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The best summer locations in A’dam

3. July 2018/in /by David

Throughout the whole year Amsterdam offers many kinds of attractions and activities – interesting museums, vibrant night-life in the red-light district and canals with the bridges covered in beautiful flowers and bicycles. What is special in the summer (what I didn’t even know when I first visited Amsterdam) is that you can experience something more summer like – urban beaches! During the summer these beaches provide festivals, parties, activities, drinks & food and just a little bit more vacation-like atmosphere to the city holiday!

1.Roest

When asking for recommendations for urban beaches, you probably will hear the name Roest mentioned often. Roest is in the east of Amsterdam near by the Brouwerij’t IJ – so if you cycle there you can pass one of the eight windmills in Amsterdam as well.

The concept of Roest is interesting, the venue is well used in the old industrial area – it is a café, bar and a restaurant (the food looks amazing), it also holds a lot of events and parties. For example, on the 14th of July you can participate in the Respect the 80’s party here!

2.Strand Zuid

Strand Zuid is located a bit more in the east, easy to get to with the metro line 50 from Sloterdijk. Alternatively cycling is also a nice option, since the area in the south is very scenic.

The first thing I noticed here when I arrived at Strand Zuid, was how charming the surroundings were. Cute little lanterns and a lot of green plants help make the place feel really cozy and fresh. Just a quick turn from the cycling path and you’re experiencing a totally different atmosphere. Strand Zuid offers nice terrace tables by the view to the Zuidpool and the Beatrix park behind it, but also tables and chairs on the beach where you can just take your shoes off and enjoy the day.

3.Dok

One of my favorite ones is definitely Dok. 13-minutes cycling from Teleport and you’re already there! At this place the view towards the water is actually outside of the beach, but when you get inside it doesn’t really matter anymore. At Dok you have almost everything else a beach would require – people walking bare foot, beach volleyball, sand and of course the palm trees! Literally you can just go there, take your shoes off and relax with a beer or a plate of nachos.

Dok also hosts a lot of events and on the 7th of July, you will find a Tapas Food Festival there!

4.Sloterplas

Interested in swimming, renting a kayak or a sailboat, having a picnic, running, yoga, exercising in an outdoor gym or just having a drink on a terrace? Well Sloterplas is a great place to visit then! I cycle pass this lake every day, but only recently found out about the beach (with seashells) where you can actually swim. Albert Heijn is not too far either (5 minutes away), so getting the picnic foods is not too much of a trouble. And if you don’t want to sit in the sand, on the other side of Sloterplas there are nice grass areas.

Sloterplas in very conveniently located from Teleport – only 9 minutes of cycling or 28 minutes of walking.

5.Het Stenen Hoofd

This small beach with more casual-like atmosphere is just 5 minutes from the central station. There is a little beach café, where you can order lemonades, soft drinks and snacks. I tried their lemon lemonade, which was really good – bubbly and sweet. You can have a drink at the café on its terrace or lay on the little beach left-side of the café with your own food.

From here you have a pretty nice view to the north – you can spot the A’dam tower and the NDSM for example.

On the 7th till the 8th of July you can find a beer festival here with live wrestling, tasty food and different craft beers!

Besides these five, there are other urban beaches in Amsterdam: Pllek in the north and Blijburg aan Zee in the east of Amsterdam. These two also host different events throughout the summer: open air movie nights at Pllek and different music events in the huge beach of Blijburg aan Zee.

As a non-local I definitely recommend these places for the people who are interested in doing something a bit different on their holiday to Amsterdam. After visiting some museums, I can’t think of anything better than relaxing on an urban beach with good music, tasty food and cold drinks or even enjoying a festival!

On this map you can check out all the places I mentioned and find the most convenient one![:]

Cold and Rainy Amsterdam: What to do?

26. December 2016/in /by David

Here is a scenario. You booked a nice city trip to Amsterdam. Flight tickets are booked and your stay at Amsterdam Teleport Hotel is confirmed! Now it’s time to get really excited. Evenings go by sitting at the couch, browsing the internet and looking at all the different places you want to visit. The number of places you are putting on your Amsterdam bucket list becomes quite overwhelming. There is so much to do and to see! But apart from not having enough time, what can go wrong during the trip you are asking to yourself? Then you realize there is one thing you haven’t checked yet: the weather! You add Amsterdam on your favourite weather app on your phone; you refresh the page a couple of times. Can it be true? Is the app working properly? You check other weather pages and that’s when you fully realize; it will be grey and rainy every single day of your trip! How is this possible you are wondering?

Here is a “comfortable” thought and explanation. Amsterdam has a mild sea climate with relatively warm winters and refreshing summers. Amsterdam gets on average 800mm of rain, spread out over 184 days, per year! But don’t worry; this is all normal for us! Local people are completely used to this type of climate. Most of us don’t even get bothered too much when the skies open up once again and we have to go bike to work, school or just for meeting a friend. And the good news is, since we have to deal with it 50% of the year, there is tons of exciting things to do even when it rains cats and dogs! So let me help you lift up your mood a bit and make you excited again for visiting our beautiful city!

