back in 1636, when tulips were selling for as much as $100,000 (in current dollars) per bulb. Like the dot-com bubble, the Tulip Craze soon collapsed, but Amsterdam remains one of the world’s signature locations for tulips and other kinds of flowers, year-round.

3) Unlike many cities , Amsterdam has succeeded in keeping its historic core alive with shops, restaurants and bars. Many of the oldest are known as “brown cafés.” These are cozy and popular local pubs, called “brown” because of their wooden interiors and stains from generations of smokers. Reputedly the oldest is De Drie Fleschjes, whose name translates to The Three Little Bottles. Rumour has it that Rembrandt was among those who attended the grand opening in 1650. Not much has changed since then; 52 wooden vats line the walls and sand on the wood floor makes for an authentic feel. Distiller Bootz took it over in 1816 and De Drie Fleschjes remains the company’s samplinghouse for Dutch liqueurs and gins.

4) Speaking of restaurants , “the Jordaan neighbourhood is really nice for walking around and full of little restaurants and bars/ cafés,” says John Heintz, a Canadian schoolmate of mine who now teaches architecture at the Delft University of Technology (Holland). “One of our favorites is Café ‘t Smalle, Egelantiersgracht 12. It’s a really cute, really small place, with a nice little room in back above the bar. You have to climb the steepest spiral staircase you’ll ever see, though.”

5) Another restaurant worth mentioning is D’Vijff Vlieghen (The Five Flies). Consisting of nine rooms located in five interconnected 17th-century townhouses, the Five Flies combines authentic history (there are real Rembrandts inside) with great food – and star appeal. Just check the guest book: You’ll see the signatures of Walt Disney, Orson Welles, Bruce Springsteen, Kirk Douglas, Tyra Banks, Dmitry Medvedev, Esther Williams, Anne Baxter, Marcel Marceau, Samantha Fox, Paul Stanley and Mick Jagger.

6) Amsterdam is a city of museums , filled with items that are truly worth seeing. One of these is the Van Gogh Museum, featuring iconic paintings such as Sunflowers and Fishing Boats on the Beach at Saintes-Maries-dela-Mer. A second must-see museum is the Rijksmuseum with its astounding collection of Rembrandts. Of these, the famous and rather large Night Watch – also known as the Company of Frans Banning Cocq and Willem van Ruytenburch – is worth the trip. What makes the Night Watch special is that it was, in essence, a class photo of a local militia. To add drama to the scene, Rembrandt laid it out as a company preparing to march off to war, rather than standing stiffly in rows trying not to smile.

7) While in Amsterdam , the locals – upon hearing that I was a tourist – always asked me the same thing: “Have you been to the redlight district?” This is Amsterdam’s district of legalized (and regulated) prostitution, in existence for centuries due to the constant influx of visiting sailors. Located in the old city, the district, known as De Wallen, is considered a prime tourist site – even for those just curious about its reputation. (If you do look around, watch out for pickpockets and know that you could lose your camera if you try to take photos.) By the way, I eventually figured out that the reason I kept getting asked if I’d visited the red-light district was not because I looked somehow morally suspect. Instead, the Dutch know that North Americans are scandalized by the idea of legalized prostitution. That’s why they have so much fun asking us if we’ve visited it yet: They like to see our reactions.

The Oude Kerk (Old Church) is in downtown old Amsterdam, in the red-light district. Dating back to 1306, the Oude Kerk is the city’s oldest consecrated church. For North Americans, wandering around a medieval church that is nearly 700 years old, yet is part of a living, breathing urbanscape, is a very unusual experience. So, too, is the graffiti carved into the pews and other wooden surfaces. I remember spotting one vandal’s name followed by the year he carved it: 1776. (After coming here, nothing back in Canada will ever seem “old” again.)

9) So much to see in Amsterdam! One of my favourite sights is the NH Grand Hotel Krasnapolsky. Located in downtown Dam Square, across from the old Royal Palace, the Hotel Krasnapolsky was established by Polish tailor Adolf Wilhelm Krasnapolski in 1866. Eventually, he bought up 39 small houses and built the Hotel Krasnapolsky. Rated as a five-star hotel – and deservedly so – the ‘Kraz’ has many wonderful features. My personal favourite is the wrought iron-and-glass Winter Garden restaurant, which is essentially a giant greenhouse that is home to an excellent buffet breakfast.

