(this is a historical café, famous over the world, on the Zeedijk (street) with a good story: The café was bought in 1927 by Bet van Beeren, 'Oueen of the Zeedijk' she was the first come-out dike, riding a huge motorbike, (and still a big icone for the gay life in Amsterdam, the public in those days where sailors, hookers, pimps, artists, secret gays) and every man that came in with a scarf, she took a siccor, cut them off, and hung it on the ceiling. When she died het younger sister Greet took over, but she had to close the café in 1982 because of safety rules. Aunt Greet who lived above it closed the café for another 25 years, being offered very high prices for her café but she refused every offer; no one was good enough. Her neece Diana is a good friend of mine who, as a little girl always came to this café after school, and when 4 years ago her aunt Greet became to old to walk up the extreem narrow stairs, Diana took her in her house and took care of her untill she died 3 years ago. When I was visiting there one time, I had a nice talk with aunt Greet, then 84, and she kept on telling me how her little Diana was her favorite neece. I talked to Diana about it; why not open the café? You are the only person who she will accept to take over, go for it! And she did. The café had been close for 25 years, but the interior hadn't been tought. All the walls are covored with small black and white pictures still from aunt Bet. Of course for savety reasons things had to be renewed, but Daina managed to bring it back just as it was before. I helped her to clean things like kopar plates on the wall etc, and that was hard work as everything had years & years of smokingtarr on it and was dark brown and sticky! The interior is extreme, (see pictures) you can keep on looking for hours, even the scarfs that Bet van Beeren cut of and hung on the ceiling are still there. So;... after this long episode; don't miss it, and you could go and have dinner at the best authentic Chinees New King a bit further down the road)

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