I have a little ritual every time I step off the train in big, bold Amsterdam: I look over my shoulder to the lions of the city seal atop Amsterdam Centraal train station. They seem to roar, “Just do it.”
One side of the station faces the harbor. From there, buses come and go, the free shuttle ferries are jammed with bikers, and the Amsterdam-Noord district across the water bustles with construction as if fertilized by the new commuter train line that tunnels under the water to connect it with downtown. And on the city-facing side of the station, trams glide, children pedal to school as if in a small town, and pairs of police add no stress to the laid-back scene.
