Jordaan

This area -- pronounced Yoarh-dahn and bound by Brouwersgracht, Lijnbaansgracht, Looiersgracht, and Prinsengracht -- is by far the city's most singular neighborhood. It was built to house workers, many of whom constructed the canal belt or worked the city's smellier industries such as tanning and brewing. Living conditions were miserable, and with so many proletarians packed into such a small space, it soon became a hotbed for rising socialist and unionist ideas. Even today, the inhabitants of the Jordaan have a reputation for rebelliousness and community spirit. Longtime residents speak "Jordaans," a dialect comparable to London's Cockney slang. It's rumored that they have as many words for "drunk" as the Eskimos reputedly have for "snow." Jordaaners even have their own kind of music called smartlap. Don't miss a chance to experience live "Jordaans" music in local cafés such as the Twee Zwaantjes or Café No l. In the 1950s, the Jordaan identity reached mythical proportions -- aided by nationally popular local singers depicting an idealized vision of a poor but tight-knit and socially aware community -- its residents successfully fought city plans to fill in the remaining canals.

Since the 1980s, the Jordaan has moved steadily upmarket, and now it is one of the trendiest parts of town. Its 1895 population of 80,000, which made it one of the densest in Europe, has declined to a mere 14,000. But in many ways, the Jordaan will always remain the Jordaan, even though its narrow alleys and leafy canals are now a wanderer's paradise lined with quirky boutiques, excellent restaurants, and galleries.