Just a glimpse of a photo caught by our photographer representing the current economic slowdown. Amsterdam and the global recession.

Amsterdam, just like any other city in the Netherlands and EU is subject to major global crisis. Global economy slows down and much real estate property, namely apartments are offered for sale. This is definitely a buyer’s market whereas supply by far greater than demand. Prices of real estate are dropping slowly and we did not hit the rock bottom yet as it appears. We feel the recession in global investments and in number of investments in the Netherlands. Also in shopping when people buy much less, and in the travel industry when people travel less and fewer visitors are coming to Amsterdam. It was a difficult winter for Amsterdam hotels and the other main reasons are thought to be the new smoking law was introduced in July 2008 and the declining of coffeeshops and red light district.

It is this spring that will signal if this year can show any tourism recovery in Amsterdam or we will have to wait for next year.

In the last few weeks we were surprised to see replicas of famous paintings displayed on street corners in the Pijp neighbourhood in Amsterdam.
 
As you know, some of the streets in the Pijp are named after famous Dutch painters and artist and now, next to the street name one can see a sample of the painter’s work deployed. We have no idea whose initiative was that, but we love it.

We suspect the City of Amsterdam to initiate or at least consent to this beautiful artistic additive to the famous neighbourhood and they deserve every credit for it.
 
So far, we only knew various names of Dutch artists just because we knew the streets names in the Pijp... now we can make the connection to the actual paintings. I guess that’s what the term Streetwise means.

Photography: www.dekel.nl

 painting by I.Czekalska

by Cheryl Cruz

A friend and I were walking through SF’s MOMA one day. As animation students, neither of us knew much about modern art. Being there was another excuse to goof off and flirt. And I was beginning to see him as soul mate material until we came across this gigantic canvas covered in gray paint and repetitive white lines which made me feel strangely restless and annoyed—annoyed that my friend had paid good money for me to see this—annoyed that I was devoting so many hours to drawing the human form and all the other things a student of animation had to know.

by Mariah McKenna

Johannes van Dam, journalist and food writer for Het Parool, as well as several other publications, is the well-known author of Lekker Amsterdam (a Dutch food and restaurant guide for Amsterdam) and the recently published English version, Delicious Amsterdam. He is often said to be Holland’s most prominent food writer, and restaurant critic, whose weekly restaurant reviews are both feared and revered.

Being aware that Van Dam is the most well known gastronomic writer of Holland, I looked forward with anticipation to our meeting. Knowing he has had a strong impact on the landscape of Dutch cuisine, I hoped to extract some of his educated opinions about the history and food culture of the city. I was not disappointed.