Amsterdam

city · in 47 videos (2007–2021)

City where John had a 2011 residency; a setting of The Fault in Our Stars.

Includes: Anne Frank House, Vondelpark, Amsterdam Centraal station, Begijnhof, De Wallen, Hotel de Filosoof, Museumplein, Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam, Spui

Videos by year: 2007: 1 · 2008: 1 · 2009: 5 · 2010: 3 · 2011: 11 · 2012: 2 · 2013: 6 · 2014: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2017: 10 · 2018: 2 · 2021: 1

Threads

• John and Sarah's trip to the Netherlands for An Abundance of Katherines (2007) — story, followed over 4 videos (2007), 2007
• John asks European Nerdfighters to sign up for the Amsterdam Nerdfighter gathering (March 2009) — ask, invitation (not a request), 2009
• John: make an Amsterdam video by the end of the week (2009) — promise, kept, 2009
• John's week touring the Netherlands with Jordan Sonnenblick and Steve Kluger (2009) — story, told 2×, 2009–2015
• John's week in Europe for events in Amsterdam and Vienna (November 2010) — story, followed over 3 videos (2010), 2010
• John's 'I'm not going down' sleepless-flight bit (2010) — running joke, one-off joke (2010), 2010
• John's two-month move to the Netherlands (April 2011) — story, told 2×, last update 2012, 2011–2012
• John, Sarah and Henry's Queen's Day in Amsterdam (2011) — story, told 1×, 2011
• John's Nerdfighter gathering in Amsterdam (2012) — project history, last documented in 2012, 2012
• John's trip to Amsterdam for the Dutch edition of The Fault in Our Stars (March 2012) — story, told 1×, 2012
• VidCon Europe 2017 edition (Amsterdam, April 8-9): the first VidCon outside the US — project history, completed, 2016–2018
• Hank: attend all three 2017 VidCons, in Anaheim, Amsterdam and Melbourne (2016) — promise, kept, 2016–2017
• Hank encourages John and viewers to watch the other viewer-edited versions of his Amsterdam vlog (2017) — ask, promotion (not a request), 2017
• Hank visits the TFiOS bench in Amsterdam, reads its Google reviews and leaves his own (2017) — story, told 1×, 2017
• VidCon Europe 2018 edition (Amsterdam, March 22-24): creator and industry focus, no fan portion — project history, completed, 2018

Also named in the threads: The Fault in Our Stars: writing, title and publication (2011) · John in Venice for the Indianapolis Museum of Art's US Pavilion at the Venice Biennale (2011) · John's diseased gallbladder and its removal (2011) · The Fault in Our Stars film adaptation (2012) · VidCon Australia 2017 edition (Melbourne, September 9-10) · Hank invites viewers to come to NerdCon: Nerdfighteria in Boston (2016) · NerdCon: Nerdfighteria 2017 edition (Boston, February): celebrating ten years of Vlogbrothers · VidCon 2017 edition (Anaheim, June 21-24) · Hank invites viewers to get tickets for the 2017 VidCons in Anaheim, Amsterdam and Melbourne (2016)

Often together

What comes up in the same parts of the videos; the number is how many parts.

The Fault in Our Stars (film) (7) · Hazel Grace Lancaster (4) · The Fault in Our Stars (7) · Sarah Urist Green (9) · Augustus Waters (2) · Indianapolis (5) · Paper Towns (5) · Bank of Nerdfighteria (2) · Question Tuesday (4) · Willy (3)

What the videos say

The most important statements of each year; all statements.

