I swear I'm not connected with this..but www.like-a-local.com is a great resource for special and local things to do, places to eat with local people. It might be helping to make the dinner with a local in his/her house and then enjoy. There are walking tours galour, all kinds of stuff. I was searching in the Amsterdam section, but there are other countries and cities covered. From what I can see, it's not that cheap and there is usually a 10 euro reservation fee per activity, but if one wants some unusual things to do, this looks wonderful. We just might do one or two during our stay in 3 weeks.

Also check the website of the tourist office, where you will find plenty of free info.
http://www.vvvamsterdam.nl/
and also:
http://www.simplyamsterdam.nl/sights.htm

I was just looking at a New York Times article that mentioned www.like-a-local.com. I'm intrigued--and I don't think it's that expensive, at least for a dinner in Amsterdam. But I'm also nervous about protocol. For dinners, does the 10 euro reservation fee take the place of a tip or not?

And while we're on it, has anyone ever done the dinner with Dafne and Sanne in the Pijp? We're staying in the neighborhood.

Thanks for the suggestion sarabeth... I'll be in Amsterdam in a few days (eek!)!

>For dinners, does the 10 euro reservation fee take the place of a tip or not?<

I should think that if someone is inviting you into their home for a meal that it would be very crass to offer a tip, and even more crass for them to expect one.

I think the reservation fee is what like-a-local charge for their services from what I understand of the terms and conditions and the FAQ section.