Red Lights and Coffee Shops and Bicycles! Oh My!

One of the first things people ask when they learn we are visiting Amsterdam is whether we've gone to the famous 'Red Light District' - both locals and travelers alike. Although I had read a bit about it, I wasn't 100% certain what it actually entailed. My idea of what the RLD was like was a bit like a vending machine...you walk up to a screen, look at pictures of women, decide which one you want, swipe your credit card, and voila!

Not. Even. Close.

The RLD is located primarily in De Wallen, which is the largest and best-known in Amsterdam. It is a series of narrow streets and alleys consisting of ~220 one-room cabins, also known as "windows", where scantily clad female sex workers offer sexual services from behind glass doors. The RLD is thought to have started back in the 14th Century, but it wasn't until the late 17th Century that it was officially deemed the Red Light District that everyone knows today. You can easily spot the RLD, day or night, by the red lights illuminating the streets and alleys. There is also a section referred to as the 'Blue Light District' where transgender sex workers are on display.

It is all very 'out in the open' and not at all concealed or shamed. Imagine walking through a cobblestone alley, in mid-afternoon: you see an ice cream and waffle shop, then a market, then a sex worker, then another sex worker, then a café, then another sex worker, then a leather goods store, then another sex worker, and then a corner pub. They are legitimately RIGHT THERE, in your face, in the flesh (literally). I think the thing that shocked me the most, other than watching potential customers negotiate with the women, was the families and children walking around all nonchalantly like they were combing the aisles of a Target! My inner Social Worker was breaking out in hives...but the children seemed completely unphased by what was going on around them - they were making a beeline straight to the ice cream and waffles shop, and I kind of wanted to join them.

Along with the sex workers, the RLD offers an array of other attractions, including strip clubs, sex-themed bars, sex theaters (yes they have live sex shows), and sex shops selling unthinkable adult toys and accessories. You can't imagine how many bachelor and bachelorette parties we came across! With more than 3.1 million visitors per year, the Red Light District is easily one of Amsterdam's biggest tourist attractions.

Another thing Amsterdam is famous for is its 164 "Coffee Shops". If you come to Amsterdam and ask where to find a coffee shop, you won't be greeted with a hot cup of coffee or espresso - more like a pre-rolled joint or a takeaway bag of hash. The first ever coffee shop in Amsterdam was founded in 1972, aptly named "Mellow Yellow". Although cannabis is legal in Amsterdam, it is prohibited to consume it in public so most coffee shops require you to consume it in the shop. They do not, however, permit you to smoke tobacco in their shops. They are very strict with following Dutch laws to ensure that all customers are over the age of 18 and they do not sell more than 5 grams of cannabis per customer. With only 7.2% of the Dutch reportedly using cannabis on a monthly basis, it is clearly another big hit with tourists.

I must admit, initially I was turned off by Amsterdam. The crowds, the chaos, not to mention the multiple near-death experiences with bicyclists...but it truly is a beautiful city and somewhere you should definitely consider visiting if you ever have the chance.

Proost uit Amsterdam!

Here are some fun facts for you to enjoy:

1. Ocean's Twelve was filmed in Amsterdam (the coffee shop De Dampkring, to be exact)

2. The narrowest alley in Amsterdam, The Trompettersteeg, is only 75 cm wide

3. The world's first condom shop is located in Amsterdam's Red Light District

4. There are still 8 working windmills in Amsterdam

5. Amsterdam used to have a legal cocaine factory, founded in 1900

6. The world's first stock exchange opened in Amsterdam during the 17th Century

7. Amsterdam has the highest museum density in the world with over 60 museums, including the famous Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum, and the Anne Frank House - even the Schiphol Airport has a museum

8. Heineken beer was founded in Amsterdam in 1864; you can visit The Heineken Experience in Amsterdam to tour the facility, see how it's made, and enjoy a pint

9. Amsterdam has 165 canals and more than 2500 houseboats

10. The city itself is built on over 11 million poles due to it sitting a few meters below sea level - hence all of the leaning buildings

11. There are more than 1,000,000 bicycles in Amsterdam but only ~820,000 people - yearly, approximately 100,000 bicycles get stolen and nearly 25,000 bicycles are thrown or disappear into the canals

12. There is only one rule when it comes to bicycles in Amsterdam: there are no rules (seriously - look both ways, then look again!!)