2007

• 2007-05-22 · May 22: Brotherhood 2.0 in Amsterdam — John is in Amsterdam having a good time; he likes it so much he does his happy dance, and the locals laugh. (playful) — 00:00:09
  • John expected Amsterdam to be a drug-addled den of iniquity, 'Las Vegas, but with legal weed', but finds it one of the cleanest, most beautiful cities he has visited. — 00:01:11
  • John lists what he likes in Amsterdam: green space, everyone biking, small efficient cars, eco-friendly toilets, fresh flowers and beautiful buildings, some items delivered as gags. (playful) — 00:01:11
  • John says he and the Yeti keep talking about moving to Amsterdam, though he insists Indianapolis is the Amsterdam of central Indiana. (playful) — 00:01:49
  • John sums up that Amsterdam is what many great cities will be like in 50 years: efficient, sustainable and mostly underwater. (playful) — 00:01:49

2008

• 2008-09-04 · Paper Towns Tour Dates! — John: The back of both editions is a big photo of John in Amsterdam in mismatched argyle socks. (playful) — 00:00:42

2009

• 2009-02-21 (said on 2009-02-14, implied) · Paper Towns and PUPPY — ask: John invites European Nerdfighters to a public Nerdfighter gathering that Thursday night in Amsterdam; details are not set yet, but he asks them to sign up via the sidebar. — 00:00:30
  • On Thursday, March 19th, John will be in Amsterdam for the launch of the Dutch edition of Paper Towns. — 00:00:30
• 2009-03-10 · How to Get Girls to Like You — announcement: John's event in Amsterdam is on Thursday, March 19, at 7 p.m. at De Jaren; everyone in and around Amsterdam should come. — 00:00:18
• 2009-03-15 · Lighting a candle for Rwanda — announcement: John reminds viewers of an Amsterdam Nerdfighter gathering on Thursday night at 7 o'clock at De Jaren, with more information in the sidebar. — 00:00:00
  • John says he will see many Nerdfighters in Amsterdam on Thursday and promises an Amsterdam video by the end of the week. — 00:02:21
• 2009-03-22 · John Loves Amsterdam — John: On Thursday night more than 100 Nerdfighters gathered in Amsterdam for an evening of fun, including John failing to read in Dutch. — 00:01:34
  • John tells Hank that people sang a song Hank wrote in a bar in Amsterdam. — 00:02:22
• …and 2 statements more in 2009 — all statements of 2009

2010

• 2010-11-15 · Hey! You! Fix the Budget! — announcement: John says he leaves tomorrow (16 November 2010) for a week in Europe, doing events in Amsterdam and Vienna, with details in the description. — 00:02:56
• 2010-11-19 · I'm Not Going Down: Thoughts from Amsterdam — John: After landing in foggy Munich and eating a pretzel, John flies on to Amsterdam, which he calls the city he loves most in the world. — 00:00:32
  • John says Amsterdam, like all great cities, brims with contradictions: a red-light district dominated by a church, the city that both hid Anne Frank and gave her up. — 00:01:17
  • John says Amsterdam's contradictions (an ancient city always under construction, boats that both keep out and contain water) are in all of us, or at least in him. (hedged) — 00:01:46
• …and 1 statement more in 2010 — all statements of 2010

Also named in: In Defense of Contemporary Art

2011

• 2011-04-15 · Humpy Hank — John tells Hank he has to go to Amsterdam. — 00:02:03
• 2011-04-20 · Tulipomania — John says he is really in Amsterdam, not before a green screen, for two months finishing his new book; the reason for Amsterdam will become obvious when you read it. — 00:00:03
• 2011-04-25 · Meeting Greg Mortenson — announcement: The description announces a few public events with John in the Netherlands and Belgium over the next couple of months, listed by his Dutch publisher Lemniscaat, with probably one more in Amsterdam to come. — video description
• 2011-04-29 · Peanut Butter Face Question Tuesday — John: Willy is not in Amsterdam; he is staying with the Yeti's aunt and uncle, whom John says Willy likes far better than him. — 00:02:46
• 2011-05-09 · Trading Underwear for Rice Crispy Treats: Queens Day in Amsterdam (Thoughts from Places) — John, Sarah and Henry spent Queen's Day (30 April 2011) in Amsterdam; Henry woke them at 5:42 a.m. and they took him to the Vondelpark in a Dirk Kuyt jersey. — 00:00:01
  • John met Nerdfighter Tobias, the only person in Amsterdam not wearing orange, and says the orange-clad crowds make him anxious. (playful) — 00:01:01
• 2011-05-23 · Eating the Unicorn — John: Over the last month of living in Amsterdam, John has repeatedly used Google Translate on Dutch documents; imperfect, but it gives the sense. — 00:00:26
• 2011-05-27 · Older Than Gravity In Bruges: Thoughts from Places — John woke up last Sunday (22 May 2011) in Bruges, joking about a night of beer, having left his toothbrush in Amsterdam, and set out to buy a toothbrush and Belgian chocolate. (playful) — 00:00:01
• 2011-06-10 · Then I Took Off My Bra — John says his time in the Netherlands is almost over; he will miss Amsterdam's elm trees, public transport, canal view, cafés, bicycles and his apartment older than his country. — 00:00:00
  • The one thing John won't miss about Amsterdam: shops play real music rather than muzak, including gangster rap with unedited lyrics, which Hank's SexyBack ice cream truck reminded him of. — 00:00:37
• …and 3 statements more in 2011 — all statements of 2011

