ArenA Boulevard

This evening we went shopping at the Decathlon sporting goods store. While I looked for a jacket, K tried out the field hockey sticks. Field hockey is a very popular sport in the Netherlands, and we often see teenagers carrying their sticks as they ride their bikes to games.

The Decathlon store in Amsterdam is huge! K described it as MEC on steroids. It is located on ArenA Boulevard, so named because it is the location of the domed stadium where the AFC Ajax play. In the photo, the stadium is behind the store.

ArenA Boulevard is very colourful and has interesting architecture. It is also a busy place with mega stores, restaurants, a movie theatre, and the Heineken Music Hall (acoustically designed specifically for pop music, with seating for 3,500). Also in the neighbourhood are hotels, office towers, and the 17000-seat Ziggo Dome, which is a new venue where the biggest international acts regularly play to sell-out crowds. Public transit stops at the end of ArenA Boulevard, making it very accessible even though this neighbourhood is a little far from the City Centre.

The highlight of the evening for K was Media Markt, an electronics mega store located next door to Decathlon. We have never seen so many different electronics products! There was everything - from computer equipment, to washing machines, to coffee makers, to hair dryers, to... The list goes on and on... I have a feeling we will be visiting ArenA Boulevard again. :)