A Permanent Carnival

Maybe it’s my lack of big-city experience, but my past weekend in Amsterdam made me realize how much a place can be defined by its visitors, not its natives.

After a chat on the train with a group of middle-aged Englishmen leaving their wives behind to celebrate birthdays collectively, I knew Amsterdam must be a destination for party-ers, not just history buffs and intellectual travelers. Upon entering a main drag of the city after a short jaunt from the train station, my senses were overloaded by masses of people, clouds of weed smoke and bright, glowing business signs. It was like I had just entered a carnival but didn’t pay any admission. Quickly I wrote this first impression off and convinced myself this area misrepresented the cultural and historical values of an alternate Amsterdam.

A short rest in our (not) spacious hostel provided much needed energy for what I hoped was a great learning experience. Wandering the city was quite the experience; and wandering is what I did most of the weekend. I was sideswiped by well-dressed bikers, ambled through the overtly touristy Red Light District, and was generally lost in the mass of people and towering buildings. Of the people I encountered, most were not Dutch. There were large amounts of English, American, and other less-foreign accents I noticed. This provided me some comfort, but also made me long for a place more off the beaten path.

Physically, the city is beautiful. The buildings are old, the architecture has a uniquely Dutch feel, and the canals provide a European ambiance. There is also a cramped quality to the space. Businesses nearly always have residences occupying many floors above them and there is limited natural area apart from several parks. Clearly the city needs to pack a lot of people into it; its physical structure allows this to be accomplished. But the cultural distinctiveness of Amsterdam is separated from the overwhelming and luxurious distinctiveness of the physical layout.

Whenever I noticed what I thought was a native Amsterdam-mer, he or she was already a hundred feet away on a bike. It seemed that natives were always on the move on the bike path, never enjoying the sights and sounds of the city. Maybe they had important plans or I just interpreted them incorrectly, but to me it felt as if they did not want to be in the city, especially on such a busy weekend. The whole atmosphere is built on novelty; novelty mainly found in such places as the Red Light District, the “coffeeshops,” and multitude of stores selling strange items. In the coffeeshops and restaurants I visited, I got the distinct feeling from the workers that the novelty has worn off on the people who live in and around the city. They looked tired, apathetic, and worn out by the barrage of out-of-towners. It was as if they just wanted the mass of people to leave, even though it would mean the end of business. The visitors providing the business to the city dictate the territory and culture of the natives. The only aspect of the Amsterdam I felt belonged to the inhabitants was the bike path. There was certainly a culture surrounding biking; it was one thing with which foreigners, like myself, were out of the loop.

At night, the party atmosphere of the city meshed with the novelty atmosphere and provided a fun time. Clearly people came to Amsterdam to enjoy themselves and the good times the city offers. Although this scene did not disappoint me, I sometimes wished I could find the more unique activities of Amsterdam nightlife aside from drinking and clubs. Maybe this doesn’t exist in any big city, but I felt like Amsterdam’s uniqueness was drained long ago by the party-seekers.

Europe is definitely a party, and Amsterdam is a great party destination. It has a lot to offer in terms of history and culture, but this is distinctly separated from the realm of entertainment and novelty that dominates the city’s personality. It was a tiring and fun-filled whirlwind weekend, but it left me trying to grasp unsuccessfully at the city's cultural and intellectual roots. Maybe Amsterdam is just unique in that its culture is novelty, not anything deeper. Or maybe I just caught up in the novelty atmosphere and couldn't get out.

PUB CRAWL TELL ALL

The thing that was most representative of Amsterdam for me was a conversation I had with our pub crawl coordinator. His name was Charlie and he was 5’9 with crazy brown hair and a funny little accent that I couldn’t quite place. After a while of talking to him, I learned that he was a citizen of Montreal, Canada but had lived and worked in Amsterdam for about two years. I asked myself if perhaps this was a grand tour? He told me that he considered himself an Amsterdamer even though he had lived most of his life in Canada. This made me think back to the article in geography that discussed citizenship and how you can only truly be a citizen of one nation. As we continued to converse, I learned that he had briefly visited Amsterdam a few years ago and had fallen in love with it. The cultural diversity and historical beauty of Amsterdam had left a lasting impression on him. He moved there shortly after college, leaving the opportunity for a high paying engineer job for a small marketing position with an Amsterdam event planning company. His usual week consisted of running 3 pub crawls and multiple parties on the weekends. I have to admit after hearing this weekly work schedule, I was a tad bit jealous and half considered what I was still doing in college.

