Hey

Let me introduce myself, I'm Chris, I'm from New York (formerly New Amsterdam!) and I've spent the last couple of months working so I can make my great big move to the real, original Amsterdam! I'm trying to find a place to live so any advice? Experiences/suggestions on good places/areas to live? And anyone I can contact like an agency or websites to look at?

Looking forward!

Welcome to Globals and welcome to Amsterdam!
Are you already here and do you like it so far?

For finding a place, you can look at www.kamernet.nl. You can make an account there, buy replies (it's not very expensive) and then you can reply to all kind of people who offer rooms. They can invite you to look at the room, and maybe they'll choose you to life there. The response is quite high, so it's advisory to respond to lots of rooms you like! There lots of cool neighborhoods, I live in 'De Pijp', in the South. I adore this neighborhood! But there are lots of more cool places to stay!

You can take a look at this site too: www.isn-amsterdam.nl/liveandwork/accomodation.html. It's for international students and they give advice about where to find a place, work, travel, etc.

What are your plans for doing in Amsterdam?

Nah, not yet. I was living in New York, but my parents live in Denver, Colorado so I'm back here with all my baggage. Can't bring it all to Europe! Get some snow boarding done before I leave... I have been to Amsterdam, I did a Eurotrip with some friends a couple years back and I've been dreaming of moving ever since. Great place, beautiful and friendly people and pretty different from the rest of Europe.

Thanks for the advice, I'll look into it! I don't know much about Amsterdam neighborhoods and I don't think many people know how to distinguish one from the other. What's De Pijp like? Is there a bad part to it, a more convenient part? Public Transport?

In NY, you can't really trust what landlords tell you about the area, they just want you to rent it and you find out all kinds of things after! So first hand accounts from someone I'm not gonna be renting from would be really useful....probably for anyone thinking of moving to holland!

It's good to hear the best people live in Amsterdam.. I agree of course !

About neighborhoods:
De Pijp is near the center, has lots of bars, restaurants and shops, and it isn't as touristic as the city center, that's why I love it.

In general the center, old South and old West are pretty good, but there are lots of more good neighborhoods. I guess Osdorp and de Bijlmer are not that good, but if I was you I would just look where a room is and go have a look at the streets and neighborhood; you'll easily see whether you feel comfortable or not.

It's funny you're leaving NYC for Amsterdam.. I live in Amsterdam and I like it a lot, but I would love to live in NY some day! It's such a great city!

Yeah! New York is the best place to be in the States. Probably because its not very American lol. Steffy planning to move there soon?

I don't think I'll be able to visit rooms, I was hoping to sort one out before I arrive. Will that be a problem? I mean, I've lived in dumps so I don't care what it looks like, but the location does matter. It needs to be lively and full of character. Guess I'm looking for Amsterdam's Soho?

I think that should be possible, they'll understand that I suppose!

Yeah I'd love to live in NY some day, definitely! But there are so many cities/places I want to live! I'll guess there is time to do it, and NY is somewhere high up my list

How is Denver?

Denver's actually surprisingly cool. We get pretty good weather for the most part of the year (don't be fooled into thinking its always cold) and its a city that's not as spread out as others. Its got a huge art scene and even though New York wins on this, its got a lot of nightlife and dining options. Its not something that excites me anymore but coming back is always fun because you'll usually find a new restaurant opening and in the summer it gets really lively. Not that I'll be here to experience it this year!

That's sounds pretty good indeed, and I must admit I had never heard of it before! I guess that's the 'problem' with the US, there are so many such famous cities, the ones that are a little less known but probably just as cool I dont know at all...

So how are the Amsterdam plans going?