I'm of two minds about riding lessons here. I like to put in some equestrian time wherever I am in…read morethe world, and after the whole process of getting approved at this stable, I was excited to ride here. On one hand, it was beautiful and the horses were well-trained, and once I got into a nice riding rhythm, the experience was enjoyable. On the other hand, the trainers... I dunno, maybe it was a cultural barrier... because they seemed checked out. They just never seemed particularly enthusiastic or personable. I get that these trainers might be 20-year-olds used to training adolescent girls and they don't need to be particularly sociable to be good instructors, but it kind of felt like I was in their way and they were just rolling from one lesson to the next. Then again, I might be overthinking. My regular private instructor once said that busy riding schools tend to be like this - filling up as many lessons as possible, resulting in stretching their attention thin. They were respectable enough and some of the other students I interacted with were fantastic and much more willing to talk and trade helpful tips.

In dit prachtige rijksmonument van bouwmeester Van Gendt is de oudste rijschool van Nederland…read moregevestigd. Dezelfde architect is verantwoordelijk voor Concertgebouw en Stadsschouwburg. De ingang is aan de Vondelstraat. Bezoekers komen binnen via een museumwinkeltje waar de entree betaald kan worden. Die geeft toegang, recht op een drankje en komt deels ten goede van het Levend Paardenmuseum. Deze stichting heeft tot doel de binnenkant van het gebouw in oude luister te herstellen en te onderhouden. De gemeente Amsterdam is verantwoordelijk voor de buitenkant, manegehouder Vincent Valk voor het paardenbedrijf en de horeca. De manege heeft een binnen- en een buitenrijbaan. De buitenrijbaan en binnenplaats grenzen aan de tuinen van de buren. Dat was bij de bouw in 1882 wel anders, toen was dit braakliggend terrein, ver buiten de stad. De foyer bevindt zich boven, daar is ook de bar. Via de foyer kom je op het balkon. Van daaruit een goed uitzicht op de binnenrijbaan en een prima plek om een drankje te drinken. Je kunt hier paardrijden, volwassenen kopen een starterspakket alvorens in een groepsles verder te gaan. Kinderen vinden zo ook hun weg. Voor hen zijn er ponykampen waar een hele week met vriendjes en vriendinnetjes met en tussen de paarden wordt beleefd. Er zijn hier twee studentenverenigingen actief. Er wordt dressuur-, spring- en carrousel les gegeven. Carrousel is een teamsport waarbij figuren op muziek wordt gereden. Privépaarden stappen na de les regelmatig uit in het Vondelpark, altijd een bezienswaardigheid in dit stadspark tussen de joggers en fietsers. De manege heeft ook een paardenvrachtwagen waarmee buitenritten in het Amsterdamse bos kunnen worden geaccommodeerd. Dit mooie gebouw kan gehuurd worden voor onvergetelijke feestjes, groot en klein. Er zijn hier films opgenomen, even geleden "Keetje Tippel", meer recent "Pak van mijn Hart". Kinderfeestjes met taart, pannenkoeken of patat en een begeleid ritje op paard of pony zijn hier te boeken. Voor de volwassenen zijn er high teas met lekkere hapjes. Zo timmert 's lands oudste rijschool aan de weg om ook in deze moderne tijd succesvol te zijn. En dat lukt aardig, ga maar kijken!

If you are a startup and looking for space to work, this is a great option! In the heart of the…read morecity, it's easy to get to and yet on a quiet street near Nieuwmarkt. There is a pool table for when you really need to get away from your computer, and coffee and tea available at all times. There are different types of spaces depending on your need. And a small kitchen area with a fridge, combi oven, and sinks are available to use. Very cool looking space too! Did I mention that there's an elevator? Really helps when you're on the top floor!

