It's unlikely you can legally live there, so don't get too excited. The owner bought it for €15,000 about 15 years ago, then tried (and failed) to sell it for €1.1 million less than five years ago.

I'm currently going to Gym & Wellness Zuiver and honestly love it. The facilities are great, but what I appreciate most is the crowd. It's generally a slightly older, more affluent and relaxed crowd. People seem to just enjoy their workouts without constantly taking selfies, filming themselves or treating the gym like a dating profile photoshoot.

I've experienced quite a different atmosphere at places like TrainMore (Red label vondel) where there seems to be much more of that "look at me and my muscles/booty" culture. Nothing wrong with being proud of your progress, of course, but I personally prefer a more laid-back, understated atmosphere. I just really feel the personal ratrace there, which just isn't for me.

Zuiver is about a 15-minute bike ride from my place, which is perfectly doable, but having something closer would be nice.

David Lloyd is nearby and has wellness facilities too, so I'm considering it. However, I'm wondering what the crowd is like. Whenever I pass by, it looks pretty busy, and I'm slightly worried it might attract exactly the kind of gym culture I'm trying to avoid.

I'm not particularly price-sensitive and would happily pay more for a pleasant environment, good facilities and a mature, relaxed crowd.

Anyone have experience with David Lloyd, particularly regarding the clientele and how busy it gets? Or know of other gyms with a similar atmosphere to Zuiver?

Expat (UK), living in Ams for over 15 years, divorced, with one lovely five-year-old boy. For years, I worked hard, provided for my family, washed my kid, cooked for them, achieved financial security, and secured my retirement at 40, while going to the gym, playing padel, climbing, hiking, skiing, etc. All of these things—including working hard—gave me a lot of energy for years. My dream was to stay active, focus more on hobbies and activities, have more kids, work hard, play sports hard, and, at the end of the day, go home and pray for what I’d achieved. (Atheist here.)

Especially since my wife left me and tried to take my kid and half of everything I’d achieved, I’m struggling boys. For the first time in my life, I don’t want to get out of bed. I can’t make any plans, I have no hope, and I can’t see myself laughing with someone else again. I also see that after one coffee at most, or one call, my friends don’t check in on me much. I feel like that’s it.

Just sharing: after all the struggles and material difficulties in my life, this is the first time I’m lying on the floor and can’t stand up. If you saw me from the outside—my CV, life, work, day-to-day self—you might be jealous (I’m not saying that to show off, but to give you an idea of how it looks from the outside). But I’m not sure how long I can keep playing this.

It’s difficult, friends. Take care of each other.

I've noticed NL Times is a popular site among expats. I find it a horrible looking, shallow publication.

Please know that Het Parool, one of our finest newspapers, translates a lot of their content into English now. Real journalism, Amsterdam focused + domestic, with award winning looks. https://www.parool.nl/international/

(I am not affiliated with them in any way)

Hello,

This Friday, October 30th, I'm organizing a free horror movie triple feature, with an emphasis on crazy blood-letting. Feel free to come at anytime.

Event promo: https://www.instagram.com/p/De9moMwP70C/

@amsterdambells

I am a visual journalist working to gain back my photo skills and searching for interesting people to photograph in their environment. I'd love to work on some photo essays of interesting people, daily life, eclectic narratives.

Any ideas or connections anyone could offer? Thanks!

Hey, there's a bike in my neighbourhood which has been unlocked and thrown on the ground at a random spot for a few weeks now. I was thinking of maybe taking it since no one seems to be actively taking care of it.

Does anyone know if this is ok and if there is a specific procedure to follow?

Hi all, I found a room in the Reigerbos 4 area, 3 mins by bike (10 by walk) to the Metro station and a 5 mins from the nearest bus station. I was wondering how safe it is in general for a woman, night or day. What has been your experience living there ?

