Amsterdam: The fastest visit ever

I just arrived in sunny Amsterdam.The sun isn't helping the fact the sleeper train ride from Copenhagen was a complete pain in the ass - literally. My ass is hurt so bad from the evil seat I had to sit in for 15 hours. The funny Swedes I met on the train told me in Sweden, they say they're 'ass tastes wood' if they get a sore ass from sitting. I said in Australia, if you say your ass tastes of wood, people might get other ideas... Anyway... pretty Amsterdam.
I'm here on a whirlwind Amsterdam sneaker tour before going to the Hague.

Why aren't I staying in Amsterdam? Firstly, there's a big conference on this weekend, and there's almost no accommodation available, except really exy suites at big hotels that I really can't afford. Secondly, I want to visit the only all girl sneaker shop in the world, No Boys Allowed - which happens to be in the Hague. Thirdly, the M.C. Escher Museum is in the Hague.

So a short sneaker stop over in Amsterdam is just fine with me - I've been here before and it's a bit of a tourist bomb, pretty as it is. But I have lots to do. I have several sneaker shops to find across the city, and a nice stop in a cafe for tea and brownies. You know what kind of brownies.

Here's my quick guide to sneaker shopping in Amsterdam... and I mean quick. If you plan your excursion, you can hit all the good sneaker shops within 2-3 hours. The easiest route will be to visit the shops in the order below (if you're walking)...

290 Square Meters
Website: http://www.290sqm.com/
Address: Houtkopersdwarsstraat 3
1011 NK AMSTERDAM
Google Map
290 Square Meters stocks both men and women's wear, but sneakers are mostly aimed at men. This is quite a trendy store including a tiny Nike Sports Wear room and mostly Dutch designers. The fixie crowd will really love this store. They had an incredible range of perfume.

SeventyFive
Website: http://www.seventyfive.com/
Address: Nieuwe Hoogstraat 24
1011 HG Amsterdam, Netherlands
Phone: +31 20 6264611
Google Map
SeventyFive is quite a small sneaker store, stocking a strange collection of brands including Adidas, Puma and Nike. The range isn't huge and the stock wasn't particularly different to anywhere else I've seen in Europe at the moment, but it's worth checking out if you're in Amsterdam anyway.

Tom's Skateshop
Website: http://tomsskateshop.wordpress.com/
Address: Oude Hoogstraat 35- 37
1012 CD Amsterdam, Netherlands
Phone: +31 20 6254922
Google Map
Tom's Skateshop is right across the road from SeventyFive. Lots of SBs and Vans. This store was quite a surprise package - I copped the pair of Premium Sb Blazers below. Kiss kiss.

Front Runner
Website: http://www.frontrunner.nl/
Address: Kalverstraat 3-5
1012 NX Amsterdam
Phone: 020-6200381
Google Map
Front Runner is a chainstore much like Footlocker. They stock all the major brands and styles - everything from Air Max to Dunks. They also have epic sales - they had a massive area full of marked down shoes starting at 9.95EUR. There were definitely bargains to be had!

Concrete
Website: http://www.concrete.nl/
Address: Spuistraat 250
1012 VW Amsterdam, Netherlands
Phone: +31 20 6252225
Google Map
Concrete is a hot shop. They had a small selection of Nikes, Adidas and Alife, but really the best thing about the store was the clothing (amazing range of gorgeous high end streetwear) and vinyl toys.

Patta
Website: http://www.teampatta.nl/
Address: Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 142
1012 SH Amsterdam, Netherlands
Phone: +31 20 5285994
Google Map
Patta is the premium sneaker store in Amsterdam. Downstairs, they have SBs, Alife and skategear, whilst upstairs they stock premium sneakers. They have a nice range that really reflects the trend away from 90s and towards AM1s. They had a nice range of clothes too, including the first pieces from the latest Jeremy Scott x Adidas that I've seen in the flesh.
The silly buggers in the shop leftme alone to try on clothes in their back room...
And I spied this Kevin Lyons Current! But it was size 6. Argh! Too small. Will I ever find a pair of these in a size 7 - 8?
I copped a Patta t-shirt dress (not shown) and these limited edition Patta x Adidas ZX7000 (Torsion). The colourway is a bit wack, but they actually look pretty sick on - seems to be the way with Torsions.

Popeye
Website: http://www.coffeeshop-popeye.nl/
Address: Haarlemmerstraat 63
1013 EK Amsterdam, Netherlands
Phone: +31 20 3206589
Google Map
Once you're finished (or before, if you're game), I recommend paying a visit to Popeye Coffeshop. They make great brownies (yes, THOSE kind of brownies).
Tea and brownie was yum!