The excellent Foam aka the Amsterdam Photo Museum dedicates an exhibition to the equally excellent Alec Soth, a talented chronicler of today’s America. “I know how furiously your heart is beating” is on view until December 6, 2020. If you needed an excuse to return to the timeless Batavian city, Mr. Bernard has just provided you with one.
Let’s sleep in Amsterdam
Fans of the chic / expensive / stylish triptych, the Dylan, the Andaz or the Conservatorium are made for you. But Mr. Bernard also recommends four other alternatives.
Cocomama & Ecomama
Cocomama, which prides itself on being Amsterdam’s first luxury boutique hostel, and its little green brother, Ecomama, are undoubtedly the best choice for the traveler seeking coolness on a budget. At Ecomama, for two, it will cost you € 57 per night for the “Private Cabin Double” (shared bathroom), and € 105 for the “Double superior room ensuite”. If you are coming with your family, the 5-bed Dorm Room will is at 280 € per night, including breakfasts.
Lloyd Hotel
Perfect for a family holiday, the Lloyd, a former transit center for emigrants, includes funny rooms, a play area for the little ones, and impeccable design for the grown-ups. At 165 € per night for 2 adults and 3 children, don’t hesitate: book the room with the largest bed in the world (7 places). For two, go for a 5 Star Suite at 135 € per night by booking in early bird. With a little luck, you will have the rooms with hammocks or swings.
La Remise
More intimate, La Remise, four tasteful suites from € 165 run by a Frenchman, Alexandre Tardy. Located in the peaceful Noorderstraat, a stone’s throw from the center and museums. The ideal haven for a stylish weekend for two.
CanalHouse
In the heart of Jordaan, the artistic and cultural center of Amsterdam, 17th century merchant houses have been transformed into a perfectly cozy hotel: CanalHouse. 23 rooms from 200 € and a charming garden as a bonus.
Friday evening’s dinner
To get you in the mood right away, head to Latei. On the menu, delicious soups, small simmered dishes and apple pies to match in a flea market atmosphere that will be perfect for lovers of vintage, upcycling and other old things that give soul to a place. Note that last order is at 9:30 p.m.
Saturday in Amsterdam
If you are in a sporty mood, start your Saturday with an architectural-themed morning jog through Java-Eiland, KNSM-Eiland and Oosterdok. See, among other jewels, the Nemo by Renzo Piano, the Arcam by René Van Zuuck, and the Openbare Bibliotheek by Jo Coenen.
Then, you have two options to start your stay in Amsterdam on the right foot: either rent a bicycle or indulge in the guilty pleasure of a boat trip on the canals. If you are averse to Dutch cycling, the Canal Bus (hop-on hop-off day ticket) is a good option that allows you to visit the city by traveling by water bus.
Natura Artis Magistra
Have a coffee at De Plantage while waiting for the opening (9am) of Natura Artis Magistra, the oldest zoo in the Netherlands, and perhaps the most beautiful in the world. With special mention for the butterfly greenhouse.
Lunch at Franck’s Smoke House
At this point, a little hunger kicking in, direction Frank’s smoke house. Frank smokes salmon, herring, mackerel, but also beef, pork, sausages. The best “broodjes” in town.
You’re all set for the Alec Soth exhibition at Foam. As an informed and far-sighted visitor that you are, you will of course have booked your ticket online (mandatory in these troubled times).
Alec Soth at the Foam
Alec Soth (b.1969) is arguably one of America’s most talented columnists today. His work is rooted in the uniquely American tradition of “on-the-road photography”, the masters of which are Walker Evans, Robert Frank and Stephen Shore. He made a name as a photographer with his 2004 series Sleeping by the Mississippi, encountering unusual and often overlooked places and people as he travelled along the river banks. Interested in the mythologies of marginalized communities in the United States, Soth has an instinct for the relationship between narrative and metaphor. His work bears analogies to that of a writer, but Soth considers photography to be more fragmented, “it’s more like poetry than writing a novel.” For his most recent project, “I Know How Furiously Your Heart Is Beating,” the artist slowed down his work process and turned the lens inward. The Foam presents the first museum exhibition of this new series, composed of portraits of personalities, photographed in their homes, and still lifes of their personal effects.
Nihon No Hanga
At 586 Keizersgracht, in a 17th century Canal House, a two-minute walk from the Foam, lies one of Amsterdam’s best-kept secrets. Nihon No Hanga is a small museum entirely dedicated to 20th century Japanese prints that Elise Wessels, the museum director, has been collecting for over 30 years.
Enough culture for the moment, time for shopping. So go on with The frozen foutain: an excellent selection of furniture and objects from Dutch designers including the essential Marten Baas, Piet Hein Eek, Scholten & Baijings and Hella Jongerius.
Then on Runstraat, compulsory stop at De Kaaskamer, the Mecca of Gouda (young, old, very old).
Finally, high-end design skilfully staged in a dazzling space: Moooi, the editor’s gallery created by Marcel Wanders in 1977.
To end the afternoon, go behind the train station to take the ferry (two-minute journey) and you are at the EYE, the beautiful cinema museum designed by the Viennese firm Delugan Meissl.
Saturday evening’s dinner
Then, for once, take a taxi to dine in Amsterdam-Noord at Hotel de Goudfazant, Niels Wouters’ restaurant, a former warehouse of restored theater sets, part garage, part art gallery.
Sunday in Amsterdam
Moco Museum
Sunday morning at 10 a.m., take the tram (or bike) and you are on MuseumPlein. Start with the Moco. On the menu Banksy, JR, Kaws, Warhol, Rothko, Yayoi Kusama, in short art stars, fun, photogenic, perfect for a warm up.
Rijksmuseum
You are then ready for the main course. It is indeed difficult to come to Amsterdam without going to admire The Milkmaid by Vermeer or The Night Watch by Rembrandt. Especially since the Rijksmuseum has undergone a particularly successful renovation orchestrated by the duo Antonio Cruz and Antonio Ortiz.
Lunch at Buffet van Odette
After this museum morning, you have well deserved your lunch at Buffet van Odette. Salads, omelets, sandwiches, cakes… everything is organic and tasty. And since the service is as attentive as the place is warm …
Stedelijk Museum
You now have to go back to Museumplein. The Stedelijk, also known as “the large bathtub” according to the people of Amsterdam, is a gigantic white structure designed by the firm Benthem Crouwel Architects, grafted onto a red brick building from the 19th century. And it is quite simply one of the richest collections of modern and contemporary art in the world. Paintings, drawings, photographs, sculptures, installations, design, all genres are represented and the masters are all there: Mondrian, Malevich, Warhol, Koons…
Droog
To end your stay in style, head to Droog, Staalstraat 7A. Studio, gallery, café, extraordinary garden, in short, an Amsterdam must-see designed by Renny Ramakers and from which you will come out happy and inspired….
Click here with your finger (or with your mouse if you are on a computer equipped with the utensil in question) to access the page devoted to Mr. Bernard’s addresses in Amsterdam.