Get Informed! Boom Chicago publishes the best Amsterdam information for visitors in the free BOOM Magazine. When you arrive, pick one up at Boom Chicago's theater (Leidseplein 12), most hotels and many popular tourist locations. Click

Trams, taxis, and bikes Tram Tricks The introduction of the OV chipcard, while good for locals, is awful for tourists. Because tourists basically can’t get the good cards, tram prices have defacto more than doubled. Don’t mourn the end

Naughty Amsterdam: Sex The Red Light District Keep your eyes open, your money out of sight, and don’t get pickpocketed, but the red light district is not as dangerous as you might think. During the day, it seems more like a neighborhood.

Naughty Amsterdam: Drugs The Coffee Shop Situation Former mayor Patijn (pa-TINE) led a productive effort to squeeze out troublesome coffee shops (who deal harder drugs and attract criminals) and license the rest. In 1996, the first coffee shop

That Amsterdam something... That Amsterdam something... It's hard to say why life in Amsterdam is so great. Yes, we've got museums, cafés, and culture. Yes, the canals are beautiful. Yes, the nightlife, bars, and coffee shops keep the place fun

Boom Chicago Boom Chicago It is not only the best night out in Amsterdam, but also one of the funniest groups you'll ever see. If you like Whose Line is it Anyway?, Second City, or Saturday Night Live (when it's funny), then you'll love

I amsterdam After using tired cliches of canals, wooden shoes and windmills for too long, the city launched the slogan I Amsterdam to highlight a more modern, more urban, more creative (and more multi-cultural) Amsterdam. The new

Why not stay in a Botel? Boom Chicago will feature interesting hotels in Amsterdam. We start with the Amsterdam Botel, an unusual place to stay just a 10 minute ferry ride away from Centraal Station. The converted boat no longer sails, but has been

The Basics Don't be fooled by the great price at which a place sells foreign currency. The price they buy foreign currency (from you, their real business) will be less. Although that little voice inside you tells you not to change your

Going Out and Nightlife A normal bar closes at 1am (3am Fri-Sat), a night bar 3am (4am), and a disco goes until 4am (5am). Follow this link for a detailed map to most of the locations listed here Leidseplein (D8) The Leidseplein is cool again

Tuschinksi Movie Theater Movie Palace of the 20th Century Becomes Movie Palace of the 21st Century Column by Boom Chicago co-owner Andrew Moskos Everyone always loathed about the wonderful Tuschinski cinema. 'Stunning deco design' raves Time Out

A Bike Story Column by Boom Chicago co-owner Andrew Moskos In a city where supposedly 'everything goes,' two new police initiatives have been targeting a most mundane group: bicyclists. One reason Amsterdam is such a wonderful place to