Old Church

[thegandhi]

Also had the negative experience with the blond woman. Never going back there :/ shame as the location is great to stop and enjoy while endlessly walking in the streets

[piedpiperofvice]

i am going to get some shit but i have to defend the blonde and cannakid (one in the same , maybe?). in 2008 or 2009 i was there and she was kind of a bitch about the having to buy their weed rule. back again in 2010 and she was a little cooler about it and kind of relaxed it. she was ,also, nicer . (actually, i think she is kind of a sexy dutch lass,i don't like those shrinking violet girls). i can understand if it is empty that she should relax the rule but i can certainly understand if it is busy that she would not want some cheap bastard drinking a 3 dollar looza for an hour. it is not a huge place and quite frankly making a couple of euros per hour per person is not going to lead to a thriving business. her rent is probably huge and those remarking about her 3 euro markup on looza or whatever are really unaware of overhead costs of running a business. if you can't afford to spend money on a trip to a world class city maybe you should stay home . i often rip grasshopper for being touristy but i have grown to favor the nice decor and higher quality surroundings. most of the coffeeshops are kind of cheap looking. obviously, i love the freedom of buying and smoking in public but it would be nice if they were able to upgrade the interiors of some of these places. they can't do that if they are inundated with cheap low budget travelers. i like to smoke pot but i ,also, am moderately successful. it would be nice to have some more upscale coffeeshops to frequent.

[piedpiperofvice]

further , if you imagine how many places in the world offer the unique experiences of the coffeeshops compared to how many bars exist,i would say the coffeeshops are giving away their rare experience. prices should actually be more expensive not less( for everything) my mother and her husband smoked into their 60's and i can't imagine them liking the mundane and shoddy appearance of most coffeeshops. amsterdammers bitch about the cheap cannabis tourist which does not spend much money. they say they want to entice more wealthy people to visit amsterdam by purging the coffeeshops. it would be nice to entice the wealthier weed smoker with some upscale joints(no pun intended) mixed in with the basic dive model that is the coffeeshop norm. it might change the conservative dutchman's view of us smokers. however, this is impossible if most coffeeshop members are of the point of view that blowing 20 euros to sit in a coffeeshop for an hour or so is a big deal. by the way i love sheebas and it is a dive but it would be nice to have some upscale shops with some quality food etc. we need some higher income smokers in the dam to drive some investment into the coffeeshops not just budget smokers who cry about having to buy weed. she should just offer the option of a two drink minimum without purchase or something during busy times. let the poor girl make some money. location is fabulous . i want this place around for a long time. i'll be dropping by in sept to check it out again. hope to see you cannakid

[Cisco]

Dive coffeeshop norm ? You've obviously been going to the wrong places that's great you like old church yer welcome to it and if you think that adding a few euros to something , or not actually being allowed into their shop if you don't purchase a certain amount is a good/successful business model then brilliant but think it's a bit short sighted to diss other people for not falling for their over inflated prices I don't see why people should put up with rude staff and pay more for the privilege !!! Lol

[thegandhi]

further , if you imagine how many places in the world offer the unique experiences of the coffeeshops compared to how many bars exist,i would say the coffeeshops are giving away their rare experience. prices should actually be more expensive not less( for everything) my mother and her husband smoked into their 60's and i can't imagine them liking the mundane and shoddy appearance of most coffeeshops. amsterdammers bitch about the cheap cannabis tourist which does not spend much money. they say they want to entice more wealthy people to visit amsterdam by purging the coffeeshops. it would be nice to entice the wealthier weed smoker with some upscale joints(no pun intended) mixed in with the basic dive model that is the coffeeshop norm. it might change the conservative dutchman's view of us smokers. however, this is impossible if most coffeeshop members are of the point of view that blowing 20 euros to sit in a coffeeshop for an hour or so is a big deal. by the way i love sheebas and it is a dive but it would be nice to have some upscale shops with some quality food etc. we need some higher income smokers in the dam to drive some investment into the coffeeshops not just budget smokers who cry about having to buy weed. she should just offer the option of a two drink minimum without purchase or something during busy times. let the poor girl make some money. location is fabulous . i want this place around for a long time. i'll be dropping by in sept to check it out again. hope to see you cannakid

the problem with no smoke no buy is not the price, hell i spend several hundred euros in amsterdam everytime i go there since it's a vacation trip i don't reallly care about money at.

