tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484887167067774698.post1529043759668600792..comments2023-12-14T16:42:14.475+01:00Comments on Another American Expat: Amsterdam is car-free this SundayAnother American Expathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09780132937865128999noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484887167067774698.post-23944895120281366402008-09-19T10:52:00.000+02:002008-09-19T10:52:00.000+02:00Hey J! Thanks so much for the link, I just posted ...Hey J! Thanks so much for the link, I just posted an update. :)Another American Expathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09780132937865128999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484887167067774698.post-70710430375578639202008-09-19T09:32:00.000+02:002008-09-19T09:32:00.000+02:00Just to clarify, taxi service will, in fact, be av...Just to clarify, taxi service will, in fact, be available on Sunday.<BR/><BR/>Source: http://www.amsterdamtourist.nl/en/visiting/carfreesunday<BR/><BR/>It is my guess that any cars within the center before they close the ring-road entry points will still be able to drive around within the city.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484887167067774698.post-83015833331886015762008-09-19T03:23:00.000+02:002008-09-19T03:23:00.000+02:00I am never riding a taxi again.. So we took a bike...I am never riding a taxi again.. So we took a bike instead! Wonderful tip to start the day in top shapeAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484887167067774698.post-10530804493898309532008-09-18T23:17:00.000+02:002008-09-18T23:17:00.000+02:00anonymous, it sounds like you're just trying to be...anonymous, it sounds like you're just trying to be obnoxious. despite not speaking dutch, I listen to (english language) podcasts from Radio Netherlands, which cover Dutch and European news pretty well - they even go over the headlines in the Dutch papers. I read the Amsterdam Weekly, I stay on top of Amsterdam events and listings that are published in English. I do listen to Dutch radio (in Dutch), but that's just to help me get used to the language - obviously I can't really understand it yet.<BR/><BR/>I knew most of the shopkeepers in my former neighborhood and they knew me. I'm getting to know the folks in my new neighborhood - there are people I say hi to on the street, I know the coffee shop guy has been here for a long time (we spent a long time chatting one night while everyone else watched football), etc. I make an effort to talk to everyone in my work neighborhood as well, since I spend a majority of my time there. <BR/><BR/>I really, really doubt that my lack of Dutch comprehension is the reason I didn't hear about car-free sunday. I asked my climbing partner (a Dutch guy) what it was like, and he said he had no idea it was happening. <BR/><BR/>Anyway, I'm being defensive about a pretty silly topic. I'm not really concerned about the folks who live here and can plan for this type of day in advance, I feel sympathy for the folks who have planned moves or will arrive in Amsterdam burdened with too much luggage to carry on public transportation.Another American Expathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09780132937865128999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484887167067774698.post-23721748938629827412008-09-18T23:04:00.000+02:002008-09-18T23:04:00.000+02:00Forgot to add, a quick google reveals that the tax...Forgot to add, a quick google reveals that the taxi thing isn't even true. The city council can't ban one group of people from working for the day, after all! Your HR dept sounds rather odd. And cars can drive around the city, so moving is hardly going to be out of the question.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484887167067774698.post-47526799527214666942008-09-18T23:01:00.000+02:002008-09-18T23:01:00.000+02:00I try to stay pretty up to date with what's going ...<I>I try to stay pretty up to date with what's going on in Amsterdam, and I just heard of car-free day 2 days ago</I><BR/><BR/>But you don't speak the language - if you don't read the paper, watch the news or talk to shopkeepers, you're not really going to pick up that much about what goes on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484887167067774698.post-78701912980657267252008-09-18T21:32:00.000+02:002008-09-18T21:32:00.000+02:00I just think of people who made moving plans (I tr...I just think of people who made moving plans (I try to stay pretty up to date with what's going on in Amsterdam, and I just heard of car-free day 2 days ago) or are traveling to the city from say, a 3-month long holiday or something. They show up at Central Station after a long flight or train ride, they're weighed down with luggage, and they're thinking "ok, I'm going to treat myself to a taxi, even if it does cost €15 to get for a fifteen minute ride." I just feel for this fictional person that i made up - I think generally, the people who are going to be inconvenienced are the folks that don't need a lesson on why cars are bad. <BR/><BR/>But again, I'll totally enjoy car-free day myself. It doesn't interfere with my schedule, and it will be really nice to have the streets be free for us. I wonder if those tiny little electric cars (the red ones that sometimes ride in the bike lane) are also banned? where do they fall into this? hmmm.Another American Expathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09780132937865128999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484887167067774698.post-29889374683437541492008-09-18T20:56:00.000+02:002008-09-18T20:56:00.000+02:00The taxis are the worst and the most dangerous of ...The taxis are the worst and the most dangerous of the lot. Maybe some of us would like a day without the noise and pollution, too. It's just one day of the year.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484887167067774698.post-15711044875802179582008-09-18T20:06:00.000+02:002008-09-18T20:06:00.000+02:00I'd have to agree. I think most people - Dutch or ...I'd have to agree. I think most people - Dutch or not - that live in Amsterdam don't just take their car tooling around the city (if they own one). For short distances, the Dutch rely on bikes - that's been proven a million times, and you can just tell by the fact that there are way more bicycles than people in Amsterdam! <BR/><BR/>again, in my perfect utopia world, there would never be cars in cities unless they were being used to moved things. and there would be chocolate growing from trees. :)<BR/><BR/>Dublin is a great city! Glad to hear you're traveling around on two wheels now - I was only there for a day or two and did it all on foot.Another American Expathttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09780132937865128999noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2484887167067774698.post-61855454340410958432008-09-18T18:58:00.000+02:002008-09-18T18:58:00.000+02:00Dublin is tiny, i get get anywhere in the city by ...Dublin is tiny, i get get anywhere in the city by bike in a max of 40 mins, of course i never knew that until i started to cycle. So id say a car free day in Dublin would actually make a difference, those clever Dutch already have the right idea and probably don't need to be reminded how great it is not to live chained to a car.Seb Berkovichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07514337172599257449noreply@blogger.com