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Finally figured out photos, so now I'm happy to present my May 11-15 trip report.

This trip was my first significant solo to AMS. I've visited solo before for an overnight lay-over and another for an extended day and night, but never for multiple days. I was very excited and a bit hesitant all at the same time.

May 11th. Wednesday

Carryon luggage, so I just zip through customs. I purchase a one way and return ticket from my first favorite site of AMS - the Schipol ticket counter. It is a great mix of confused tourists, confident travelers, and thoughtful, smiling visitors who are just happy to be there. It is at this ticket counter that you first meet the diverse mixture of visitors and residents that you will see throughout your trip to AMS. And you, yourself, are going to fit into one of those groups (or some group I omitted for brevity).

My second favorite view of the city is exiting AMS Centraal. At first glance, and if you did not know better, the view is not a particularly beautiful view due to power lines, cables, busses, and mass confusion. But to me, this view is a great view. I know I've arrived, and the view really stimulates all of my other senses and great memories. I exit and I know I'm about to add some great memories.



I walk to my hotel in the Jordaan. I really love this location! It's on Bloemgracht and it's cross street is home of Paradox! Oh, man, Paradox is one of my absolute favorite shops!!! Drop luggage and go inside. Yea! Slimline Cup! Gotta snap a photo of that award.



You guys need to check out the haze joints over there. They are very good. Perfect for the moment because I'm going to the AMS Historical Museum while I await my room opening. If any of you have visited AMS in May, you will recall the trees shedding the last bits of the winter leaves. They are small, white leaves and they fall and fall and fall like a light snow. It's very pretty. This particular day the sun was shining, so the little white leaves would catch sunlight as they fell. Those sorts of experiences while sitting on a bench along a canal are why I come to AMS whenever I get a chance. This entire town is a living museum where you get to reside for a while and interact.



If you zoom in, you can almost see the little white leaves. Man, that Paradox haze joint - highly recommend.

After the AMS Historical Museum, little stop over at Begijnhof, which is really just a bit of a walk-through from one door to the other. If you have not been here, I personally recommend learning how to get here easily. It is so peaceful amid the hustle and bustle of AMS. I went to the little English Church for Easter, and the choir sang the Hallelujah Chorus. It was amazing and a great sermon. That was another story, so moving along . . .
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To La Tertulia. I love this place! Before I've always just tolerated it, and it was just enough out of the way that it was a coffeeshop that I wanted to frequent because fewer tourists visit there. Now, I have a new appreciation for it. I will be the first to admit that the wares are not going to get you super high, but getting super high is not what La Tertulia is about. It is about socializing. It is about reading. It is about writing. It is about relaxing and listening to music. It is about drinking fresh juice. It is about clean weed, a clean shop, and good beverages. It is eclectic and quirky and mismatched, and it just seems to fit perfectly in AMS. Pull up a seat and enjoy yourself.



And what to get . . . well, I like to come here and purchase a little pipe. I'm going to purchase from someone, so I prefer to do my business here. You'll pay 10 Euros for a small pipe. Sounds good to me. Check out Kali Mist.



Very, very dry sativa. Very clean. Not the most potent, but a nice uplift and cerebral buzz. It was not a stupid, cannot function buzz, which was exactly what I did not want! This stuff started out slowly, but next thing I knew I've annotated about 60 pages of this book I'm editing. I have a completely new respect for this stuff. And the ambiance in La Tertulia is perfect for reading, writing, cipering (ha, just kidding on the last one).

Alas, La Tertulia closes at 6 p.m. Still about 3.5 more hours of daylight! Down some redbull and keep on trucking.