My landlord is trying to kick me out (he's not legally allowed to). But he's also best friends with my uncle, who's part of my family that I for a couple years now no longer have contact with.. because of reasons. That's the only family I had, my dad doesn't have family and he abandoned us 20 years ago. I'm also unemployed atm thanks to PTSD and other mental health issues because of that (I was searching for jobs and almost got one I truly truly wanted, I WANT TO WORK! But I work in marketing and AI is.. doing its thing... sigh). I'd LOVE to move out into a new place and get rid of the weird family connection and just completely start over. But since my income doesn't hit the requirements for social housing.. I'm stuck, since I don't have enough income to buy or rent a non social appartement either. So, I can't buy, I can't rent with the income requirements, and I also cannot stay at the appartement I am currently living in because they are sending the police over every other week and are harassing me (PTSD is due to being legit threatened.. so yay flare ups), the landlord even tried to break into my place and I had to call the police on that too. The whole thing is bizarre. And I want and need a way out.

TLDR: I hate where I am living, the whole situation is awful, but I also don't want to become homeless. I cannot do social housing and I also cannot afford to move out or buy. I'm completely stuck in between two hells. If I'd just be able to get out of this situation I'd be able to be a productive member of society again. Which is that I want! But I can't, because I keep getting so extremely stressed out, freaked out and scared all of the time, to the point I no longer can be productive at all.

Does anyone have any advice? It's very much appreciated.

Me and my girlfriend are viewing a house tomorrow very close to station Lelylaan. Some people told us this really isn’t a nice place to live. Others say it’s not too bad. does anyone here know or have any recent experience with this area? Thank you!!

So apparently the gemeente wants to make parking permits considerably more expensive again. In some neighbourhoods, prices will even double.

I understand wanting fewer cars in Amsterdam. More green spaces, wider pavements and less traffic are all good things. But there's something rather ironic about a supposedly left-wing city making car ownership increasingly unaffordable for ordinary people.

Not everyone owns a car because they're lazy or refuse to cycle. Some people have mobility issues, others need their cars for work, to visit family outside the city or to transport a large dog. Public transport and shared cars aren't always realistic alternatives.

And here's what bothers me most: do we seriously think someone who can comfortably afford a €70,000 car and an expensive apartment in Oud-Zuid will give up their parking permit over an extra €150 or €180 a year? They'll barely notice.

The people who will actually have to reconsider owning a car are those on lower and middle incomes . The wealthy will simply pay more and carry on parking outside their homes.

So instead of making the city less car-dependent, aren't we just making car ownership another privilege reserved for those who can afford it?

I'm all for reducing the number of cars in Amsterdam, but surely a genuinely progressive policy should consider people's circumstances and ability to pay, rather than simply pricing people out.

Or is the idea that only wealthy Amsterdammers should be able to keep a car?

I will be moving here in some months, and although most expats I know speak barely any Dutch after years in the city, I don’t want that to be my case. I’m a language student, so even though Dutch is admittedly not in my top 10 languages I would like to become fluent at least at a conversational level.

Any tips from people who’ve managed on courses they’ve followed, places where they’ve interacted with locals, etc?

Is it difficult to find people to play rally/to practice when joining a club? I guess it's a difficult question to answer since it varies a lot, but I want to double-check if my own experience sounds generalizable.

I've recently joined a club. People there are very kind, but seems obsessed to play matches. I occasionally like to play matches too, but I prefer the high intensity of a good rally or exercices to practice (diagonales for instance).

Is your experience similar?

Waarom is de benzine bij dit tankstation zo duur en waarom zouden mensen hier nog tanken? De prijs verschilt altijd rond de 25ct per liter ten opzichte van een gemiddelde pomp? #iksnaphetniet

I'm planning to do some painting around the house and was wondering whether it's worth going to a specialist paint shop rather than Praxis or Gamma.

Are there any good paint shops in Amsterdam you'd recommend, particularly for quality paint, colour selection and knowledgeable advice? Or is Praxis perfectly fine for the average DIY job?

