Well, we made it back from our trip to Amsterdam and all I can say is "WHAT A CITY!". Well, that's not ALL I can say. Whatever you do, make sure you don't spend all your time in the coffeeshops, headshops, smartshops, etc. and go out and this this wonderful place. We were there for 5 days and it wasn't nearly long enough. Speaking of coffeeshops, though, I thought I'd let everyone know what I thought about the ones we visited (in chronological order): Homegrown Fantasy: Very friendly staff, excellent quality weed, and nice overall vibe. The music was mostly reggae, dub, and hip hop. They had a few games (cards, backgammon, checkers) and a really cool bathroom with a blacklight. Also, I saw a bong for customer use. Dampkring: Very crowded place. We could only run in, get some weed, and get out because there was no room for us to sit inside. The staff seemed friendly, though. I can't remember the type of music, but I do remember it was kind of loud overall (it could have been all the people). The weed was very very good. Barney's: Friendly staff and friendly people there smoking. They don't mind if you smoke other people's stuff and just buy some coffee there, which was kind of cool. They also had a bunch of different bongs to use. Very crowded spot, and bit out of the way from the red light district, but not too bad at all. Reggae music... I think . Bought some good hash here. The Old Church: I liked this place a lot because they had outdoor seating and they're right next to a bar (also with outdoor seating). Few coffeeshops sell beer, so it was nice to grab a beer and sit on The Old Church's side. Very friendly staff and great weed. The bathrooms are up some crazy spiral staircase, so be careful! We were there pretty late, so a few bums asked for handouts while we were outside, but it didn't bother me or my girlfriend in the least. You get used to that quickly in the red light district. I can't remember the music because we were outside. Bulldog: There are about 3 different Bulldog's in the district. We went to the one sandwiched between the other 2 and it had a great vibe to it. It was about 11:00PM on Sunday night and there were only a couple people there. They don't sell weed at this place (at least not when we were there), but they're smoke-friendly and they sell coffee and tea. A nice chill out spot with internet access and a friendly staff. Reggae and dub music, mostly, but not very loud at all. Hill Street Blues: Didn't buy any weed there, but some French guys we met there got pretty wasted off the stuff. They sell beer here and they have a nice view looking over to Damrak with comfy couches and chairs in the back and a pool table. The people working there were nice and this part of the red light district turned out to be a favorite due to the great headshops, smartshops, etc. on this street. It was also about 4 blocks from our apartment. If you're in the mood to listen to house, drum and bass, and other electronic music this is the place to go. The Greenhouse Effect: I saved the best for last. Absolutely my favorite coffeeshop out of all of them. Awesome staff and equally wonderful music and weed. It's pretty small, but first we went on a Monday night and were the only people there for a while. It was busier on Tuesday night, but we still got a table without a problem. Many locals came in to buy some stuff and leave (always a good sign) and the dealer's recommendations were spot on. They have plenty of games, they sell beer, and they're open very late (also a rarity with most coffeeshops). I think they said they were open until 2:00AM, but it seems as though we didn't leave until later than that. Here's a sampling of the music going on there: Stone Roses, Happy Mondays, Charlatans, some good house music, and I think there was even some Van Morrison thrown in there. Basically, if you like good Brit-Pop/Madchester stuff then you won't want to leave this place. This is the only coffeeshop we went to more than once. So, I know that was a lot, but hopefully it will be useful for somebody. Of course, I could go on and tell you about the headshops and smartshops, but I'll save that for another time if anybody wants to hear about it. Take care for now!
Great stuff. Yes, Greenhouse is good, I can't fault any of them for their weed. Also, Hill Street Blues is another place I like hanging out in, especially if you can get a seat at the very back overlooking the canal/Damrak and it's always nice to have a cool beer with a smoke. Shared several joints with a Canadian guy on my last visit in Feb and it was a laugh trying to understand his very strong accent when we were both smashed. Another guy actually passed out near the door so helped him up and put him on a chair outside but unfortunately for him he had already pissed his pants, LOL,LOL,LOL. Crazy graffiti on the walls in there and found the staff very friendly towards me but the bud was a bit mediocre.
Thanks for takin' the time to report on your trip! It's nice to get a current perspective on what the scene is like, especially when it comes to Coffeeshops. Look forward to more reports on the other aspects of your trip.
I very much care about Coffeeshops and the experiences of members who've recently been to them. That said, there is indeed much more to Amsterdam and Holland than just Coffeeshops... There are hookers too!!! Just kiddin'.
