Originally posted by: FelixDeKat
Originally posted by: GTaudiophile
Was there just 3 weeks ago...it's a jewel of a city...and can be enjoyed without Red Light District/pot...
What was the highlight of your itinerary? Please share.
Honestly? Simply walking around, interacting with the locals, viewing the architecture, drinking beer in the so-called "brown cafes" (nice beer drinking establishments), eating frites, eating ice cream, etc. There are of course several notable museums: Van Gogh, Rijks, Anne Frank Huis, and the Dutch Resistance Museum.
I also visited the Red Light District and bought a joint in a really nice bohemian coffee shop called Rokerij (
http://www.rokerij.net/). But neither was the highlight.
While you're there, also be sure to eat some Indonesian food. Good stuff.
Here are some pics...
Most famous "frite" joint.
Living the life in Amsterdam.
A nice, normal courtyard cafe.
For me, beer is better than pot.
Prepare to wait in line for the Anne Frank Huis.
Best ways to get around: Bikes, Boats, by Foot. Just don't get hit by a bike.
A typical brown cafe.
The famous Bulldog Coffee Shop.
Possibly NSFW:
The Red Light District is full of shops where you can buy stuff like this.
And stuff like this.
And t-shirts like this.
And this.
The RLD is what it is. Quite a few blocks, some along canals, some along very narrow streets, featuring lots of windows bathed in dimly-lit neon red. Next to each window is a door leading into what is basically a really small room with just a bed in it. Men walk by, find a woman, negotiate the terms of the deal, and if they are both satisfied, he goes in, the door closes, the window is covered by a thick curtain, and they do their thing. I have no idea how expensive certain activities cost, nor do I know whether she is paid at the beginning, at the end, or both. I would assume that the amount increases as you get to the more "central" areas of the RLD, near the old church, and where the women are arguably most attractive. (I say this as 90% of them were complete dogs. A few, though, were very hot and most came likely from Russia, the Ukraine, etc.) Of course, most of the people walking through the RLD are onlooking tourists. I think I saw only a few men engaged in negotiations with women.