This must clearly be one of the most amazing venues I have ever seen! We ran a training workshop…read morehere, but I can imagine all sorts of events in this location. The most amazing thing about it is just the vast space you have. Being here feels like having moved in together with a group of friends, there are fridges with soft drinks and Nespresso machines, you simply help yourself to anything you need. To create a nice atmosphere, there is a Sonos sound system with Spotify, and also a TV screen for presentations. They do provide all possible adaptors (HDMI, VGA, Mac, etc...) in case you forget to bring your own. It is a bit pricey, but completely worth it if you want to run an event at a location that leaves an impression.

Fun history of Bols and the distilling of different flavors of alcoholic liqueurs…read more Self-guided tour with audio. After you pay for your ticket at the front desk, you put your jackets and loose items in a locker (free) and pickup an audio tour device and program it for your preferred language (easy). You get a yummy cocktail to savor at the end! And there's a fun gift shop to peruse, where we bought tulip glasses for the purpose of drinking Genever . We enjoyed the Espresso martini and Red Light Negroni at the bar at the end. Both were made skillfully and tasted delicious! The highlight of the experience, honestly, was meeting Lars (aka "Larson") and Julia at the front desk. They were hilarious with each other and delightful with us. They helped us package the 6 tulip glasses in paper within styrofoam boxes for sturdy protection during travel. They are the true stars of this operation.

I enjoy distillery tours when I travel. I browsed the list of attractions that accept the I…read moreAmsterdam card and came across Bols Amsterdam. It's located near Museumplein by all of the major museums which was so convenient. I was interested in doing a cocktail class with the tour, but wasn't sure if I could book the class with the I Amsterdam card. I sent an email through the website and a DM on Instagram and no one responded, which was disappointing. When I arrived, I inquired about it. They offered to let me upgrade my ticket, but I declined. Once I got checked in, I received a vial of a mystery flavored genever to taste at the end of the tour. The tour is self guided and it is truly a sensory experience. The tour starts with the history of Bols, then goes into the process of making genever. There are interactive elements throughout. It was really cool to see Lucas Bols' original recipe book from 1820. Towards the end of the tour, I tried the mystery genever in the sensory booth. I don't remember the flavor, but it was red and it was sweet. The sensory booth contains a camera that records your reaction as you're tasting it. At the end of the tour, guests are able to enjoy a complimentary cocktail. The bar area was really cool. They have a flair booth where you can learn how to spin and throw cocktail bottles. They also had house music playing which created a fun vibe. The bartender that made my drink was Serchan (pronounced "Sar-John"). He was so nice and let me sample a couple of genevers. I ordered the First Aid cocktail. It was citrus forward and refreshing! He also printed out a receipt with the cocktail recipe. I threw some cash in the tip jar and learned that they accept cash in any currency! This was a fun experience! Any activity where I can have a delicious cocktail and learn something new is right up my alley.

We found this place via a recommendation as I was getting rather tired of the generally bad food in…read moreAmsterdam, and this place is a revelation. We went to the brasserie, underneath the main Odeon which was a former cinema converted into a cool clubbing joint and restaurant. The ambience was good, the service generally good and we had a pretty fine evening. We picked the set menu and starters was a tuna tartare which was juicy and tasty with a nice salsa. Next was some lovely rare beef which would have been perfect if it wasn't just a touch too chewy. Dessert was a nice yoghurt ice cream on champagne zabaglioni and was a nice way to end a good meal. The wine list was rather sparse but we found a tolerable temperanillo which went well with the beef. Dinner for two, with wine, worked out at 130 Euro so it's not exactly the cheapest place in town and perhaps not the best value for money either but I was relieved to find a tolerable place at last! Overall, Odeon was the best dinner I've had in Amsterdam this year (Feb 2009).

