1. Take a canal cruise
Taking a canal cruise of Amsterdam is a great thing to do if you have just arrived, so you can relax & get a bit of a feel for the lay of the land. Notice all the narrow bell-gable roofs of the narrow houses along the canals. You can even have a quenching Amstel beer as you cruise.

2. Take in the Rijksmuseum
See all the great Dutch masters such as Rembrandt in this airy museum, as they display their achievements of light & dark. Don't miss the huge "Night Watch" & try to find Rembrandt's among the many faces. Extensive gift shop, so you can find just the right souvenier of your visit.

3. Van Gogh Museum
This speaks for itself. Go inside & be dazzled by color & one person's madness. Try to purchase your tickets in advance to avoid often long lines.

4. Be moved by the Anne Frank House
This is one of those places which make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. You enter through the secret passageway behind the hinged bookcase. Get a feel for the cramped living conditions of these poor souls. See magazine clippings of Anne's favorite movie stars adhering to the wall. Look out the window and see the church tower just the way she wrote about doing. I always try to imagine what the reactions of these people might have been at that moment when the Nazis burst in on them . . .

5. Ride a bicycle !
Yes, do. Rent one or find a free one & explore the city up close. Just be sure you don't get knocked over by one of the trams that are quietly gliding everywhere.

6. Flower market
Specifically the Bloemenmarkt. Its an extensive, open-air, "floating" flower market right along a canal. Everything from tulips to cannabis kits can be found. Things are actually priced to sell here, instead of astronomically. While here, don't forget to breathe; it smells pretty good, you know.

7. People watch at Central Station
Maybe you aren't as fascinated by train stations as I am, but they are the best for people-watching. Who are all these people, & where are they all going? Just outside, you may see a million bicycles all lined up in racks for a good photo-op for you.

8. Red Light District
This is a fun place to go. It's better at night because you will feel more incognito than you would gaping at the girls in the daylight. I leaned on a bridge & was propositioned by a blond who promised me a "very good time." I thanked her & said no. She wandered around some & then returned to me with a second chance. I felt bad for saying no again. It's not that this prostitute found me particularly attractive or anything; no, it was more of my just happening to be the "pick of the litter" those few moments, or that I looked safe & harmless. I must say I have seen some impossibly beautiful Asian women in those windows from time to time.

9. Dam Square
This is another good place to watch the world go by, right beneath the very phallic monument. The royal palace is there, as is Amsterdam's version of a Madame Tussaud's wax museum. You will probably be offered a drug deal if you linger long enough, so be forewarned . . . or prepared, as the case may be.

10. Just sit & soak it all in
Your legs are tired from all the walking. Find a nice place to sit with one of the many canal bridges & just thank your lucky stars for being where you are. It's Amsterdam; Amsterdam is very cool; you must be very cool if you are in Amsterdam. Stretch, stretch, yawn, yawn. Now where was that cosy brown cafe?

Those are my top ten things to do in Amsterdam. What are yours?