New Room Amsterdam May 17, 2000 < < previous | next > > The first image shows the beautiful view off the balcony of the Hotel Westentoren, which fascinated Ellie so much she kept trying to climb up over it. Inside, it was a bit more dreary. And pretty cramped. And kind of hot, since we had to keep the door closed to keep from losing Ellie. And, hey Mister Rastafarian neighbor guy ... my kids are really groovin on that contact high from all the smoke you're blowin' in the hallway. <sigh> What can we say? Time passes. The whole town was booked solid, but we finally found a room at the Hotel Mercur Arthur Frommer, with all the bourgeois comforts of home: a/c, bathroom, mini-bar. You can see, Jen and the girls were pretty shook up about the move. When we asked while checking in about Arthur Frommer's connection with the place, the clerk told us he was an American travel writer who died about 10 years ago. No, he's not dead. A friend of ours works with him. "Yes, I think he died many years ago." No, he's alive and still working. "Hmmm... I thought he was dead."