Let me start by recommending two very cool places not too far from the hotel: Westergasfabriek and De (Food) Hallen. Both places are very popular cultural hotspots in the city and offer tons of different activities year round. Westergasfabriek has a big variety of different shops, coffee places, galleries, restaurants and bars. Once per month they organise a big largely indoor fashion, design and art market. Definitely worth a visi

If you decide to go a little bit further, by tram of course, why get under the rain when Amsterdam has such a good public transportation system, you get to De Hallen. De Hallen is a former tram depot that recently has been turned into a multipurpose cultural complex. Here you will find one of Amsterdam’s biggest food courts and lots of galleries and stores with unique souvenirs from Amsterdam. Those who are into cinema can eat their heart out as well. De Hallen has the largest independent movie theatre in The Netherlands which on top of that even has a one cinema hall (number 7) that is on the UNESCO heritage list because of its historical art deco interior.

I can hear you thinking: “This doesn’t sound too bad but what about the historical city centre”? Also in “old” Amsterdam there are many things to do when the weather is not cooperating. In the red light district for example there is the TonTon club. A cool, old school arcade hall where you can play lots of pinball machines and your all-time favourite classic racing, shoot-em-up games! After you had enough of game nostalgia you can go for a delicious local draft beer at Brouwerij de Prael or for those who want a bit more of a touristic beer experience at Brouwerij ‘t IJ which is located in a classic Dutch windmill. If gaming is not really your thing and you are wondering what to do, you should definitely go for a comfortable canal cruise. The easiest way to explore the city, all dry and provided with interesting historical information throughout the trip. During the winter months you might want to go for a special Amsterdam Light Festival watercolour cruise during the night.

After the canal cruise and getting to know you should visit one of the many museums Amsterdam has to offer. Get your skip the line ticket at the front desk of the hotel and get inside straight away while other tourists are waiting outside being all cold and wet! The Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh museum, Eye Film museum, Nemo Science museum, Anne Frank house, Tropical museum, Hermitage and Foam photo museum are just few of the exciting options that you have.

Another cool activity on a rainy day is to visit one of the many escape rooms Amsterdam has to offer. Sherlocked is located under the Beurs van Berlage, in the heart of the city centre. Other great options are Claustrophobia and Zombie escape.

Last but not least there are two places totally worth mentioning that are a bit further away. On the other side of the IJ river (behind Amsterdam Central station) there are the IJ-hallen. Here you can find the largest flee market of Europe. You have to be lucky though. The market is held only one time per month. The last place I think that should complete this list is The World of Food. This food court can be found in the Bijlmer a.k.a. Amsterdam Zuidoost. This food court represents the true multicultural spirit of the city. Amsterdam people with roots from all over the world share their delicious food for affordable prices!

So nothing to worry about when coming to Amsterdam, there is always something to do! For those who are still a bit unsure and afraid of the bad weather, we provide free umbrella’s at Teleport! :)

The Best Christmas Gifts from Amsterdam

13. December 2016/in /by David

This Christmas we challenge you to be more creative with Christmas gifts you bring home from Amsterdam! It’s time to find a worthy alternative to typical Dutch cheese, stroopwafels, tulip bulbs and Delft blue pottery that you usually would get as a souvenir from Amsterdam. This city has so much more to offer when it comes to original presents and fresh ideas. So let us share our favorite unusual Christmas gifts with you.

Scratch maps or solar queens from By Popular Demand

How about a scratch map as an original Christmas present from Amsterdam? A world map poster becomes personalized when your friends take a coin and scratch the surface to reveal the countries they have visited. Look for more of such unique gifts at By Popular Demand, where weird lamps, quirky socks, tote bag with a map of Amsterdam on it and funny pillows only start the list.

Raadhuisstraat 2

Moustache wax or special knives from Concrete Matter

You can find truly manly Christmas gifts at a bit posh Concrete Matter store that has prepared a huge collection of presents for him. Whether it will be whiskey disks to chill a drink without diluting, moustache wax for a great look, a radiometer to have a fancy object or a high quality pocket knife to use while camping, any gentleman would appreciate items from this shop. Just focus on what your man likes and you won’t leave Concrete Matter without a nice buy.

Haarlemmerdijk, 127

Street Art Calendar from ASA

Amsterdam Street Art is proud to present a limited edition calendar 2017. Explore the pieces by 14 greatest street artists of Amsterdam and give this wall calendar as a gift to your friends. The most talented guys did their best to create this unique art item that can add up a nice vibe to any place. Teleport Hotel embraces street art (maybe you have noticed one of the colorful rooms with the street art pieces already) and loves ASA!