10) Speaking of the Royal Palace , this 17th-century masterpiece -after 3½ years of restoration -is again open to the public. Originally built for the Amsterdam government, this palace was subsequently home to Louis Napoleon, who was made king of Holland for four short years by Napoleon Bonaparte (1806-1810). Afterwards, Prince William of Orange (later king) took over the palace as his Amsterdam residence. Today, it remains in the Dutch royal family. If you can’t get to Buckingham Palace to celebrate Prince William and Kate’s wedding this year, visiting the Royal Palace (Koninklijk Paleis) in Amsterdam is a good second choice.

So there you have it: Ten fun things to do in Amsterdam! For many more, go online at www. iamsterdam.com

WHERE TO GO

Ten sights worth seeing and websites that’ll tell you more

DE DRIE FLESCHJES

www.channels.nl/amsterdam/ flesche.html Gravenstraat 18 Reputedly the oldest “brown café” in town, its name translates to “The Three Little Bottles.”

CAFE ‘T SMALLE

www.t-smalle.nl/?sectiondrinken&page-Foto’s Egelantiersgracht 12 A popular spot in the Jordaan neighbourhood.

D’VIJFF VLIEGHEN

www.thefiveflies.com/en/Home Spuistraat 294-302 Historic eatery favoured by the stars, its name translates to “The Five Flies.”

RED-LIGHT DISTRICT

www.iamsterdam.com The famous -some would say infamous -legal (and regulated) prostitution zone that has become a tourist attraction.

OUDE KERK

www.iamsterdam.com Amsterdam’s oldest church; a living landmark.

VAN GOGH MUSEUM

www.vangoghmuseum.nl Paulus Potterstraat 7 Home to numerous masterpieces by PostImpressionist painter Vincent van Gogh, including the ubiquitous Sunflowers.

RIJKSMUSEUM

www.rijksmuseum.nl Jan Luijkenstraat 1 Home to a vast collection of art, including numerous paintings and etchings by Rembrandt van Rijn.

NH GRAND HOTEL KRASNAPOLSKY

www.nh-hotels.com Dam Square A venerable 5-star hotel worthy of its rank.

THE ROYAL PALACE

www.paleisamsterdam.nl Dam Square A chance to see how kings and queens really live! Just a 10-minute walk from Centraal Station.

AMSTERDAM’S CANALS

http: //www.iamsterdam.com The canals wrap around the old city like necklaces; you can’t miss them. Visit the Singel Flower Market, which can be found floating on barges in the Singel canal.

Original Page: http://www.google.com/url?sa=X&q=http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/todays-paper/Vacationing%2BAmsterdam/4507388/story.html&ct=ga&cad=CAEQAhgAIAAoATAAOABA8M-77ARIAVgBYgVlbi1VUw&cd=c-Gz0g7Ovqs&usg=AFQjCNGEu4tQyw1U0a_oGP8rKYX8RIVRzQ

Making Histories: Changing Views of the Collection explores how a museum collection constructs and embodies histories to be reconsidered over time, offering various views into the museum’s own history and its collections right up to the present day, through monographic installations of individual works or bodies of work by key artists and designers, thematic surveys, archival research projects, special projects and recent acquisitions. The exhibition showcases the breadth of the museum’s collections, which include over 90,000 works of painting, sculpture, photography, film, video, works on paper, artist’s books, applied arts and industrial and graphic design. As selections from the collections are presented on a rotating basis, returning visitors will have the opportunity to see different works over the coming months.

The climate-controlled Hall of Honor features iconic works from the collection, offering various perspectives on abstract painting, with works from the 20th-century painting is exemplified in the work of Piet Mondrian, while works by Kazimir Malevich are purely abstract. Color and autonomous form distinguish works by Jo Baer, Ellsworth Kelly, Brice Marden and Barnett Newman. The centerpiece of this presentation is The Parakeet and the Mermaid (1952–53), the renowned paper cutout by Henri Matisse, which is flanked by the intense gold and deep blue of paintings by Yves Klein.

A stunning installation of works using fluorescent light by Dan Flavin occupies the hall of the upper floor. Originally commissioned by the Stedelijk Museum, these works were first presented in this same location in 1986. Titled untitled (to Piet Mondrian through his preferred colors, red, yellow and blue) and untitled (to Piet Mondrian who lacked green), these works were conceived by Flavin to be in dialogue with Mondrian, the history of modern art and the museum’s distinctive architecture. Close to the work of Flavin a big couch (1968–2003) by Slothouber & Graatsma is filling the gallery.

The Stedelijk Museum’s collection is also distinguished by its extensive holdings of applied arts and design, from which a special selection is presented. A collection of tableware will be on show, with services, flatware and accessories. Following two recently acquired aluminum chairs by Wieki Somers, the museum has dedicated one special room to the design of metal furniture, both modern classics and contemporary pieces by, among others, Ron Arad, Xavier Lust and Gerrit Rietveld. Four consecutive galleries host a presentation of work by important young designers: Karl Fritsch, Manon van Kouswijk, Wieki Somers and Joris Laarman.

