Photographs provided by: Ben Oostrum
Above left: Ben Oostrum of Boo, and his daughter Sammie Oostrum, the authors of this guide to their hometown of Rotterdam; Above right: The Euromast by Maaskant in the background
Rotterdam is known as a work-work-work city. New apartments, new streets, new stations; the people of Rotterdam always think of something new to build. Visiting this city is a different experience every time.
Rotterdam does not have a historical city center. During WWII, the city was bombed and the whole center was destroyed. Tragic as this was, after the war, Rotterdam took this opportunity to rebuild and redesign the center, keeping modern transportation like cars, trams, and the metro in mind.
When you exit Centraal Station (which is now under construction but will one day be Rotterdam’s newest pride and joy) you will see on your right the Groothandelsgebouw.
Above: Groothandelsgebouw
This gigantic building was one of the first projects after WWII and solved the problem of creating offices for all of the companies that were hit during the war. The architect Maaskant decided to build an actual auto route during the construction to make deliveries easier to all of the businesses.
Going straight ahead, on your right hand side you will see Schouwburgplein. On one side of this square we have De Doelen (architects E.H.A. & H.M. Kraaijvanger, R.H. Fledderus) the concert building, and also the home base of the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. On the other side is De Schouwburg, our theatre.
Above: De Doelen
Continuing down the Mauritsweg or Westersingel (depending on which side of the water you are on) you will cross the Binnenweg. This street connects the west side of Rotterdam with the city center. Going left on the Binnenweg will bring you to the main shopping area. Before you go there, however, stop and look at our Santa Claus by Paul McCarthy. This statue was made for Sculpture International Rotterdam but it was difficult to find a location for installation. For a lot of people, the statue had sexual connotations, which soon led to the nickname ‘Kabouter Buttplug’ (gnome buttplug).
Above: Santa Claus by Paul McCarthy
Going right on the Binnenweg you will find places to sit down and have a drink like Rotown, where you can enjoy coffee and a sandwich during the day, a simple meal and some wine in the evening, and flow right through to the dance floor after 10pm. There is live music almost every night and a lot of well-known bands have played here.
When you decide that it is time for some art, culture, food, or shoe shopping, you should definitely go to the Witte de Withstraat, our center for contemporary art where there is always an exhibition or event going on. Sharing the same entrance, you’ll find the CBK tent (the art centre for local artists). Around the corner is Vivid, a design gallery owned by Saskia Copper and Aad Krol. In addition to the gallery, they also manage the world-renowned website.
Above: Design Gallery Vivid
Now you will be very close to the elementary school ‘t Landje. Because the school enrollment was growing quickly, it needed a new building which they found in Baan 2-4. Baan 2-4 was an old office building, and not really suitable for children, so our design studio Boo decorated the windows and made it look and feel like a school.
Above: ‘t Landje
When you get tired, rent a room in oriental hotel Bazar. This extraordinary hotel has only about 25 rooms and they are decorated in special global styles. In the hotel's restaurant, you can get a good, reasonably-priced meal.
After your dinner go for a drink in de Witte Aap. This bar is always packed to the rafters and is a great place to meet people.
Above: De Witte Aap
You could spend an entire day walking around Witte de Withstraat, but if you walk just a little bit further towards Museumpark you will not regret it.
Museum Boijmans van Beuningen has recently been renovated and has a huge collection of old masters as well as modern art, contemporary art, and design. There is always an impressive exhibition going on here.
Above: Museum Boijmans van Beuningen
Across the street from this is the NAI or Netherlands Architectural Institute (architect Jo Coenen), which is a must-see considering Rotterdam was the Architectural Capital of Europe in 2007. Perhaps even nicer than the building is the computer controlled light sculpture by Peter Struycken.
Above: NAI with a light sculpture by Peter Struycken
On the other side of the park, opposite the NAI, is the Kunsthal. The Kunsthal shows culture in all possible ways. It is an unpredictable institute, and this keeps it interesting. The building itself is worth checking out as it was the first completed design by Rem Koolhaas’s OMA (Office for Metropolitan Architecture).
Above: Kunsthal
When you exit the museum park at the Kunsthal side, make your way to the Westelijk handelsterrein. Here you will find many intimate restaurants, bars and galleries. You will definitely be surprised with what you find.
Above: Westelijk handelsterrein
Walking further toward the Veerhaven, you will also come across Lulu, a very cosy restaurant where they serve the most delicious Oriental food. In the same area is Zinc restaurant, which is the perfect place for networking dinners or large parties.
Above: A local boat-taxi
In the Veerhaven, you can take a boat-taxi (which were designed by Huibert Groenendijk of Proforma) to the other side of the river Maas. Here you will find Hotel New York that is a great place to stay but is also famous for it's oyster bar and other seafood specialties.