Prinsengracht, 64

Wall vases or paper animals from Store Without a Home

If you want to add some creativity to your friend’s cozy place with your gift, then Store Without a Home is the best destination. Choose among extraordinary interior goods like wall vases, 3D puzzles that you can use as wall decorations, storytiles, porcelain monkey masks and lots of other design accessories. This shop hosts interesting shapes, conceptual designs and inspirational items that you will want to get even as a Christmas gift for yourself

Haarlemmerdijk, 26

Gluhwine chocolate from TONY’s Chocolonely

Since there is no Christmas without chocolate, why not bring an exceptional bar made in Amsterdam? We can’t emphasize how good 100% slavery-free TONY’s Chocolonely chocolate with a story to tell, but Christmas special edition suppresses all expectations. This year’s flavor is milk chocolate with gluhwine! Yes, you’ve heard it right-gluhwine as a flavor, and believe us-it’s delicious!

Polonceaukade, 20

Coloring book of Amsterdam at Athenaeum Boekhandel

In the times when coloring is not only suitable for kids, but is much appreciate by adults, get a stress relieving gift from the Netherlands-a coloring book of Amsterdam. Your friend will be making the city alive with colors, while you will be sharing you crazy stories from our vacation. Lots of details, recognizable spots and the most famous streets of the city are ready to be colored.

Rijksmuseum, Museumstraat, 1

A colorful mug from Blond Amsterdam

We don’t suggest you a boring mug as a present (that would be way too cliché), but instead we recommend you a bright collection by Amsterdam’s local brand. Blond Amsterdam will help you choose a very personal mug that shows the interests, profession or character of the future owner. Their blond girl is easily recognizable and will make an amazing gift for any ladies.

Gerard Doustraat, 69

[:]

Street Art Transformation of Teleport

4. December 2016/in /by David

“Blank walls are a shared canvas and we’re all artists.”

Carla H. Krueger

When we started with alternative art tours for our guests around Amsterdam and met great guys from AllTourNative, little did we know how carried away we would get. Teleport had no clue where this collaboration would bring us and what would grow out of it. It’s been developing step by step: first we got introduced to Amsterdam Street Art (ASA) association (really talented street artists, who create true masterpieces!), then we decided to make Teleport Hotel more artsy and got so much inspiration that we couldn’t hold it anymore. That’s how the idea of Amsterdam Street Art Event was born.

We had the canvas of the blank walls, and we felt that we needed the artists to change them into something unique and breathtaking. And we were lucky to know just the right guys for it, who could share their talent with our guests and add up to the open-minded spirit of Teleport Hotel. Now we’re happy to share what turned out of a very special event last week.

2 days, 8 artists, 20 rooms

We’re fortunate enough to welcome guests to the city of Amsterdam that embodies freedom and liberty, and that has motivated us to give all the freedom of creativity to 8 selected (amazing!) artists from ASA. These talented guys have their own distinctive styles, and we knew that we made the right choice the moment we saw bright color sprays on the once boring white walls.

This time our hotel started with 20 rooms that were ready for transformation and new character with any form of alternative art on their walls. And since we like sharing happy moments with our guests, we made a 2-days party out of it with free mojitos, yummy snacks, live DJ, live painting and even street art workshop.

Paint smell, can shakes sound and work in progress

When you entered the hotel you could already smell the work of the artists, but the moment you opened the door of the rooms, you could finally see the work of the creators. Most of ASA guys not only didn’t mind visitors observing their creative process, but they were also willing to tell more about their style and a particular piece. Impressive eyes (whether it was one of a fish, a tree or one by itself) by Sjembakkus were staring at your soul from the walls, while almost real life Salvador Dali by Ives.One was questioning your intentions with his double face. Dotsy’s unique character was teleporting you from one room to another, and PressOne colorful creatures were multiplying without stopping. Beazarility decorated Teleport with detailed Amsterdam symbols easily recognized by tourists, while Sket185 sprayed some old school graffiti throw ups bring Amsterdam streets to the hotel.

Mojitos, workshop and music

In between observing the talents spraying their artwork and making the walls alive, the visitors could catch some fresh air and enjoy freshly prepared mojitos accompanied by delicious snacks. The most adventurous souls even tried themselves at street art by learning how to spray the famous puzzle pieces by Hero de Janeiro. He was giving some speed lessons on stencils art, cracking jokes and working his way up the long corridor wall.

Those with dancing feet could enjoy the vibrant tunes by our DJ and then come back to see the final results of the 2-days hard work of Amsterdam Street Art guys.

What’s now and what will happen next?

Now Teleport Hotel is proud to have 20 rooms decorated with the top street art pieces by all different styles and techniques. The guests are happy with the creative rooms and original walls that they love taking pictures of. The good news is that this event just the start of the Teleport transformation. Amsterdam’s best street artists will return for our next street art event to bring even more colors, creativity and character to the rest of the hotel rooms in February. We can’t wait! Can you?

Teleport Hotel presents: The Street Art event participants!

17. November 2016/in /by David

Teleport Hotel presents: The Street Art event participants!

