 Amsterdam at night The Netherlands leg of my Europe trip was not only exciting because I’d be meeting up with my parents again, but it’s also where I’d get to see more of my family heading there from the States. My cousin Lena was the first to arrive, and we met up for Aperol spritzes in the heart of Amsterdam. After catching up for a bit, we parted ways to get to our respective accommodations. While Lena was heading to a hotel, I continued my adventure in ‘Hostel Land.’ Unfortunately, this was where my adventure took a turn for the worse.
Amsterdam is expensive, and I soon learned that the cheapest hostel in a central part of town I could find also happened to be in a red-light district. Oy. Listen, hostels in Amsterdam’s red-light district might be fine and dandy when you’re a 20-year-old guy, but it's Hell when you’re a 30-something woman. I walked up the narrow stairway from the street to Hostel Warmoes, the tiniest, arguably worst hostel you could imagine. It was bad. I had booked three nights but only stayed for one and had to crash with my parents for the remainder of the trip. Thankfully, I was able to get a refund. Here’s the thing about Amsterdam: don’t stay near Central Station. It seems like a smart idea, but this part of town is a hot, congested mess. Instead, stay a bit further into the city. It’s much nicer, and the public transportation is so good there you can easily get around to different parts of town. Day 2 After my night from Hell in Hostel Warmoes, I packed up my things to drop them off where my parents were staying. We then had the day to explore together before meeting some of our Dutch relatives on the Zwarenstein side for dinner. My parents and I went to Amsterdam’s Holocaust Museum and had some local craft beer at Brouwerij 't IJ, a brewery located in a windmill. Since we had been to Amsterdam before, we were trying to find new places to see. We had hoped to go to a market but unfortunately only caught the tail end of one already closing down. We then met up with our other family members for an amazing Indonesian dinner at Indra Pura. I definitely recommend it if you’re looking to try some Indonesian food while you’re there!  Winston Churchill once wrote, “Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Of course, this is a take from other quotes, but considering that Churchill was a prominent figure in Britain during WWII, I think he’s well-aware of its importance.
I learned in 2008 that my dad’s side of the family has Jewish roots – from his father’s family. The truth is, I never knew my ‘opa’ (grandfather) since he died about 10 years before I was born. However, we were able to connect with other relatives on that side while going on a family trip to the Netherlands that same year. For reference, our family in the U.S. spells our last name as Zwarensteyn, but this was changed during the Holocaust. We still have relatives in the Netherlands and other parts of the world who spell it the original way: Zwarenstein. Since then, I’ve wanted to learn more about that side of my family’s history, and after October 7, 2023, it was clearer than ever that my next European visit should also help me further reflect on our family's history and just how lucky I am to be here. For this reason, I added Poland to my trip, with a very specific destination for one of my days there: Auschwitz. This was where other Zwarensteins died during the Holocaust, including my paternal great-grandfather Salomon Zwarenstein and great-grandmother Truida de Jong. My grandfather was able to escape the camps, but other family members of his did not. From Kraków, I took a train to the town of Oświęcim, which is where the camp is located. Even right after getting off the train, you can feel the emptiness and sadness of the area. As a reminder, Poland was invaded by Germans, and people had already been living there before the war. However, people still live in this town, which kind of surprised me. I just can’t imagine wanting to stay after what happened there. From the train station, I walked to an area near the camp where they have food and shuttles. I thought I could walk to the entrance, but you do need to book a shuttle, but it’s only like 10 Polish złoty (their currency). When you book a tour, you actually see two camps. This was something I never knew. The location you start at (and need transportation to get to) is called Birkenau. Auschwitz is actually a different location, and you go there after touring Birkenau, so expect a full day to see all this. Birkenau was originally a Polish military base until the Germans invaded and used it as a concentration camp. A tour guide takes you around both camps, and I really lucked out with ours. He was incredibly kind and respectful of the painful past of where we were. You see everything, the gas chamber, victims’ belongings – it’s haunting what went on there. But I am at least glad that the Polish people have made it an important place to bear witness to the heartbreaking reality of the Holocaust. Auschwitz is the camp with the train tracks going in through the entrance, which you may have seen in history pictures. This place was constructed by the Nazis to enable a large-scale genocide. It’s horrific. It’s basically an open field with small buildings constructed in rows. My heart broke there. Not just for my family but the millions of other Jews who died at the hands of the Nazis. The truth is, had my grandfather not been able to avoid being captured, I probably wouldn’t be alive today and neither would my own dad. I imagine what my grandfather must have been like before the war, and I cannot fathom how it changed him. And sometimes I wonder if it took a toll on the relationship between my grandparents. But I do realize how being alive is a blessing, and with so much pain and suffering around the world, it’s easy to fall into anger and hate. But if being at Auschwitz and Birkenau taught me anything, it’s how important it is to not give into that. I am proud of my Dutch roots, and I am proud of Jewish roots. May we all be kinder to one another. Whether you’re living in Los Angeles or visiting, you’ve likely seen the Broad Museum on multiple lists of must-see places in LA. One of the city’s most noteworthy museums, the Broad is located in downtown Los Angeles and is home to many artworks, including the famous Infinity Mirror Room.
