[manaboutown]

Having spent a little time in Amsterdam I want to let potential visitors know that if a storefront has a sign reading "coffee shop" it means that it is a place to toke up on marijuana in one form or another. It is not what most folks understand a coffee shop to be. If one really wants coffee one needs to go to a real restaurant or bakery. Stroll through the red light district while you are there. I wonder what their HIV rate is now....I also noticed a lot of people were freaky looking and off-putting to me, being unwashed, ill clothed, emaciated, covered with tattoos and had lots of piercings and body jewelry. I believe historically because the Dutch are so liberal and accepting drug users from all over descended on Amsterdam starting back in the 60's and 70's. People could not take their children into parks for all the used needles lying around back then. Things are cleaned up somewhat but it is not a place in which I would find it comfortable to live.