What you recognize when you spend a lot of time in Amsterdam

Eight years ago, we traded 020 for 023. Only 15 kilometers apart, but it felt like an emigration. Suddenly, I lived in Haarlem, among all the good citizens. Gardens with trampolines, houses with fences, and an overdose of bike bags. This week, I sat with one of my favorite neighbors in the front yard (we brought a bit of Jordanese culture with us) while all our kids tumbled over each other on that trampoline in our front yard with a hedge, behind the cast-iron fence. I still don't have a bike bag (very bad for your sex life), but I do have a practical crate. I'm happy here and wouldn't want to live anywhere else.

But the fact that our office is in Amsterdam, that there are two cool VanMoof bikes here that I can grab at any moment to bike towards the Conservatorium Hotel or Soho House, I find really great. But as an ex-Amsterdammer, I always notice a few things. Disclaimer: I mean well, with a wink and a nudge.

1. That pace

In Amsterdam, it's better to bike than to drive, so the bike is really a means of transport from A to B. But man, everyone is going so incredibly fast. Especially in Vondelpark. Those poor tourists zigzagging on their rental bikes from left to right really get it. And with a strong curse added. I feel like a girl from the province (nothing wrong with that, by the way), because I get startled every time.

2. Everyone speaks English

In every store, every restaurant, and most gyms. I always find it quite awkward when I hear that the other person also has Dutch as their mother tongue and then suggest to continue in Dutch. But I really get it, there are a lot of tourists here, but it still feels a bit... Well, awkward.

3. The coolest

In every city, there are nice restaurants and shops, but Amsterdam, as the capital, has a high concentration of museums, concert halls, theaters, and beautiful shops. That's why I think people living in Amsterdam are often very aware of the cultural offerings and what's trending style-wise, without having to make a significant effort.

4. Prefer not outside the ring

I used to be like that too, but I now realize that this is quite strange. If one lives in Baambrugge and the other in Amsterdam, the Amsterdammer really assumes that Baambrugge comes to Amsterdam. Yes, yes, admit it, an Amsterdam friend recently said to a girl from Hilversum: “I took the TRAIN for you!”, to which the girl from Hilversum thought: but I take the train every day. To Amsterdam, to you. To all Amsterdammers: there is a world outside the ring, and believe me, it's quite nice.

5. Reserve weeks in advance

In Amsterdam, there is an extremely large selection of great restaurants. The nice thing is that Amsterdammers cherish that and newcomers want to try it out quickly. That's why they are often fully booked weeks in advance. So, timely reservations are handy. By the way, I have a nice tip for that.

6. Proud

They are. Of Ajax, of the canals, of the Prinsengracht concert, of diversity, the gay pride, of the beautiful hotels, the Jordaan, the Pijp... And rightly so. Because I'd rather be in Mokum without money than in Paris with a million, just give me Amsterdam.