Also named in: Thoughts from Places: Los Angeles after the Earthquake, 500,000 Subscribers (Almost...and Thank You), 1990's Sim Games. SO GOOD!

2012

• 2012-03-20 · Sharpie Face Question Tuesday — announcement: John says he is going to the Netherlands this week (week of 19 March 2012); there will be a Nerdfighter gathering in Amsterdam on Friday night, with info in the description. — 00:00:26
• 2012-03-27 · Wrong but Right: Thoughts from Places Amsterdam — John woke on Saturday in Amsterdam extravagantly jet-lagged, then walked with Henry's old babysitter to the apartment where he lived while finishing The Fault in Our Stars. — 00:00:00
  • John thanks the Dutch Nerdfighter community for its support and his Dutch publisher Lemniscaat for bringing him back to Amsterdam, the city he loves so much. — video description
  • On the trip John visited the Central Library of Amsterdam, where he wrote much of The Fault in Our Stars. — 00:01:13
  • Recalling the months he lived in Amsterdam, much of the time sick and crippled with anxiety, John now thinks only of how much one can love and miss made-up people. — 00:02:01
• …and 1 statement more in 2012 — all statements of 2012

2013

• 2013-07-19 · TFiOS Movie, Bees, Babies, and More! — announcement: John reads a viewer question that assumes TFIOS filming in Pittsburgh has started, corrects it (filming does not start until August 26th), and the question asks whether he will be coming to Amsterdam. — 00:01:00
• 2013-10-04 · Q&A with Ansel Elgort and Mike Birbiglia from The Fault in Our Stars Movie Set — Ansel Elgort: Ansel says that while shooting Divergent in Chicago, Shailene gave him a package not to open; days later Josh Boone told him to open it: a rotten Dutch cheese and tomato sandwich meant he got the part. — 00:01:25
• …and 3 statements more in 2013 — all statements of 2013

Also named in: Headless Statues and Elton John's Piano: Seeing Sights in London (Thoughts from Places)

2014

• 2014-11-21 (said on 2014-11-20, implied) · The Sleepiest Sleepyhead in Sleeptown — John: Now in Los Angeles after some sleep on the flight, John spent the day with Shailene Woodley, Ansel Elgort and others from the TFIOS movie as an Amsterdam-style TFIOS bench was installed on the Fox lot. — 00:02:33
• …and 1 statement more in 2014 — all statements of 2014

2015

• 2015-04-21 · A Stunning Turn of Events — John recalls his first European Nerdfighter gathering (Amsterdam, 2008, 30-40 people), where a Dutch Nerdfighter from Best Wishes from the Netherlands asked him to introduce them to the Belgian boys. — 00:02:04

