At the Damrak on the daily journey between home and studio, my eye is continually drawn to the emblem that has functioned as a façade ornament on the corner of the Beurs van Berlage for more than a hundred years. In combination with the past function of the building - trade centre - and in relation to the present financial crisis, the timeless maxim gains extra significance: ‘Dis-pe-reert niet’ (‘Do not des-pair’).

One of the oldest cinema's of Europe. Stunning Art Deco extravaganza. Make sure you watch a film in the big Cinema 1. 

This store is filled floor to ceiling with vintage glass- and tableware from France and other countries surrounding the Netherlands. It is a gem for finding birthday or housewarming gifts.

A tiny record shop that has all the character you'd want.  They also sell produce out front which gives it even more character. 

The fence around De Nederlandsche Bank on the Frederiksplein is a true optical experience. While passing the building, a rhythmic, dynamic pattern appears and disappears in the trellis of the fence. The figures on the sides of the rails were designed in 1992 by artist Peter Struycken, a pioneer in the area of environmental art and generating computer-program based image, light and colour compositions.