Amsterdam runs on water. Let's talk about it.
Sidewalk Stories turns canals, sluices, quays and houseboats into everyday conversation. Short stories from the people who live, work and steer along the water, made to be shared on a bench, at a coffee break, or on the walk home.
Plan a call with Isabelle
Not a museum. Not a campaign. A public conversation.
We help Amsterdammers understand their own water system, then talk about it out loud.
Start with one story
Read, watch or listen to a short story about the water right next to you: the bridge you cross every morning, the canal you never noticed, the neighbor who lives on it.
See the city as a water system
Amsterdam stops being buildings and streets. It becomes a working water system: locks, pumps, quays, houseboats, and the people who keep it running.
Take it to the sidewalk
Share what you learned with a friend on a walk, a colleague on a coffee break, a stranger at a bridge. That's where a Sidewalk Story actually happens.
Notes about water.
When I say Amsterdam, you say castle:
Why 'Amsterdam castle' is a great name for the Muiderslot.
Lonely? Get a boat!
How water culture brings people together.
The cost of the canals
How Amsterdam's wealthiest period had the highest costs.
One water story a week, straight from Amsterdam.
What's changing on the canals, who is working on it, and what Amsterdammers are actually saying about their water. Short, specific, and free.
Two audio walks, in your pocket.
Two audio walks so far, with more on the way. Walk at your own pace as we share our favorite stories on and along the water.
You know a water person we should meet.
The woman who owns a boat wharf. The man who fishes with magnets. Send them our way and we'll go find them.
8:34pm, golden hour, no other boats. Life is good.
“Ask a houseboat resident what it's actually like to live on the water.” , Luca
Fun fact: every few days the sluices open at night and 600 million liters is pumped through the city so the water doesn't turn into a swamp.
Drinks along the water: Neef van Fred.