The Adventures of Lorie and Brian Groth

Boat houses.

These are not in the immediate city center, but on the canals outside of it. They are sort of like boat houses, but they don’t house any boats. They are the only structures that go down to the water and always have a boat landing/dock associated to them.

Shutters.

You don’t see too many shutters on the windows here, but some buildings certainly do a good job with them.

Roof art.

Notice the globe at the top of the building. Not too many houses have artwork on the roof though. I can see the back side this one from my office too.

The basement entrance.

Yes, there are half-basements in Amsterdam, which means you probably live below water level. Not every building has them, but it’s pretty common to see these entrances. At the base of the building I work, the basement is used by a store that designs men’s short pants.

Street names of the corner buildings.

Most corners have signs for both street names posted, and when it’s not there you have to look around at the other corners.

Roof access.

Notice the ladder at the top of this building, which you can get to by crawling out of the window. How would you like to have to do that?

Ornate fronts.

Zoom into the front of this building and you’ll see all of the details and nice work that’s gone into it. Also, this is a large building, not the skinny houses, which is unique.

Ugly, or at least confused. architecture.

Yes, it happens. Not all homes on the canals look really nice; probably after a few remodels.

Multiple styles.

If you haven’t noticed by now, all different styles of houses get packed in together, although they’re generally all tall and skinny.

Matching rooflines.

These pictures are of the same building, or buildings, from two different sides. It could be considered one building, but it’s built as four independent buildings. At least that’s what it looks like from the outside. You never really know until you go into the building and discover the labyrinth.