There is a WHOLE lot more to Amsterdam than the available vices. Don't get me wrong, we smoked every day we were there and the tolerant culture made our experience infinately more enjoyable and relaxing. It's great going out in public and being treated as a responsible adult instead of a criminal like back here here in the U.S. But if you're just coming to Amsterdam to smoke weed, then you're really missing out on the rest of this wonderful city. We were there for 5 short days and didn't get a chance to see nearly enough. We had also planned on getting out of Amsterdam for a day to check out some other parts of The Netherlands like Ultrecht or closer to Belgium in the far south, but alas we didn't have the time for that either. Of course, you could spend weeks going to museums, but we decided to just walk around and hang out after a day of museums and the zoo. If you go, make sure to check out some of the great parks in Amsterdam - there are plenty to choose from. One day we went out to Vondelpark with some wine, cheese, and weed and just walked around and watched everybody digging on the great weather. It was a relaxing way to start the evening and it's always good to go where tourists aren't, in my opition. Oh, and the food is awesome there! Of course, you can get your Burger King, pizza, and all that other stuff, but I got a real kick out of all the greek, turkish, indonesian, and local dutch food. We never had a bad meal. Whatever you do, try to get out of the red light district and check out some of the other great neighborhoods. I especially enjoyed De Pijp and Leidseplein, and Jordaan (although we didn't go too far into Jordaan, really). We'll be going back for sure so we can go to all the other parts of the city that we missed this time and to also go around the rest of the country. It's really a shame that people don't venture out enough to see the rest of The Netherlands, but I completely empathize with them because it's so hard to leave Amsterdam with all there is to do. Anyway, if anybody is interested in finding out more about where to go (in my opinion) and what sort of places to get pipes, mushrooms, or whatever else just ask. I'm certainly not some pro when it comes to this, but I just got back so my memories are fresh. We were pretty much out from 10AM until 2AM every day, so we got to see quite a bit during our short stay.
Sounds like you guys had a Grande Time. Please post more info on your experiences. Would love to hear more recent reports from the front in preperation for my upcoming trip. "10AM until 2AM every day" is what to strive for no doubt. Thanks for taking the time!
i'd also be very interested to find out current info on which shops give you the best price break when purchasing 5g bags as opposed to smaller sized ones.
Well, here's my take on headshops and smartshops. There are a ton to choose from, so this is not meant to be an overall evaluation, but I did go into a few. I had heard that Concious Dreams is one of the best smartshops in town and we stopped by and really liked it. They have mushrooms, peyote plants, and several really cool books to choose from. Everyone says they have the best mushrooms and the prices seemed reasonable based on everything else I saw. We didn't buy any while in Amsterdam, but I probably would have bought them there. I really wanted to buy up all their books, but I didn't have room in my backpack or money for the books I really wanted (they were pretty pricy, but rare). I have 3 different headshops on my list. We bought a E10 glass pipe at a store about a block before you get to Barney's on the right-hand side (if you're coming from Damrak). I can't remember the name, but it was run by an Asian lady and her daughter. They had pipes starting at E5 and I bought a cheapy E5 grinder there, too. Later we found a cool headshop right next to Greenhouse Effect that had more choices and a little bit better prices, so I would have gone there had I known. They actually had more pipes than I'd ever seen in one place. I also passed by No. 1 Headshop near Rick's Cafe' on Damstraat and I had heard they were the best in town as far as cheap pipes go. I don't remember any better prices (who can complain about a E5 pipe anyway?) but this would be a great street to get stoned on. On the same block as No. 1 there are a couple other headshops, a couple quiet looking coffeeshops, a place to get croissants, a bar, and I think there was even a grocery store! All your stoner needs within 100 feet! Anyway, my advice is to buy a pipe or your own papers. I'd hate to get the flu or something in Amsterdam just because of some community bong at a coffeeshop. We never bought more than 2 grams of weed at a time, but I can tell you that Barney's and Dampkring were the most expensive. Based on quality of weed and value I would go to Homegrown Fantasy and Greenhouse Effect again and again. If you don't mind paying just a little bit more (maybe E1 per gram), The Old Church has some great old-school indica (think 1995 dank weed - we bought some great northern lights there). Overall, the prices in Amsterdam are going to be higher than elsewhere in The Netherlands from what I hear, but considering the price of everything else in town, you could pay sucker prices for weed and still get a bargain for your entertainment cost. I hope this helps out!
Hey Happy Mondays That Smart Shop your on about near the Greenhouse Effect is called Baba. They also have a coffeeshop just up the same street on Warmoestraat. There is a fantastic hand-blown glass pipe section, one of the best. Oh btw, for anyone who is trying or want to post the ''Euro'' symbol in their posts all you have to do is this. Hold down the ''Alt'' key and at the same time type ''0128'' hey presto, you will have the €, symbol.
Yes, you will probably need a fairly new PC running XP I would imagine. I only discovered how to do this the other day. Also, tapping in other numbers produces other symbols, btw, but I really have no time to sit there and experiment. It's weird how it's works for some and not others. It's not that important, at the end of the day, the simple ''E'' is OK and we all know what we mean.
Might just be a matter of downloading the support for the font file at the link below. http://www.microsoft.com/typography/EuroSymbolFAQ.mspx Download for your operating system and then try the "ALT" and 0128 on you numeric keypad (all the way on the right). Goed Luck!
Also, you can use the right-hand ALT key on your key board, ie, the ALTGr key to the right of the space bar and hitting the 4 (not key pad 4) but top line 4. You should have a € symbol there anyway, but I'm now realising, based on all the many posts I've read from the Americans, that you do not have these key-boards with the Euro symbol. Anyway, anyway, it's not a problem however you post it, I was just curious. It really does not matter. LOL
Alt key shortcuts for those of you who are interested. http://home.earthlink.net/~awinkelried/keyboard_shortcuts.html
