This is the fourth and final part of our series of special Amsterdam itineraries, with the first three having focused on history, outdoors, and museums. Here we’ll enjoy a day that uses the iAmsterdam Card to save money and time while seeing quite a few styles of art and design.

Where to stay

While most of Amsterdam’s famous sights are fairly close together in the city center, a few of the most interesting ones are out on the edges. For design enthusiasts on a day like today we’ll recommend the Golden Tulip Amsterdam-Centre Hotel, which boasts contemporary Dutch furnishings and artwork in a comfortable 4-star setting.

The location is walking distance from Centraal Station, which is also the city’s hub and where we’ll be starting from today.

First stop: Museum Het Schip

Board Tram 22 (transportation is free to iAmsterdam Card holders) in front of the train station and in about 15 minutes you’ll have gone through some of Amsterdam’s more modern suburbs to arrive at the Museum Het Schip. This is dedicated to architecture and specifically what is known as the ‘Amsterdam School’ of architecture. It is set in three buildings, one of which is a former post office designed to look like a ship, giving the museum its name.

Here you’ll be able to really appreciate the famous northern European economy of space and quality of materials. There are displays inside that show how buildings were designed and families lived in such a unique environment.

Next stop: Galleries in the Jordaan neighborhood

Jump back aboard Tram 22 toward the city center, but halfway back you’ll alight at the edge of the Prinsengracht Canal, and a short walk south will have you arriving in Amsterdam’s trendiest residential neighborhood. The Jordaan is highly recommended even though it contains no typical tourist attractions. Take a stroll down Jordaan’s narrow streets to soak in the artistic vibe provided by the creative people who turned this area from a slum to chic a couple decades ago.

There are small galleries on most of the main streets, frequently offering works that are modestly priced in spite of the quality. The whole area is a visual delight as the traditional canal houses combine the classic Dutch architecture from the 1600′s with a edgy touch.

Lunch: A cafe in the Jordaan

Among the reasons to visit this neighborhood is the opportunity to feel like a trendy local resident with very few tourists around. There are small cafes all over, many featuring vegetarian cuisine or international fusions. This is where many of the city’s most creative chefs operate, and finding a great lunch is an easy task.

Next stop: Stedelijk Museum

The Stedelijk is Amsterdam’s largest and finest modern art museum, and after some recent transitions it finally moves into its new permanent home in the museum district in January 2011. You can take the Prinsengracht shuttle bus to Leidsestraat for a tram ride, but if the weather is nice, this will be a lovely 15-minute walk from the Jordaan area.

In operation since 1874, the new building will highlight the 90,000 modern and contemporary pieces even better than before, as the building itself is a work of art.

Next stop: Huis Marseille, Museum for photography

You can take another tram from the Stedelijk right into the heart of the city, alighting at the Keizersgracht Canal. This will be the first of 3 smaller gallery stops that are quite close together. The Huis Marseille, like the others, is set in a traditional canal house, so part of the attraction is seeing how open and spacious these residences are in spite of the compact look from the front.

This gallery has a permanent collection and revolving temporary exhibits of contemporary and historical photographs, each presented and lit beautifully.

Next stop: Foam Fotography Museum

Just a short walk down Keizersgracht and you’ll arrive at the Foam Fotography Museum. This is similar in many ways to the Huis Marseille, but the photography displayed inside tends to be edgier and artsier, usually by younger photographers. There are always three different exhibitions spread out over the different floors, but it’s still small enough to be appreciated in less than an hour.

Next stop: Museum of Bags & Purses Hendrikje

Finally, just around the corner from the Foam Photography Museum you’ll come to what’s billed as the largest museum of handbags and purses in the world. Again set in a traditional canal house, this unusual collection displays bags dating from the 16th Century all the way up through today. Certainly not everyone’s cup of tea, but many will find it fascinating, and it’s a quick visit in addition to being free with the iAmsterdam Card.

Last stop: Dinner at Rembrandtplein

The final museum was just around the corner from Rembrandtplein (Rembrandt Square), which is the city’s trendiest area for cafes, bars, and nightclubs. Most of the main part of the square is lined with grand cafes, so choose one for dinner and relax while taking in the fashion parade.

Photos courtesy of Tom Townsend

The show programme is on invitation and for professionals only. AIFW takes place at the former Gas Factories in Amsterdam’s ‘Westergas’ area. Young and established designers show their collections on the Amsterdam catwalk. With the growing interest in ‘Dutch Design’, Amsterdam International Fashion Week attracts a growing audience of directional international brands, buyers and press.

Answering to immense popular demand, Fashion Week DOWNTOWN consists of numerous public catwalk shows, parties, shop launches, lectures and expositions, all organized in collaboration with local museums, galleries, clubs and shops.

Focusing on Amsterdam’s reputation as an inspiring city, the AIFW programme combines commerce with creativity. Our city has a lot to offer: a growing pool of talent, an inspiring place to visit and a vibrant place to do business.

