About four years ago, I pointed to the UNESCO World Heritage Site as a way to pick some of the most amazing places to visit in the world. Back then I had visited 34 of the places on the list. I really should update that since I know I have seen a lot more in the last four years. And now I can add the fact that I live in the same town as one. In fact, I am just 1 Km away from it.

This past weekend, the Amsterdam city center was added to the list. Thats all the stuff inside the Singelgracht. Unfortunately, my apartment is just outside of that boundary. But my first apartment was inside…on the corner of Prinsengracht and Utrechtsestraat. If you aren’t sure where the Singelgracht is, I created this Google Map showing the border. Well, I did, then I realized that I didn’t know where the canal was either.

Its pretty exciting being this close to a UNESCO site. But I wonder what it means to those on the inside. Will property values go up? Will they try even harder to get rid of the last of the coffee shops and red light windows? Will the waiting list for a parking permit go above the current 7 year wait??? I wonder.