Seeming to have infinite knowledge of the “to do’s” of Amsterdam, I asked what sites were must sees. This is the list I received: the old church, the canal tour, and Vondelpark. He said the old church (shown to the left) portrayed the more realistic story and history of Amsterdam. Located in the red light district, the old church served as the spot for early morning repentance after a night of sin. Sailors would visit before going back out to sea in hopes of being forgiven before again enduring the dangerous elements associated with their jobs. It also withstood the times of the Protestant reformation which we discussed in class and had been apparent in the red light district since its beginnings. As far as the canal tour and Vondelpark were concerned, he said we should take advantage of the weather and experience the outer beauty of Amsterdam rather than being enclosed in museums all day. He told me all of this with a smile and sense of genuine urge to share his knowledge and opinions with me. Our conversation ended after a crowd of pub crawlers began to chant “next bar, next bar”, but looking back on Amsterdam this conversation was one of things I remembered most. I think I feel it was a more significant conversation because it taught me about Amsterdam on a more personal level. Rather than going to see a museum or on a tour, I gained the first hand opinion of someone who lives and breathes Amsterdam each day.

In addition to showing me a more personal side of Amsterdam, I discovered that Charlie himself embodied what I would define as an Amsterdamer. He was a laid back, well traveled individual that seemed open and honest. We found many Amsterdamers to be this way. Every corner we turned there was another individual trying to help or meet us simply because we were American. Even though Charlie was technically considered a foreigner, he displayed nationalism towards Amsterdam when proudly discussing the historical sites it holds. This reminded me of the article about how statues and other physical structures show the history and pride of a nation. His foreign background represented the cultural diversity that resides in the city. From my experience, Amsterdam seems like a group of foreigners all intermixed in one city. As we traveled along we met very few natives. This made everything new and different. We would walk into bars and restaurants sometimes meeting over 5 different nationalities a night. Most people we met were from Switzerland, Australia, Germany, or London. Never has there been a time that I had the opportunity to meet so many different heritages in one place. That is why for me Amsterdam was represented more by the people that live there than by the monuments it is home to.

Amsterdam: Advertising Ambiguity

Alliteration aside, Amsterdam is unlike most other cities in reference to how it presents itself. It is a large city that can rival many in size but it has one small section that steals all the limelight. As an outsider, you may believe that the streets of the Red Light District are of kin to an old time bazaar. Vendors screaming for you to at least glance at their wares while you stumble over other consumers were the visions in my head for the provocative side of Amsterdam. This was something I prepared myself for because advertising your product to gain interest is the lifeblood of any business plan. Despite this initial assumption, this city almost squirrels away its offerings for you to find for yourself. At least, this was my exposition to this remarkable city.

As most college age students do, I headed straight for the Red Light District when I first arrived. In some ways it is a perceived region of the city. You won’t find any official map with a big Red Light District section but it is also marked off with red, glowing posts. So in this way, it is also a bit of an instituted region within the city limits. Dodging bicycles, trains and cars is a necessary ability to have as you travel through the urban landscape. Stumbling over the uneven cobblestone, I finally made it into the ‘Infamous’ Red Light District. Looking around, my reaction was very clearly that of “Is this it”? There were no large signs with “MARIJUANA HERE!” scribbled hastily or promiscuous prostitutes walking around trying to catch your eye. Instead, we found an endless maze of bars, coffee shops and restaurants that were not too much unlike uptown at Miami. The ease took me by surprise and I was quickly acclimated.

Red brick lined streets were discolored by the several different neon lights that read “Coffee Shop” or “Café”. This one pictured is the Old Church Coffee Shop, which sat at the foot of the Old Church located in the heart of Red Light District. Marijuana is a legally traded good in Amsterdam but is not naturally grown here. From a climate standpoint, Amsterdam is far enough north to cause organic marijuana growth to be virtually impossible. Instead, growers build grow houses to simulate the tropic environment that the plant requires. On the street, there was an unsaid understanding that coffee shops were in possession of that commodity. Stepping into one was proof enough. The musty and sweet smell would hit your face and the floorboards would squeak when you made your way to the counter. Several places wouldn’t even give you a menu unless you requested one. In researching Amsterdam, I had already known this was the case within its borders. It is the law in Amsterdam that you cannot advertise marijuana or even show a customer a menu unless they specifically ask for it (Steves). This leads me to ask the question, how do customers know about it? If this was my first time in Amsterdam, how would I know that legal cannabis exists?