Above: Hotel New York
While you are in the neighbourhood, make sure to visit Las Palmas, which was recently renovated by Benthem Crouwel Architects. Inside you will find the Nederlands Fotomuseum, exhibition spaces, clubs and restaurants.
Above: Las Palmas
After you have walked around the south of Rotterdam, take a boat-taxi back. Let it drop you off at the Lloydkwartier, where you can have a look at the 25kV and other Schiecentrale buildings. This former electrical plant that is situated in the harbour area has recently been developed and now houses numerous creative companies. This is also where you will find Boo’s head office; ring the bell at Lloydstraat 15H just to come by and say hi. Most of the buildings here were designed by MEI architects, including: 25kV, Kraton, Schiecentrale, hotel Stroom and St. Jobsveem.
Above: 25kV
Kraton, houses the local radio and television network and is decorated with a cast iron facade that was created by the designers studio Job.
Above top and bottom: Kraton
In this area, you can also see the architecture of the School for Transport and Navigation by Neutelings Riedijk Architecten.
Above: Scheepvaart en Transport College
On the Lloydkwartier you will find Verhip, where everybody who works on the Lloydkwartier comes to relax after a hard day’s work. On Friday afternoons you will find Boo’s Ben Oostrum there for sure; come and join him for a drink!
Above: Verhip
For great Spanish tapas you should go to Camarón right across the street from the bar. Luckily, Hotel Stroom, one of Rotterdam’s hippest hotels, is nearby and you can fall right into bed after dinner.
Above: Hotel Stroom
Food & Drinks & Hotels:
Hotel New York
Koninginnenhoofd 1
3072 AD Rotterdam
Hotel Bazar
Witte de Withstraat 16
3012 BP Rotterdam
Hotel Stroom
Lloydstraat 1
3024 EA Rotterdam
Lulu Oriental Food
Van Vollenhovenstraat 60
3016 BK Rotterdam
Angelo Betti
The best pizza in town
Schiekade 6a
3032 AJ Rotterdam
Camarón
Great and affordable tapas
Westzeedijk 461a
3024 EK Rotterdam
Verhip
Ben Oostrum's favourite hangout
St. Jobsweg 21
Rotterdam
Witte Aap
Great bar
Witte de Withstraat 78
3012 BE Rotterdam
Rotown
Pop podium
Nieuwe Binnenweg 17-19
3014 GB Rotterdam
Zinc
A very nice restaurant
Calandstraat 122
3016 CB Rotterdam
Jazzcafé Dizzy
's Gravendijkwal 127
3021 EK Rotterdam
Lux
Great Italian cuisine
`s Gravendijkwal 133
3021 EK Rotterdam
Dudok
Grand cafe
Meent 88
3011 JP Rotterdam
Urban Espresso Bar
Best coffee in town
Botersloot 44a
3011 HH Rotterdam
Wasabi
Nice and cheap sushi
Coolsingel 87 B-C
3012 AE Rotterdam
Hamachi
Real sushi but located in Schiedam, which is nearby
Mauritsweg 24-26
3012 JR Rotterdam
Typical Dutch:
De Ballentent
Parkkade 1
3016 GN Rotterdam
Design:
Design Gallery Vivid
William Boothlaan 17a
3012 VH Rotterdam
Depot Rotterdam
Pannekoekstraat 66a
3011 LJ Rotterdam
Museums:
Boijmans van Beuningen
museumpark 18-20
3015 CX Rotterdam
Nederlands Architectuurinstituut
Museumpark 25,
3015 CB Rotterdam
Kunsthal
Museumpark, Westzeedijk 341
3015 AA Rotterdam
Nederlands Fotomuseum
Las Palmas
Wilhelminakade 332
3072 AR Rotterdam
Het Schielandshuis
Korte Hoogstraat 31
3011 GK Rotterdam Centrum
Music & Theater:
De Doelen
Schouwburgplein 50,
Rotterdam
Rotterdamse Schouwburg
Schouwburgplein 25
Rotterdam
Great Bookshop:
Donner –selexyz
Lijnbaan 150
3012ER Rotterdam
Concept by: Ben Oostrum
Text by: Sammie Oostrum
Boo started out with a focus on product design, mainly with interior products such as furniture, lighting, and accessories as their main interest. Gradually, Boo moved it's focus more towards interior design, and now works on projects for both offices and domestic homes. The company is best known for products such as the Crosslight and Hoppy, and both are in production with the Belgium lighting manufacturer Dark.
To contact Ben Oostrum:
Boo
Lloydstraat 15H
3024 EA Rotterdam
the Netherlands
Phone: +31 (0) 10 2763547
E-mail: info@boontwerpt.nl
Visit his company website at: http://www.boontwerpt.nl/