College Students on Amsterdam Trip ‘07
March 1st, 2007 by TimThis video is what happens when college students go to Amsterdam with full intentions to blaze the finest herb in Europe. It also goes without saying, that there’s no place quite like it.
This slideshow demonstrates only a few special characteristics that reinforce why this place is arguably ganja capital of the world.
Amsterdam Christmas
January 4th, 2007 by Alex
Here are a few cool pics from Flickr user Streetwave. Nothing like a little Amsterdam Christmas to make the Holidays extra-special.
He also has some great street-level shots of the city and surrounding areas. Sometimes you can get lost from all the coffeeshop buzz and forget that Amsterdam is a beautiful city in it’s own right.
More photos after the jump.
Life In Amsterdam
December 18th, 2006 by AlexHere’s a short (barely over a minute), 1st person video about life in Amsterdam. More to the point, how mind-numbingly easy it is to buy marijuana in Amsterdam.
Looks like for €25 Euro this dude’s getting 1.72 grams of weed. That breaks down to $33 for almost 2 grams. Not shabby considering the quality of buds over there.
Armed with this knowledge, check out the Amsterdam Coffeeshop Directory and get the same experience yourself.
Become an Amsterdam Coffeeshop Expert
December 8th, 2006 by Tim
No longer do you need to feel intimidated about going to Amsterdam for your first time; this guide will be your source of confidence and the answer to a successful Euro trip.
Established in July of 1998, the Amsterdam Coffeeshop Directory is exactly what it sounds like, but better. Continuously updated, this website breaks down most (if not all) coffeeshops in Amsterdam and the Netherlands. Complete with pictures, phone numbers, customer reviews, and more - I can’t pinpoint anything important that’s been left out.
Quoted from the website:
This free and independent guide is the richest source of information on coffee shops because, not only does it have over 1000 pages of reviews, pictures and maps, it also has links to every coffeeshop’s own site and all other coffee shop guides.
Bottom line, as an amateur traveler, you will get a definitive understanding of what Amsterdam has to offer by visiting the best Amsterdam Coffeeshop Directory on the web.
Now go buy a plane ticket and try some Sweet Tooth already. Go!!!
Amsterdam Coffee Shops in Danger
November 9th, 2006 by Alex
The most common mental image created when the word Amsterdam is mentioned relates to Red Light District mayhem and puffing on the most kind of all buds. While you can still do both of the above, it’s not quite as free spiritied and happy-go-lucky as one is lead to believe.
In the Netherlands, Christian conservatives have taken a government majority. Once in power, they decided the looseness that the Dutch were known for was going to be eradicated. Beginning in 2004, signs began to show that things were changing. The government did this by making new coffee shop licenses almost impossible to procure and when a shop closed, they wouldn’t renew any licenses involved with the establishment.
Coffee shop numbers in the Netherlands have gone from 1,500 nationwide to around 737 currently. At the rate coffee shops are disappearing (over 380 a year), it’ll take under 3 years to completely wipe these businesses off Dutch land. Ferry Hansen, owner of Get A Life coffee shop, had this to say:
You have to think three times about everything you do. It’s getting worse every year. The government is trying to control more and more. If you follow the law, they can’t say anything, but in the long run, they’ll probably get what they want.
Just when you think things are improving at home, there’s a set-back abroad. Hopefully, the Netherlands will get the exact same liberal swing that happened to America during it’s mid-term elections.
[via AlterNet]