Just a little less than two weeks before the kick-off of the first Teleport Street Art event in Amsterdam. Two days of creativity, graffiti workshops, live DJ, free mojito’s and some of Amsterdams most talented street artists decorating our hotel rooms with beautiful pieces. You might be wondering who those artists are? What characterizes their unique styles? What does their actual work look like? For those who can’t wait for the event and want to know all about our participating artists here is a small round up with cool info and pictures! But before we start introducing them, we would like to share a bit more about the two organisations that we have been teaming up with to make this event happen.

Amsterdam Street Art

One of the features that unites most of the artists that will be sharing their new pieces with Teleport guests is them being part of the Amsterdam Street Art organisation. ASA’s primary goal is to promote street art and to provide a platform for talented artists. Today ASA represents over 400 artists and helps them to connect to the right projects and art collectors. They have also built a huge online fan base and reaching over 1.2 million people every week through their social media channels when showcasing the latest and most inspiring street art.

AllTourNative

Another organisation that is closely connected to the event is AllTourNative. For almost a year we have already been working together by offering free bike tours every day to our guests and educating them about street art in Amsterdam. During the event we will have extra tours throughout the day. The AllTourNative tour guides are very passionate about street art and know exactly where to find the best hidden pieces in the city. Some of the guides are street artists themselves and we are proud to have Alexxx participating in our event!

Line-up:

During the event we will have 9 artists decorating our rooms and the amazing part is that we will be able to watch them up close when they are working on their latest creations.

The details of SjemBakkus

The creative mind of SjemBakkus expresses itself with so many little details in his artwork that they compile an extraordinary and recognizable style. His art is witty, playful and complex, making you think outside the box and get a different perspective. SjemBakkus dares you to question reality and invites for a dive into the imaginary world of fantasy. His open-minded spirit helped SjemBakkus to stand out with his graffiti at Miami Art Basel and Exhibition Go Gallery. Let’s see what nice details he will bring to the walls of Teleport Hotel next week.

The bold colors of SKET185

What started with the first graffiti written word “BASIC” turned into brave and colorful style of SKET185. He skillfully combines old school with new school, contrasts bright characters with profound shading, thick lines with fine shapes. SKET185 collaborated with Amsterdam Street Art when opening a pop-up shop uniting a large community of artists. His cartoony characters make the walls of Amsterdam alive, so what would he do to the walls of Teleport.

IVES.ONE

This artist from Amsterdam started doing graffiti in 1996. IVES.one is also co-founder and creative director of the ASA organisation. IVES.one started to showcase his work in 2000 during “GRAFFITI OF THE WALL” in Almere. From 2005 he started to combine freehand skills with stencils and ever since has exhibited all around the world with his work.

DOTSY’s dots

DOTSY has a very unique style and is recognized easily throughout the city. It is no surprise that the colorful work of this artists is characterized by a cartoony style, lots of robots, pipes, machinery, dots and cactus spines. This work is something you have to see for yourself to be able fully understand the above description!

HERO DE JANEIRO’s puzzle pieces

Hero is a very colorful character from Amsterdam that got into street art not that long ago but also an artists that gained a lot of fame in a very short time. Together with Ottograph they colored the tiles of Wijdesteeg in the center of Amsterdam conquering the hearts of both tourists and locals with their joyful work. Hero is also famous for his puzzle stencils that despite the lost alley of Wijdesteeg luckily still can be found throughout the city of Amsterdam. During the last month Hero has been working on the pavement in front of Teleport that should be finished by the start of the event!

Styles combination of Beazarility

When it comes to combination of illustrations, photography, street culture and scanned images-Beazarility has mastered his technique and presents stunning pieces to the public. He’s the one who designed the Gay Pride Boat for the municipality of Amsterdam, had his art on display in the galleries of Hollywood and Stedelijk Museum. Lots of Beazarility’s pieces are devoted to Amsterdam, which is also reflected by his two clothing brands. Teleport guests can expect a mix of stencils, Amsterdam symbols and creativity next week from this talented artist.

FRANKI5 FINGERS, Teleport’s House artist

Franki5 Fingers has been connected with Teleport Hotels since the very beginning and responsible for all the beautiful artwork in the hotel so far. Franki5 Fingers had the honor of decorating the first wall in one of our rooms! For those who got curious about our lovely home artist must see his introduction video on our Facebook page!

PRESS ONE

Work from PRESSONE is very easy to recognize as well. His characteristic cartoony figure with big eyes and a stitched mouth can be found all over the city on walls, doors, signs, containers and on construction sites. PRESSONE not only works with graffiti but does a lot of stickers with the same signature cartoony figure as well.

