"***e ROOMS & VAN GOUGH... a good combo " a Amsterdam Travel Page by Pounder73

I found Amsterdam to be one of my favorite cities. It reminded me of a very flat San Francisco. Some of the locals said that I was not the first one to compare the two cities. It amazed me on how (relatively) safe a city can be with such a “liberal culture” Living in the States, one of the first questions I asked was, “which neighborhoods should I stay away from?” The answer: “none.” Well, I guess I was warned to no go behind the train station. I heard that is where the more “seedy” people due business. But that was about it. I enjoyed the multicultural aspect of the city. If there are two things in this world that brings people from all different walks of life is the “smoke” and drinks. I found myself hanging out with people from North Africa, North America, all of Europe, Japan, and many locals.

With such a densely populated city, what I picked up on, from a cultural standpoint, is the locals are very big on respect of others and cleanliness. Too many visitors come in to get trashed, and that is how they leave the place. Simple things, like cleaning up after yourself, and when leaving a coffee shop, if the door is closed, then close it behind you. Sounds simple, but depending on you state of mind, it can easily be forgotten. This will also help you when you return to your favorite spots, because the employees, will probably remember you if you were a fool.

Also, the favorite form of transportation for locals are bicycles. They have the right of way; so don’t go walking in the middle of bike paths! You will be run over.

Okay, we all know what Amsterdam is famous for. I can only state from experience one of this facets. Although the Red Light District is an experience to walk around in, I found myself enjoying more of the surrounding neighborhoods. I spent a good portion of my time here wondering around, checking something out, a museum or neighborhood, and visiting coffee in between, planning my next walk about. I will list some of my favorite shops on the other part of VT.

If you can decipher my title, then this is what many do. (because the rooms were not bad) You can purchase fungus from “Smart Bars” and to my surprise; they have a list of characteristics for each kind. My friend and I sampled the “happy” and “colorful” types. The place to watch inanimate objects breath is Vondel Park. You won’t be the only ones out there either, but play it safe and don’t go overboard. Again… it is the respect thing.

After the realization that we can function again in society, we paid a visit to the Van Gough Museum. This was a very interesting way to see his work. And I do recommend it, if you can. I was there mid week and in off-season, so the museum was very friendly to my state of mind. Although on my return a month later to Amsterdam, the crowds were insane on the weekends. You will be herded through the museum like a bunch of cattle. This would not be fun-guy friendly!

I noticed that the coffee shops prices and quality differed from high tourist areas to local joints. (no pun intended) If you choose to stay near the Red Light, you will be paying a bit more for lower quality stuff. In the local places, you will be rewarded with more choices and better pricing. The local take pride in their culture, and can be “snobbish” at times. They always roll their smoke with tobacco and make it a social gathering. As opposed to visitors, who are the only ones using the supplied water pipes and becoming incoherent.