Amsterdam, visitors to

[British_Pharaoh]

Sooooooooooooo

people here who have been to Amsterdam - I'm off there in June - impart your wisdom and tell me some great places and hotspots to go to, how much money I should take, what things cost, what the nightlife is like are the hookers marvellous?

dank u

[Cerebral_DownTime]

I was there in 2003 and it's alot of fun, booze was cheap, the pot and 'shrooms was good, and the night life was kickin. As for prices I can't say because they're probably different now. I saw the red light district, have fun.... wear a few rubbers. Absinthe was everywhere also. Plus they just about all speak english. The whole city is flat so riding a bike is cheap way to get around ir that's your thing (not mine).

A couple coffee/pot shops I can remember:

Barney's Coffeshop

De Rokerij

The Dolphin

Bars:

Hoppe

Le Berry

De Sujker

[British_Pharaoh]

I'll definitely be renting a bike even though it's notoriously compact and easy to walk around
I've been told that it's almost as expensive as London now so that's the only drawback.
Speaking English is good, I figured that would be the case like with the Germans but the Dutch have to learn German in school also and I'm fluent so either way it wouldn't be an issue
although some Dutch get mighty pissy if you mistake them for Germans or if they know you're a tourist and speak German assuming it's the same as Dutch.

I almost got planted once in Spain for assuming a Dutch lad was German.
No love lost between those nations

[Cerebral_DownTime]

It was alot of fun, but we were only there 3 days. The prices back then were fair, about 2 Euro for a nice sized mug of beer.

I aslo hear that you cannot smoke inside over there anymore. The pot was potent. A lil dab will do ya. Compared to Vancouver which I went to in 06, Amsterdam was a wee bit pricey for bud.

[British_Pharaoh]

I aslo hear that you cannot smoke inside over there anymore.

Same as the UK then if true.
I know you can't smoke on trains or train stations over there and you can't use cannabis on the streets, you have to be in a cafe.


I can't wait to get over there. We're only there for 4 days ourselves but that's about all we will survive.

[Cease]

Ah, Amsterdam- highly recommended. A couple of tips from my three day trip, err, visit (*It was a 5+ years ago and I don't know if the laws have changed):

-The Van Gogh museum is a must see, granted I'm a Van Gogh guy.
-Brewery tour at Heineken. Heineken in Amsterdam, as you may know, is so far from the Heine we get here in the states (skunked, IMO). It's two or three days fresh in all of the bars over there and it's clean and great.
-Order your beers in a "rack". Rack is a steel serving ring holding 6X 10 oz. beers. Share with friends, don't order pints.
-BOOM CHICAGO Theater has some really good improv comedy
-Bars are 24/7.
-Freaky people high on who knows what are 24/7
-I did not partake in the ladies in the windows, but they knock on that glass and catch your eye. Two or three "storefronts" on each block. It's hard to ignore them. I think 50 Euro will get you something. Not sure.

OK- maybe the real question: THE WEED*

-There are very popular coffee / shop hash bars for tourists positioned near the train station, ie: The Grasshopper. I would recommend getting deeper into red light district onto the smaller side streets. Pick an innocent looking coffee shop, go on in, order a small amount of grass and a cup of coffee. Hold on to your hat.
-I'm not trying to be a hard ass, but the stuff over there is unbelievable. I was no rookie when I my train rolled in, and I "took it easy," and I still couldn't shake myself. Great grass with intense mental highs ("I'm seeing things" high). IIRC, I ordered some "White Widow," so named b/c it's a "creeper." One second I'm BS'ing with my mate, then I slipped into a deeply splendid stupor that lasted hours. Like I say, we only got through half a spliff at the first cafe. You just take any leftovers with you and you can break it out in any other coffee shop. More elicit drugs available on the streets. Shrooms mostly.

Have fun, and if you don't take your shoes off for three days, you'll know you had a good time.

[motherscratcher]

I've never been there. I'm jealous as hell right now.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Waking up eating some great pastries and smoking a big joint of funk is a nice way to start the day. Be careful with your money, Amsterdam is famous for it's pickpockets. Our last night out I ate 3 grams of Libery Cap 'Shrooms, drank abunch of Absinthe, and smoked god knows how much green I was fuuuuuuuuuuucked up and flying high.

[British_Pharaoh]

This where I'm going to be detached from my buddies as I don't smoke at all I dabble ocassionally in slightly harder narcotics
but my mates who I'm going with are intent on spending most of their time in the coffee shops (although after what you've said I'm eager to see how they handle the weed over there)
I'm quite a culture vulture and big on history so in the day I'll be exploring the city and there's a likelihood that some exploring will have to be done alone while my mates are getting buzzed. But when late afternoon and the evening arrives I want to be in the best clubs and bars so that's the REAL info I'm looking for.
I've researched plenty of destinations to quench my thirst for culture already.

[British_Pharaoh]

I'm considering getting a job while there and staying for 3 months
however I may wait to do that in Berlin as my degree course doesn't end til September

[Cerebral_DownTime]

I've never been there. I'm jealous as hell right now.

Just go to Vancouver. It works alittle bit different, they don't keep the product at the coffeeshop, they give you a menu, you order and a guy shows up on a bike with the goods. It's cheaper, when I was there the Canuck buck was only worth about 75 cents of a US Dollar. Da Kine was the shit, so was Hemp Brothers and Cottonmouth Cafe.

[Cease]

The red light district is a very, very small portion of the city. Amsterdam itself is gorgeous in the way of architecture and city design. Very modern and deeply historic at the same time. You won't have a hard time, especially on a bike, getting your culture on.

A canal tour would be another interesting way to see things.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

That canal had an odd smell, i'll just say that.

[motherscratcher]

Waking up eating some great pastries and smoking a big joint of funk is a nice way to start the day. Be careful with your money, Amsterdam is famous for it's pickpockets. Our last night out I ate 3 grams of Libery Cap 'Shrooms, drank abunch of Absinthe, and smoked god knows how much green I was fuuuuuuuuuuucked up and flying high.

What about the ether? There is nothing more depraved than a man in the depths of an either binge.

[Cerebral_DownTime]

Waking up eating some great pastries and smoking a big joint of funk is a nice way to start the day. Be careful with your money, Amsterdam is famous for it's pickpockets. Our last night out I ate 3 grams of Libery Cap 'Shrooms, drank abunch of Absinthe, and smoked god knows how much green I was fuuuuuuuuuuucked up and flying high.

What about the ether? There is nothing more depraved than a man in the depths of an either binge.

Oh we knew we'd get into that rotten stuff pretty soon.