ALEXXX

Alexxx is more of a graffiti historian than anything else. As such, he has documented the ‘artification’ of the culture for the University of Amsterdam, organized projects with the EU on how to use spraycan art to help young refugees with integration, and managed several big urban art projects. Furthermore, he has given countless urban art tours for Alltournative Amsterdam – the number one tour company in the world! As a graffiti art historian, most of his work from his ‘field experience’ days are out there for you to stumble upon, but as an recognized artist, he has painted for the Canvas Hotel, Magneet Festival, Urban Heartbeats, and more. He fuses traditional graffiti funk with the iconic imagery from our postmodern times. Alexxx will paint a triple threat of funky T’s for the Teleport Hotel on Sunday November 27th.

For those who got excited, want to participate in the workshop and watch all our artists while working on their room pieces shouldn’t hesitate any longer and sign up on our Facebook page! We can’t wait till the 27th and 28th of November, can you? :)

Photo credits: globalstreetart.com and amsterdamstreetart.com

Lost glory of the street art in Wijdesteeg

16. October 2016/in /by David

For many people Amsterdam is associated with alternative culture, different progressive subcultures, street art and fresh view on the society. It used to be so, when anti-capitalistic youth often with an anarchic approach were striving in the city, keeping creative spirit alive, adding a soul to the streets and making a community with like-minded individuals. It was also the time when squatting was huge in Amsterdam, expanding the alternative scene and making the city more liberal. Spuistraat and Wijdesteeg once were two very important places in the history of squatting in Amsterdam. Want to know why then keep on reading.

What’s squatting?

While some of you might be familiar with the idea of squatting (maybe you’ve even tried it yourself!), others could be interested in learning more. Usually it refers to occupying an abandoned building with a purpose of residing there. One claims the building without any lawful permission for it, not for renting or owning the new home. Squatting usually comes with a certain mentality, often with a rebellious spirit against the system. That leads to transformation of it from just living in the unoccupied area into a special movement of people sharing the same ideas. It’s estimated that there are around 1 billion squatters around the globe, and this number is expected to grow.

How does it work in Amsterdam?

As expected from open-minded Amsterdam, it has a large community of squatters, who tend to be creative, free-spirited people, with strong values and beliefs. There are even special sessions (kraakspreekuur) organized by squatters, where one can get advice on how and where to do it, rather than just go for the option of “wild” squatting. However, what used to be a city paradise for squatters is there no more, as squatting was criminalized in the Netherlands in 2010. Once legal activity and lifestyle turned into a forbidden action that lead to protests, arrests and some buildings’ demolition. The squatting ban also killed lots of creativity and street art in Amsterdam, as cultural centers and galleries got closed, pieces of wall art got painted over or the walls got destroyed.

The Snakehouse

One of the most iconic squatted spaces in Amsterdam was De Slang, a famous building at Spuistraat with a magnificent colorful snake mural on it. It was well loved by locals, as lots of art events took place there with a great vibe and nice people. The Snakehouse was squatted by artists, which also attracted other creative minds, and beautiful results were born on the walls of Spuistraat and Wijdesteeg. There were covered with astonishing artworks, admired by tourists and locals alike. The narrow street of Wijdesteeg was like an open air street art museum. It used to be one of the most photographed alley of the city, but it has seen its times, as the squatted buildings were taken over by the municipality. The fight between Amsterdam squatters and the municipality lasted long, but the city won with lots of art sacrifices.

Hero de Janeiro

One of the local street heroes that added color to Amsterdam and particularly Wijdesteeg is Hero de Janeiro. This talented artist is known for painting bright puzzle pieces on the dull concrete. Although many of his bigger cool projects are gone with the knocked down or fenced off buildings, some of his work still makes Spuistraat more colorful and joyful. He creates the smaller art by pasting different frames against the city walls, while the larger pieces are mainly made out of stencils that this street artist attaches to Amsterdam walls.

Hero de Janeiro’s most recognizable characters are Jip & Janneke, Karl Lagerfeld with a ghetto blaster (a sign of Hero’s music aspirations, as he’s also an experience DJ), the Dutch milkmaid, Andy Warhol and the tough penguin. All of them intend to make you happier and add more vibrant life to daily routines. These charismatic art pieces appear not only in Amsterdam, but also around the world. And guess where the next one will be! That’s right, Amsterdam Teleport Hotel! Next week Hero de Janeiro will decorate the sidewalk in front of our hotel with his stunning artwork. And even more, he will join us for the Street Art Event at Teleport on 27-28 November, when we’ll be celebrating art with graffiti workshops, live DJ and free Mojitos! You’re invited too! Discover! Create! Inspire!

ADE is coming to town! Are you ready for it?

13. October 2016/in /by David

Middle of October marks the transformation of Amsterdam into the world’s top clubbing capital with the impressive Amsterdam Dance Event (ADE). This 5-day electronic music festival and conference takes over the city, occupying 385 venues with 2,200+ international artists and turning Amsterdam into a clubbing mecca. The program includes performances of professional artists and producers of all electronic styles, covers all other aspects of electronic culture like art, talks, films and offers a conference with 450 speakers and 9 multiple program streams.

