1st visit amnesia

[Hotdog]

Hey everyone, could anyone help me?! Was chatting to my mate about our 1st trip to the dam back around 2001/02 and neither of us can remember where we wen on the 1st night. I know we stayed near the Leidseplein, and being noobs we got a taxi straight to the RLD after arriving on the night. We can remember going in 2 coffee shops but have never been in, or seen either of them again.
The 1st shop was small, was a Rasta vibe to it. It was around the RLD, maybe on Oudezijds Voorburgwaal. The counter was on the right when you walk in, and there was a pool table in the middle of the shop, with a small amount of seating around the shop. I do remember on the left wall was a painted mural of famous faces like Madonna, jack nicholson and the token bob marley pic. I know we bought 1 of them horrible ‘joints a la carte’, and realised we were the only white guys in there so bailed after about 20 mins! We left here and went to the next CS, which we remember really liking. It was large, like a big brown café more akin to an English pub. It had a large bar running down the right as you walk in, with various tap beers, and pub style booth seating on the left. All I remember is sitting in there with a great bag of northern lights, smoking my 1st proper dam spliffs with my mate and talking to the cool Scottish bud tender / barman. This place had to be near the RLD as we didn’t walk far that 1st night. If anyone can put our minds at rest and help us work out what these shops are that would be great, cuz the 2 of us are starting to think we imagined it all. Cheers guys.

[Boner]

The 2nd place sounds a bit like Smoking Bull.

https://www.coffeeshopdirect.com/SmokingBull.html

[Dimon]

Dude that,s funny-i went to a lot of coffeeshops in 1996 and dont remember any of them,only Mellow Yellow,that,s because i did not ever know they have a names.

[Hotdog]

The 2nd place sounds a bit like Smoking Bull.

https://www.coffeeshopdirect.com/SmokingBull.html

the reviews sound promising, its the right area, andit was an older crowd, and me and my mate stood out in there, we were about 21 at the time. Ill have to check it out in march, cheers boner, your a gr8 source of info (yet again) mate.

[TRANCE]

Yeah, the second one sounds like Smoking Bull to me as well. If it had beer on tap when you visited in 01/02, then that's it I would say. Had many a beer and joint in that place, but no beer now which is a shame.
First one, possibly Dread Rock roughly below The Red Light District bar, I reckon, but not overly sure.

[Hotdog]

Dude that,s funny-i went to a lot of coffeeshops in 1996 and dont remember any of them,only Mellow Yellow,that,s because i did not ever know they have a names.

I know exactly what you mean, my 1st trip was for 2days, must have went in 10 coffee shops, but can only remember going to 222 cuz i bought a t-shirt, and the old church cuz they had red leb at the time! next trip im promising myself that ill take notes and do a proper trip report.

[Hotdog]

Yeah, the second one sounds like Smoking Bull to me as well. If it had beer on tap when you visited in 01/02, then that's it I would say. Had many a beer and joint in that place, but no beer now which is a shame.
First one, possibly Dread Rock roughly below The Red Light District bar, I reckon, but not overly sure.

according to this site the basement coffeeshop is under the red light bar, but that sounds like the place, dread rock is a bigger place im sure, cheers tho trance, im gona defo try em out wen back in dam.

[Dimon]

Dude that,s funny-i went to a lot of coffeeshops in 1996 and dont remember any of them,only Mellow Yellow,that,s because i did not ever know they have a names.

I know exactly what you mean, my 1st trip was for 2days, must have went in 10 coffee shops, but can only remember going to 222 cuz i bought a t-shirt, and the old church cuz they had red leb at the time! next trip im promising myself that ill take notes and do a proper trip report.

I remember Mellow Yellow because they are really yellow outside

[bushdoctor]

The first shop should be Extase.
I was there twice and I can remember the "P
picture of the stars" with Madonna, Ghandi, Michael Jackson and so on - quite impressive footage... the counter is on the righthand side when you enter but there is AFAIK no pool table (any more?).

The second shop? I have really no idea... but my "spider senses" tells me: trust Boner

[Pauli Wallnuts]

my bet is the 1st cs was bushman

[Boner]

Yeah, the second one sounds like Smoking Bull to me as well. If it had beer on tap when you visited in 01/02, then that's it I would say. Had many a beer and joint in that place, but no beer now which is a shame.
First one, possibly Dread Rock roughly below The Red Light District bar, I reckon, but not overly sure.

Smoking Bull isn't a coffeeshop anymore is it?

[TRANCE]

Yeah, the second one sounds like Smoking Bull to me as well. If it had beer on tap when you visited in 01/02, then that's it I would say. Had many a beer and joint in that place, but no beer now which is a shame.
First one, possibly Dread Rock roughly below The Red Light District bar, I reckon, but not overly sure.

Smoking Bull isn't a coffeeshop anymore is it?

Ummm? Let me dig out my trip note diary on past visits...........................

I was in there in Feb 07, I bought 2g of Hydro Silver Haze from Smoking Bull in 07 but no beer was available.

I presume it took the route of coffeeshop and not pub. Many years ago they did both and happily sat at the bar with a joint and pint before all the change over happened. I've been back to Amsterdam since 07 but didn't wander into the Smoking Bull so it may have changed again, but I'm sure it's just a weed coffeeshop now with the dealers counter at the end of the bar, big screen TV above the entrance door and a small lobby area at the front.

[Boner]

Yeah, the second one sounds like Smoking Bull to me as well. If it had beer on tap when you visited in 01/02, then that's it I would say. Had many a beer and joint in that place, but no beer now which is a shame.
First one, possibly Dread Rock roughly below The Red Light District bar, I reckon, but not overly sure.

Smoking Bull isn't a coffeeshop anymore is it?

Ummm? Let me dig out my trip note diary on past visits...........................

I was in there in Feb 07, I bought 2g of Hydro Silver Haze from Smoking Bull in 07 but no beer was available.

I presume it took the route of coffeeshop and not pub. Many years ago they did both and happily sat at the bar with a joint and pint before all the change over happened. I've been back to Amsterdam since 07 but didn't wander into the Smoking Bull so it may have changed again, but I'm sure it's just a weed coffeeshop now with the dealers counter at the end of the bar, big screen TV above the entrance door and a small lobby area at the front.

The reviews are weird, it has a review from April 07 saying they'd given up the weed license, then in July 07 it has someone say they bought weed.

I'd be happy if they still sold weed as the Orange Bud I used to get from there was spot on.

[TRANCE]

The only discrepancy with the OP's description about the place, having seating booths on the left as you walk in, doesn't sound right though. There are tall bar tables and tall bar stools against the wall on the left and a long bar on the right, way too narrow for booths, but I'm thinking where else could it be.

[Hotdog]

dunno if it was booths, it was 8 odd years ago and ive been bozzed many times since then, all I know is it looked like a good old fasioned pub, with a big bar on the right, and smoking bull rings a bell but im still none the wiser tho, oh and the 1st shop was deffo on a canal so that rules out extase, cheers for all replies