In the field of graphic design, one room is dedicated to exceptional manuscripts by former museum director Willem Sandberg—made during World War II (when, as a member of the resistance, he was in hiding) that clearly anticipates later signatures of his design work. Another gallery features a selection of extraordinary Cuban posters from the 1970s that evoke the Castro revolution.

For the original post and some nice picture go to Designws

Rijksmuseum and Van Gogh museum are less than a 10 minute walk, you can take the canaltour boat in front of the Rijksmuseum
The HeinekenBrewery where you can have a guided tour is only 5 minutes away from the apartment
Don’t miss the Albert Cuyp Market !

Supermarkets

Closest: Jan Steen Straat, just around the corner, turn left where only bikes can go and turn right again!
Bigger: ALBERT HEIJN (AH) CornelisTroostplein 11 or Stadshouderskade 101

Restaurants

This part of town is overflowing with restaurants and bars, some of the better ones (in my honest opinion)
Thai Deum, Thai Food, Ceintuurbaan 210, scrumptious Thai food
Burgermeester, Albert Cuyp Straat, best burger in town! opposite side of the road of the McDonalds
Sari Citra, Ferdinand Bolstraat 52, Indonesian Take Out, Absolutely fabulous, Indonesian food is a must do
Renato’s, Trattoria, Karel du Jardinstraat 32/Van der Helstplein 31 Italian
Bagel and Beans, Ferdinand Bolstraat 70, on the right next to McDonalds, Coffee and Bagels, great lunch

You can find more restaurant suggestions and reviews in english on http://www.iens.nl/restaurantsVan/Amsterdam/

Pdf

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Fitting in smoothly with the relaxed, bohemian nature that Amsterdam exudes, on the thin cobble-stoned streets, and in the creaking buildings lit by neon signs, it’s easy to imagine jazz swinging effortlessly across the city.

Local trios jam in the corners of intimate bars and cafes nightly you happen upon when looking for a tasty cocktail. Dutch groups, on the country’s circuit, blow hard through mid-sized venues.

International names drop in to the world-class Bimhuis (and occasionally the Muziekgebouw and Concertgebouw) to compound already cemented clout, that quality jazz lives here.

New and improvised

Amsterdam’s Jazz scene is supported by the likes of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam as well as other organisations, agencies and of course the venues. The most prominen t, Bimhuis Amsterdam’s premier jazz venue. From 1974-2004 it was based on the Oude Schans, regarded as one of the best jazz venues in the world. Amongst others American saxophonist Branford Marsalis showed his love for it by selecting the site as his stage for a 2003 DVD ‘A Love Supreme Live in Amsterdam‘.

The old venue closed soon after but the new venue opened next to the Muziekgebouw on the River IJ. Its program remains diverse, mixing mainstream jazz with more challenging elements such as improvisation. For Amsterdam jazz lovers it boasts over 300 shows a year, which is absolutely amazing in diversity.

Other venues

Jazz Café Alto plays live jazz seven nights a week, it’s just what you want from a jazz café, small, dimly lit and ready to serve you til late. My favorite to get a nice beer or whiskey and listen to some of the best and surprising groups.

De Badcuyp, Centrum voor Muziek (Centre for Music) mixes jazz, blues, soul, funk, latin, world music and hip hop into its agenda. Split over two levels there’s room to dine and room to dance with different events on most nights of the week.

Sugar Factory offers live jazz every Sunday with the Wicked Jazz Sounds ensemble to an enthusiastic young crowd who know their big band from their bebop and recognise the link to soul, hip hop and drum ‘n’ bass.

The Cotton Club is synonymous with jazz all around the world courtesy of its New York forefather. Amsterdam’s Cotton Club, one of the city’s oldest jazz bars is an intimate venue on the Nieuwmarkt near the Red Light District with live jazz on Saturday afternoons.

Brix on the Wolvenstraat offer free jazz on Sunday afternoons and Monday Night Jazz Club with Rene van Beeck & friends from 20:30.

Bourbon Street Blues Club is hard to miss when strolling down Leidsekruissstraat, around the corner from Leidseplein – the Blues Brothers are dancing on the roof. Live blues and roots music play every night of the week with free entry before 23:00 most nights.

Both Paradiso, and De Melkweg offer an extremely varied music programme: rock, pop, dance, rap and world music, including big-name bands. Several yearly festivals celebrate the diversity of music:

http://www.5daysoff.nl/ electronic music, march each year.