Walked to Wust for chicken schnitzel. The schnitzel at Wust is a favorite of mine and my wife's. Wust provided a great little moment that had me cracking up. I appreciate the restaurants in AMS that so often turn into a dining theater experience. Wust was in high form tonight. I'm just minding my own business, and 2 pilots sit next to me. They are talking about pilot things, flying and whatnot. Then a girl rides by on a bicycle, and one says, "That bicycle seat sure is lucky to have that girl sitting on it." The other would whip his head around to look as if he had never seen a woman, much less a woman riding a bicycle. They obviously didn't know I spoke English, b/c they just kept on going. Lord help those guys, they were idiots. Every girl, and I mean every girl riding on a bike had a lucky bicycle seat. They said it about 50+ times, over and over. They were going to take Viagra so they could hook up all night in the RLD. One guy had evidently never philandered about with hookers b/c he just kept asking the other guy a ton of questions, like, "What if I get a disease? What do I say at the door? Will you walk up with me?" These were grown ass 45+ year old men. It just went on and on. It was all I could do not to laugh. In fact, I had to ask for the check because I was starting to choke to keep myself from laughing. Then I ask for the check and thank the waitress. The naïve guy then looks at me and says, "You speak English?!!?" I said, "Barely, I'm from Mississippi." They just looked at me with the reddest of embarrassed faces.

The air in this town smells so good! The city is so green, too. If you have never been to AMS when it is green, you have a new to-do on your list. I've been plenty of times in the Winter, but in the Spring it is so beautiful and, well, green!



(My apologies - I cannot get that picture to turn).

Over to Utopia. The BT was friendly. It was a guy with a beard. He shares with me that Utopia received a 6 month extension to remain open! Yeah for others visiting after June 30th. He spends time chatting with me about everything in the boxes. In the end, he points to Tangerine Dream and claims it is the current leader.



I very much like Utopia, but I realized on this trip that I like it because the BT'ers are very friendly and helpful, they are knowledgeable, and their products are very good. Those 2 qualities really set a shop apart from the others. But the interior . . . I just cannot hang out here. Here I am an adult with responsibilities and stuff, and I look around Utopia to see the one guy with his cap on backwards and a jumpsuit, another guy that must be some rapper with all that gold jewelry and loose clothing, then 2 guys in tight white tshirts who are chattering like little girls because this visit is clearly their first time to purchase from a CS. I'm not knocking it, but I feel like I grew out of that crowd. I stay a while and just do not feel comfortable. Time to head out. I do enjoy buy-and-fly from Utopia though.

Whoa. Tangie is a super mind-numbing high where all you can do is get out the door, then mindlessly walk in the general direction of where you think you want to go. Suddenly I'm fairly aware that I'm on Haarlemerstraat. Apparently I thought a banana milkshake would be a good idea, and here is Barney's Lounge. Barney's Lounge is a great place to relax and get comfortable with a little table. I can spread my gear out, do a bit of thinking and writing, and enjoy the milkshakes. Wait a minute . . . is the waitress telling me that their milkshake machine is broken? What the hell, Barneys? You do one thing well, and that one thing is unavailable for the 2nd @#$@#$ time this year? The Barney's across the road said theirs was broken over Easter. Dammit. Well, I have to order something. Sparkling water it is. Screw Barney's and their broken milkshakes.

Gotta finish the Tangie because I have just decided that I'm going to explore the lighter stuff where I do a better job of keeping my wits, but it is high quality! Good, powerful stuff, the Tangerine Dream, but perhaps too strong for this trip.

May 12 - Thursday

Out the door early by 7:30 to walk around. First, English Breakfast at Greenwoods. I've always wanted to go, but the lines are always so, so long. This time, I walk right up and order.



Based on reviews and comments from this Board, I go to Mike's Bikes on Kerkstraat to rent a bike. 23 Euros for 3 days. Done!

Rode through Vondelpark. If you have never ridden all the way around the park, I highly recommend it. That park is so peaceful and full of positive energy. Everyone from the old lady walking the dog to the sunbathers are happy. Such a great mixture of people who are happy to be in the sunshine. It is good for the soul.

Next stop - Sarphatipark. Great park that is either locals or well-heeled visitors. Tourists aren't getting back to this area of AMS very often. But on a bike, oh man, you can go from Bloemgracht to this area in 15 minutes! It would take about 1.0 to 1.5 hours to walk here depending on your companions, intersection stops, etc., and if you stop to drink or something, 2 to 2.5 hours! Then you have to walk back. Therefore, you just don't get the tourists over here. Welcome to the De Pijp area. It's a great place to explore.

