The world's largest coffee chain has more in common with the Netherlands than you might think.

by Reed Sprague

When Madagascar drifted away from the continent of Africa 165 million years ago, both land masses had essentially the same animal species.  In the ensuing 165 million years of separation they evolved at different rates, inside of different environmental pressures, under attack from different natural predators.  Later, when the two land masses were compared side by side the differences were striking.  It was as if scientists were comparing two different worlds.  Such as it is with the arrival of Starbucks in the Schiphol airport. 

Starbucks has arrived in a country with a deep coffee culture.  They arrive with their sugary, syrupy, coffee drinks; their ventis, their grandes; their friendly, lighting fast service; your name scrawled on a paper cup with a black marker; up-selling a muffin or a CD sampler; double-cupped-skinny-vanilla-whipped-grande-mochas.  What the hell is a Frappiccino™ anyway?  All of these feel as natural to the patron of the Dutch coffee scene as a egg laying, duck billed, platypus mammal would have seemed to a zoologist stepping onto the shores of Madagascar for the first time.  At first glance it would seem as neither coffee culture has anything in common, but when digging into the history of Starbucks you quickly learn that if it wasn't for the Dutch coffee culture and specifically, if it wasn't for one Dutch man in particular, there might not be a Starbucks today.

by Melinda Kujawa

The city of Amsterdam is one of the most densely populated places on earth, but has considerably cleaner air than other European cities. Perhaps it is because of the number of bikes in the city. There are roughly 700,000 people living in Amsterdam, but over 1 million bikes (twice as many bikes as cars). So if you are coming to Amsterdam a bike may be your best mode of transportation. Knowing a few simple rules will help make the ride less dangerous and in more cases than one, less embarrassing.

How the Dutch Conquered the World while Missing the Boat on Spices. 

by Reed Sprague

The waiter slides the plate of lamb vindaloo in front of me, the infamous Indian dish hotter than gunpower on fire.  Lamb cubes swim lazily in a rich red gravy sauce made from liberal doses of chili peppers, turmeric, and coriander.  I pierce a cube of lamb smothered with gravy and prepare my mouth for some fire.  I pop it into my mouth, and chew. 

by Joy Nedved

For this month’s review I ventured into the Red Light District to the oldest wooden building in Amsterdam. This pub has served thirsty customers since 1519. Upon walking into the In ‘t Aepejen, I was time warped back into the golden age of Dutch colonialism: a time when boats would tie up right outside the Zeedijk and sailors would run into the nearest bar, In t’Aepjen, and get thoroughly plastered on their furlough.

by Andy Baker

In 1993, I was living in New York City and one day I decided that I was in the mood for a view of the city from an observation deck.  At the time, there were, of course, the observation decks of the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center, but I decided I would like to see the city from the observation deck of the Chrysler Building. I lived a few blocks away and I could see it from my window.

It was two o’clock in the afternoon when I walked up to the security guard and asked how I could get to the deck. He told me that it was closed.

I looked at my watch and said, “When did it close?”

“1945,” he said.