Don’t forget to visit this wonderful museum

Hermitage Amsterdam
Address: Amstel 51, Amsterdam
Open: Daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesdays to 8 p.m.
Closed: 25 December, 1 January and 30 April
Information line: +31 (0)20 530 74 88
Website: www.hermitage.nl
Admission
Adults: € 15
I Amsterdam Card € 3
Children under 17: free
Café Restaurant Neva

Café Restaurant Neva is open daily from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. Open also to non-museum visitors.
Access
Bus

Loading bay on Weesperstraat
Group entrance on Nieuwe Keizersgracht
Boat

Jetty opposite the main entrance on Amstel. Groups are requested to use the jetty on Nieuwe Keizersgracht.
Car

Some paid parking spaces are available in the immediate vicinity. The nearest secured car parks are at Muziektheater, Waterlooplein car park on Valkenburgerstraat and Markenhoven car park on Anne Frankstraat, near the IJtunnel entrance.
Public transport
Tram: line 9 and 14 to Waterlooplein
Metro: line 51, 53 and 54 to Waterlooplein, Nieuwe Herengracht exit

Eastern Docklands

A well-hidden and
surprising new area in Amsterdam is the Eastern docklands, situated
between the Central Station and Zeeburger Island. In the past ten years
it has developed into Amsterdam’s architectural showpiece and a great
way to discover this area is by taking the free ferry that departs from
jetty 8 at the Central Station.

Formerly the heart of Amsterdam’s
industrial harbour, these four man-made peninsulas were built between
1876 and 1927 to provide the maximum length of quayside for Amsterdam’s
thriving docklands. Now reborn as the cool place to live, an address on
Java, KNSM, Borneo or Sporenburg “islands” is highly sought after by
Amsterdam’s trendy population. With their cutting edge architecture
admired around the world and KNSM island’s design shops it’s easy to see
why. Borneo island has sixty unique houses as a result of the ‘Live in a
house of your own design’ project. The only things they have in common
are their height, a door on the street side and a private area behind.
The Eastern Docklands have also attracted their fair share of trendy
restaurants.

Amsterdam, city of design
As no
other historical city, Amsterdam has succeeded in remaining a
contemporary breeding ground for creative talents. The many galleries,
studios and museums offer fine jewellery, furniture, glass and ceramic
objects, fashion and interior design. Amsterdam’s historical ambience,
relatively small size, freedom and openness to new ideas is a source of
inspiration for both young and renowned artists.

For more info:

Amsterdam Docklands: a comprehenisive site with lots of info, walking tours

Also worth a visit Amsterdam Center for Historical Heritage

Check out some of these winter landscapes

[st]

Here is a list of some of the major attractions in Amsterdam. Several places including the Anne Frank House, the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum allow you to book online and print your tickets out. This is worth doing, since it allows you to jump the queue for tickets and go straight in, but bear in mind that some only allocate a fixed number of tickets per day, so book early if you can.

The Anne Frank House, Prinsengracht 263 (Westerkerk), 09:00-19:00(summers 21:00), €7.50. The wartime hiding place of the young Jewish girl and her family, finally caught by the Nazis, made famous by Anne Frank’s diaries. Not to be missed. Go early, or late, to avoid the queues.

Begijnhof, Spui. Amsterdam has many ‘hofjes’, courtyards hidden away between houses. The Begijnhof is one of the largest, and well known, but also one of the more surprising: that such an oasis of peace can be so close to the bustling heart of the city. There is a doorway in the row of houses on the Spui that leads you there (if it is closed go right, around the corner to the entrance in the Gedempte Begijnensloot). It has a lovely English church (AD 1400) with pulpit panels designed by Mondriaan, and the oldest house in the city (1475), one of Amsterdam’s few surviving wooden houses. Turn left out of the Gedempte Begijnensloot entrance, and it leads you to the Amsterdam Historical Museum and its free gallery of old paintings of city guards in the style of the Nightwatch.

Artis Zoo, Plantage Kerklaan 38-40, 09:00-17:00 (18:00 in Summer), €16. Good aquarium. Also planetarium.

Hortus Horticultural Gardens Plantage Middenlaan 2a (Waterlooplein), 6259021, 09:00(weekends 10:00)-17:00 (21:00 in July/August); €6. Small but nice.

Heineken Brewery, Stadhouderskade 78; 10:00-18:00 (closed Mondays); €10. Used to be a brewery until a few years ago, now a museum and visitors’ centre. No unaccompanied children. No reservations. Free beer!

