The Amsterdamsestraatweg: for a long time, this wasn't the area where you wanted to live. These days it's becoming a really popular little neighbourhood. When I started university in 2010, it was teeming with bureaux de change, gambling arcades, sex shops, dodgy massage parlours, smart shops and massage parlours. But it's changing now, and how happy I am about that. About 1.5 years ago we went to live on the Bremstraat. We came from the Vogelenbuurt. A lovely, good neighbourhood. I knew this was an up-and-coming area. It seemed smart to us to invest here. Make a profit and go back to Utrecht Oost. But we liked the neighbourhood so much that we decided to buy a bigger house in it. We were afraid that otherwise, two years from now, we'd be thinking: damn, the Daalsebuurt is where it's all happening.
Contents
- Special architecture
- Great bars and restaurants
- Lovely shops
- Street art
- Weekly market
- Special little streets
Special architecture
If you look carefully, you'll see some really beautiful buildings on the Amsterdamsestraatweg. Because it's sometimes a bit of a mess now, with shop signs, ugly advertising and run-down buildings, you could almost forget how beautiful some of the buildings are. On the Straatweg you can still see some Amsterdam School style. But also really stately facades
Great bars and restaurants
On the Amsterdamsestraatweg you'll find more and more great places to eat and drink. My personal favourite really is The Food Club. Rensje makes the tastiest food and you can always expect delicious wine on the menu. For those of us with a gluten intolerance: they also sell gluten-free beer and bitterballen. GYS is of course also a lovely place. Vegetarian and always surprising. Bagels & Beans is of course always good. Tasty bagels and good coffee. Don't want a bagel but do want a nice sandwich? Then Brandstof is almost next door. You can eat delicious pizza at Satriales, and a really big new restaurant with a range of beers is on its way. Eet- en Drinklokaal de Straatweg is currently running a crowdfunding campaign and you can still join in. There's a good Greek restaurant, Het Dikkertje. During viewings I hear from Greeks that it's a really wonderful restaurant. We still need to go there sometime. These days there's even a barbecue restaurant. I can't wait for even more great places to open. That surely won't be long now, with the arrival of the new neighbourhood Wisselspoor.
Lovely shops
For the cooking fanatics among us, the Amsterdamsestraatweg really has everything. A really great toko (Asian grocery). Greek delicatessens, a Polish/Russian shop, a Moroccan supermarket, but also the well-known supermarkets. I go to Familie van Rijk a bit too often myself. Tasty nibbles, good wines and the most delicious sandwiches. I order the gifts for my clients at &Meer. A lovely shop with lots of vintage on the Straatweg. The shop next door, Winkel vol Winkeltjes, is also a big favourite. And let's not forget our Dutch pride, Hema, is there too. A good butcher and a really good patisserie are a little further along. But definitely worth cycling on for. Something really special: we have a new lingerie shop with sizes from teeny-tiny to really quite a lot. They have everything. With this sunny weather, also a good tip for bikinis. It made me happy. For the music lovers among us, there's a really good guitar shop. They come from Amsterdam and chose Utrecht precisely because of the lively street and the central location.
Street art
In the side streets and on the Amsterdamsestraatweg you can see more and more murals. JanisdeMan has made fantastic murals and has even made it into the Lonely Planet with them. It gives the street just a little more colour. In many of the side streets you also see great paintings on the facades of the corner houses. Different from the usual, but super atmospheric.
Weekly market
The Amsterdamsestraatweg used to be a stately avenue lined with rows of trees on both sides, and full of specialist shops. The streetscape is still a bit messy in places. But more and more specialist shops are coming back. The village feel is also reinforced by the weekly market. People happily queue for a nice bit of fish, cheese for nibbles, vegetables and potatoes.
Special little streets
We live on the 1e Daalsedijk ourselves. Here you see lots of facade gardens, and the planters are looked after by the neighbourhood with colourful flowers. Together, everyone tries to bring some greenery into the streetscape. Greenery brings cooling, oxygen, a pleasant view of the neighbourhood and the houses, and it's good for wildlife. When you see the photos below, you can't help but get enthusiastic. Lovely facades, greenery and cheerful colours. In Elinkwijk the facades are absolutely fantastic and the gardens are big. Many of the little houses in the Daalsebuurt are old workers' cottages. The homes have lots of character.
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