Upon my arrival to Amsterdam, I became fully aware of the dominant mode of transportation used in the city: the bicycle. Shortly after checking into my room, I quickly set out to rent a bike, not only to see more in less time by traveling places quickly, but also to change my perception of the city space, using this prevailing mode of travel. After all, Amsterdam has been dubbed, “The Bike Capitol of the World” for a reason. I made my way to Black-Bikes down the street from my room and rented an old, refurbished Dutch bike for two days.
After leaving the shop, I cautiously set out by bike, trying to gain an understanding of the bike routes and signals that are intricately woven through the city streets. A few times, I became confused of where I was going and strayed off the path, only to be swiftly reprimanded by a honking car behind me or an annoyed motor-scooter rider who quickly buzzed around me, giving me a dirty look after passing. Within a few hours, I learned the basics of getting around by bike, began finding it much easier to understand signals, and immediately noticed marked bike routes.
Using a city map, I began to memorize roads to take through the city to make it to certain attractions that I wanted to see. During my time riding around, I also noticed that I wasn’t exhausted, even after going long distances. This had a lot to do with how level the surface of the city was, having virtually no hills. The only inclines I found anywhere were on the curved bridges laid out over the numerous canals everywhere. Also, I maintained an easygoing pace, since I would often have to stop at intersections or slow down for bicyclists in front me. 
Not every experience I had with biking was easy. Whenever I left my bike for a moment, I used two different locks to secure it. The first was built into the bike, where I would remove a key, which after it was removed, would lock the back wheel. Following this, I would unwind a thick, heavy chain from the bike, use a smaller key to unlock a padlock on the chain, and then had to weave the chain through the front wheel, around the bike frame, and then onto a secure object. The whole process was tedious. However, I was told that the rate of bike theft in Amsterdam is incredibly high, with nearly 100,000 bikes stolen in the city each year! Therefore, it was necessary. And then there was the problem of finding a place to lock it up. Nearly every usable spot I saw, there was already a bike occupying that space.
Regardless of any inconvenience, I started to love the freedom associated with having a bike in Amsterdam. Small pleasures like having the wind rushing by me, knowing that I was getting exercise, and realizing how easy it was to get places became somewhat addicting. I would often just go out on a ride without a destination in mind, with the only goal being to enjoy myself and feel “at one” with the vibe of the city.
I know that without a bike, I wouldn’t have been able to see as much as I did. Over two days, I was able to tour the canals of Amsterdam and see some of its most historic, scenic neighborhoods, eat delicious herring sandwiches offered by vendors around the city, and take a casual ride through the scenic and serene Vondel Park. Additionally, I toured the inner ring of Amsterdam by foot, seeing the Red Light District, historic churches, and ended my last day by biking to the Rijksmuseum to view the treasured artifacts of Dutch culture. During all of these things I did, my bike was always close by. 
Overall, the feeling of biking around Amsterdam was a liberating one. It took me away from the realm of being trapped only seeing the city by foot and put me in the role of a local with a bike, able to swiftly travel wherever I needed to. I think the city’s obsession with the bicycle has a lot to do with its layout, which is very flat and compacted. Also, the bicycle is inexpensive, low-maintenance, requires no fuel, and is a healthy, active mode of transportation. All of these things seem to fit the Dutch mindset of progressivism and resourcefulness, which I believe are unique to both Amsterdam and Holland’s culture as a whole.
Links: www.black-bikes.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transport_in_Amsterdam
I was unaware about the fact that Amsterdam was the bike capital of the world. Next time I travel I will rent a bike or take a bike tour around the city. Additionally, I didn't realize that bike theft was that high because I observed many bikes that were securely locked up. The number of bikes per citizen is ridiculous. I feel as though If the US were to use bikes as much as the dutch then our energy dependency would decrease significantly.
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