Next stop - CS Yo-Yo. Another recommendation from this forum. Fat_old_dwarf, I believe, recommended it. This CS is my kind of CS. Whomever recommended it, thank you so much! It is a gem of a find! A real gem! The room has such big windows to let in natural light. Big tables for moving around your gear. The music is B-side music of good artists, like a seldom played David Bowie song, or Clapton.

I highly recommend just for the ambiance and visit to the De Pijp area! This pic makes you feel like you are sitting right there.



The BT was an older guy who did not have a lot to say. Then I start asking him what he likes, the different varieties, and his opinion. No one is in line, so he is stand-offish at first, but quickly warms up. CS Yo-Yo specializes in bio-organic and outdoor products. I share stories with him about good outdoor stuff grown in the Appalachian Mountains of TN. He smiles and pulls out a packet saying it will remind me of the Smokey Mountains. Man, this guy has been to the Smokey Mountains, or at least knows where it is. How cool is that!?! Welcome to the family, Frisian Dew.



Check out Leafly and read about it. Some has dark purple leaves. Check! I'm looking forward to this stuff. Beautiful smoke with a white-blue tinge. Great clean taste. Nicely cured and just a little dry in a good way. I cannot describe clean as a taste, but if you have experienced it, you know. Like clean water and clean air, clean weed is a special treat! This stuff makes me think of cool evenings and sunny days and great mountain air. And the effect - could not be any more perfect. This stuff is like the very best of the homegrown product at 300 ft. above sea level in South Central TN. I am on a creative roll like never before! I damned near edit and annotate the entire book. I have all sorts of creative energy from this sitting. A special memory to be sure.

Let's all sit and admire the view once again.



CS Yo-Yo is an extra plus in my book! Its smoke is lighter than the most potent on the market, but now that I've smoked it, I'm starting to think this weed is how weed is supposed to be. That chemical and hydroponically created weed genetic mixing to achieve higher and higher THC . . . well, let's just say I have a bit different view after CS Yo-Yo. I highly recommend if you just want some relaxing, walking around, highly functioning, feel good smoke.

Hit up Mulligans. It is my favorite Irish Bar in the city. I cannot help but marvel at how empty the city is. Hardly anyone is in the bars. The Anne Frank line had 12 people in it this morning, which is a first I've ever seen (usually the line is around the church). I'm now realizing that the city is normal. Usually it is so overcrowded with tourists. I now realize the amount and mix of people is just perfect. Good Guiness will help you with those realizations.



Rode bike to southern area of the RLD. I really like that little park of benches on the Oudezijds Achterburgwal near Grimburgwal. Relaxed there for a while. I was lucky to get a bench. Every bench was full. Even the sidewalk was full of families eating their cheese plates with bread, fruit, and vegetables. What a relaxing life!

The sun is starting to recede. I'm now on another bench sitting across the Amstel from Mulligans. The bench is tucked away at 's-Gravelandseveer and Groenburgwal. I recall someone writing about a special bench around the Old Church, and like that bench, this little bench is special. It is great for "people watching" the boats and their passengers. Come to this area about 1 hour before the sun sets. I also like the leaning buildings! Great location.



Rode bike around for at least an hour. I love just riding the bike around town and seeing the town from that level at bicycle speed. Great experience. One more stop at what I have made my own little bench on Egelantiersstraat. I do enjoy this little canal. More from this bench tomorrow. Time to hit the bed.

May 13th - Friday

Up early and Museum Day. I do love the Van Gogh. On this trip, I really developed an appreciation for his Japanese paintings. I've never really considered them before, but they are very good. That was an interesting time for him.



When you walk up on the 2nd floor and see his Sunflowers in the same view as his triptych panel of Almond Tree in Bloom . . . a damned near religious experience. I recommend a Paradox space cake about 30 minutes before entering the museum.

Did I mention no lines. None! So few visitors this week.

After a good, lengthy visit to Van Gogh, I rode through the Rijksmuseum. No lines here, either! Still feeling good from Van Gogh and the pre-visit routine courtesy of Paradox, I figure what the hell, might as well go inside. I was going to go tomorrow, but now is a good time. It was nice to see tours for little children learning about Van Gogh. It restores your faith in humanity to see young children learning about art and science.