Photo credits: Amsterdam International Fashion Week, Peter Stigter; Portland Fashion Week, badlyricpolice; Tokyo Fashion Show, dat

We spent our time in Tokyo exploring all the districts. I was shocked by how many “downtowns” Tokyo has. All areas of the city are constantly buzzing with activity at all hours of the day and night. Even more surprising is how clean the city is. I think my favorite spots in Tokyo were the Meiji Shrine, the Tokyo Tower, the Asakusa district, Harajuku, and the Sumida River waterfront. At the Meiji Shrine, we saw several traditional Shinto weddings, and I was in awe by the beauty of the brides’ kimonos. From the top of the Tokyo Tower we were treated to a 360-degree view of the city, and got some perspective on the city’s density.

Both Asakusa and Harajuku are great areas for walking. A type of promenade in Asakusa leads to the Sensoji Temple, and it is lined with small vendors selling souvenirs and traditional Japanese treats. We went to Harajuku on a Sunday afternoon, and it’s a good thing we did! On Sundays, young people head out to Harajuku dressed as rockabillys, anime characters, and Goths. It was really cool to see a bunch of teens dressed up in elaborate costumes when it wasn’t Halloween. Another bizarre and unique thing we did was go to a cat café; meaning a café filled with cats for people to hang out with. Crazy!

Kyoto had a completely different feel from Tokyo. It’s what you envision when you close your eyes and think of traditional Japan. We stayed in a traditional Japanese inn and got to couch surf as well. The best sites in Kyoto were the Sanjusangen-do Temple that houses 1000 Kannon statues, Nijo Castle, the Pontocho neighborhood along the water front, Gion, and the Inari Shrine. While walking through Gion, we saw a geisha that was beautiful beyond belief. Her dress, hair, and make-up were unbelievably elaborate-much more stunning than I could have ever imagined.

Our couch surfing host lived around the corner from Inari Shrine. The main shrine sits at the base of Mt. Inari, but there are thousands of smaller shrines along a trail that circles the mountain. In addition to the shrines, the trail is completely lined with torii gates. Their size, quantity, and beauty did not cease to impress us even after walking under the last one. It was amazing.

Our last stop was Hiroshima, and we were impressed by the liveliness and beauty of the city, especially considering what happened there 65 years ago. We first stopped at the Peace Museum and Peace Memorial Park, where we learned a considerable amount about what happened the day of the atomic bombing. We walked around the sobering memorials dedicated to victims of the event. It was an inspiring place.

From Hiroshima we took a ferry to the island of Miyajima where we were greeted by a herd of deer running about while trying to snag food from onlookers. Miyajima is famous for the O’torii gate that appears to float on the water. The gate was especially beautiful when the sun was setting on the island. We hiked up Mt. Misen, which gave us a stunning view of the ocean and surrounding islands.

Besides all the great sight-seeing experiences, we also had excellent food experiences. The food in Japan is so delicious! We had our fair share of sushi, especially in Tokyo. We ate at several “floating” sushi bars in Tokyo. We were also lucky enough to have sushi at the Tsukiji Market. In Tokyo, we ate at a restaurant with an automated menu, where you ordered from a coin-operated machine outside the restaurant. In Kyoto we had excellent ramen and in Miyajima, we had a traditional savory pancake dish called okonomiyaki.

I don’t think there are enough words to describe all the beautiful and interesting things that I saw in Japan, but all in all it was an amazing place with amazing character and incredible people. Thank you so much for this opportunity…it was without a doubt the trip of a lifetime.

Photos credits: courtesy of Raquel Benito

Photo credits: Ginza, Amsterdam, Portland

For many years I have said, “I want Portland to be the Amsterdam of America” and when you visit Amsterdam, (and from there to Copenhagen), prepare to be impressed by the sheer number of enthusiastic cyclists. They ride to work, school, shops – everything! – is simply part of the culture in those cities. On my Blue Ribbon Committee trip last year, we rode our bikes almost the entire trip (except for a couple taxi rides to and from the airport, and a couple mass transit rides). I was pleasantly surprised to see that our agenda included time to get from place to place … via bicycle! But then again, bikes are the most efficient way to get around, bikeway facilities are excellent, and bicycling is a normal part of daily life.

One fun thing to check out en route or in Copenhagen is a Web site called Cycle Chic. Great photographs! Notice how they cycle in their normal clothes.– no spandex or helmets. Over 1/3 of all trips are done on a bicycle. And, they mostly ride bikes that are designed for comfortable, safe urban mobility, not for going fast and furiously. Riders of all ages sit up straight, look around and are tuned in to their surroundings.

For those travelers coming to Portland (hopefully also on the nonstop from Amsterdam!) start by visiting Web sites that help you dive into the culture of cycling, including BikePortland, the Community Cycling Center and the Bicycle Transportation Alliance. Then follow up with some fantastic cycling to some of Oregon’s great festivals, concerts and wineries: some of these rides benefit wonderful causes, such as The Children’s Heart Foundation. And of course, I invite visitors to stop in at a Bike Gallery store for maps and fun cycling gear. We’re the “local, family owned bike store dedicated to connecting people with bicycles, and creating healthier hearts, minds and communities”.

Happy cycling!

Jay Graves
Owner, The Bike Gallery
Portland, Oregon

Photo credits: bicycle garage, Dan Kamminga; woman biking, Lars Daniel, Jay Graves, Courtesy of Bike Gallery