Recently in Amsterdam Category

Just because we have Saturday Night Live doesn't mean the only great comedy is found stateside. Amsterdam's Boom Chicago has been cracking up audiences since 1993 with its mix of scripted sketch comedy and improv, making it a must-do on your Dutch holiday.

You may have a hard time tearing yourself away from the Hotel Pulitzer, Amsterdam, though: comprised of 25 restored 17th and 18th-century canal houses, it's a truly stunning and unique space to spend your holiday. But you don't just need to leave its cozy environs for a night at Boom Chicago - you need to leave early, because the venue dishes up dinner, in the theater, before the show. The Boom Chicago 10 is a regularly changing, 10-dish American-inspired menu that serves everything from San Francisco Chinatown noodles with shrimp, wok vegetables, and a fortune cookie (quirkily served in a take-out box), to Chicago Greektown grilled lamb with crispy pita. From there, it's on to the two-hour show. You may catch something like "Upgrade or Die!" a multimedia production that tackles the really important questions in life - Smartphones make us smarter, right? - or "Political Party" (no explanation needed on that one!). Once you'd gotten your laughs in, cap off the evening with one more stop just steps away: Melkweg is one of the top concert venues in the Netherlands (and beyond) and brings in major acts from around the world; upcoming shows include She & Him, Flight of the Conchords, Willie Nelson, and Snoop Dogg with live band.

If you want to explore Amsterdam's oldest, most charming courtyard, you'll have to know where to look. Tucked away in the city's innermost ring and accessible only through through a narrow alley, the Begijnhof is a quiet, peaceful garden surrounded by historic, centuries-old houses, including the oldest house in Amsterdam. It began in the 14th century as a Béguinage - a place for religious women who enjoyed more freedom than traditional nuns - and today maintains much the same character as it did in its heyday. Take a stroll past the many well-preserved canal houses, pausing at the southwestern corner to admire Het Houten Huis (No. 34.). Built in 1420, it's one of only two wooden-front houses in the city, as timber houses were banned in 1521 after a series of terrible fires. Then pay a visit to the Gallery of Civic Guards, a gallery filled with portraits of Amsterdam's wealthiest citizens from the past five centuries. If the weather's nice, have a seat on one of the park benches and try to imagine what life was like in Amsterdam during the Dutch Golden Age. It's in moments like these that the city truly reveals itself. The Begijnhof is a short walk from the Hotel Pulitzer, Amsterdam, a member of Starwood's Luxury Collection.

The Dutch town of Haarlem is 15 minutes by train from central Amsterdam, and the unique experience it offers is easily worth the trip. Start your day at the 700-year-old Market Square (pictured), where the Haarlem Town Hall overlooks charming sidewalk cafes and vendors selling flowers, cheeses, and souvenirs. Then spend an hour or so exploring St. Bavo Church, a Gothic cathedral dedicated to Saint Bavo of Ghent, a 7th century holy man who spent his life helping the poor. Its 1738 Christiaan Müller pipe organ is so famous that Herman Melville mentioned it in Moby-Dick, comparing the "great Haarlem organ" to the "colonnades of bone" inside a whale's mouth. Continue on to the Frans Hals Museum, which not only contains the masterpieces of its namesake Dutch Golden Age painter, but also has a rich collection of Haarlem art dating back to the 15th century. For some inspiring 20th century history, drop by the Corrie ten Boom Museum, where the Dutch Christian helped many Jews escape the Nazis during World War II thanks to a secret hiding place in her house. Take whatever time you have left in your day and stroll merrily through the streets of the old town, grabbing a bite and a drink whenever you feel like it. It's what European travel is all about. Starwood has five hotels in and around Amsterdam, including the luxurious Hotel Pulitzer.

[image via Haarlem Shuffle]

Amsterdam-based Lucas Bols is the oldest distillery brand in the world, having produced fine spirits since 1575. While it's easy enough to order a cocktail made with Bols liquors and liqueurs at any bar in the Netherlands, it's more fun to go to the source of all the boozy goodness to see how it's made. The House of Bols is an interactive distillery museum in central Amsterdam where visitors can learn all about the science of distilling and the art of crafting flavors. Start out in the Hall of Taste & Smell, where you can sample the various flavors that go into genever (Dutch gin) and liqueurs, such as lemon peel and fresh juniper. You can even get an olfactory education thanks to 36 "puffers" (pictured) that impart the various notes that go into a spirit. Take a whiff and try to identify the taste that's wafting in front of your nose. Fancy yourself a flashy bartender? You might be able to mix a drink, but it takes flair to make a show of it. After a visit the "Flair Booth," however, you'll be juggling bottles like a pro. Of course, in a museum such as this, you'd expect a good payoff, and that's exactly what you get, as your last challenge involves creating your own signature cocktail and imbibing in the spectacular Mirror Bar. I don't know about you, but I definitely feel up to the task. Starwood has two hotels in Amsterdam, the Hotel Pulitzer, Amsterdam and the Sheraton Amsterdam Airport Hotel and Conference Center.

[image via House of Bols]