August 1, 2008

The sidewalks of Amsterdam will provide!

Luck continues to work in my favor in terms of apartment-related stuff. I went into work a little late today, feeling very tired and hungover from the previous day-long party my company threw on Thursday. I rode up Utrechtsestraat, and right after I passed the Keizersgracht I saw what looked to be a huge pile of junk on the sidewalk. But as I got closer, I realized it wasn't junk at all - it was someone completely emptying out their apartment (or store) and giving everything away! Even though I was already late to work, I had to pull over when I saw a big pile of really nice picture frames and claim them for myself.

Everything was up for grabs - a washer/dryer, a desk, lamps, kitchen stuff, tons of clothes, etc - and it was all nice stuff. I grabbed everything I thought I could reasonably transport on my bike, including:

- 5 large-ish silver picture frames
- 1 basket
- 1 small frying pan
- Curtains
- Plates, glasses, bowls
- 1 vase
- 1 carry-on size suitcase

Lots of people gravitated toward the pile on the sidewalk, the folks giving the stuff away were having a good time, and the atmosphere felt like a neighborhood block party. What a great day to be late to work! My apartment is really starting to feel like home, especially now that I have a proper couch (which I also scored for free). I'm more determined than ever to continue not spending money on apartment furnishings and just wait for really good deals to present themselves to me, because so far, so good.

This weekend is Gay Pride, with huge parties and events happening all weekend, of course including the parade. I've been to Gay Pride parades in a few different cities, but I'm especially excited to see Amsterdam's version - which takes place on boats in the canals, so it's effectively a floating parade. Everyone I've talked to - gay, straight, or somewhere in between - is excited for the festivities this weekend. I'll be out all day and night on Saturday, so I'm taking tonight off to recover. So hard to believe that it's already August...

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Amsterdam! Definitely better than the little village I live in. What a lucky find for you to stumble upon with the goods ;) I wish I could drop my plans and pop into Amsterdam today too. Have fun :)