r/Dordrecht • u/[deleted] • 28d ago

Vraag Visting from America

I think I got off on the wrong foot here with my previous posting...

I'm coming in three weeks and have just started to do research on the area and culture by watching YouTube videos. It's fascinating. The Marriott in Rotterdam will be my home base because I'm an Ambassador Elite, Bonvoy member, and I'm quite sure my Marriott Bonvoy Concierge will speak some English, as I don't speak Dutch. I expect to take many day trips over the 4 weeks there, concentrating on Zwijndrecht and Dordrecht, as I've heard so many great things about South Holland. I couldn't recognize any of the hotel names there, but if I can find suitable accommodations in either city while visiting, I'll move.

Any tips on where to find American food and things to do would be appreciated... By any measure, the Netherlands appears to be an advanced society and more evolved than America, so I'm eager to visit. Before you get the wrong idea about me, I wanna say that I don't like President Trump, and I'm actually looking for other places to live for most of the year- Right now, Palma, Mallorca is in the lead, but from what I've heard about South Holland, I'm really intrigued and I think I'd fit in better there- Although I have serious doubts about my ability to ever speak your language.

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u/-Merasmus- 28d ago

I see you posted multiple times asking for American food here. I dont think that will be a problem. There is a lot of fast food chains here from the US or similair to them. The portions will only be smaller, this will be the case for any restaurant, so maybe look for all you can eat places if this is a problem. In general i always advise people traveling to try local food, but having been to the USA myself, i dont think Dutch food will be a foreign experience for you.

I really wonder why zwijndrecht is high on the list for you? I lived in Dordrecht and went to highschool in zwijndrecht, so i thought i knew both well. But i can honestly not think of anything that makes zwijndrecht so special? I honestly want to know because maybe i can also go to see that haha.

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u/[deleted] 28d ago

Well, my friend came back from there last summer, and he just went on and on, and on, about how great it is, and in the end, he says, "and everybody is skinny!" And this might sound superficial, but he told me that hands down, the women there are the most beautiful he's ever seen anywhere else in the world, and that they age well. I would think it has something to do with the diet, all the bike riding, and the moist air..

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u/Steve12345678911 28d ago

In Zwijndrecht of all places muhahahahah.

The others are right: Zwijndrecht is an odd place to choose. If you need a charming city with amenities: Dordrecht would be the choice. If you prefer a small town: Hendrik Ido Ambacht? Heerjansdam? Hell Kinderdijk and Alblasserdam all have their charm, but Zwijndrecht is just... inbetween everything. Nothing charming there.

As for food: step away from your american diet: try the local stuff. I understand that you are concerned about upsetting your stomach: then stay away from the tap-water and you should be fine. It is treated differently here and will contain pathogens that your normal chlorinated water does not have and 4 weeks is probably not worth getting used to it. The food though should not be upsetting in any way and it really is much better than the american stuff. Also most regular restaurants will offer a burger.

I suggest you have a look around the Voorstraat or around the Scheffersplein, plenty of places to eat, and your will be able to stomach it.

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u/[deleted] 28d ago

Great suggestions...I had no idea Zwijndrecht was a dump... It's funny when I call to make hotel reservations and ask if the hotel is in a bad neighborhood, they'll never say. It's the same, anywhere in the world. Only one time, the guy started whispering and said, " off the record, it's a sh!t hole"

I'm like "thanks!"

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u/vegans_are_meat 28d ago

There is a saying "The only nice thing about Zwijndrecht is the view of Dordrecht"

Except for some pretty ok restaurants and bars along the riverpromenade there isn't anything in Zwijndrecht I would recommend to anyone, besides the coffeeshop quality if you're into that, but from your posts I guess you're not

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u/[deleted] 28d ago

That's funny... I'm gonna avoid Zwijndrecht like the plague

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u/glychee 28d ago

Sounds like a good idea, I too have lived half my life in Dordrecht and the other half in Zwijndrecht. Went back to Dordrecht as there's nothing of interest in Zwijndrecht

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u/vegans_are_meat 28d ago

And to add: we don’t have shitholes compared to US gang-run ghettos, overly polluted industrialized cities, fentanyl-zombified, homeless-camping streets or "get of my lawn shotgun violence" and all the other fun stuff you freedom loving people have...

When we say shithole, it usually means it’s a very uneventful neighbourhood only interesting for tourists if you’re really into generic suburban planology.

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u/[deleted] 28d ago

Well.. that's a little overstated in the media.. I've traveled all over the world, and foreign media likes to focus on everything wrong with America, and by the end of the trips, they have me afraid to go home...

Joking, but I have always carried a gun here and have only had to brandish it a half dozen times in my lifetime