Just around the time that our first was born, I got a job offer in Amsterdam which I took. Not knowing Amsterdam and it being difficult to look for a place to stay from London, we basically took the first opportunity we got (my mother actually found the place, looked at it and said it we should do it) and ended up in The Eastern Docklands (Oostelijk Havengebied), in Amsterdam, close to my work in the Watergraafsmeer. The area used to be part of the port of Amsterdam, but was in the process of being converted to a residential area. The 'island' where we are on, was in the process of being developed and it took some two years before the builders trucks disappeared. We had a nice apartment with three bedrooms and a view over the water to kill for (we're on the sixth and 7th floor), and compared to London and Paris, relatively cheap. Although the area was kind of deserted in the beginning, the entire region has become now a trendy place to with a nice urban architecture. It's a nice mix of students, young professionals, singles, families but also restaurants, clubs, live music. There are three primary schools within walking distance, and we swim in the docks in the summer. There is a boardwalk where people swim, picknick, sunbathe which is excellent. It's wonderful to come home from work, walk with your kid in your swimming pants to the docks and dive in. It's also a nice place during weekdays to just sit and contemplate. After many years in Amsterdam we feel at ease in the city. It's a relaxed place, with lots of places to visit (virtually all within cycling distance) and good shops. Amsterdam has only 1 million people (since the early 1900s, the borders stay fixed, there is hardly place to expand) and is therefore relatively small. It does have a metropolitan atmosphere, though, with many nationalities and close to Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht. For me, it's also a good base station to be able to commute to 2/3 of The Netherlands, although the traffic jams sometimes become prohibitive.