What are the things that people for in a city: helpful residents, avenues of entertainment, proper infrastructure, safety, inexpensive cost of living, comfortable climate (in no particular order).
I rate Amsterdam very highly on all of the above except the climate - but then that cannot be helped.
Let us look at the different aspects separately:
Wonderful people:
In Amsterdam, most residents are very open to strangers and in embracing them. I have lost count of the number of times the people have gone out of the way to help me. I find it difficult to believe that it was some of their ancestors who along with the Brits went to South Africa and later started apartheid there.
The other aspect about the people in Amsterdam which fascinates me is the diversity. Because of the diversity one can pursue a variety of hobbies and interests. One in every seventh resident is an expat - and that is without counting the tourists (who actually outnumber the locals in the major city squares)
And the tourists, what fun they are - they quadruple the energy level in the city with their enthusiasm, excitement and sense of adventure.
Another aspects which appeals to me is the Egalatarian & Calvinistic nature of the Dutch society. Showing off is actually considered uncool and I love the fact that I am not pressurised to do things just to appear 'kewl'.
I also like the fact that the Dutch are probably the most liberal of people worldwide - one can do anything as long as one does not encroach the lives of others.
Infrastructure (transportation):
One does not need to worry about traffic or commuting - the city is so small that it is difficult to get late for appointments. A bicycle is good enough to transport oneself from one corner of the city to the other (One can even walk from one corner to the other even before the first drop of sweat).
A wonderful public transportation system just makes things even more easier.
Infrastructure (cleanliness):
High rates of taxation, and the smallness of the city has resulted in an over efficient municipality that keeps the city shining all the time - for e.g., on Queen's day, most streets in the big squares are filled by empty beer cans which are a few layers deep. The next morning, one won't even realize that such a party happened.
Moreover, being a small city where a substantial part of the city-centre is blocked for motorized vehicles, mean that most people either walk, bicycle or use electricity based public transportation. The result: clean air. The only polluting smell that you find is probably the smell of legalized soft drugs near the world famous red light district.
A lot of electricity is produced using renewable sources like windmills (some of which are actually off the shore and deep inside sea waters)
Avenues of Entertainment:
Ice skating rinks in winter, canoeing sites in summer, martial arts classes, and other diversions are just 5 minutes away by bicycle. Since the city is small, the hotspots are close by, and one can reach them in no time after office.
It is one of the major party capitals of the world. I have never seen any other city innundated with so many advertisements of parties everywhere. ( I have never been to Ibiza or Rio to make a comparison). One just needs to experience Queens day to get an idea about the craziness for parties here - when they advertise it as the biggest party worldwide, I guess they are not entirely wrong.
Apart from active avenues of entertainment as mentioned above, there are just as many avenues for people seeking passive forms of relaxation and diversion. No place in the city is more than 5 minutes away from a park by bicycle. The canals, etc make for a picturesque stroll too.
Safety:
An extremely efficient police force (and the small size of the city which makes it easy for the police to monitor the city) makes it one of the safest city worldwide. Dutch girls walk alone in isolated corners of the city (the so called immigrant filled ghetto regions) at unearthly hours like 3am/4am.
By legalizing soft drugs and prostitution, they have actually intelligently solved many problems.
Being a very safe city, one can go anywhere, and do anything without the tension of getting late or having to return home early.
Others:
* The city is very picturesque - photographers can spend their entire lifetime within the small boudaries of the city and yet not finish marveling at the wonders. The canals every few metres, the majestic bridges, the lights reflecting on the waters in the canals, and the cute buildings with walls that protrude outwards and defy gravity make for very wonderful sights. Even the graffiti is so very artistic.
And if you would like some variety, you can always bicycle to pristine places like sea coasts, islands#, etc - all within an hour or two.
(# - islands like Marken are connected to the mainland by dykes)
*
Centrally located within Europe - traveling to most places within the continent won't burn your pockets.
* Trying to decipher the local language is like solving a puzzle - it is so very similar to English in pronounciation but wildly different in spelling that deciphering a statement is like solving a lateral puzzle. And it is a good way to probably understand etymology and origin of languages.
Climate:
Yes, the Dutch like to complain about the weather, and a constant desire to be in Spain all the time. But for an Indian who grew up in extreme heat, I find this a welcome break.
Moreover, if one looks at the Mercer rating on the world's best cities to live in (considered the authorative guide on this topic), the other cities above Amsterdam in the list are actually the extremely cold cities in the Scandinavia, the Alps and New Zealand. Or cities in Germany.
Remove the extremely cold cities from the Mercer ratings (and the German cities - where knowing the English language alone won't see you through) .... and lo and behold - you will agree with my rating.
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Things that I wished were better: lower tax rates, shops open beyond 5pm on weekdays, greater diversity of restaurants (but then the city is so small too), more vacancy in the bicycling parking spots (especially near the central station), lesser number of junkies close to the RLD and lesser bicycle thefts.
Labels: Amsterdam, Favourite City