Museums

There are three major museums, the Rijksmuseum, the Stedelijk (modern art) and the Van Gogh. All three are situated around the Museumplein. The Museumsquare is only a few minutes by foot from the apartment. See also the following list of distances from the vacation rental apartment to Amsterdam sights.

Rijksmuseum, Jan Luijkenstraat 1, 9:00-18:00 (Fridays to 20:30); €11 (under 19 free). Large museum containing paintings by some of the Netherlands’ great 17th century painters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Hals. The Nightwatch by Rembrandt is their prize piece. Contains many artefacts as well as paintings. (Currently being renovated, so some parts are closed.) There is also a small branch of the Rijksmuseum at Schiphol airport.

Stedelijk, astonishingly, still closed for renovations. But there is a second location: Stedelijk Museum‎: Oosterdokskade, 1011 Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Van Gogh, Paulus Potterstraat 7, 10:00-18:00 (Friday 22:00); €12.50, 13-17 €2.50, under 13 free. Surprisingly spacious, dedicated to Van Gogh and his contemporaries. An absolute must.

There are many other museums, too many to list here. Interesting ones include:

Rembrandt’s House, Jodenbreestraat 4 (Waterlooplein), 10:00-17:00, €8. The 17th century house where Rembrandt lived and worked, restored to its former state. Of particular interest is the ability to buy etches made from copies of Rembrandt’s original plates, at quite reasonable prices (about €35).

Amsterdam Historical Museum, Kalverstraat 92 (Spui); 10:00(weekends 11:00)-17:00; €10.

Maritime Museum, Kattenburgerplein 1. Astonishingly, closed for renovations until the end of 2010. However the full-size replica of an old ship, with actors on board acting out the sea life (which is particularly fun for kids) is still open at Nemo, the big green building that looks like a ship just east of Central Station.

Amstelkring Our Lord in the Attic, Oudezijds Voorburgwal 40; 10:00(Sunday 13:00) – 17:00; €7. A ‘hidden church’ in a canal house in the middle of the red-light district.

Canal trips

Damrak by Central Station, and Rokin by the Spui or in front of the Rijksmuseum. It’s worth taking one of the canal boat tours to see Amsterdam from the water. They last about 90 minutes, and take you around the city and through the harbour. If you’re feeling energetic, you can hire a Canal Bike from one of the several points through the city (Westerkerk, Leidseplein, Leidsestraat, Rijksmuseum), and choose your own route (€8 per person per hour).

Some things to do for free

• Take the free ferry behind central station to the other side of the IJ and go for a walk along the North Holland Canal.
• Walk up the roof of the New Metropolis and admire the view (follow the rail lines east from Central Station, and cross the footbridge to the big green building that looks like a ship).
• Go to the Begijnhof (entrance from the Spui, or round the corner in the Gedempte Begijnensloot)
• Visit the Historical Museum gallery (take the Gedempte Begijnensloot exit from the Begijnhof and turn left).
• Wander along the Flower Market (on the Singel).
• Browse the Waterlooplein market (at the Waterlooplein).
• Visit the Albert Cuyp market (tram 10 to Frederiksplein, or 4, 16, 24, 25 to Albert Cuyp). Or  by foot just 2 minutes from the apartment
• Go to a free lunch concert in the Concertgebouw (Museumplein), 3 minutes from the apartment

• Go up the tower to the cafe in the Kalvertoren shopping mall, and admire the view (Kalverstraat near the Munt).
• Go to the cafe in Metz and admire the view (corner of Leidsestraat and Keizersgracht).
• Visit the West Indies House: in 1609 Henry Hudson, an Englishman working for a Dutch company, discovered the island of Manhattan. The Dutch decided to set up a colony there, and named it Nieuw Amsterdam (New Amsterdam, now of course New York). The company that ran the colony, the Dutch West India Company, had its headquarters in Amsterdam. You can see that building, the West Indies House, at the point where the Herengracht meets the Brouwersgracht (behind the children’s playground). There is a statue of the first commander of New Amsterdam, Pieter Stuyvesant, in the courtyard. (More details in the great book The Island at the Center of the World).

More ideas

Tourist offices in the Netherlands are called VVV. The main one in Amsterdam is opposite the Central Station (and with a second office on Platform 1), with a smaller branch at the Leidseplein. There are a number of tour organisers on the Damrak, near Central Station, or visit their site.

Albert Cuyp Market – 2 minutes
Van Gogh Musuem – 2 minutes
Rijksmuseum – Rembrandt – 3 minutes
Flower Market – 5 minutes
Schiphol Airport – 14 minutes
Train Central Station – 14 minutes