I’m not much of a bar-person, but if and when I do go for a drink, I love to come here. It’s simply the best brown café in Amsterdam. A little off the beaten track, in the middle of a residential neighborhood, you’d really have to go out of your way to come here. Nienke, the proprietress is what we call in Dutch “een topwijf ”. With her warm heart and no nonsense attitude she makes you feel right at home, whether you’re a regular and part of the bar’s furniture, or just pop in occasionally, just like myself.

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.

Jenever is a traditional Dutch spirit, sometimes called Dutch gin or wodka in English. Wynand Fockink has a distillery and tasting house right at the very hart of Amsterdam. This place is frequented by locals and tourist alike because of their delicious jenever. Be sure to try a glass of Wynand Fockink Superior. If they empty the bottle while filling your glass you're entitled to a so-called 'Amsterdammertje'; you'll have to drink your glass in one gulp and then you get a free refill.

Owned by Thomas Gravemaker, this letterpress studio is something to see! You can book a class there, or purchase prints.  I personally print my own jobs here with a studio pass :)

Hannekes Boom is one of the nicest waterfront café in Amsterdam to have a beer when it's sunny. Close to Central Station, the place isn't crowded by tourists, but you need to be there early to get a seat.