If you’re still not persuaded by the size of the ADE, then you will once you decide to join 375,000+ visitors of the festival and start choosing from 450+ events on 19^th-23^rd of October. But how do you decide on the events to attend when the line-up is full with world-famous names during these 5 unbelievable days and nights? Of course, you can personalize your experience by checking the program and selecting your favorite artists, or you can just follow our highlights’ recommendations.

AMF Arena

Are you on a hunt for big names? Then AMF Arena proudly presents the Chainsmokers, David Guetta, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano,Axwell ˄Ingrosso and Hardwell- all in one day! This will be the largest show within the Amsterdam Dance Event with the most spectacular special effects, amazing sound and immense music by legends. You can’t miss out this huge Saturday in Amsterdam!

ZeeZout

Have a different electronic music experience with a 4-day spectacle at floating Undercurrent- unique venue in the north of Amsterdam. This year some of the most impressive names are Hunee, Ben UFO, Hashman Deejay, Daan Donk and many more.

Before Present

How about a combination of electronic dance music and contemporary opera at a hip industrial NDSM Shipyard wharf? DJ-producer and beat maker Sjamsoedin collaborates with classical composer and vocalist Anat Spiegel for this performance, creating an attractive mix of voices and instruments flowing into a vibrant opera.

Phillip Glass & Laurie Anderson

Another marvelous combination of the classical giant and avant-garde composer that come together to amuse you with interdisciplinary music. Phillip Glass uses traditional diatonic harmonies, while Laurie Anderson is a known pioneer in electronic music.

Theo Parrish

Detroit’s king Theo Parrish will be sharing his unique and dynamic music with you all night long at Radion. The performance of this legendary DJ and producer will be accompanied by fresh house music by successful beatmaker Byron the Aquarius and intimate sounds by Wendel Sield.

Free ADE Talks

When tired after days and nights of partying, stop by for a free talk by famous DJs with discussions and time for questions at the new Iamsterdam Store. And sure, it’s not only about talking, but also some danceable DJ sets afterwards to get into the right mood for the next party. You can get your festival tickets and official Amsterdam Dance Event souvenirs here too.

Global Underground ‘Twenty’

All the fans of Global Underground music will have a blast at the 20^th anniversary celebration at Q-Factory in Amsterdam. The most famous headliners of the label will be presented by Darren Emerson, James Lavelle, Habischman and Eelke Kleijn. Lots of great sound, photo exhibition and birthday party.

By now you probably know that the best place to stay at during the Amsterdam Dance Event is Amsterdam Teleport Hotel, as we’ve prepared a special treatment for you for the period of the festival. Get ready for the ADE party with our creative DJ playing those electronic tunes for you and our talented bartender making free fresh Mojitos for all of the guests. Feel the dance vibe upon arrival and throughout the stay! Join us for a 5-day party at Teleport on 19^th-23^rd of October!

The Street Art Life of Amsterdam

9. October 2016/in /by David

As the Banksy exhibition has recently left Amsterdam, it’s time to explore the stunning street-art of the city available year-round and for free. From the first glance it might look that Amsterdam doesn’t have enough graffiti, murals, stencils, stickers and other forms of alternative art, but the first impressions can be deceiving. The truth is that our radiant city is full of them, but you might need to have your eyes open, pay attention and even know the hot spots of the local street artists. Let us help you a bit with that and send you at the right direction.

The NDSM Wharf

We can’t highlight enough the creative artsy spirit of the northern part of Amsterdam, where you see stunning graffiti and stencils every way you look. The NDSM Wharf is a vibrant industrial area with old cranes, trams turned into art projects, metal containers, huge ship halls and plenty of walls. All the colors of street-art look especially bright and vivid here with the rusty objects on the background. You can even see artists creating new pieces right in front of you, making the old walls come to life again. All you need to do is take a free ferry in the direction of NDSM behind the Central Station, and the best water views and street-art are guaranteed! As soon as your ferry arrives to the other side, you will be astonished by a gigantic colorful mural of Anne Frank’s portrait (240 square meters!!), recently painted by a very talented Brazilian artist Eduardo Kobra.

Space Invaders of the Jordaan

The historical and more authentic part of Amsterdam, called the Jordaan, might be one of the least expected places for street-art, but it’s full of small charming pieces. One of the most impressive murals here is done by iconic local artists the London Police that spread love with their joyful LADS characters. The Jordaan also hides a bunch of Space Invaders, which are mosaic artworks spread around 60 cities all over the world. The best news is that now you can collect those pieces through a Flash Invaders app same way as you do with Pokémon these days. Except these invaders are the real art that you find on the walls. Make sure to check out Marnixstraat for constantly updating colorful graffiti.

The Past Glory of Spuistraat

Not that long ago if you walked down Spuistraat in Amsterdam, you could enjoy numerous art pieces on the walls of all the squatted buildings right in the heart of the city. Creativity used to be limitless here, while the rebellious vibe was felt in the air. The situation has changed quite a bit since the municipality took over the central masterpiece of De Slang. What used to be an iconic picture of alternative scene of Amsterdam is unfortunately no more there. However, you can still find a few brightly painted garages’ doors, squatted bars with their doors full of graffiti and millions of small stencils and stickers along the street. Spuistraat is definitely worth having a look still, but you really need to look closely and check out tiny side streets too.