Rode over to visit Katsu. First, needed a pit stop. Ate at The Butcher at Albert Cuypmarket. Great hamburger and tons of fries. Second, Katsu. I didn't stay here because the BT told me I needed to pour out my water. I understand the house rules, but I also inform them that I'm not pouring out my water. Pass on Katsu. Looked nice, though. It's a bit too near the hustle and bustle of the market for me, though. Worth going though, b/c that hamburger was spot on!



Biked over to Amstelveen. I really like parking my bike here. It's a nice little park. It also has one of my favorite outdoor toilets.

OK. Here goes. One more #%@#$@ time I'm going to try to get a #$@#$@# banana milkshake. Time to hit up Barney's near Rembrandtplein on Reguliersgracht. I'll be damned. 3rd time is indeed the charm! Banana milkshake craving satisfied! While hanging out, I struck up a conversation with the male BT. Nice guy. Not too busy, so he was OK taking time to chat. He pushes the Liberty Haze.



This strain is the strongest of the trip. It is what I would describe as 'retarded dumb high'. Duration is about 30 minutes on a bowl. It is mind numbing. Not couch lock numb, but just no thought numb. I don't particularly like that feeling on this trip. I have really enjoyed the Kali Mist and Frisian Dew. This stuff is good, though, like with a fun group of friends good. About all this strain makes me do is wish I could get people to come along with me to AMS.

I think I'll wander over to the Holt-Wihlheizen Museum. A 5* museum! I cannot believe that I haven't been here. It's always been high on my list, and I've just never allocated the time. They had a room for everything. Collections room for showing rare art. A ballroom for parties. A room for just the men. A room for just the women. Great pantry. I could enjoy that sort of living today!

This Liberty Haze is really potent. I am stuck on this one painting. That's my dog! Is it possible that my dog travels through time and ends up in paintings?



Oh man, did I say this Liberty Haze is potent.

Retrieved bike at Amstelveen and rode around. There is a flow to bike riding. You see locals pushing kids around. Just when you think you might bump into someone, the space between bikes magically parts to accommodate you and your space. Bike riding in AMS is beautiful to experience. The evening is perfect.

May 14th - Saturday

Last full day. Gotta make this one count.

Time to purchase some new dress shoes and ties. Check!

Now to Noordermarkt. I love this market! The market has such a diverse set of stalls. I go for the produce, the little guy that sells journals, and bread and great cheeses. And I always get a crepe from that lady who has been there forever. These things are so good, and you get a free cooking show! I'll take mine with sausage, mushrooms, and cheese, please!



Wow! Look at those mushrooms. Not the psychedelic kind, but edible. Nevertheless, the very good edible mushrooms always seem to add a little bit of extra kick and overall feeling when you eat a lot of them in a dish.



Next, gotta go back to CS Yo-Yo. I leisurely rode my bike down Prinsengracht, to Utrechstaat, then the left part of the 'y' at Fredricksplein, and down the street to CS Yo-Yo, on your left. 18 leisurely minutes. If you have never rented a bike, now I hope you understand why I tell you to rent a bike. This city seems made for zipping around on bikes, which is impossible because it was built in the 1600s. Oh well, it is perfect for bikes today. Those city planners must have been peering into the future when they were getting high off of their coffee in saucer caffeine ingestion back in the 1600s.

CS Yo-Yo had a male BT the other day. Now the BT is a female. She is very nice but wants to make the sale and move on. I'm looking over the menu, and she is not offering much advice. I then shift my conversation to chat with her about my purchase of the Frisian Dew. I start talking with her about the mountains. She starts sharing with me their desire to sell outdoor, organic, healthy strains. Oh man, I am starting to agree more and more. I share with her my thoughts. Then, after some further conversation, she pulls out a big mixing bowl of Northern Lights. She said she just got it in, and it is fantastic. She was just about to weigh and package it, but I could select some if I would like. Beautiful.



I almost forgot to take a photo of it! It was so enjoyable. CS Yo-Yo is for real. Just a great experience.

All good things come to an end, and today I had to return the bike. It was a great bike.

