Destination: Amsterdam

Spoiler alert: I am obsessed with Amsterdam! I’ve never been so taken with any city before - loved the culture, the ambiance, the people, the light…EVERYTHING. So here’s a quick recap — with more posts on Dutch style to come!

Ok, first things first - where to stay. I took my friend Page’s recommendation & stayed at The Pulitzer hotel & it was perfect. As you can see below, The Pulitzer comprises 25 historic buildings dating from 1600’s on, all ringed around a lovely courtyard….I’ve never seen a hotel quite like it!

Each room is completely different, as they are carved out of little nooks & crannies in the existing architecture…

…but don’t let the historic feel make you think this is grandma’s attic! The interior design is completely fresh & modern, with jewel-toned color, lush fabrics & lots of modern art.

And of course, this being Holland - there are flowers EVERYWHERE in the hotel!

They have a charming restaurant called Jansz so if you’re jetlagged or just want to collapse after long day of walking around Amsterdam (we averaged 10 miles a day, no joke!), the hotel restaurant is great option. They also have a cozy, moody little bar that is divine. OK - now to go exploring….

Rijksmuseum is huge, chock full of historical Dutch art, furniture & artifacts (such as the beautiful pieces above). Think replicas of ships from Holland’s glory days as a trading empire, Dutch oil still lifes and landscapes, Old Master portraits...

Antiquing - I hit places at the high end and low end, with good luck all around! You can’t go wrong visiting the Antiek Centrum Amsterdam, which is enormous & filled with decorative vintage accessories, prints, Delft tiles — things that can fit easily in your suitcase.

This is a GORGEOUS antiques shop on Prinsengracht with pieces from all over Europe.

Boutiques galore - it was such a treat to be in a city with so many one-of-kind, made right here-shops. I fell in love with just about everything at Eland & Vanderhelst (below), which has just simple dresses, accessories & homewares…

Amsterdam is a town that REALLY gets vintage & used clothing — below is just one of many, many such places we found….

You won’t find a cuter shop anywhere than La Savonnerie! They make all their own soaps & accessories locally. AND lucky for us Americans, they actually seem to have a working website & can take online orders.

I adore their little “wash bags,” oilcloth covered makeup bags…they’re lightweight, durable & stainproof. Comes in all different colors & sizes…

Anne Frank House

This was the #1 thing I wanted to do & the same was true for my 18-year old daughter. So it was a bit concerning when planning our last-minute trip to realize that most of the tickets are sold out 8 weeks in advance; ALL of the tickets are sold online, none at the box office. However, our Concierge told us to log into the online lottery at 8:30-ish AM (the lottery goes live at 9 am every morning) & we were lucky enough to get tickets that way.

Visiting the “secret annex” was incredibly powerful & a must for everyone I think. Email me if you need more info re: tix - I have more specifics…

Haley & me on one of the MANY canal bridges. The Pulitzer Hotel and the Anne Frank House are both located in the area behind this bridge…

Galleries everywhere - I picked up a wonderful collage/print & few other pieces of art at local galleries. I particularly liked Galerie Atelier Stam, which includes the proprietor’s working studio right in the middle of the showroom. Beautiful work!!

I’ve got some follow-up things on the trip I’ll share soon but in meantime, check out Karima Hunter’s A Note on Style blog - I used her travel guide AND packing tips for Amsterdam, and it was spot on! Thx, Karima, for picking my clothes out for me:)

Ok, that’s all for now! Happy early Spring to everyone!!

Cheers,
Lee