Waiting in line is usually a bad thing… unless you are waiting for something good. One travel mantra I try to live by is if I see a line for something, I stand in it. Usually, the people in line know something you don’t and it will lead to something awesome.
For example, I was wandering around Amsterdam when I came across about 30 people standing in a line. I got in the line and used Google maps to see where I was. It turns out, I was at Van Stapele Koekmakerij.
Van Stapele Koekmakerij is a tiny bakery known for having the best cookies in Amsterdam, some even say the best cookies in the world. They make one kind of cookie, crisp semi-sweet chocolate on the outside with an oozing white chocolate center. There is a limit to the number each person can buy. They’re a bit expensive, hot, and amazingly good.
The same happened with a pasta place in Venice. People were standing outside a tiny pasta place. I stood in line and soon realized I was at Dal Moro’s, A place known for take away pasta with homemade sauces for just 5 Euro. It was so good, I ate there twice.
The stand in a line theory is especially good when it’s locals standing in the line. In Hong Kong, a bunch of local people were standing in line for a drink place. The drink was a kind of slimy fruity thing with a unique taste. It was great, and something I never would have tried if others were not clamoring for it.
