The Oostvaardersdijk is huge dike that protect the polder of Flevoland from being flooded. It's near the city of Almere that was founded in 1975 on the just recovered land of the Flevopolder. It is a great place to see the skyline of Amsterdam and look out over the Markermeer, the former Zuiderzee. When you turn around you can look down in the polder on an impressive group of modern windmills, in the distance you see the city of Almere. This is Holland at it's core: endless flats with the endless skies you know from Seventeenth century painting. You can drive the Oostvaardersdijk north to Lelystad and cross the lake to Enkhuizen and back to Amsterdam. On the way you drive past Oostvaardersplassen nature reserve, a large area of marshes and wild land in the Flevopolder, where they introduced wild horses and prehistoric cattle.
Ex theatre, ex d.i.y squat exhibition space, the W139 has now evolved into an official playground for contemporary art. Most works are made site specifically and are not for sale. This creates an exciting platform for experimentation. This gigantic space; absurd oasis in the middle of the invasion of sex toys, plastic pizzas & weed souvenirs of the Red Light District, is a must see. The openings are legendary and gather all the art kids in town. I use to work here as a host, as a barman, and I even designed their invitations from 2007 to 2008. All of my friends work or exhibited here, and it's one of my regular stops when biking around.
Lost & Found is a monthly artist salon held in one of the medieval towers of the Waag on the Nieuwmarkt. In the room where Rembrandt's 'The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp' once took place have since 1997 over 80 sessions of stray images and sound been organized. Artists show material which doesn't fit comfortably into regular gallery contexts; work which demands more concentration than the usual walk-by. Check the Lost & Found website for dates & times.
Since I’m a graphic designer I'm obviously into books and my favourite bookstore in Amsterdam is Boekie Woekie. This small shop is located in the Nine Streets and they sell nice and special publications that are often hard to find because they are self published or published by small press publishers. If you are into graphic design you should really check it out.