Marijuana isn’t the only controversial product sold in Amsterdam though. As the sun goes down, red lights pop on as prostitutes prepare for the night. A legal profession in Amsterdam, these women will set themselves up in dim booths to try to entice you with their smiles and charm. Despite this huge abundance of ‘love’ you will never see an indication of where to find these women. The Red Light District is a realitvely small part of the city so it only takes a little wandering to find these capsules of fornication. According to Amsterdam-advisor (http://www.amsterdam-advisor.com/amsterdam-prostitutes.html), prostitutes pay taxes and must follow rules just like a business. So how come there aren’t billboards that lead to them?

In the hazy basement of a coffee shop I found my answer. I met some college students from Canada who were just as excited to experience the culture as I was. At one point in our conversation, they asked me which coffee shops I would recommend to them. I replied with a few names and they said they would definitely visit them. It was unbelievable that my first hand experience had been an advertisement enough to send these people I had never met to my suggested location. Any marketing professor will tell you that word of mouth is the best form of advertising and that is a primary conduit of information in the Red Light District. In the European Sin City, it’s not so much what you find but how you find it; whether it be hearing from a passerby or just stumbling upon it, Amsterdam is a city that needs to be experienced with no plans, expectations, or billboards.

Steves, Rick. "Best of Europe 2010." Steves, Rick. Amsterdam. Berkeley: Perseus Books Group, 2009. 1070-1071.

Amsterdam's Two Faces

Amsterdam’s Two Faces

Arriving in Amsterdam, I had no idea what to expect. I heard the rumors of drug use and open prostitution, but I really could not comprehend the idea. Our group got off the train as excited as could be. It was time to have the Amsterdam Experience.

The night went completely as I had expected. There was the obvious mix between bars and coffee shops (as most college students would do the same). But then it was really about walking the streets and getting a sense of all that the Red Light District had to offer. Once you make your way outside, there is a definite energy. People crowded the streets as if there was a giant parade going on. Street after street we witnessed the same thing under the brightly lit neon signs; it was bars, coffee shops, food joints, and prostitutes. Our journey through the district lasted multiple hours into the night and we had not witnessed it all.

So we made it to bed and I woke up thinking, why is this place so much different then anywhere else in the world? I began to question if all of Holland was like this too. And so we started off again on another journey; this time we had an entire day to explore. But then we came across this .

These are the pillars that designate the Red Light District. Up to this point we have spent almost no time outside of these boundaries, except our five minute walk from the train. But when we left this distinct area, I experienced a very different Amsterdam. It was at this point I entered into Central Square (below).

Previously in the Red Light District, we were being hoarded through the tinny streets, dogging bikes, and covered from sun light from the tightly packed buildings. There were multiple coffee shops on every street. The flow of people was always moving so there was very little time to stop and talk. And there was the difference in law allowing women to sell sex out of their bedroom window. Also there were countless men on the side of the street looking to sell drugs. You would know because the dealer would say, “Cocaine”. One went as far as calling out American, trying to get our attention, when we were ten feet passed him.

But here in the open square, it seemed like the sky had cleared and the sun was shinning on us. People relaxed on the steps of the statue and nearby cafes. Also people had time to stop and have conversations. This was the place for relaxation, reflection, and gathering. In fact, I took this picture because we had taken a break to stop and rest our feet. The architecture was still very old but it was on a large scale compared to the little houses that lined the district.

But once I had this experience in the open, I began to see that most of Amsterdam and its history was outside the Red Light District. We took trips throughout that day to visit Heineken and the Vincent van Gogh museum. Once again I noticed that these destinations were more relaxed. The walk to the buildings was more open and the streets less clustered.

Its goes back to those pillars that signify the start and end of the Red Light District. They are permanent fixtures that explain a lot about the culture in and outside of the district. There was an obvious territory formed to contain this certain behavior and culture. The pillars bounded this social place and put in rules to help administrate government, law, safety, and policies.

I have come to the conclusion that in America, we connect Amsterdam with the Red Light District. To us they are the same thing. In Holland this is much different. The Red Light District is only a part of the larger city. Amsterdam is very old and full of history. The architecture and surrounding landscape is beautiful. It is not uncommon to walk past buildings hundreds of years old, to enter a large park with trees, grass areas, benches, and people just relaxing.

Those pillars mean more than just us college students going to have a good time. I encourage everyone to break past those lines and experience a completely different side of Amsterdam City. Here is a link to get you started (http://www.amsterdam.info/map/). This map has great parks, squares, and churches you should find to escape.