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SHOPPING
For souvenirs, try the Galleria d’Arte,
purveyor of hand-painted tiles and herring plates that
are genuinely local (i.e. not Delft by way of Hong Kong).
At the colorful Monday morning market on Noordermarkt
Square, cheesemakers carve wheels of Edam bigger
than tractor tires and vendors hawk the contents of countless
bulging attics. Heirlooms jam the antique shops lining
the Nieuwe Spiegelstraat (stop at Van
der Peet for historic prints and maps), though
Amsterdam’s au courant power shoppers pack their
bags with contemporary finds from Metz & Co.,
a department store. P.C. Hooftstraat
(Amsterdam’s version of Rodeo Drive and King’s
Road) draws the young and the restless, who pick through
the black minis at Mexx, the regal cashmere
suits at Leeser, and the contempo-Gothic
velvet blazers at Emporio Armani. For
nostalgia, head to Laura Dols, packed
with enough retro wear to outfit every road show of Grease
well into the 21st century. Among the quirkiest of the
canalside emporiums is the all-buttons Knopen
Winkel, where the best of the bunch are displayed
like tiny royal jewels.
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