Stranded in Amsterdam: how to make the best of it?

I have a friend or two in Amsterdam ... I'll SMS 'em to ask what they're up to tonight, and if they perhaps have time to meet up with a brilliant and adventurous acquaintance of mine ;-)

yaaaay! hopefully i'll be able to get online... wait, willl my cellphone work here? i have no credit left though.

Whew, nimh arrived!

Have fun! (Cheap fun...)

nah, cellphone shows no network. i have a monstrous headache - gonna go take a nap (well, find a hotel fiirst).

so will check back online somehow. wait, wait. yes, cellphone found some network.

soz, i'm so tired i'll pay anything right now and not think about it or regret it ever. i'm gonna spoil and pamper myself tonight. i want chocolate, i want belgian fries (they gotta have them in netherlands, right?) i want stuff, i want a tv, cozy bed, bath, new clothes... hmmm maybe i should stay a week...

Oh, I thought that's what you meant by no credit (maxed out, or something).

If you possibly can, you definitely sound like you deserve some pampering!

no no - that's on the cell phone. i just buy these cards to recharge credit on my phone - no monthly plans, no contracts.... but now i ran out. so i can only receive calls and messages.

i got a credit card, and it's coming to town with mama tonite!

Bw Bastion Hotel A'dam Airport 84€



Nh Schiphol Airport
FLUGHAFEN SCHIPHOL / HOOFDDORP
The NH Schiphol Airport hotel is located near the Schiphol Airport and is convenient to all areas of Amsterdam. 84€

from hotels.com

OH! i hope they're not full. lots of stranded people here tonight. better hurry, am gonna go ask now at the hotel desk.. THANKS!

You'll pay anything...? The Amstel Hotel is quite nice, I heard ...

A cheap and probably lively alternative is Winston

Generally praised is Hotel de Filosoof, with each of the 38 rooms decorated in different philosophical and cultural themes

Bastion hotels are efficient, affordable ... and very bland.

This one looks odd / interesting / pleasant too, and in the same price range as Bastion:

Hotel V

Plus, check out their site's "What's Going on in Amsterdam" section on bars, restaurants and clubs: it saves me listing all of them separately, because its a pretty comprehensive listing of the city's hip and cool places.

This website has a good overview of places too, despite its yawn name: Amsterdam Hotspots

Here's two random tips times x of mine from the archive:

Two tips on where to go on the Europe A2K Gathering thread

(except I didnt mean Het Elfde Gebod in that post, that should have been In 'T Aepjen)

And just in case (hey, I dunno...):

Three recommended coffeeshops...

(Did ya know, btw, that a newly published report shows that in all EU and accession countries, the one country where they smoke marijuana the most is ... the Czech Republic? That wholly on an aside

I tried to send ya an SMS saying to go for the other ones first, if they still have rooms, but I dunno if I have the right number - that is to say, is it really 676 at the beginning, or does the first 6 drop away if you call from abroad? Cause it does in Hungary and Italy ... thats why last night I sent two SMS's, to make sure one would arrive ;-).

thinking we stayed at a hotel in asterdam called "Amstel" very interesting. It was about one block behind the Rembrandt plaza.

Was it this one?

InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam

Cause if it was, you stayed in the most expensive hotel of the city...

nope, it was a smallish, maybe 3 story hotel but it did face the canal as we sat in our hotel room window watching the people below us getting in and out of their house-boats walking their doggies etc.

Walter probably knows as that is where he picked us up for our drive to Germany. The lady Diane was interested in the "coffee shops" across the canal from the hotel.

OK Dag, I found somebody who's got an interesting programme tonight (meeting with interesting people, I mean), and you're welcome to join 'em.

In fact, she's a former colleague and at seven-something she's meeting two people (for fun) who are involved in that television prize/festival that we wrote that article together for. Coincidence, eh? And then after 10, they'll be joined by a nice British woman and a bunch of people I dont know, but that are described as a Dutch publisher, a New Zealandish woman, 2 gay Brits en 2 people from New York (media, health, consultancy) as well as an Italian chef cook and his lively Spanish girlfriend. Sound the ticket?

Now if only I could get through to either of your numbers, I wouldnt have to blather on a2k about it ... I'll send her phone # to your email, k?

but but but, I want to know what we're missing out on!