Since I'm sure many of you would like to know.Yet again, my expectation doesn't match reality. I always pictured "coffee shops" to feel like coffee shops, but with pot and maybe beer available as well. I
expected to see people sitting outside at little cafe tables with a
pipe and a pilsner, waving goofily at the people who walked by.In reality, the coffee shops are a mixture of things. Some are big,
with wi-fi, snacks, pool, strobe lights, loud synth music, and frat
guys (a combination I will never understand the appeal of) and some
are dark and underground, with low lighting and trippy music. The one
thing they have in common is this sense of secrecy. As though, like
prostitution and gambling, pot isn't really approved of in Amsterdam.
It's tolerated, as long as people stay in their areas with it, but
it's not something people are proud of.In many cases, when you go to a coffee shop, you have to ask for the
menu, or push a button to light up the menu behind a case, or go into
a special room to see the menu. Then within the coffee shop, there is
a smoking room, and a non-smoking room. So some people are there who
don't even smoke. It's a very interesting set up to me, as though they
position themselves as a coffee-shop first, smoking room second.Another weird thing to me is that people seem to come to these coffee
shops to get STONED. Like, can't speak to anyone, staring into space
stoned. The stoniness seems encouraged. You can't buy anything smaller
than a gram unless you buy a pre-rolled joint. A blunt-sized joint.
Which is fine if you're in a big group, but there'll be people just
sitting there with a couple to themselves, staring off into oblivion.
Perhaps because of this, It's only been in a few places that I've seen
people socializing (although, I guess I haven't checked out the vibe
at the more fratastic coffee shops like Bulldogs.)Lastly, I noticed that the equipment is different in Amsterdam. The
pre-rolled, cone structured giant joints are one example, but the
other thing I noticed is that bongs have carbs here. Most bongs - or "water pipes" - in the states have a bowl piece that you pull away from
the chamber after you fill it. Not so here.Besides the prevelance of pot of course, there are tons of other
things flying around like herbal ecstacy, mood enhancers, and of
course, absinthe. I am still trying to decide if I want to get a
bottle of that while I'm here. I've heard mixed things about it in the
past and am somewhat skeptical of the green fairy.
expected to see people sitting outside at little cafe tables with a
pipe and a pilsner, waving goofily at the people who walked by.In reality, the coffee shops are a mixture of things. Some are big,
with wi-fi, snacks, pool, strobe lights, loud synth music, and frat
guys (a combination I will never understand the appeal of) and some
are dark and underground, with low lighting and trippy music. The one
thing they have in common is this sense of secrecy. As though, like
prostitution and gambling, pot isn't really approved of in Amsterdam.
It's tolerated, as long as people stay in their areas with it, but
it's not something people are proud of.In many cases, when you go to a coffee shop, you have to ask for the
menu, or push a button to light up the menu behind a case, or go into
a special room to see the menu. Then within the coffee shop, there is
a smoking room, and a non-smoking room. So some people are there who
don't even smoke. It's a very interesting set up to me, as though they
position themselves as a coffee-shop first, smoking room second.Another weird thing to me is that people seem to come to these coffee
shops to get STONED. Like, can't speak to anyone, staring into space
stoned. The stoniness seems encouraged. You can't buy anything smaller
than a gram unless you buy a pre-rolled joint. A blunt-sized joint.
Which is fine if you're in a big group, but there'll be people just
sitting there with a couple to themselves, staring off into oblivion.
Perhaps because of this, It's only been in a few places that I've seen
people socializing (although, I guess I haven't checked out the vibe
at the more fratastic coffee shops like Bulldogs.)Lastly, I noticed that the equipment is different in Amsterdam. The
pre-rolled, cone structured giant joints are one example, but the
other thing I noticed is that bongs have carbs here. Most bongs - or "water pipes" - in the states have a bowl piece that you pull away from
the chamber after you fill it. Not so here.Besides the prevelance of pot of course, there are tons of other
things flying around like herbal ecstacy, mood enhancers, and of
course, absinthe. I am still trying to decide if I want to get a
bottle of that while I'm here. I've heard mixed things about it in the
past and am somewhat skeptical of the green fairy.
