The Current State Of Amsterdam

[donpacino]

Hi All,

Have been away for awhile, family commitments and work etc have kept me a busy boy. Am back now and with a vengeance.lol.

So me and the wife are planning our first trip over since 2012 and I was wondering what has changed since then. Last time I was there i know they was still pondering the whole cannabis card idea and prohibition tourists from going in coffee shops, is this idea scrapped or still debated at all? what about Maastricht do they still have this?

I also read a while ago that they where closing lots of coffee shops in and around the red light district and was closing more kamers in an effort to clean the area up. Also that some of the Liedsplien coffee shops had to close.

Is am Amsterdam still worth visiting or would we better of in a different city?

Any comments or suggestions will be great.

Don

[CopenhagenCouple]

Go!

We went back this august after 7 years away from the city, extended the stay and are planning a new trip next month.

Yes, the city has changed a lot, C/S scene also (sadly in many cases for the worse, but there is hope still and many great shops remain), but it is still one of the greatest places on earth to us.

Read up on some of the many posts about the subject that has been made over the last year or so (we read up on a good number of them) and make up your mind, but from us it is a definite "GO!".

CC

[donpacino]

Go!

We went back this august after 7 years away from the city, extended the stay and are planning a new trip next month.

Yes, the city has changed a lot, C/S scene also (sadly in many cases for the worse, but there is hope still and many great shops remain), but it is still one of the greatest places on earth to us.

Read up on some of the many posts about the subject that has been made over the last year or so (we read up on a good number of them) and make up your mind, but from us it is a definite "GO!".

CC

Hey there. Pleased you had a good time. I can pretty much say that it is 99.99% likely we are going, i miss the place so much. Just deciding wether to do 2 days in germany then 7 im Amsterdam or wether to just do a 9 day break in Amsterdam as it has been so long since we have been.

You are right i should read some of the previous posts and not be so lazy.lol.

Can you tell me if Hunters in the RLD and the Bulldog Palace in Liedsplien Square are still open.

[CopenhagenCouple]

Hunters and Coin on Warmoesstraat are closed, dunno about bulldog, never went there...

[donpacino]

Hunters and Coin on Warmoesstraat are closed, dunno about bulldog, never went there...

Thats a shame i used to love those coffee shops. So are most of the coffee shops around the RLD closed now then? I think i remeber one called babas and another called grasshopper and another which i cant remember the name but had graffiti all over the walls?

[CopenhagenCouple]

All shops on Warmoesstraat are closed, meaning among others hunters, coin, baba and hill street blues (the one with graffiti, it is now a smokers friendly bar called hill street booze which is much the same in looks and clientele). Also grasshopper, old chuch, ghouse effect and others in that area. Baba has a new spot out east and old church has also moved.

A number of other shops have closed or had their opening hours severely restricted on school days due to a new law banning shops within 250 meters of a school. Another bunch of shops, among these two of the very best, are threatened by closure and have re far only been granted an extension till new year...

We also liked some of these shops and no matter what it is always a tragedy when shops are forced to close and their licenses are lost. We will especially miss coin as it was our first shop and we had a good friend in one of the tenders there, the loveable but crazy Matt...

All that being said there are still many greatsshops in the city, these are still RLDs in the wallen (big one everybody knows), at the singel and in the pijp, truffles and shrooms are readily available and the city is still as beautiful as ever. The most important part of the city, to us at least, is already still there: its people, visitors and "natives" alike!

[donpacino]

All shops on Warmoesstraat are closed, meaning among others hunters, coin, baba and hill street blues (the one with graffiti, it is now a smokers friendly bar called hill street booze which is much the same in looks and clientele). Also grasshopper, old chuch, ghouse effect and others in that area. Baba has a new spot out east and old church has also moved.

A number of other shops have closed or had their opening hours severely restricted on school days due to a new law banning shops within 250 meters of a school. Another bunch of shops, among these two of the very best, are threatened by closure and have re far only been granted an extension till new year...

We also liked some of these shops and no matter what it is always a tragedy when shops are forced to close and their licenses are lost. We will especially miss coin as it was our first shop and we had a good friend in one of the tenders there, the loveable but crazy Matt...

All that being said there are still many greatsshops in the city, these are still RLDs in the wallen (big one everybody knows), at the singel and in the pijp, truffles and shrooms are readily available and the city is still as beautiful as ever. The most important part of the city, to us at least, is already still there: its people, visitors and "natives" alike!

Thanks for the info, it's a real shame about the Warmoesstraat coffee shops, me and the wife have got some real good memories from hunters. Although it is sad i suppose it will force us to explore a little bit more rather than just go to the usual haunts.

I agree there is so much more to Amsterdam than just it coffee shops so im sure no matter whate the scene is we will still have a blast.

Do you know the names of the other bunch of shops that will be potentially closing in the new year?

Don

[CopenhagenCouple]

There is list floating around somewhere on the forum, can't be bothered to search it, but sadly Utopia and de graal are among them - two of the best shops in the city...

If you have never visited shops outside the red light neighborhood you are really in for a treat as the shops there have not been known to carry the best of products, the better ones are either in the edge of that area er further afield...

[Weemanio]

That really sucks donkey cock!! Some of those coffee shops were the the dogs swingers!! Booked a trip for March!! Looks like I won't get to try utopia!!

[free_phil_spector]

Don't despair just yet - Utopia has had several stays of execution over the previous years - here's praying for more