Moving to Amsterdam - Page 2

[AmazoniaBelly]

Hi,

Wed. is fine with me. Should we try to meet around 9:00? Thank you for the bike recommendation. I think I will do that. I am curious, Why do you avoid the trams?

Rachel

[sarahmck]

Great, thanks.

I find the trams hot and stuffy. The routes aren't convenient, particularly for east-west travel. As my husband says, trams are for tourists and immigrants. Of course, I am the latter, but I've gone Dutch. The bike is one of my favorite things about Amsterdam. It's faster than any other mode of transport for anything less than a 25 minute ride and it provides door-to-door service. The kids love it and it's free, once you buy a bike. The whole country is laid out for cycling, so if you're a fearful cyclist, as many newcomers are, you can easily avoid busy or dangerous roads by just taking a slightly longer route.

See you on Wednesday!

[SuzymomofLaura]

I'll pop over and say hi quickly, as on wednesday I'm without my kids. Rachel if you do hire a bike, there's this great online route planner for biking in Amsterdam here
See you on wednesday!

[AmazoniaBelly]

Hi,
We are here...we spent the entire day on a bakfiets exploring the city. We actually went to the wading pool near the Milk House...So, I know exactly where to go tomorrow. We will see you then!

[sarahmck]

Great, I'll see you tomorrow. I have two red-headed children. Here's a photo.

[sarahmck]

Yikes. My husband just pointed out that the Melkhuis isn't open until 10:00. So we can either go to the playground that you were at today or we can delay. What's your preference?

[AmazoniaBelly]

Let's meet at 10...if that is ok?

[sarahmck]

Yeah, that's fine. Melkhuis at 10:00. I may only have one kid (the big one).

[SuzymomofLaura]

I'll be there around 10, will have a yellow trenchcoat on

[sarahmck]

Hi there,

I totally forgot to write back about Thursday. Sorry about that. I hope you guys enjoy the weekend here and we'll look forward to seeing you when you get back. We will be away for most of the Summer holidays and don't know exactly when we'll get back, but Eloïse begins school on August 19th, so we'll definitely be back by then.

If you have any Amsterdam questions in the meantime, please don't hesitate to ask.

Sarah

[SuzymomofLaura]

Just wanting to say it was nice to meet you and your families. Hope the appartment was acceptable (was it wall to wall carpet?) and you guys had a favorable impression of Amsterdam all in all. Look forward to meeting up by the end of summer

[AmazoniaBelly]

Hi Guys,

I also want to say that it was great meeting both of you and the two little ones. We did see the apartment and it was totally different than expected. It was two-stories, no carpet, 115 m2 and extremely modern. We declined because it was a bit isolated and too modern for us. We would prefer an older place and will pay more even though I know that we will find nothing that cheap.

Sarah, which preschool does Elöise go to? I amjust trying to think ahead for Isha because you had such good things to say about it.

If either of you have any tips for appartments, let me know. Are there any areas that you would stay away from or gravitate to?

We should try to organize a permenant AP/ fun-times meet-up in the Fall. I love Amsterdam and I am so excited about starting a life there.

[sarahmck]

Hey there,

You're right that you'll pay a lot more than you were going to there for a place as big as that. That's an amazingly good price for a big apartment in the private sector.

As for locations, I personally like Oud-Zuid or the center. Most of the social activities that I find myself wanting to go to are down here, and that's definitely not entirely because I'm looking for things close to me. I just think it's a popular family area.

My neighbor is moving to Canada in August. She has a great apartment, big and bright with high ceilings. I have no idea what she pays, but I suspect it's a lot. I can find out for you. What kind of budget are you working with? Do you want furnished or unfurnished?

The pre-school that Eloïse goes to is called Het Speelhol. I'd be glad to give you a tour when you get back. I will continue to serve as the contact parent for the afternoon group for another month or two after the school year begins again. That means I'm in charge of dealing with prospective parents and administering the waiting list.

On a side note, Eloïse had her little get-to-know-you session at her new basisschool today. It was great. The teacher was all that we had hoped for, the classroom is lovely with so many nice natural toys, and there's a garden that they play in every day. I'm really hopeful that she'll have an easy transition.

Sarah

[AmazoniaBelly]

Hi,

Glad that her first school experience went well. I always love the waldorf classrooms. We just sold our little play shelf...it is found in almost all waldorf classrooms and consists of two shelves with a bridge over the top. I figured that there would be a lack of space in the new place.

I suspect that your neighbors place is well over our budget...but I suspest it is worth a try. We are looking at 900- 1400 per month. We may have to raise that once we arrive and get a reality check. Though, I did remark after touring the apartment they offered that I would be happier in a one-bedroom attic space with a little character, which is true. What do you think that your neighbor pays?
...forgot to add that we would take either furnished or unfurnished.

[sarahmck]

I'm not really in tune with rents here because we own our place. Most of my ex-pat friends have their apartments heavily subsidized or even totally paid for by their employers and pay astronomical amounts. But the people who are in social housing pay peanuts. So it's a huge divide. I know people who pay about 250 per month in the public sector for small but nice apartments in nice locations and people who pay 5000 in the private sector for a well-located house.

I get the impression, but I could be way off, that there's not a ton in the range that you mentioned simply because it's low for the private sector and off-the-charts for the public sector. Of course, getting on the social housing list would be great, but I don't know any way around the really long (8 years?) waiting list other than being a refugee or having a really exceptional emergency family situation.

Check out funda.nl, if you haven't already. If you see anything appealing, definitely send me a link and I'll be happy to comment on the area. My e-mail is sarahm at gmail dot com. We'll be going on holiday soon, so e-mail will be more effective than posting here.

I have asked my friend (via e-mail) what her place will be going for. I will let you know when I hear back. Maybe the credit crunch will work in your favor.