Went here last night for an event thrown by an international group I participate in. The nightclub…read moreportion of the building itself has great design inside but is relatively small. Be sure to check out the detailed wood work on the ceiling and moldings. The main dance floor is deep but narrow. There are 2 bars located on the floor but lines can get long. I'm not sure how much shots cost, but a Heineken cost 4 euro. Upstairs is a small balcony that has a large U-shaped formation of low, plush couches - a very cool place to chill after shoving your way through the masses below. A third full service bar is located on the balcony. The music was a good mix of American pop, hip hop, and electronic (house, trance, I can't tell the difference) that suited the crowd. By the way, the crowd was HUGE. I definitely have a smaller tolerance for massive crowds--which make me anxious--so I got tired out pretty quickly. To be fair, there was an event that night so it's possible that it isn't always that packed. However, you should be warned that it's possible that Odeon is that crowded every night. There is a coat check here, which was nice, and the employees who staffed it were organized and quick. I stowed a bag and two coats for 3 euro...Maybe it costs 1 euro per item? Be prepared to spend 50 cents to use to loo.

This church is managed by 'stadsherstel'(this means city renovation). It is used for markets,…read moreconcerts etc During covid lockdown dec 2020, they hosted a piano festival. I bought the ticket online, well in advance, which was a good thing. With limited audience size, concerts sell out very fast. What i liked: - historic building - good avoustic - covid rules well followed

De Duif is a church, and as such it has a nicely decorated interior and exterior. But it also…read moreserves as event space, and I have participated to an event right into it. Obviously events organization can't be rated, as it is subjective to the organizers, but the church has several services to support them, including a bar serving beers and drinks (yes, a real bar with taps and all right inside of the church!) and a kitchen preparing finger food and snacks for the attendants. Events or not, if you're in the area have a stop at De Duif and visit this nice church.

This is amazing venue complex! I was here for Amsterdam Pride in August. The full venue was open…read morewith many difference buildings, including the massive Gashouder building. The old brick industrial complex gives a unique vibe, which fits in with Amsterdam's old and charming architecture. Staff were nice at directing us. It can be difficult getting to and from the venue since you have to walk through a park on a narrow paved road. It was hard to get an Uber after the event, and we had to walk several blocks away before we could get one, since so many people were exiting at the same time.

This was a SUPER cool music venue - one of the coolest I've ever seen. So this facility used to (to…read moremy understanding) be used to store gas... note that means it was NOT a gas chamber... very important distinction. But it was used to store gas. And the ceiling on it looks really cool. Whoever converted it to a music venue took care to preserve some of the details like these weird pipes that come out into the room. I don't know if they are decorative or they were once functioning details that have now been preserved. But it all looks cool as hell. Then you add in the fact that the domed ceiling has all of these cool lines that meet in the center of the roof and make a super cool pattern... add show lights to that and well, it is a pretty cool cavernous place to see a show. If you're like me and love indoor music because of the intimacy of the light show, this venue makes the light show really pop. Staff was generally pretty friendly and we found all the things we needed so no complaints! They also had this super cool locker system that I swear just made me feel like we do concerts wrong in the U.S. So essentially, you scan the QR code that was posted everywhere. You pay for a locker on your phone. The locker number and the combination code is then texted to your phone. You find the locker and you put your stuff in it. Could not be easier. What a great use of technology. We NEED these in Minnesota, where everyone always has to bring their coat because it's freezing!

A club walking distance from where we were staying and close to other local bars. Shots are so…read moreinexpensive here?! Compared to the US, we were pleasantly surprised how inexpensive drinks were at a music venue/club. We came for Techno Tuesday and it was a vibe. A smaller crowd probably but we didn't have to wait outside or pay any cover. We went around midnight. Around 3AM there was a line outside (Euros party late). The upstairs has like riser seating throughout and the downstairs is one big dance floor. The bathrooms were a little bit of a walk (for the good ones). Overall, we had a good time here!

Recently went an Amsterdam Rapido Event here and was very impressed!…read more 1. Fantastic acoustics 2. Digital locker system that lets you unlock any time you need it I don't know if there is always enough lockers for everyone, but if you can get one it's awesome. They also have a separate wardrobe / clothed check if you don't get a locker. 3. Free water - not sure if this is normal but glasses of tap water were free and that makes a huge difference. I would definitely go to an event here again.