Back to the hotel room to drop my stuff and enjoy one last evening. It's only about 6 p.m., and I go to my little bench on the canal to enjoy the evening. The experience there was worth every penny of the trip. Some of you have read my post about the Paddleboats. Well, I'm on Egelsntiersgracht. And I'll be damned if I am not sitting here witnessing an even funnier version of Paddleboat chaos. I sit on my little bench and instantly observed the following:

Two motor boats just turned on the canal from Prinsengracht. They immediately slow down because the entire canal is clogged with 3 paddleboats and one of those electric tourist rental boats. The two paddleboats in the front are turned completely around. While those two paddleboats were getting turned backwards, a tourist electric motor boat has floated down the canal and already hit one docked boat on the side, hit the canal wall 2 times, then bumped into the third paddleboat and pushed it aside. They are all stuck there for at least 15 minutes shrugging shoulders, yelling at one another, and some of them just drinking and riding. It was chaos. Upon that chaos, those 2 motorboats approached.



One motorboat pushed some of the others to the side and went around. Look closely at that photo. See the electric boat? See the paddle in the girl's hand? The 2nd motorboat gave her that paddle b/c those gals in the electric boat could not figure out how to steer it. How did they get this freaking far??? I start speculating that they may have been in that boat all freaking day!!! Perhaps all they want to do is get off of the boat. Oh man, the possibilities are endless. I stayed on that bench chuckling until my sides hurt from laughing. After almost 1 hour, 2 paddleboats and that electric boat were still there going in circles. What an experience.

From there to a little café. It was the last bit of daylight. I took some photos of bikers, and then I saw a very rare site. I saw a girl biking, and beside her ran another girl. The running girl performed some sort of little two step hop, and suddenly she was side straddle on the bike. It was pretty amazing to behold. I've never seen the running sit at near full speed, but I suspected it existed.





Great ending to a great visit. I am so happy I visited. This trip and memories will be hard to top.

Fantastic trip report - wonderful writing - thank you! Love those little moments you catch when you're not particularly looking for them... Wish I could be in the city when it's that quiet and chilled too.

I feel like I have to seek out Yo-yo now - appreciate the tips.

Top-notch read Reb!

Great to hear your perspective, indeed a bummer we couldn't meet up for a T&T or something of the like. Also, glad you enjoyed Yo-Yo, Pijp-crawling with OHMF & Ricky dude this past week, and took the lads there. We enjoyed some Ham & Kaas tosti's with a proper British tea. I initially picked up some Northern Lights and OHMF a bag of Frysian. The NL burned with an as expected outdoor taste, but an unexpected punch. Frysian Dew was even better, and really unloaded some funk on the palate in OHMF's Mighty vape, tasty & potent - coaxed me into picking up a bag of the Frysian for myself on the way out!

Also this thread has propped me up into thinking about taking advantage of my last month of Museum card validity and touring around, checking out Van Gogh or Rijks + Amsterdam City or Troppen. Decisions, decisions!

ETA: I certainly understand what you mean about the standoff-ish nature of the staff at Yo-Yo. Interestingly I think we had the "older gentleman" when we were there, friendly enough - the place is very old-timer Dutch so I honestly feel out of place if I "prat engels" there, so OHMF and Rickydude thought he didn't even speak English at first, and then he responded to one of their inquiries and they were immediately taken aback. Also he must of been in a different kind of DJ'ing mood whilst you were there, because for us he played some exceptionally shitty contemporary pop and EDM, not at all fitting for the vibe of the place, I'll say

Nice report ,glad to see Paradox put badge on wall .When we gave them it ,was not sure what they thought .Glad the owner got it

Fantastic report!
Thanks so much for taking the time to write that up - I heartily enjoyed every last word
Couldn't agree more about CS Yo Yo too. I really enjoyed the outdoor product - at least 50% more than I thought I would!

thanks for sharing, been to the https://www.vangoghmuseum.nl/en a few times but the best experience was before the big remodel when the paintings were hung in chronological order, you saw his progression from the dark period through his impressionist period and his crazy period

Great read, thanks dude! I really had fun reading your travelogue
Never made it to YoYo, but next tume im in town id like to give it and its outdoors a try. Seems a really nice place to have a coffee, a light smoke and just chilling after a long stroll around albert cuypmarket

Largefella - I agree. Every time I exit Centraal I get excited about the possibility of a new memory or experience. I highly recommend Yo-Yo, but will admit it is not for everyone. Yo-Yo is ideal for me, though! It will be a regular stop for me in the future.

