Amsterdam!!

Now that I'm done with school, I grabbed a week from my employer to take a small vacation/reward for myself. With only a week, Amsterdam was the location that best suited my time constraints and locale to visit.



















I stayed at two different hotels in Amsterdam, the Hilton Amsterdam and the Hotel Pulitzer. The reason for the two locations were time and money. I stayed at the Hilton the first two nights because I wanted to ensure I got a stay for my status but European hotels are not the cheapest lodgings. The rate did drop 25% from the first time I booked the room until two days before arrival. The hotel was very nice and I always look forward to international Hiltons, the executive lounges are usually much much more nicer than the US counterparts. I was not disappointed as I had my first 'Dutch' breakfast. The afternoon cocktails were nice as well with unlimited access to hard liquor and tasty snacks. The room was fairly spacious as well. The hotel was located a bit south of the museum area of Amsterdam and seems to be placed in a rather affluent neighborhood.

The second hotel, Hotel Pulitzer, is a luxury collection of the Starwood brand. I used the cash and points option to secure lodging for the rest of the week and to offset the Hilton Amsterdam expense. I have to admit that the Starwood option of using a combination of points and cash to stay at hotels is very convenient. The Hotel Pulitzer is a collection of restored 17th and 18th century canal houses. As such, the facilities aren't the largest but the rooms were well decorated and tasteful. This is the first time I've ever been in a hotel where the floors are hardwood. Since we didn't have a complimentary breakfast, I did strike out more often to eat and found some interesting places to dine.

It didn't help that the days were 16 hours long, sleeping in took a whole new meaning. I slept alot during this trip (I wonder if it was the coffeeshops I visited?). Even though I'd roll out around noon or 1 pm, I still had time to do plenty of day activities and night activities because the sun didn't set until 9 or 10 pm. On top of that, most of the restaurants didn't shut down until around midnight. People just are out and about at all times despite it being a small city.

I had one specific goal in coming to Amsterdam and was able to accomplish it within the first couple of days. This city is very bike friendly, to the point where whole families would be on one bicycle. On a previous trip to Amsterdam, I had purchased saddle bags for my own bicycle. Upon coming back to the States, I've found that the ones I bought in Amsterdam is not sold anywhere in American stores. On this trip, I promised myself I would buy enough for my friends/family members so that they can have one when we go biking. They are that handy!!!

After doing the Heineken brewery tour, I have a newfound appreciation for the beer. I remembered never really liking Heineken beer before but after the tour and having them serve beer, I found that it was a likeable beer. Or maybe I just need good memories to associate the beer to drink often. After going through the museum, I truly appreciated how global the brand is, I even learned something new! The "e's" in Heinekin are "smiling e's" to relay the enjoyment people have when consuming Heinekin. I like the fact that the company is still controlled by the original founding family and that it is continuing on with the third generation currently. You don't see that too often these days. (I know, the b-school influence is still strong.)

Also went by the Van Gogh museum and take in some culture. From the outside, the museum is very large but they really dedicated one floor to Van Gogh. I did find out how much of a struggling artist he was in his time and I found that I liked other Impressionist painters more. Still an interesting place. Plus there is a liquor museum across the street. Didn't go but I did consider it!

While visiting the key areas of Amsterdam, my cuisine options ranged from Indonesian to Middle Eastern to Dutch. I had the traditional Dutch waffle which is somewhat close to what I'm used to in America but denser and "crunchier" at Sara's Pancake House. If that makes any sense. I also came to appreciate stroopwafles (crunchy crispy waffles caramel sandwiches). I've had them in America but these were better. I also noticed that there were alot of middle eastern eateries that were takeout places. Apparently alot of Turks reside in the city and they've made their food as common as Mexican or Chinese in America. I had schwarmas twice and both times were really good. I also enjoyed my favorite Frito products aimed for the Dutch audience.

I also had a taste of Indonesian food (another common ethnic cuisine) and found the food enjoyable. Close to Indian food in its curry aspect, the food is also distinctive in its own right. I also had Indian food on my trip and it was very tasty as well. I was really interested in eating these types of foods as it isn't as plentiful in the US in terms of quality and quantity. To cap off my experience, I also had a croquette from Van Dobben, this eatery is renowned for its croquettes which is listed on the Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel's cafe menu as "Von Dobben" croquettes.


I was given a room at the Sheraton Amsterdam Airport by United Airlines when they cancelled my flight back to the US and made everyone stay overnight to try again the next morning. As I've never been cancelled to the point where I'm required to stay overnight somewhere, this is my first experience. I have to say that it wasn't a bad deal when all was said and done. After getting over the inconvenience of the whole incident, I came to realize I could have been worse off. United secured everyone a room at the Sheraton which was located within the airport complex. The facilities were very nice and modern. They also secured us conference style meals for dinner and breakfast. No meal vouchers here! It seems that the hotel is equipped with dealing with flight cancellations as they worked fairly efficiently to check in a plane load of people within an hour. As I had to access the internet at this point given that I was going to miss several Monday morning meetings for work, I broke down and paid the 19 euros for internet access. Unlike the US, internet access isn't very cheap in hotels and I was happy to have an iPhone with me to access wireless hotspots to get most of my internet fix.