Updates: Fall, 2009

Café Zool (Oude Leliestraat 9, pg. 122) is gone.  In it’s place? A new bar, the Thirsty Dogg, run by an expat drummer, is open. In an amazing feat of ingenuity, this bar was entirely repainted, rebuilt and redesigned in three weeks.  Music ranges from Hip Hop to Raga to Dubstep to Rock. (You never know what to expect.) The drinks are poured free hand and the atmosphere is comfortable. This little joint, just across the street from the Grey Area (pg. 63) is also smoker friendly.

Winston International (Warmoesstraat 123-129, pg. 111) has extended their hours.  This popular little venue is now open until 4 on weekdays and 5 on weekends-- good news for all you early morning dancers, rockers and crawlers.

Squatting is now illegal!

The Dutch government has outlawed the squatting and occupation of empty buildings, countrywide. Local squatters say they will continue actively taking buildings as long as there is a housing shortage in Amsterdam.  In the city large banners have been sprawled across occupied buildings reading:  Kraken Gaat Door, which means,  Squatting Will Continue.  For more information visit http://squat.net

Corrections: September, 2009

Page 77:  Henk Lee’s Comics & Manga Store—This shop specializes is Manga but does not have used records for sale.  My apologies to Go Joker (Zeedijk 31), a comic store on the same street as Henk Lee’s that also stocks used vinyl, and whose basement is crammed to the rafters with records.  Go Joker will have an updated review in the next edition.

Page 79: De Plaatboef—Now called Velvet, this store continues buying and selling vinyl and is a cool place to finger through racks of records.  Get Lost says:  Support independent record stores!

Updates: Summer, 2009

Two of the better health food stores in Amsterdam have unfortunately shut down. De Belly and Weegschaal (both listed on page 38 in the new Get Lost!) are no more. It seems that chain health food stores are taking over business from the small independents--much the way chain supermarkets have put mom and pop markets out of business the world over.

The hair salon Chemical Blond (pg. 82) has shut its doors. This cool little shop will be missed.

The Hash Marijuana Hemp Museum and the nearby Hemp Museum Gallery have raised their entrance price to €9 for a ticket to both locations.

I removed Homegrown Fantasy (Nieuwezijds Voorbugwal 87A, Map area D4) from the book because they were supposed to shut down last April. Luckily, they are still open for business--at this writing it’s unclear for how long. This well-known, well-established coffeeshop/gallery is a mellow place with a nice summer terrace. Definitely check it out while it is still here.

Book Traffic (pg. 76) has closed down. On the same beautiful little canal you’ll see a sexily clad pirate wench statue at the door of Frontier (Leliegracht 42). This bookshop, publishing house and gift shop advertises history, mystery, science, health, spiritual and physical travel.

Updates: Spring, 2011

Disc Golf – Attention chain heads!
Amsterdam now boasts the longest 18-basket par course in the Netherlands, situated in a serene west side park. It’s mostly flat terrain, but has a plethora of features: cement tees, water hazards, tight trees, hook shots, mandatories and sometimes painful out of bounds --stinging nettle grows in abundance! Frequent wind and rain make this course even more challenging. A round is free but losing discs in the mucky water or gnarly nettle is the norm here.
Hole 10 is a tight line through trees full of nesting Herons. (Look out for bird poop bombs!) These huge birds make a hell of a racket and look like pterodactyls as they fly overhead.
Discs are available at Sloterbad, an indoor pool complex located next to Sloterpark, where the course is located. There’s no pro shop, you have to walk upstairs to the pool’s reception and ask to see what discs they have. Although sponsored by Discraft, there’s a pretty limited selection, mostly beginner friendly straight flyers and putters. They may have a few opening day, limited edition Buzzes, however, with “Amsterdam” included in the stamp. Joe’s Vlieger Winkel (Nieuwe Hoogstraat 19) has recently starting selling discs and has a broader selection, but the plastic here is high priced. Best bet is to bring your own bag when visiting Amsterdam!

Directions: Take tram 14 to the end of the line, walk south towards the Sloterbad, just after the pool, the park begins. The first tee is in some trees, next to the fence separating Sloterbad and Sloterpark, near the parks entrance. You’ll also find a full map posted at the entrance. Holes are marked at every tee, with OBs, distance, par and path to the next hole. Intrepid types with bikes can peddle here in about 30-40 minutes from the city center. Find Slotermeer (a Westside lake) on a map that includes the entire city—Sloterpark runs along the lakes west shore.

Please email us any changes or suggestions you might have. We appreciate it!