2016

• 2016-06-24 (said on 2016-06-21, implied) · Questions (and Announcements) from VidCon — announcement: The description says VidCon is going international, starting with Amsterdam in April and Australia in September. — video description
  • Hank announces two new VidCons, in Melbourne, Australia, and in Amsterdam, which he calls huge and kind of shocking to see finally happening. — 00:02:19
• 2016-12-01 (said on 2016-12-02, implied) · See you in Amsterdam, Melbourne, or Anaheim!! (also Boston) — announcement: Hank announces in the promo that VidCon US returns to the Anaheim Convention Center on June 21-24, and that VidCon goes global: Europe in Amsterdam April 8-9, Australia in Melbourne September 9-10. — 00:01:15
  • Hank says he has never been to Amsterdam or the Southern Hemisphere and will be at all three VidCons: Anaheim, Amsterdam and Melbourne. — 00:01:54

2017

• 2017-01-20 · Behind the Scenes of My Life — Hank finds Julia looking at maps of Amsterdam and Melbourne, which she says she has to think about. — 00:02:21
• 2017-01-24 · On Motivation — announcement: John says he will be at VidCon Europe in Amsterdam in April with many other YouTubers. — 00:03:12
• 2017-02-07 (said on 2017-02-02, implied) · Good News, YA Books, and Bears: It's Question Tuesday — John is very excited for VidCon Europe in April, partly because he hasn't been back to Amsterdam since the TFIOS movie came out and will visit his old haunts. — 00:01:48
• 2017-02-10 · Valentines Candy Taste Test with Hank and Katherine — ask: The description invites viewers to see Hank and Katherine at NerdCon: Nerdfighteria in Boston on February 25-26 or at VidCon Europe in Amsterdam in April. — video description
• 2017-02-28 · You Are Here — John recalls an Amsterdam Nerdfighter gathering in 2008 where two people met who later married. — 00:01:20
• 2017-04-07 · Squeezing Strangers' Bikes in Amsterdam! — Hank is glad finally to be in Amsterdam, which he has long wanted to visit, and to be there for VidCon Europe, which he expects to be a ball. — 00:03:36
• 2017-04-11 · Making the World's Largest Ball of Paint — John thanks Hank and all the VidCon staff and volunteers for an amazing weekend (8-9 April 2017) in Amsterdam at VidCon Europe. — 00:02:53
• 2017-04-14 · ★★★★ Review: The TFiOS Bench - Amsterdam — The description says VidCon Europe was amazing, special and beautiful, and that Amsterdam and the Netherlands are gorgeous with very nice people. — video description
  • Hank finds Amsterdam very good and wants to have many thoughts there: about tulips, financialization, economic bubbles and genetics. — 00:00:10
• 2017-04-18 · Framing — John: First true story: last week (April 2017) John went to VidCon Europe in Amsterdam, and it was awesome and amazing; he had a very good time. — 00:01:17
• 2017-08-08 · What You Make of It: Thoughts from Venice, Italy — John: Watching gondolas from a bridge, John recalls his last visit to Venice just over six years ago (June 2011): his video began 'I'm in Venice and I'm really sick', and he was very sick. — 00:02:01
  • John recalls cutting that visit short the next day to fly back to Amsterdam; his gallbladder turned out to need removing. — 00:02:12
• …and 2 statements more in 2017 — all statements of 2017

2018

• 2018-01-05 · Making a Better YouTube — announcement: Hank: VidCon Europe runs March 22nd to 24th in Amsterdam, with tickets at VidConEurope.com, a chance for creators of all sizes to meet each other, brands and platforms. — 00:03:40
• 2018-03-30 · The Stories We Tell Ourselves: Thoughts from Amsterdam — Hank was in Amsterdam last week (week of 19 March 2018) and, as always away from home, noticed small differences: bikes, trains and trams, while in his town almost everybody drives. — 00:00:00
  • Hank says Amsterdam's transport is partly circumstance (dense, old narrow roads, flat, no Montana snow) but also choice: individuals establishing and following norms. — 00:00:10
  • In Amsterdam people bike even when a bus is faster or it is raining, because that's what you do, and so everything is built for bikes, trams and trains. — 00:00:25

2021

• 2021-05-25 · The Anthropocene Reviewed, Animated — John: The Amsterdam bench where a scene of The Fault in Our Stars film was shot now has hundreds of Google reviews; John's favorite, three stars, reads in full: it is a bench. — 00:09:40