This article originally appeared on VICE NetherlandsUntil not too long ago, Amsterdam locals and tourists mostly avoided Noord – the northern part of the city, divided from the rest by the IJ river. They either just never had any business in the neighbourhood or they thought the ferry ride there was too much of a hassle. Since that ferry ride only takes five minutes, the real reason behind that last excuse has largely been that people were a bit afraid to go to Noord. The character of the neighbourhood is different to the rest of the city – it's grittier. To help you understand the situation better, the unofficial motto of the neighbourhood is "Noord gestoord" – which means "North insane" (it works better when it rhymes).
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That reputation is rapidly changing because the area is gentrifying at dizzying speed. With the EYE film museum, restaurants, clubs, bars, craft breweries and vintage markets popping up, there was no keeping the New York Times and The Guardian from calling Amsterdam-Noord a "red hot" "creative hub" – which basically sealed its fate.As with any gentrified area, it's nice that Noord is no longer the poor ugly duckling of the city but at the same time its newfound popularity is threatening the typical small-town character of the neighbourhood. The OGs sitting in their front yards in plastic lawn chairs exchanging the latest gossip are at risk of being pushed out of their own home. Photographer Sabine Rovers walked around the neighbourhood to try to capture what makes Noord really gestoord.More on VICE:We Spent an Afternoon in Madrid's Poshest NeighbourhoodPhotos of an American Neighbourhood One Year After an Infamous Police ShootingWhat Makes a Neighbourhood 'Hip'?