But i'm a casual smoker, of some good bud (which there definitely is in amsterdam hey basjoe! ) i pretty much need to take one hit. so how the heck am i supposed to buy something new every time i go to a coffee shop? i would end up with 9 grams left over from going to 10 coffee shops and buying 1g each.

[angry pirate]

@piedpiper...
Think you dropped something...good effort though.

Regards, AngryPirate - a medium budget smoker, who has enjoyed the city of Amsterdam for more than a decade, happy to blaze up with like minded souls, regardless of income...

[HasAnyoneSeenMyPipe]

Gives a new definition to the term weed snob, lmao.

[piedpiperofvice]

first of all i am not actually trolling but i will say to cisco that i was probably premature to say that MOST coffeeshops are dives. however, i think too many are indeed dives. as i said i love sheeba but it is a dive. i think old church is kind of a dive ,too. i was really just making the point that amsterdam is super unique in the world compared to bars etc and should have some variety in quality of interior,menu, etc. It would be nice to have some higher end places. i have been to a ton of coffeeshops and was not really impressed by many of them. to be clear i revisit amsterdam, constantly ,because of the coffeeshops and the freedom. i love the coffeeshops and am very thankful for them. because i love them i would like many of them to take pride in their unique status as one of the only coffeeshops in the world. it would be nice if some were renovated or invested in a better menu. they can't do that if people think 3 euros for a looza is too much or that it is great for the business owner to have customers that spend 3 euros and hour in your shop.i love the coffeeshops . i love amsterdam so much that every time i go to europe i have only gone to amsterdam. i only wish that some of the coffeeshops reached for a higher quality experience. old church has a fantastic , historical location. it would be nice if the interior matched their location. noon with their famous blueberry is kind of divey. rookies, bulldog palace, dolphins, mellow yellow, little, bushdoctor with pac man game, paradox, popeyes, rokijeri(spelling), etc are kind of divey. yes i did forget some nicer ones at first blush , however, most are just average. some of the coffeeshops located around each other might unite and buy a store with a kitchen and use a universal menu to sell higher end snacks. seriously, stoned people with the munchies should be able to do better than a toasty withlout leaving the establishment.

[piedpiperofvice]

@ hasanyoneseenmypipe. i am really not a weed snob.(well, except for the quality of bud issue)i love some of the dives as previously stated. i just think it would be nice to have a better variety of quality among the shops. how about a coffeeshop that specializes in live music or something. i am actually just thinking of ideas to make the coffeeshop experience more worthy of its exceptional unique position. look at the quality of bars in amsterdam including interiors and i would say that most had a higher quality level than the average coffeeshops of the dam. i think that is a shame

[piedpiperofvice]

@angry pirate and gandhi. i love to party with all like minded people ,also. thegandhi i do understand the problem with being stuck with 10 different bags of weed. last time i just gave it to gapie. maybe they should have some 1/2 gram deals at shops with a must buy rule or like i said earlier have a 2 drink minimum or something. not trying to stir up shit it just irks me when i read that the opposition to coffeeshops always claims that the coffeeshops are only for the low budget traveler. the coffeeshops are partially responsible for that stereotype.

[piedpiperofvice]

@hasanyoneseenmypipe... to show you that i am not a weed snob you can pick any coffeeshop on the map (as divey as you want) and i will meet you and gapie there and buy the weed and we can smoke all you want. i see from the travel plans you will be there the 6th sept. i am there 4-7 sept. man, i wish i could live there. once a year ain't enough

[piedpiperofvice]

@angry pirate .. see you're going during my birthday... why didn't i think of that? 40th for you eh.. went during my buddies 40th a couple years ago. as always a great time had by all.

