Get Lost! The Cool Guide to Amsterdam

Joe Pauker, who refers to himself as "a goof," has compiled what is perhaps the funniest, most original guide available to the city of Amsterdam. Get Lost! The Cool Guide to Amsterdam, which is clearly not aimed at mainstream travelers, will take you to the places that standard guidebooks don't bother to cover (at least not in any detail): sex shows, hemp and 'shroom shops, and places where you can get free samples of cheese when you're too low on cash to buy food. Pauker's not shy about sharing his opinions, either. On taxis: "They're expensive, and they treat cyclists like shit, but if you really need one ... [they're] very comfortable." On banks and developers who would evict squatters: they're "conservative pigs who care more about money than people." And on cannabis: "nederwiet (Dutch grown weed, such as Northern Lights) is spectacular."

Off-the-wall humor and opinions aside, you get the feeling that Pauker really knows Amsterdam and wouldn't give you bum advice. Hotels and hostels (including the comfortable couches at Schiphol Airport), restaurants, attractions, and shopping are all covered in some detail, and obvious care was taken in selecting those establishments hip enough (and cheap enough) to make it into the book. If you're the kind of traveler who might need the Dutch translation of "stoned as a shrimp," or if you simply appreciate a fresh perspective and directions away from the trampled path, let Pauker be your guide to the "coolest, most happening city in Europe."