Schellingwoudebrug

In case you want to see whether the roots of Amsterdam’s street art are coming from, then welcome to this bridge (under the bridge to be precise). Just take a tram 14 to the Flevopark, and you will find the graffiti paradise in the end of the line. Schellingwoudebrug goes over the IJ and is the witness of the crazy 90s, when street artists from all over the globe presented their wall pieces to Amsterdam.

Downtown Street Art Map

How about turning your day in Amsterdam into a street art quest? Just use this map to locate the best pieces in town, see how many invaders you can detect and what gallery turns out to be your favorite. Amsterdam’s street art goes way beyond some cool graffiti in the hidden spots, it becomes a trend of the city, worth exhibiting in museums and galleries. Even the local municipality realizes the importance of alternative art for the cultural life, providing the street artists with legal opportunities to create and present their pieces to all the guests to enjoy.

Amsterdam Teleport Hotel is happy to join with our grand Street Art Event on 27-28 November, so stay tuned to learn more!

Teleport Birthday Celebration in the Red Light District

4. October 2016/in /by David

As some of you might know Amsterdam Teleport Hotel has recently turned 1 year old, which was a year of growth, success and joy for all of us. Although we had a great birthday celebration with our guests in the hotel on the day itself, it took the team a while to throw our own little party. And since we’re starting a new collaboration with SANDEMANs Tours we’ve decided to use the opportunity and go wild with the Red Light District Tour, some drinks in between and a festive dinner as a finishing touch.

Our fun start

Same as the last time, when having a day out with our amazing team, we gathered at the hotel, grabbed our rental bikes (so easy to ride!) and headed to the city center through the green beauty of Westerpark. Having a beer before the tour sounded like the right thing to do and so we found ourselves at gezellig ‘t Loosje that had become our favorite bar at the Nieuwmarkt. It’s one of those typical Dutch brown cafés-so nice and cozy for a glass of beer or two in a good company. Our Canadian/Dutch tour guide Lee met us at the bar and the adventure was on!

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Blue lights in the Red Light District?

We were surprised to start the tour with the alley of windows with blue lights instead of red ones, but it turned out to be a part of De Wallen with a special twist. Little did we know that that florescent blue was indicating the windows of transsexual sex workers, and not exactly the regular ladies we were expecting to see. Well, the change of light might be quite helpful for some men looking for an adventure after a few drinks-sometimes you can’t tell the difference, so the blue color is the safe guide. So unless you’re deliberately looking for transgenders or transvestites (and it’s only 5% of them in the Red Light District), you might need to have your eyes open and pay attention to such signs as a small penis hidden in a fence. By the way, we haven’t encounter any male prostitutes throughout the tour, so too bad for our female part of the team.

Casa Rosso

Then we got introduced to the biggest sex theater in Amsterdam, where it’s all about adults entertainment that goes way beyond regular strip dancing. Casa Rosso can make anybody sweat with their daily erotic shows performed by hot talented artists who might interact with you directly, especially if you’re the bachelor(ette). We finally uncovered the secret of the swans of the Red Light District, as our guide explained that Casa Rosso lured them there, and we bet it was something special.

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Peep Show it is!

Maybe our team got a bit too excited after the curious stories about the scenarios at the sex theater, because Janneke and Bianca sneaked into the small booth of the Sex Palace Peep Show. What exactly they were watching remains a mystery, but it was either a couple having sex or somebody pretty masturbating. And all you pay is 2 Euros for 2 minutes! Ask them whether it’s any different from watching a porn-most likely so as it’s live.

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Is that really a church?

Yep, the 800-year old Oude Kerk is indeed located in the heart of the Red Light District. And it’s a huge question what came first-the church or the windows with the ladies, as they’ve always been there together. How convenient it would be in old times-the sailors come to Amsterdam, sin with a prostitute, and the church is right there to pray for forgiveness. Not far from Oude Kerk our guide led us to the smallest alley of the district, where you can pass only one by one (it does create an intimate vibe!). This tiny passage is right next door to Oudezijds Voorburgwal, which is full of The Bulldog coffeeshops (not that their weed is too good though).

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The Banana Bar

In case you’re wondering what could be happening in the Banana Bar in the Red Light District, then probably your fantasy isn’t wild enough for Amsterdam. It’s all about bananas and ladies here: visitors pay money to see a woman putting a banana in herself and they’re even allowed to have a bite of the banana. The rest we leave up to your imagination, besides we haven’t seen it ourselves.

For those of you who are wondering where the ladies behind the windows come from, the majority of prostitutes of Amsterdam are from Eastern Europe, Asia, Latin America and Africa. Dutch sexworkers are so rare, that they put out a “100% NL” sticker on their window being proud of their unique position among the other ladies.