If you’ve never been to this museum and want to go, I’ll walk you through what you need to know when visiting the Broad Museum for the first time. What Is the Broad Museum Known For? LA’s Broad Museum is known for hosting contemporary art. They have many works from famed artists like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. One of their most famous exhibits is the Infinity Mirror Room, created by Yayoi Kusama. This Instagram-worthy and immersive display is filled with lights and makes you feel like you’re in space. How Much Are Tickets to the Broad Museum? If you’re wondering how much it costs to get into the Broad Museum, the good news is it’s free, and this includes Yayoi Kusama’s Infinity Mirror Room. Getting tickets, however, is a little tricky. You’ll want to get tickets specifically for the Broad Museum and Infinity Mirror Room instead of just the Broad. Unfortunately, you can’t get these tickets at any time, either. Tickets are available to reserve online on the last Wednesday of every month at 10:00 a.m. PST. From there, you can pick the upcoming day and time you’d like to go. Can you get into the Broad without a ticket? No, you can’t get into the Broad without a ticket. Instead, you must reserve tickets online to get into the Broad Museum and the Infinity Mirror Room. You may see a line of people waiting outside the museum, but if you have tickets already, you can go up to one of the attendants to check in and head inside. The Infinity Mirror Room This immersive experience is one of the museum’s most popular displays. I expected this exhibit to be in a massive room in which people were crammed in, trying to fight one another for the best photo op. However, kudos to the artist and Broad Museum staff for creating a really unique setup. Once you’re in the museum, you can go to the line specifically for the Infinity Room. It’s on the first floor, just before the gift shop, so it’s easy to find. The wait isn’t long at all; I think my husband and I were in line for no more than 10 minutes. How it works is that each group gets to go into the room by themselves (with a limit of 4 people per group) for 1 minute. There’s an attendant at the door to let you in, and you can leave your coat/purse/bag with this person if you don’t want to bring them in. When you walk in, there’s a short pathway for you to stand and surround yourself with the stunning light display. It was incredible! Not only is the artwork itself amazing, but getting to experience it without crowds makes it all the more special. While one minute may seem short, that’s really all you need to get some nice photos/videos and take in the artwork. I’ll add that while it’s worth a photo op, give yourself time to actually appreciate it in person too! How to Get to the Broad Museum There are several options for getting to the Broad. While you certainly can take a Lyft or Uber there, driving or taking public transportation could be more economical depending on where you live or the location of your hotel. Public Transportation This is what my husband and I ended up doing. The great thing about being downtown is that the Broad is near one of the city’s subway stations. To get here from the Hollywood area (including Universal City and North Hollywood), you’ll take the subway’s red line toward Union Station and get off at the Civic Center station. From there, walk along Hope Street and then hang a right at 2nd Street until you see the Broad Museum on your left. Drive and Park The other option is to drive and park at the Broad Museum. The parking garage is open on Wednesdays-Sundays from 9 in the morning until 10:30 at night. Here are the rates according to Broad Museum’s official website:
How Much Time is Needed for the Broad Museum? You should be able to see the Infinity Room and the rest of the museum within 1.5 - 2 hours. The museum’s third floor is only included with the free general admission tickets. However, you can pay extra to see other displays, which may increase your time there. Is the Broad Museum free? Yes, it's free to enter the Broad Museum. The only cost would be to attend premium exhibitions, but the infinity and main museum area are free. What's at the Broad Museum? You can find all kinds of exhibitions and artwork at the Broad, including the famous Infinity Room and work from artists like Andy Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat. |
About the author
Jill Zwarensteyn is a writer and comedian who has been featured on Amazon, truTV, The New York Times, Matador Network, BUST Magazine, Sleep Advisor, Tiplr, ARTRPRNR Magazine, YourTango, Thought Catalog, GoMad Nomad, Mashable, The Daily Mail UK, the Cannes Film Festival, LaughFest, Women's Lifestyle Magazine, and the Funny Women Festival LA. For more info visit: http://www.jillzwarensteyn.weebly.com Archives
August 2024
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