What's happened to the RLD?

[Balou]

could it have anything to do with the global financial crisis? I remember when we use to go to Amsterdam as students in early half of the last decade, the red light district was always jammed packed whit people and hookers. whereas the last couple of times iv been to dam there seems to be less people.

The clean up started well before the financial crisis, so I doubt that has anything to do with it. When you were visiting is when the RLD was seedy and overrun with drug dealers. The city has made a conscience effort to clean up the area. It is the oldest part of the city and if tourist can't/won't go there then its a problem for the city.

[Skyrat]

i recently came back off a trip (currently writing my travelogue post) and i was surprised how "touristy" the RLD had become. i've always felt a sense of danger around de wallen and even the warmoesstraat area (late at night, at least) but now this feeling has totally gone. warmoesstraat has changed so much....there's fancy eateries popping up all over the place like it's nobody's business, and all the sex-related stuff is being dumbed down so much.

de wallen itself has such a small number of girls now, although the number of windows was greater than the number of girls working; saw many blocks of kamers with lights out and "for hire" signs in the windows. de wallen is nowhere near as shady as it was just 3 years or so ago - i think i got propositioned for crack cocaine three times this trip, instead of the usual forty six hundred offers i usually get in amsterdam.

so whilst yes the area is without a doubt much safer now, it's also lost a crazy amount of it's charm (read: sleaziness) and the city is no doubt pushing this kind of activity underground. keep it in the open, jeez!

PS whilst taking some newcomers for a trip around the wondrous blue light section of de wallen i noted that THAT particular area was still thriving...figure that one out

[treetop]

.......

PS whilst taking some newcomers for a trip around the wondrous blue light section of de wallen i noted that THAT particular area was still thriving...figure that one out

They must be doing something right on that street.

[Skyrat]

.......

PS whilst taking some newcomers for a trip around the wondrous blue light section of de wallen i noted that THAT particular area was still thriving...figure that one out

They must be doing something right on that street.

haha yeah a lot of guys unable to walk in a straight line....i thought it was the weed

[dconstrukt]

omg.... i take newcomers by those blue lights... after smoking... just to see their reactions. HAHA

funniest things happen by those blue lights.... you gotta eavesdrop in on the conversations between the joes and the trannies....

OMFG!!

so hysterical.

[Apollo]

funniest things happen by those blue lights.... you gotta eavesdrop in on the conversations between the joes and the trannies....

I'm colour-blind, honest!

[treetop]

.... you gotta eavesdrop in on the conversations between the joes and the trannies....

OMFG!!

so hysterical.

How exactly is this accomplished? Do you stand outside the window with your ear at the door once the curtain is closed?

[Skyrat]

.... you gotta eavesdrop in on the conversations between the joes and the trannies....

OMFG!!

so hysterical.

How exactly is this accomplished? Do you stand outside the window with your ear at the door once the curtain is closed?

i assume he's referring to when the customer/prostitute are negotiating at the door, although this would still be difficult to over-hear. can you imagine some of the things these girls/boys are asked?

[dconstrukt]

stand there in the street and listen.

took a buddy of mine who was SO NOT amsterdam material....

walked around the street.... saw some OBVIOUS trannies.

some 50 something yr old english dude walks up to one of the windows.

he asks... "So... how does it work?"

he/she says "first i suck you, then you suck me"

the guy walks in.

my friend hears this and says "OOOOH SHIT!" and starts running down the street trying to get away!!!

HAHAHA

fucking epic!

[vinyl]

Please, Where is it exactly?

[elasticband]

i wider perspective may give some more clues, at the moment it could be anywhere

[vinyl]

Not knowing situation. I saw the photo in an article, probably a red light district, but, where???

[dconstrukt]

1 block after mooonekenstraaaaaaaat (lol sorry for the spelling)

jolly joker coffeeshop

go towards the RLD

you'll see some windows... to the left is a street... they are mixed in on there... and the next street is full of them.

lol.... enjoy

[vinyl]

Thanks dc, in my last trip, I would be very close, but not seen.
I ask Stan, not knowing.
Next time find!

[notsofasteddie]

If you think the RLD has problems, check this out:

Utrecht still struggling with prostitution policy: no new zone
Tuesday 17 September 2013

Months after closing the city's licenced brothels, Utrecht has so far failed in its efforts to find a new location for legalized prostitution, news agency ANP reports on Tuesday. The city withdrew licenses from a string of floating brothels this summer because of fears their owners were involved in human trafficking. Since then, a small group of prostitutes have set up a cooperative to run their own brothel, but efforts to take over some of the boats have run into objections from locals. The women have also been refused 'start-up capital' from the council which 'does not want that sort of role', ANP said. Nor is the council willing to pay the women compensation for the months they have been unable to work. Mayor Aleid Wolfsen says he hopes to have a new location before the end of the year.

Utrecht prostitutes call on council to take over boat brothels

Utrecht prostitutes set up cooperative to run floating brothels

- See more at:

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2 ... 6NTQN.dpuf

dutchnews