My studio is situated on top of a Fifties concrete modernist apartment building in the Rivierenbuurt in the south of Amsterdam. The best thing is that my building is just one floor higher then the rest of the houses in the neighborhood so I get a good view of the city and the ever changing Dutch skies. What makes my view really special is the view from the balcony on an inaccessible inner garden. The garden is made on the roof of a parking garage of an office building and nobody can go there since there are no stairs or entrance. Once a year the gardeners come with a tall ladder. They are the only ones that enter the garden ever. The nice thing is that still there is a winding path in the middle of the garden for only your eye to trace it.

We love having ramen here - it's a beautiful space, feels a bit like being back in NYC, and the food is incredible. There are two locations, the one in De Pijp is bigger, so easier to get a table, but the other location is very cosy, so get there early if you go to that location.

Gorgeous cinema near the Rembrandtsplein. Built in the early 1920s in a very rich architectural style that mixes Jugendstil, the Amsterdam School and Art Deco, the cinema was meant to be a temple for cinematography. The entrance and the main auditorium (Zaal 1) are just simply stunning. It’s been recently restored in its former splendor and is now owned by big distributor Pathé Cinemas. Though a lot of people have been criticizing the fact that a beautiful cinema as this is now exploited by a big commercial chain, I sort of like that fact that also the big blockbusters are usually screened here. It feels like the old days where I imagine you’d simply get overwhelmed by the place and the film and its technique. So my advice is: whatever (crap) plays in Zaal 1, just buy a bag of popcorn, sit back and enjoy.

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

Where I buy most of my books and magazines for work.