Amsterdam via train

We decided to check out Amsterdam for Columbus Day, and got a great deal on a train fare. It seemed logical, to avoid all of the snarls of driving in a new city (especially one where 40% of the population rides a bicycle!) as well as the $50/day parking fees by just taking the train. We headed off down the hill, everyone pulling their 'case' (as Michael calls it) to the Hauptbahnhof. We boarded the train and with only a few hiccups due to a train strike, were soon at the airport station and on our way on the high speed ICE train! Gotta love some first class travel; yes, we had this entire compartment to ourselves! In about 3 hrs, we arrived in Amsterdam. It is a very cool city; the train station is very centrally located. When you exit the station, the city sort of spreads out like a fan in front of you. We stopped at the TI to get a map (very cool - it comes out of a vending machine. The map is folded up into a small box that looks like a box of condoms......ha ha.) After getting our tram cards, we were on our way to the hotel area, and were soon sightseeing the beautiful sights along the canals.