[angry pirate]

Morning PP, another scorpio yeah? Sure you can't make it for another birthday session? When is yours anyway?
Glad to see you saw my post for the tongue in cheek dig it was, couldn't resist, due mainly to this...

if you can't afford to spend money on a trip to a world class city maybe you should stay home

I imagine this also prompted HASMP's "snob" jibe, don't think the issue was being able to afford it, more a case of not wanting yer pants pulled down when you part with yer cash, let's leave that service where it's meant to be.
Being a world class city shouldn't mean it becomes the property of the elite, should it? Lest we forget, the coffeeshop movement began with the rebellious, some may say "hippy", ideals of freedom, choice and tolerance, allied with the spirit of inclusion of all who wished to partake. For those living on this side of the Atlantic, travelling to a neighbouring country should be within the budget and, generally, it is. Not many on here complain about price if the quality is there. If they did, Haarlemerstraat would die a quick death. I felt you distorted the complaints against the Old Church from pricing and policy not reflecting the service and quality, to people baulking at paying 3 yo yos for fruit juice. The Looza debate was used only as a point to illustrate the greater sense of an establishment that only wants your dollars and cares little for your patronage. Incidentally, the poster who argued against this wasn't a "cheap bastard/budget tourist", but a guy with a wealth of experience in this area, running a business a stone(r)s throw away from OC.
I do get your drift regarding more upmarket establishments, in principle, but where will that take us? Alienation of honest hard working smokers who have supported the scene for around 40 years, in favour of corporate tie-ins, VIP areas etc? Fuck that. Not for me. I go for the quality of smokeables and friendly service i deserve after slogging my arse off at work to pay for it. I'll never get that in Grassshopper and no amount of faux-plush fittings will change my view on that dump. I'd agree that a lick of paint wouldn't go amiss in most shops though, but i'd rather be looking at Grasshopper from my vandalised sofa down the back of HSB than vice versa.
Anyway, rant over. Have a good 'un next month pal.
Peace, AP.

[piedpiperofvice]

the last day of your trip is my birthday..i was not trying to say that we should crowd out the budget conscious coffeeshop customers or the old guard but just rather entice some newer higher end clientele . it might help with the image of the coffeeshop scene with regard to the conservative killjoys who would push out the coffeeshops altogether. kind of like "see all different people ,even ones just like you middle aged business types or whatever, like to relax with some weed now and again". the opposition likes to paint the coffeeshop customers with one broad brush. they do not like to admit that not everyone who enjoys cannabis is unmotivated or a hippie type (any stereotype for that matter). also, i think that it would be nice to have a few unique upscale coffeeshops that break the mold . 5%-10% maybe. as for the food idea mentioned earlier. the kitchen could make multiple foods to serve the surrounding coffeeshops and help their revenue so instead of having to leave the coffeeshop to grab lunch you cold o it right there at the coffeeshop. all types of food. many coffeeshops could invest in one kitchen and service their places and make extra revenue so less chance they need to use the heavy handed you have to buy bullshit. anyway, thanks for the response and believe me if i could i would go again in oct. i love amsterdam or as i call it "the promised land" my wife is a euro union citizen so i hope to one day save my pennies and move there. i'm hoping with my wife's citizenship that they can't keep me out. as for the snob

[piedpiperofvice]

as for the snob stuff i am going to put that puppy to rest . grew up poor in an upper middle class town living in a rented shithole with my 2 uncles , mother and grandmother .i used to eat a bunch of grilled cheese sandwiches. the other day i mixed a tamale with some honey twist frito lay chips.hell, i am actually white trash material. however, don't get me wrong i love my capellini alla langosta with a tarragon sauce but i love my crappy fast food , too. it just irks me sometimes when i have the munchies and am in amsterdam a city with a pretty nice dining scene and the only thing most of these coffeeshops can offer me is a friggin toastie. there has to be some middle ground. i can see your point about being taken advantage of with crappy service and an attitude. i can ,also, see your point of not wanting to just bend over because some ahole is trying to bully you into buying weed. i would usually be the first one to try to give them some grief right back. maybe i am getting soft in my old age. however, i imagine some of these rents are high and it can be ruinous to have a bunch of 3 dollar an hour customers in a small place. anyhow , thanks again for the response