Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam (Irreverent Guides) [Paperback]

David Downie (Author)

Book Description

Series: Irreverent Guides | Publication Date: April 24, 1998

"Like being taken around by a savvy local." —The New York Times "Little fluff and lots of fun." —Boston Globe Are you tired of cliché-ridden guidebooks packed with promotional fluff? Then move over to the Irreverent Guides—the travel series that no tourist board would dare to recommend. Look inside for the lowdown on:

• Where to stay if you want canal house coziness
• Dutch dining worth seeking out—and tourist traps to avoid
• People watching, hofje hopping, clog shopping, and canal cruising away from the crowds
• Cafes, tap houses, and smoke shops that locals love
• The top nightspots for getting arty, lucky, or kinky
• And much more!

Frommer's. The Name You Can Trust. Find us online at www.frommers.com

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam gives you the lowdown, the inside story. It has nothing to sell but the truth, which includes a balance of good and bad. It praises, it trashes, it weighs, and leaves th final decision up to the reader. Our writers take a special pleasure in leading you where other guides fear to tread. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Back Cover

"Like being taken around by a savvy local." —The New York Times

"Little fluff and lots of fun." —Boston Globe

"Hipper and savvier than other guides." —Diversion magazine

Are you tired of clich?-ridden guidebooks packed with promotional fluff? Then move over to the IRREVERENT GUIDES?the travel series that no tourist board would dare to recommend.

Look inside for the lowdown on:

• Where to stay if you want canal house coziness
• Dutch dining worth seeking out?and tourist traps to avoid
• People watching, hofje hopping, clog shopping, and canal cruising away from the crowds
• Cafes, tap houses, and smoke shops that locals love
• The top nightspots for getting arty, lucky, or kinky

And much more! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Frommers; 2 edition (April 24, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028624440
• ISBN-13: 978-0028624440
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 4.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,859,019 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

A native San Franciscan, I've called Paris home since 1986. I live and work in the Marais, and travel widely in France and Italy.
For over 20 years my travel, food, wine and arts features have appeared in about 50 magazines and newspapers worldwide, from Bon Appetit, Gastronomica, The Los Angeles Times and Town & Country Travel to the San Francisco Chronicle, concierge.com, epicurious.com, salon.com and gadling.com. I've been contributing editor, European arts editor or Paris correspondent for half a dozen magazines, and am currently a European correspondent for gadling, the popular literary travel website, as well as theramblingepicure.com, a site dedicated to real food.
My latest web venture is wanderingliguria.com, featuring everything you ever wanted to know about the Italian Riviera (Cinque Terre, Portofino, Genoa and more).
After writing a cookbook or two in the 1990s and early 2000s, I put together 30 essays about Paris and published them under the title Paris, Paris: Journey into the City of Light, with striking black-and-white photography by Alison Harris (www.alisonharris.com). The book got raves, went through multiple print runs, and was reissued in a fully updated, expanded and redesigned edition--with photos by Alison--in the prestigious Armchair Traveler series published by Broadway Books (Random House).
My other recent books include Paris City of Night, a classic thriller set in Paris; and three Terroir Guides--Food Wine Italian Riviera & Genoa, Food Wine Rome, and Food Wine Burgundy, published by The Little Bookroom.
In March 2011 the same publisher brought out the lavishly illustrated travel book Quiet Corners of Rome, with more stunning photography, again by Alison Harris.
For bite-sized portions, try some of the anthologies I've contributed to, from The Collected Traveler Paris, Southwest France and Italy to Salon.com's Wanderlust; Travelers Tales: Adventures in Wine Country; Saveur Cooks Authentic French and Italian; Pizza: A Slice of Heaven; the best-selling Secrets of the Code and Secrets of Angels & Demons; the humor anthology By The Seat of My Pants; and A Moveable Feast.
After a quarter century I continue to enjoy living in Paris, and working and traveling throughout Europe, especially Italy. And I enjoy sharing my experiences with my readers, and taking them on private tours of Paris, Rome, Burgundy and the Italian Riviera. Please visit my personal website www.davidddownie.com and my "Paris, Paris Tours" blog site: http://parisparistours.blogspot.com/. All the best, David

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The Snooty Guide, March 12, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam (Irreverent Guides) (Paperback)

It seems that Frommer's just doesn't get it. The reason alternative guides like Lonely Planet, the Rough Guide, etc. have been so popular in the past decade is that some travelers don't want to pay a lot of money to stay in a bland upscale hotel or eat in snobbish restaurants, let alone visit overpriced tourist traps. They want to go native as much as possible so they can really see what's unique about a place. The focus of this guide, on the other hand, seems to be mainly sneering at attractions and accommodations that aren't quite tasteful enough for the discriminating consumer. What's left over (and there isn't much) is the usual old-school guidebook round of outrageously priced hotels, fussy restaurants, and posh boutiques. Contrary to its title, the guide is far too reverent toward all things expensive. Of course anyone can stay anywhere in comfort and style if they spend enough money. If you can afford to follow the suggestions in this book, you already know where to go and you don't need to buy it.

The bottom line: if you want catty gossip, buy a glossy magazine. If you want a practical guide with an irreverent attitude, get yourself a nice Rough Guide or Let's Go. But whatever you do, don't buy this book.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read; Great Information, February 22, 2000

By 

Caroline - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam (Irreverent Guides) (Paperback)

My husband and I bought both the Amsterdam and the London versions as we planned our honeymoon. What a great read! Reading the Irreverent Guide further fueled our excitement about Amsterdam and our trip and we found the city to be true to the book's description.

The style of the books are very easy to read, with useful information and a slightly sarcastic, biting tone. The information is presented in a funny manner and it definitely differs from the dry-as-a-bone descriptives that classify so many travel books. Because the book is written based on information from locals, and even partially by locals themselves, this travel guide has more of a travelogue feel than a travel guide feel, which definitely appeals to me. It offers good information about how to really *see* a city or a place the way its seen by people who live there, even if you are only there for a few days.

We used the Amsterdam guide to find our hotel, look up attractions, learn enough about the culture so that we weren't annoyed with the slow wait service, and many other things. We did not have a single negative experience in Amsterdam from following any of the book's recommendations.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Might as well take the front door, August 26, 2000

By 

Jeff Ross (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Frommer's Irreverent Guide to Amsterdam (Irreverent Guides) (Paperback)

Given Amsterdam's seedier side, you would think this Back Door Guide would help you sift through all the shops and scenes to give you some cool spots. But the guide was sorely lacking in this department. While giving diverse offerings for daytime fare, the book skimped on the nighttime activities, only listing a few 'highlights,' which were probably in the front door guide anyway. References to the seedier side were left at that - only references. No recommendations. Perhaps their back door guide to a more sedate town like Brussels helps you find the hidden jewel at nights, but this back door offering might have well just said to wander around and go in what looks appealing. Thanks for the help.