My father and I are early adopters. If there is something new, we want to try it immediately. That's why I jumped on my bike to Herengracht right after work on Friday night. Okay, I have to admit that I had swapped my All Stars at home for a pair of Leopard loafers, because I wasn't just going anywhere. It was the first day that Hotel Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam was open.
Actually, I only know the name of the Waldorf hotel from the series Gossip Girls. Blair Waldorf who lived there or had a room, drank cocktails, I don't even remember exactly anymore. I do know that it is a damn chic and sexy hotel in New York.
Now we have one in Amsterdam as well. I wanted to know as soon as possible what it looked like, I wanted to smell how it smells, see what the staff was wearing, and would I be able to eat and drink something on the first day?
We decided to go have a cup of tea. Well, I can tell you, at half past 1 in the morning we wobbled out of the building. It had been completely silent all evening, no big opening party, but we had a super exciting evening.
With the first step over the threshold, I was immediately abroad. Hallelujah, what a magnificent, high, marble hall. We were warmly welcomed by a young man in a sharply tailored double breasted suit. A young guy who immediately gave a little history lesson about the building. About the ornaments in the ceiling and the huge staircase that was still in its old state. I was a bit afraid that I had landed in a one-hour tour, but fortunately, after a few minutes, we were allowed to explore on our own. Delightful staff greeted us at every corner, and we congratulated them on the opening of this wonderful establishment. The reception ladies wore beautiful wrap dresses with a print of the map of Amsterdam. Everyone who works at the Waldorf, from maid to bartender, is dressed in a design by the famous designer Jan Taminiau.

We started with a whisky sour in the Vault bar. A cocktail bar that I think will be packed in a few weeks. On their first day, they were cautious about admitting guests. ‘We want to start slowly, it's really our first day. Last night we all set up this bar, can you imagine?’ the bartender told us.
He had droplets of sweat on his forehead, just like all the other staff. First fucking day, hey, do you find it strange? It was also silly that I asked if our bill could be moved to the lounge upstairs because we wanted to have a small bite to eat there. They had never done that before, so we settled the bill right away.

Upstairs in the lounge, we flopped into a dark blue, wonderfully soft chair. There was an extensive wine list, but tonight there were only two types available. Something with suppliers, first day, and everyone wants wine. ‘Sorry that the wine is coming so late, we don't know where everything is yet.’ That sounds very strange in a five-star hotel, but no one could do anything wrong with us, really. We had fun, looked our eyes out at other guests coming in, at the brand new furniture, the fresh flowers, the blue walls, and with much understanding at the quite tense staff. For example, we received a cheese platter, but the young man didn't tell us which cheeses were on the plate. I completely understood him, because I used to find that really scary, but actually, you should do that.

To end the evening festively, we had a dessert in the restaurant. I had something with a lot of strawberries and my father had asparagus. Asparagus yes, but then in a sweet form. Very peculiar, but terribly delicious.

Only at half past 1 did we walk out the door, back onto the canal. We had seen the bar, the lounge, and the restaurant. Wow, what a lovely hotel and really something to be proud of as an Amsterdammer.