DeLeukste - I, too, was a bit bummed that I did not get back on this board to arrange a T&T. You had the NL and Frysian Dew!! That was great, great stuff. The only downside I found to CS Yo-Yo, which is echoed at La Tertulia, is that all the stuff is in bags. I like the Utopia (and others) approach of letting you see it and smell it.

Before the laws changed for the Museumkaart, I would purchase one a year and try to use it twice. I wish now I'd have met up with you and given you my 2 cards. Now I understand it is only good for 30 days. Bummer. I love that card b/c you just walk right in. I highly recommend visiting those museums I listed!

Macky - the female BT was rather proud of the badge. It certainly broke the proverbial ice in the discussion, and after taking the photo and chatting about this board, she told me about the extra potent haze joints. I like to think had I not brought up the badge, I wouldn't have received that tip on the haze joints!

OHM - I need to catch up with you one of these days. We seem to have a lot of similar interests. I was really happy about the outdoor product. I've always frowned upon it, but I discovered if you want a nice, clean, walking around experience, it is fantastic for that purpose.

Willjay - agree about VG Museum. I liked the old entrance MUCH better. Also, the museum is loaning out more paintings these days than a few years ago (probably to pay for the massive renovation). Three years ago the museum had more paintings than today. Nevertheless, it is still a worthy museum for me.

Johnny - CS Yo-Yo is a great little hide-a-way place. I liked everything about it other than the pre-packaged. But then again, I got to select from a big bowl, so I was a bit fortunate. Great neighborhood, too. I will strongly consider staying in this area on my next trip (although the Jordaan is a strong pull and hard to displace in my hierarchy of locales in AMS).

Great story, always expect the unexpected in Amsterdam

What exactly is the legal situation regarding cannabis and renting a bike in Amsterdam? And did you just lock it like all locals apparently do, where ever space is available? (at least how it looks to me )

LLMReb wrote: OHM - I need to catch up with you one of these days. We seem to have a lot of similar interests. I was really happy about the outdoor product. I've always frowned upon it, but I discovered if you want a nice, clean, walking around experience, it is fantastic for that purpose.

That would indeed be lovely sir.

To aVeryOldLady - you'd have to ask a local about bike renting and cannabis. I don't know at all. It never crossed my mind. I don't think anyone would really ever know or care.

Regarding locking it up, I always locked it up. By day 3 I was an old pro with the bike lock, meaning I could pretty much lock it up in what I imagined was one graceful, efficient, perfect motion. Truth be known I probably looked like an idiot, but I felt like a pro at bike locking! I would always find a bike rack. Recall, the city was not all that busy, so there was a bike rack at pretty much every location I wanted to visit. I might not find one directly at Noordermarkt, for example, but 1 block away I would find a nice open spot.

There are some very good articles about renting a bike. I think I started one.

Finally, young, old, thin, large, tall, short, male, female - it does not matter. The bike shops do not discriminate, and I don't think the bike itself minds very much. It takes you where you want to go, and you are generally happy upon arriving.

ETA:

Went to the Amsterdam Museum the other day - twas glorious, really enjoyed the Amsterdam DNA exhibition, and the contemporary/modern Amsterdam art-gallery - the latter made really regret forgetting to toke up right outside (but alas perhaps I forgot because I was already properly Amsterdam "caffeinated")

As far as lodging for the next time, I would definitely recommend De Pijp as an area to stay, the Jordaan is so 10 years ago - De Pijp is the new coolest 'hood in Holland, - I certainly would say I prefer it to Jordaan if I'm honest.

Old lady - there's no control of bikes really, there's never any police-pursuit or checkpointing of intoxication level. I have (and don't follow my example) rode through the streets of Dam many a times with a joint or beer in hand, and more often than not both...so take that for what it's worth