Amsterdammers do not visit Rotterdam too often. The most 'fanatic' born-and-raised Amsterdammers would probably never even think of ever going there. For me as an import-Amsterdammer it's a bit different, but until recently I also did not see Rotterdam more than once or twice a year on average. But since one year and a bit, somehow there is more and more Rotterdam in my life. I was to my big surprise even asked to review a book on Rotterdam for a Dutch urban planning journal, as if I know so much about Rotterdam...well, I guess I managed to write a reasonable constructively critical piece on the changing image of the city since the 1970s.

It is a city of mixed emotions for me. On the bright side: it has some nice museums, the harbour is impressive, one of my best friends lives there (though rather on the city edge), and last Sunday I had a great afternoon and evening in Rotterdam. I took part in a 'puzzle pub crawl', seeing more Rotterdam pubs from inside in one day than before in my life. You have to search for them a bit harder than in Amsterdam, but Rotterdam has plenty of pubs too, especially along our route through Delfshaven and along the Nieuwe Binnenweg. And afterwards we noticed that the inner city offers at least one very good restaurant too   (I'm sure there are much more)

But then there are the darker sides too, and so far they win it from the bright sides if you ask me. The hypermodern city centre, with some impressive but also many ugly high-rises, highways straight through the centre, and always and everywhere lots of wind. The troubles with deprived neighbourhoods: the contrasts between rich and poor parts of the city seem much bigger than in any other Dutch city. The hostile attitude towards the migrant groups some years ago (or is it still there?). The still continuing populist wave through Dutch politics that started in Rotterdam. And on a more personal note: it was also the city where AZ Alkmaar lost two big prizes in only one week earlier this year

Rotterdam will never be an easy city for me. I cannot imagine I would live there. But I will definitely keep visiting it and maybe I get to like the city a bit more some day.