Until the early 2000s the Westerpark was a scrubby patch of green in the otherwise grimy industrial wasteland around the gas works that lay on its western flank, which became redundant and fell into disrepair after the advent of North Sea gas in the 1960s. Since then new life has been breathed into the area with the Westerpark remodeled to include open lawns and shady trees, tennis courts, skate parks, and play areas for kids. The gasworks have been repurposed into the Westergasfabriek, one of Amsterdam’s coolest entertainment venues , with plenty of chances for beer or coffee as well as exhibition spaces, design studios, and Het Ketelhuis movie theater. Summer sees plenty of free open-air concerts here and there’s often a fair for kids.