Ro-Town

Place Name: The great city of Rotterdam
When people think of Holland, they automatically think of Amsterdam. Screw those people. I should explain. Rotterdam and Amsterdam are rivals. It used to be personified by the football rivalry of Ajax (Amsterdam) and Feyenoord (Rotterdam) until recently Feyenoord became a pathetic excuse for a team, personified by a recent 10-0 drubbing. Nevertheless, being from the nearby small city of Schiedam which is 20 minutes by tram to the centre of Rotterdam, I much more associate with Rotterdam.

Rotterdam, I think, really has the potential to be the next great city in Europe. Thanks to war and the near total-destruction of the city, Rotterdam has been able to build itself up, and now boasts things that other Dutch cities can't. For example:

• City planning
• Iconic modern architecture
• Room for growth

Last year I ran the 10km race of the Rotterdam marathon (the biggest and most important marathon in Holland), and I wrote a summary of it here. There I explained and took pictures of some of the landmarks of the city.

Of course, the major exposure that Rotterdam has gotten was from the Jack Chan Film Who Am I?, of which this scene really uses the landscape to its full effect.


James Bond has been to Amsterdam several times, but Rotterdam should almost be ready to take over. The thing that Rotterdam might be lacking is a nickname. Ro-town is actually already in common usage among some groups, and is simple and memorable enough to catch on. Some people in Rotorua, NZ might be up in arms at the thought of having their nickname stolen, but come on, their city is tiny and it smells like crap. Really. Ro-Town is also the name of an iconic music hall in downtown Rotterdam, so fair enough. It's ours.

I'll leave you with a skyline I put together of some of the most iconic buildings in the city, including:

• De Witte Huis (In the early part of the century, the tallest office building in Europe)
• The Swan/ Erasmusbrug
• The Willemsbrug
• The Cube houses
• The Pencil
• The Euromast
• The City without a heart, a sculpture by Zadkine
• And the buildinng Jackie Chan slid down

Enjoy.

Example Sentences:

"Why go to Amsterdam? They just have coffee shops and ho's. So does Ro-town, but so much more."