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AMSTERDAM
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Text and photos of coffee shops and marijuana
bars in Amsterdam and the Red Light District.
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Coffeeshops in Amsterdam
The popular Grasshopper
marks the main entry to the Red Light District.
A haven for some and an oddity
for others, coffeeshops are unique Amsterdam establishments where it's
okay to smoke a joint.
The brew they serve comes not in a cup but in a bowl, digestible as
joints, space cakes or through a bong.
Breaking News – Some Brothels, Coffee Shops to Close
It worked fine for decades, but Amsterdam has now apparently has said enough is enough. It just announced it will close half of the brothers (which would still leave quite a few of them) and coffee shops that openly sell marijuana to clear the city of organized crime.
The targeted spots are De Wallen ("The Walls"), and the streets and alleys in the Red Light District. It would reduce the number of windows to 243 from 482 and close about 35 of the 75 coffee shops.
"It'll be a place with 200 windows (prostitutes) and 30 coffee shops, which you can't find anywhere else in the world -- very exciting, but also with cultural attractions," City Council member Lodewijk Asscher told the Associated Press.
Also being targeted are business the city sees as related to the "decay" of the area including peep shows, sex shows, sex shops, mini supermarkets, massage parlors and souvenir shops. In its place? Hotels, shopping, the usual. PubClub.com will be staying on this story and reporting on updates. |
About the Coffee Shops
Walking
into one of these joints is a trip all by itself. You are immediately
enveloped by a cloud of smoke so thick it can induce a residual high
without ever having to light up.
A good coffeeshop is one that has a menu and a staff that will fully
explain the expected effects of each type of weed. If they do not have
a menu, find one that does. There are so many coffeeshops in Amsterdam...don't
waste your time on a shady one.
Technically, it's illegal to sell and consume pot, but years of tolerance
have taught the Dutch to look the other way. At least that's what they
print in the tourist books. In reality, use is permitted only in designated
areas so Dutch officials can keep an eye on people. Out-of-control drug
use was a huge problem in the past and useage is not tolerated outside
designated areas. Use of hard drugs is dealt with harshly.
Cafe 36 in the Red
Light District serves space cake.
Only a few bars offer both drinks and drugs, so combining the two activities
is difficult. At the places that do, it's fl5 for a hash or marijuana
cigarette and fl15 for a "popper," a quick high that freezes the brain
cells for about five minutes. Fortunately, the cells do recover.
Coffeeshops are hardly the liveliest places in town. They are quiet
hangouts with soft conversations, softer music and very little activity.
Consumption is the passion here. Most have their own house specialties
with names like "Double Bubble," "Exploder" and "Flying Dutchman." The
bartenders are friendly and willing to explain the menu.
Cost is approximately 12-15 euros for a two to three gram bag of marijuana
or for four pre-rolled joints. Most places supply rolling papers and
filter tips. Save the "happy snaps" for the bars; taking photos are
highly discouraged. Sodas, coffee and water are often the only beverages
available.
There are about as many coffeeshops in Amsterdam as there are museums.
The "Hard Rock" of these is The Bulldog. Veterans will
tell you to avoid the one in the Red Light District and instead visit
its cousin in the Leidseplein. In addition to being less touristy (which
in Coffeeshop-speak means better smokes) it is a favorite hangout of
flight attendants in town on layovers. The Leidsplein Bulldog is known
as the all-in-one stop because it has a bar next door to the coffeeshop,
which makes it very easy to travel between the two.
Dutch Flowers on Prinsengracht is a different type of coffeeshop,
complete with bright plants, an indoor pond and waterfall. Barney's
Coffeeshop on Haarlemmester Street serves tasty meals as part of
its menu.
Coffee Shop 36, located in the restaurant corridor adjacent
to the Red Light District (Warmoestraat), is one of the few coffee houses
in town that serves space cakes in addition to smokes. These tasty treats
have buds baked right into the pot, so to speak. While this might give
Betty Crocker a heart attack, it will give you a good buzz about a half-hour
later, making Coffee Shop 36 an ideal stop prior to strolling through
the Red Light District.
The potency of space cakes has been reduced in recent years in response
to the recurring habit of people wandering aimlessly through town after
eating these crazy concoctions, so its a safer practice than it used
to be, but limit consumption to one per customer.
 Next
stop on the Party Bus: The Red Light District
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