Here's to Being Black, Bold, and Broke

48 hours in Amsterdam, what could go wrong? 

Well it could start with our bus being delayed by 30 minutes originally but ultimately led to our arrival to the city being TWO AND A HALF HOURS late.

The girls were getting restless after over 8+ hours of sitting and deliria was setting in. Sarah ate an entire pack of Bounty mint candies convincing herself she’d be okay and Alisa ate a 12 hour old hamburger. We were convinced she’d not be okay.

Finally we arrived at Amsterdam Sloterdijk, which we all immaturely called “slaughter d*ck” for the duration of the trip (and never bothered to find the true pronunciation anyways, ours is funnier). In our defense you can’t tell me it doesn’t look like that.

Arriving in Amsterdam you realize how unserious the Dutch language is and sorry to any potential Dutch readers but your language sounds straight out of the Sims game. I firmly believe Simlish is based on Dutch. 

Once you get past the language, there’s the intensity of biking culture. I mean truly bikes are EVERYWHERE and you will have to cross huge intersections looking out for not only cars but also bikers. And they will hit you. I for one commend the Dutchs’ commitment to biking as I know I simply could not, semi-lazy American here and okay with that fact.

After arriving we did not mess about, checking into the hostel, headed to a coffee shop (if you know what I mean *hint hint wink wink*) and then off to the Van Gogh Museum. After the museum we walked the canals while enjoying the benefits of God’s natural grass, and had a quick turnaround for the club. 

We hit Chicago Social Club which was the perfect vibe for a chill but fun night out after moving around all day. Disco house music in one room and Afrobeats/Amapiano upstairs in another was perfect for giving you options. One thing about me is I love a club with rooms and different options because it’s rare that one DJ will play hits after hits all night long.

We rose again fairly early after coming back around 3:30 in the morning for a nice brunch at Staring at Josh. I highly recommend the chicken and waffles as they were exactly what I needed to revive my soul from a long bus ride and late night clubbing. Overall, I’d give the restaurant a 7.5/10.

To make ourselves feel less guilty about the manner in which we devoured brunch we decided to walk through the park and then down the main streets of downtown where the canals were perfectly situated on either side of the street. 

As we wandered my keen eye spotted a wee tattoo shop and the spirit of ink began to call to me and yes, I got a tattoo! Nothing dumb just a tramp stamp so big with the word “Amsterdamn” to commemorate my time there. 

Total jokes but instead something more cute, simple, and me – some stars with the word “Virgo” below in nice cursive behind the ear. I love it and am happy to have gotten it, I’d been wanting it since September.

Our day turned into night and we journeyed to the rather touristy, slightly rip off but truthfully fun club of Escape. Clubbing in Amsterdam is insanely expensive so be prepared – not only is there the 20€ entrance fee but they make you PAY TO PISS. A EURO EVERYTIME. Charging me for a basic drunken human right is crazy and yet there I was each time with my Apple Pay ready to go.

To the club’s credit, the music was amazing especially in the big room where house music, strobe lights, and stage smoke filled the room with intense beats vibrating through my feet and body. I danced the entire night and when we wanted to change the vibe, we journeyed to the smaller smoking room where they played mixes of more pop and 2000s classics. It gave frat house vibes at times, giving me war flashbacks to Freshman year of college so when those came, we journeyed back to the main room. 

Our night ended around 5 a.m. with a hellish rising time of 7:30 a.m. for our 10 a.m. bus back to Paris. To top off the quick turnaround and lack of sleep, my apples I bought the night before as a on the road snack were stolen from the hostel fridge, which was the final forehead kiss bestowed upon me by Amsterdam as a farewell treat.

To be quite honest the 48 hours we spent in Amsterdam were a doozy but I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Truly a beautiful, cute city with canals everywhere and an urban vibe that I feel is a mix between Chicago and London (Camden area to be specific). The club scene was amazing with great house music and truthfully Amsterdam will see me again.