http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/ Welcome to Been there. Your tips on the places you know - that you love, live in or have just visited - are what make this guide. http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31705 It's part of what might be called the "new" Amsterdam. "Old" Amsterdam buildings are the homes, bridges, and cobblestone streets from the past several centuries - beautiful, quaint, happily cramped, and the stuff that most of us see on postcards. What is less often seen is the really cool and modern interior/exterior design that also permeates the city.
Overlooking the water and the entire city to the south, the main central library cost 80 million Euros to build and is easily the coolest library you've ever seen, seemingly intended as much for the tourist as for the student.
The lighting and layout - seven floors in total - evokes an Apple store-ish feel, with several hundred Mac displays and hundreds of quiet corners to read or study.
Occasionally, you'll be able to catch a concert here, with a piano player or singer belting out tunes on a given afternoon, in addition to cultural events like art openings. If you're handy with it, you can simply sit down at the piano on the main floor and tickle the ivories.
Any time of day, you can head to the affordable chicness of Vapiano attached to the front of the building, or head to La Place on the 7th floor for all meals (tip: get the Thai stir-fry for lunch) or a dessert and a coffee, with sweet views and photo ops of the entire city.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31705 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31532 Halcyon Books is lined up to the high ceiling with shelves bursting with second-hand, out-of-print and new books on every subject under the sun.
It is possible to browse online and buy via email but there's really nothing like the smell of dusty old books to inspire and excite. It doesn't travel through the ether.
On my visit, all the second-hand books were selling for £1 each and I picked up some incredible bargains: a giant English-French-English dictionary and a massive Readers' Digest Complete Atlas of the British Isles. Two quid well spent!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/31532 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30616 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/30616 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26904
Lovely staff, great cafe, and an amazing collection. It even stocks zines!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26904 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26653
The cafe has a great atmosphere, wonderful owners, traditional Swedish food (and inspired vegetarian food), whisky, Wi-Fi, and is a great spot to find out local information. The owners stock English language magazines, and they appear to have lived there long enough that they know where to go and what to do.

Most information in the cafe is available in English, Korean, Swedish, and Chinese.

The food is fantastic and worth the few extra RMB. The chef is a former vegan and makes wonderful vegetarian dishes. The coffee is also fabulous, if a bit slow as it is hand dripped, and apparently carefully selected by the owner's wife.

Unfortunately, the cafe doesn't open until 11am, but it is open until at least 10pm.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/26653 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25750 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25750 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25137
It's inconspicously located downstairs from the central square, and has a vast collection of constantly changing books, antiques, ephemera, and old typewriters. The cafe and service is very friendly and the books are well-priced. They regularly feature exceptional items, making them well worth repeat visits!]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25137 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25068 He lost both his hands as a result of a landmine after which he became a beggar in Phnom Penh.
However through the help of an aid worker he got back on his feet.
We got some interesting books on Pol Pot from him for $5- $6 each which will help towards his medical expenses and his children's education.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/25068 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24939 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24939 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24639 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24639 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24633 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/24633 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23613
Here are just a couple...

The International Book Festival has loads of free events - from the daily free poetry reading at 10am to the free live music in the Spiegelbar. There's also loads of free stuff for children, a daily storytime, nursery rhyme time for babies and free workshops.

The Festival Calvacade is a free parade of 3,000 performers from all the Edinburgh festivals - this year it kicks off in Holyrood Park on 9th August.

The Edinburgh Interactive Festival is a free video game festival, where budding gamers can road test and watch screenings of new games.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23613 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23578 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/23578 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22833 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/22833 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21540
There is a genre to suit every taste, from Science Fiction (take a moment to gawk at the walls - you'll find some famous autographs scrawled there) to Gardening to Graphic Novels and even a Rare Books Room on the top floor that smells almost as antiquarian as it looks.

Powell's also boasts a small art gallery and cafe with the best local coffee. If you want a seat in the crowded cafe though, get there early.

A typical visit to Powells will set you back at least two hours. Wear your best walking shoes. Bring a backpack too - you'll need it to carry all the heavy second-hand tomes you find.

People watching is encouraged: if you want to know what real Portlanders are like, this is the place to go.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21540 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21527 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21527 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21526 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/21526 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20835
We loved a second hand bookshop off the main drag and just down from Cafe Rosenberg and near the old Cirkus club. It was piled high with books, with a fair few in English. It has a vibe of total happy chaos.

Our favourite cafe was the one on the corner of Laugeamur and the street where Cafe Rosenberg is - it's a yellow house. Very good coffee, cakes and atmosphere.

We ate at two very good places down at the harbour. One is called "The Baron" and is a fish market. The owner takes his leftover fish and makes the most delicious crayfish soup you can imagine. You sit on old barrels and
drink beer while sipping your soup from a cup which is very atmospheric. If you get fed up with fish just by it is a very good hamburger joint with terrific burgers and fries. Even cheaper is the hot dog stand round the corner from it selling Icelandic sausages in a roll. Very reasonable.

Best bargain for shopping were the Red Cross
charity shops on Laugeamur. I got a beautiful
Icelandic wool jumper there for about five pounds.

And do try the public thermal pools of the city. They are more "real" than the Blue Lagoon, which though fabulous, is rather touristy in feel.]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20835 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20760
Hyde Park has a number of bookstores - the most interesting to me are the Seminary Coop Bookstore at 5757 South University (new books and other locations) and Powell & O’Gara’s, 1501 East 57th Street (used books to get lost in).]]> http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/20760 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19329 http://www.ivebeenthere.co.uk/tips/19329