Curious to hear your experiences!

Hey everyone! Moved here from the US six months ago. I mainly kept up with news back home by listening to podcasts every morning (NPR’s “Up First”, NYT’s “The Daily”, among others).

I was hoping to find the same here in The Netherlands. While I’ve been enrolled in Dutch classes since arriving here, it’s a slow process, and it will be a little while before I’m at broadcast-news-level comprehension. I’ve learned of some websites that post text articles in English (NL Times is the one I’m most aware of), but the only podcasts I could find that published new episodes every day were in either Dutch or German.

Does anyone here know of any daily English-language daily news podcasts that I can check out? Any pointers would be greatly appreciated!

Looking a nice place to have a good conversation? Preferably Amsterdam-Zuid. Place to drink soda or coffee, not drinking alcohol.

So I've received a bill for waste and water. I get it for the one for the waste, it's obvious I have to pay for the trash that i put out. But what I don't understand is that I already pay a water bill in my monthly rent. Can anyone explain to me why to I pay twice for water and if i can contest it. Thank you

My wife and I are looking to buy an apartment in Amsterdam. We've found one we really like, but it's on the third floor with no storage options on the lower floors.

We're planning on having children in the next 2–3 years, and I'm wondering if we're just asking for trouble by considering an upper-floor apartment.

Would be good to hear from people who've done it: what's it actually like hauling a stroller and an infant up and down the stairs every day?

Edit: Thanks to everyone for your replies, we'll take them into consideration when making a decision

Hi everyone,

My wife and I travelled from Belgium to Amsterdam last Tuesday, October 20, and unfortunately our car was broken into shortly after we arrived, near Keizersgracht 274.

The thieves took a travel bag containing a designer handbag, a pair of designer shoes and a laptop, as well as a separate laptop bag containing a second laptop.

We realise the chances of recovering our belongings may be slim, but we’d really appreciate some local advice. Which second-hand websites, shops, markets or local groups would you suggest keeping an eye on?

Are there also any places or services worth checking in case the bags or other belongings were discarded nearby?

If anyone witnessed anything or has been through something similar in Amsterdam, we’d be grateful for any useful information or advice.

Thanks so much for your help!

P.S. We’d also like to mention how extraordinarily kind, compassionate and generous with their time the police officers were when taking our statement. Their support meant a lot to us during a very upsetting experience.

Een vriend van mij kan wellicht een woning accepteren in dit pand maar twijfel. Het is erg afgelegen, maar een eigenlijk plekje is wel fijn. Hij woont nu bij Postjesweg met huisgenoten.

Wat dingen waar ik nieuwsgierig naar ben:

Hoe is de omgeving?

Hoe is het woongenot?

Voorzieningen?

Merk je iets van het AZC / Leger des Heils ernaast?

Hoe is de sfeer?

Hoe is het woongenot?

Afijn, gewoon wat info zou al fijn zijn!

Moet Rijwielbelasting zijn herintrede doen in Amsterdam en andere grote steden in Nederland?

Moeten fietsen, elektrische fietsen, fatbike, Microcars (Brommobiel) rijwielbelasting gaan betalen ?
Denk hierbij aan €2 a €3 per maand….

Amsterdam telt momenteel ongeveer 881.000 fietsen/29.000 bromfietsen/21.000 snorfietsen.

P.s. De foto is een fietsplaatje dat je vroeger kreeg nadat je Rijwielbelasting had betaald

Hi everyone, hope ya’ll having a great week!

I’m kinda new in the city, I’m now finally settling down and would love to meet new people and play some gigs with them.

I’m a guitar player and looking for nice bars for jam sessions, I can play pretty much anything but looking mostly for rock/blues/jazz sessions.

Does anyone have good recommendations? Also would love some guidance on how this stuff normally works, never participated in a jam session.

Thanks in advance!