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The Old Sailor

And just like lots of the clients of the Red Light District, our team went for a relaxing drink at the Old Sailor Pub, which turned into way more drinks than just one. That’s how it goes (fast and easy) at this bar, where locals and tourists come together after sexworkers watching. We had a great tour with SANDEMANs’ guide, and some of us got excited it seems. You can tell from the sex shop purchase of one of our colleagues (let’s pretend we don’t know the name) and some spicy parts of the video on our Facebook page.

Wrapping up with Japanese

Of course our day out as a team and Teleport’s birthday celebration couldn’t be finished only with drinks, so our bodies and souls were craving for some good food together. We couldn’t choose better than unlimited sushi at Mojo Japanese Kitchen, where we indulged ourselves with authentic cuisine, amazing company and toasts for the success of Teleport Hotel.

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Amsterdam Finest Restaurants: Recommended by Teleport

3. September 2016/in /by David

Have you ever walked around the city not knowing which restaurants are worth checking out for lunch or dinner? Nothing is more frustrating than browsing around with an empty stomach, finding it hard to make a decision. It’s always difficult to find the right place to eat in a new city unless you do your research properly in advance. But let us take all your worries away in magic Amsterdam and recommend you top 8 restaurants that will make you and your stomach happy!

Upon the arrival

We can imagine that some of you can be hungry upon the arrival to Teleport, so we don’t want you to wait long for your delicious meal and advise you to start with the best nearby restaurants.

Grand Café Hermes

This cozy café within a 5-minute walk from the hotel has an excellent tripadvisor rating, and one visit will be enough for you to understand why. Try their chicken sate or juicy homemade double burger- a specialty of the house that doesn’t leave anybody indifferent. Hermes is open only during the weekdays, but the good news is that Teleport reception team will be happy to give you a voucher for a free small appetizer there.

Bret

What looks like a red container is actually a hip spot with good food, cool DJs and ambient atmosphere. They call it an oasis in a concrete jungle, which describes Bret quite accurately. Stop by for their own Nordman beer or local biological lemonade after a long way, reserve a table for a nice dinner or dance to the joyful tunes almost till sunrise here.

In the city

Amsterdam finest restaurants are located not only around Teleport, but also in the heart of the city, where the choice is plentiful. As tastes differ and Amsterdam offers cuisine from all over the world, we will make it a bit easier for you with the greatest food from different countries.

The best Indian food- Shiva

Dive into the harmonious and relaxing atmosphere of this restaurant with a great service, luscious Indian cuisine with a comprehensive menu and modern design. A 3-course dinner with drinks for 2 people will be around €60, and is so much worth the money. Shiva is known among locals for their butter chicken, tikka masala, tasty naans and mango lassi.

The best Thai food- Bird

Thai food lovers will feel at home at Bird, where authenticity and quality come together. We would recommend you to go to the tiny café/takeaway of theirs right across the street from the bigger restaurant, as the food tends to be better tasting, faster served and cheaper there. The longer real Thai dining experience is of course guaranteed at the restaurant itself.

The best Dutch food- Hap-Hmm

If instead of international dishes you prefer to try some local Dutch dishes, then Hap-Hmm is your best choice! Their cuisine tastes like the yummiest home-made food at the Dutch granny’s who puts extra flavors, love and care into it. They don’t accept reservations and the house is always full, so try your luck during weekdays just by heading directly to the location and mingling with locals. Hap-Hmm is closed on weekends and open only till 20:30 during the week. It doesn’t matter what you will pick from the menu, as everything will be a huge success and a nice introduction into the Dutch culture.

The best Belgian food- Lieve

This Belgian restaurant on a beautiful canal offers you way more than a regular dining experience, but three different ambiances instead. You can choose between a very affordable and easy-going Mom’s Kitchen table, a fancy gourmet Belgian Baroque full of small mouthwatering dishes and a chic and glamorous Mrs. Bubbles option. Of course, all three atmospheres come at different prices.

The best Japanese food-Kaiko

If you’re a sushi fan, then go no further-Kaiko serves the best sushi in town! It can be quite expensive, but you can’t get closer to the true Japanese dining experience in Amsterdam than there. Family-run business, this restaurant has been around for years and become one of the locals’ favorites.

The best Italian food-Pazzi

A real Italian pizza from the oven is waiting for you at this small restaurant. They have 2 locations, but we recommend you to visit the scenic Jordaan and hop on for pizza there. Fresh ingredients, amazing dough and nice mozzarella are sure-fire!

In the hotel

In case it was a long day for you and you don’t feel for going out to try the best cuisine in Amsterdam, then you can always order food online at Thuisbezorgd or Justeat. Your favorite restaurant doesn’t deliver? Deliveroo will bring you food from any place in the city with no problem! And our team is always happy to help you with making the right decision or order the food for you. Delicious meals will be delivered to your room!

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