Amsterdam

Ask anyone in America what the connotation of the word ‘Amsterdam’ is, and the response you’ll probably get is that of a liberal city where prostitution is legal and marijuana is tolerated. Even the phrase ‘Red Light District’ conjures these crazy images and smokey ideas. This is what I believed before arriving there. Unfortunately, the denotation of Amsterdam gets lost in modern society, and simply means ‘dam in the river Amstel’, whereby it created a delta full of canals. In fact, there are more canals here than in Venice. Truth is, Jane and I had an unbelievable time exploring Amsterdam, and we want to squash the negative connotation of this great city.

After a short flight from London, and brief train ride to ‘Centraal Station’ we walked through the city in search of our hotel. This is the quietest city ever. There is very little noise polution. With very few cars, everyone is on bike or the tram. Bikers are everywhere. Its almost surreal. The world’s largest bike garage is here (photos below). If you owned a car in this city, you would be in a completely different social class, and tax bracket. Such an Old World feel everywhere you look. After dropping off our bags at the hotel, we went walking. Jane wanted to see the Red Light District, and frankly so did I.

As you creep along the canals amid the glow of red lights, you are innundated with prostitutes in windows, wearing nothing but underware and bad make-up. Not very inviting. Made me think, it takes a lot for a woman to whore herself out like this, but it also takes a certain kind of disturbed man to accept this raunchiness. Jane and I stuck out like sore thumbs, we are too clean and colorful. The kind of people walking around this district are all shady and dark. Peddlers pushing XTC and and evil looks from pick-pocketers. I got bad vibes from this place, fortunately it wasn’t completely dark yet. We tryed to find a cozy coffeeshop, and located one after a prolonged search, called the Stone’s Cafe. Jane and I wanted to try a ‘Space Cake’, so we purchased one of those, and some green leafy called Bubblegum. Heineken from the tap was delicious, and the warning on the package of the brownie encouraged us to only eat a small portion, and that was exactly what we did. Then we hung out a bit because the music was awesome and very similiar to my own iPod collection, so we felt very comfortable. Jane and I brought some watercolors along, and painted a few pictures. It was not until we got up to leave did we realize the brownie was having an effect on us. Good thing we only had a small bite each. As we walked around the horseshoe shaped streets of Amsterdam it felt like we were in a carnival. The lights were much more intense now as the night had fallen, and sounds were now felt, not just heard. We were in Amsterdam!

Mexican food was on the menu that evening. Mango, Melon, and regular Margaritas were delicious, and Jane and I shared a giant tamale stuffed with chicken, prunes, and olives. She will claim this was the best Mexican food ever, and it was damn good, even though I think the space cake was to blame. Then we bought some more munchies and went back to the hotel for the night. I stayed up late painting and thinking. It was difficult for both of us to sleep that night, our stomachs were rumbling.

So that first night was interesting to say the least, the rest of our time was much more relaxed and sober. I am an artist, and I came to Amsterdam to see art, and there is a lot of it. Another fun fact; Amsterdam has more museums per square meter than any other city in the world. First we went to the Rijksmuseum, and saw countless works by Dutch masters including Vermeer, Jan Steen, and Rembrandt. I was most impressed with Rembrandts’ enormous canvas, and one of his most famous, ‘Night Watch’. We also saw dozens of his drawings and etchings, and self portraits. Unfortunately, the whole building is being renovated, so much of the collection was not available until 2008. Then, we walked a few hundred yards to Van Gogh’s Museum and saw his amazing collection. There was a special Expressionist show going on in the new wing, showing Van Gogh’s influence on ‘The Bridge’ and ‘The Blue Rider’ art movements. After a thorough exploration of both museums, we set off to catch a canal bus. On our way we walked through a great open market, and Jane found a spectacular jacket, which I intend on painting her with it on. Then we cruised up and down the canals as night fell on the city. This is Amsterdam at its finest, on the water observing all the buildings from that great vantage point.

The next day we went to a flea market and Jane bought me a beautiful blue velvet jacket for cheap, now we both have something nice to wear together. I also found an art store, and bought a few tubes of paint. Then we went to Rembrandts house, now a museum, and saw where the Dutch master used to live and work. We bought a ‘Museumkaart’ the day before, so it gave us unlimited access into most of the Netherland’s museums. This pass was cheap and is good for a year, if anyone out there is planning a trip to Holland, let me know and I’ll let you have it. 
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We rode the canal bus again to the Stedelijk, their modern art museum, which showcased this years ‘Vincent’ prize candidates and winner. This is much like the Turner Prize in Britain, but for much more established artists throughout Europe, winner recieving 50,000 euros. This was the most raw museum I have ever been to, holes in the concrete floor simply blasted through, revealing twisted rebar in the cement, to pave a path for a staircase. Great contemporary art, and shitty art too, Jane and I talked about the work we saw for hours. We were running out of time, so the ‘Anne Frank House’ had to be put on hold til next time.

I cannot say enough how unique and fantastic this city is. Amsterdam is also a very romantic place, and all that negative sub-culture can be avoided if so desired. The architecture is simply amazing here, much of the 17th and 18th century homes still survive, and Dutch influences are common in America today. I realize this blog may put a damper on any future political aspirations for myself, but I don’t care if I shot myself in the foot. Unless honesty and liberal values become more respected in America, you will not see my name on any ballot anytime soon. President Bush did drugs, he just has a difficult time admitting it. Holland’s system seems to work, the ‘heathens’ are contained to a central area, and life thrives all around. This is a city everyone must see to believe.

The only downside to this vacation, was the fact I lost the chance to meet Luc Tuymans, one of the hottest, if not THE hottest artist on the market today. My professor told us days before we were leaving Luc was coming in, and that I should cancel the trip to meet him because he is so ‘influencial, blah blah blah’. I can jelously say, one of my studio mates got a brief tutorial from him. Oh well, what can I do? Its not like he would have given me any of his art, but his knowledge would have been appreciated. I did meet with Van Gogh and Rembrandt, unfortunately the conversation was one-sided though. 

Click on the picture below for our Amsterdam slideshow. Note: no images of the ‘Red Light District’ because it is taboo. Personal Notes: Congratulations to David and Lisa McCorry on the birth of their third child, Molly Christine. And, I will be back in the midwest Christmas Eve.