I moved to Amsterdam with my wife and kid eight months ago. (I'm American, from Chicago, and I run Soundslice, soundslice.com.) We chose Amsterdam because: *

I moved to Amsterdam with my wife and kid eight months ago. (I'm American, from Chicago, and I run Soundslice, soundslice.com.) We chose Amsterdam because: * The DAFT program makes it easy for American business owners to get a Dutch visa. * Everybody speaks English (which is a double-edged sword, because it's tough to learn/practice Dutch!). * The biking is second-to-none. I'm spoiled for life. * It's safe. I feel much safer than the U.S. * It's beautiful. * Great scene for Django music (gypsy jazz), which I play. * Easy travel to other parts of Europe. * It's very international -- in day-to-day life I meet people from all over Europe and the world. A very cool experience (especially for an American). * Liberal policies make for a culture that we personally agree with more, even compared to liberal Chicago. As for weather, people complain about it -- but it's better than Chicago. So it's a net win. :-)