ON my previous visit to Amsterdam 13 years ago, I was a budget backpacker trying to tick off all the key sights with very little money.
This time, I found myself exploring the trendy Dutch city while sticking to the northern district, an area that sits somewhat off the well-trodden tourist track and the winding, central canals.
Amsterdam is easy enough to reach, especially when travelling by Eurostar from the UK, which takes you straight to the heart of the city.
Rather than heading for the centre, I ventured in the other direction, joining the many cyclists and rollerskaters for the quick, and free, ferry ride across the river.
This is Amsterdam-Noord, a region dubbed the Brooklyn of Amsterdam — and it’s not hard to see why.
The former shipyard warehouses here have been turned into hip restaurants and museums, covered in murals and political art.
Almost every surface has been graffitied with spray paint, while the alleyways are filled with groups of breakdancers and children playing basketball.
It’s not just the looks that remind you of a New York City neighbourhood, the thriving food and drink scene does too.
My first port of call was the trendy Next restaurant overlooking the harbour.
The chatty bartender made my cocktail dreams a reality by serving me a personal creation — a mix of mango, strawberry, rhubarb, vodka and egg white — a “spin on the porn star martini”.
He told me over the sound of the live DJ: “Noord is going to be the new metropolitan centre of Amsterdam in the next ten years. The bar scene is crazy here.”
Trying out their small-plate menu, I couldn’t pick a favourite between the short ribs, cooked slowly for 15 hours, and the crispy French toast overloaded with Iberian ham and caramelised shallots.
If craving a more casual evening, there is also the nearby Pllek, owned by the same group but with a completely different atmosphere.
Built inside shipping containers, the food hall has more universal dishes, such as burgers, along with its own “beach” on the river, populated by beer-swigging locals.
With my stomach satisfied, it was time to feed my soul, and Noord is full of exciting attractions.
A standout is Nxt, an interactive media art museum.
My favourite exhibit was Foreign Nature, a “fusion of art, sound and mathematics” where you are encouraged to lie down while trippy displays and music wash over and transport you to another world.
There is also Straat Museum, home to 150 pieces of street art with some reaching two-storeys.
I thought I had taken it all in deeply until a friend later told me her face was one of the pieces of art, which I completely missed.
But it doesn’t have to be all serious, as I even embraced my inner child at the Wondr experience.
Decked out in pink and rainbows, the 15 rooms consist of rollerskating discos, neon bouncy castles, ball pits and confetti showers, as well as the option of a bottomless brunch at its Pink Beach restaurant.
I would recommend getting the I Amsterdam card, which gives free or discounted entry to most attractions as well as free public transport.
Just across from the metro station is the hotel Bunk, converted from a church, which provided my digs for the weekend.
While hostel rooms were an option (my 19-year-old self wouldn’t have hesitated) I very much needed a private room.
The Epic Room is cosy with a queen-sized bed in the corner. But there is no bumping your head with the old church’s vaulted ceiling towering above.
I even ended up buying the bathroom toiletries, which were from the Dutch brand Zenology, after falling in love with the smell.
Staying in? The restaurant serves food from breakfast to dinner, along with cocktails at the late-night bar.
Bike rentals, an on-site recording studio and live events, where I caught some early-morning music, are all part of the hotel’s experience, taking me back to my exciting days of backpacking.
I may not be as cool as the teenage me in Amsterdam, but Noord let me pretend I was for a few hours.
GETTING THERE: Eurostar tickets from London St Pancras to Amsterdam Centraal are from £39 each way. See eurostar.com.
STAYING THERE: One night in a compact room at Bunk is from £84.49, based on two sharing. See .
OUT & ABOUT: I Amsterdam City Cards start from £51.04pp, with 25 per cent off attractions including Wondr, Straat and Nxt.
See iamsterdam.com.
