Rooms and doors of Rembrandtplein
Lodgings near Rembrandtplein follow the canals rather than the square. A couple of large hotels overlook the lawn itself, a thicker ring of boutique properties lines Herengracht and Reguliersgracht a block away, and apartments sit above the shops of Utrechtsestraat and along the Amstel. The square's nights are long and noisy, so rooms facing it tend to be booked by people who intend to join the noise, while rooms a street back are booked by people who hope to sleep through it. Our readers come from both groups, and their timing differs accordingly. Messages from the loud rooms arrive at one or two, after the terrace has done its work. Messages from the quiet rooms arrive earlier, at ten or eleven, from travellers who looked at the square, decided against it, and would rather have a closed door and a warm bed. No member of the house lives on the square itself, but several live a short walk away, and none of them has ever been slowed by its crowd.











