The Secret to a Slower Amsterdam Stay Is Right in the Middle of the City

I must have walked through The Dylan Amsterdam’s gates a dozen times during our stay. The sounds of bicycle bells and passing trams faded behind me, replaced by the quiet of a secluded courtyard hidden just steps from the Keizersgracht.

I don't remember the order we visited Amsterdam's museums. I remember learning why canal houses lean toward the street. I remember cycling past sheep only minutes from the city center. I remember my boys laughing as our guide explained the Dutch obsession with herring. Most of all, I remember returning each evening and wondering why the busiest city we'd visited that summer never felt busy at all.