In this initial entry, I'm going to spare you the preparations I made before heading out. I'm plan to provide an entry on pre-trip preparation, not that it is overly interesting, but I enjoy reading what other people do to get ready. Anyway, see, I'm already getting off topic. Here we go:
Trip: Fly from US on April 23 (Saturday) and return on April 29 (Saturday).
Accommodation: Houseboat on Stadhourderskade about 2 blocks from Ibiza/Carmona/Yo-Yo. Excellent houseboat. If you have never stayed on a houseboat, you should treat yourself. I cannot say enough about relaxing on a houseboat!
OK, before I get started, just in case any of you travel with kids, the little sky bassinet on the airplane is a complete waste. Don't bother. Otherwise, travelling with a 9 month old was actually not that bad at all. The good Lord knows that if I can do it, anyone can.
Day One
Landed without any fanfare. Normally I love the train. I've waxed poetic in prior Trip Reports about waiting in line to purchase the train ticket, then riding the train and viewing AMS from the exit of Centraal Station. Oh man, it is a favorite. Nevertheless, as a compromise with my wife (and baby), I agreed to Uber.
Uber
I could not find a single person on this Forum that has ever taken Uber from Schipol to central AMS. For good reason, mind you, no one should opt for Uber over the train unless specific circumstances apply (ahem, baby, etc.), but I'm here to tell you that Uber has its perks. First, in order to properly utilize Uber, you must go upstairs after landing. You embark upon Uber only on the Departures level. When you have an extra bag due to a little baby, the train is really not all that feasible. But Uber works great for extra luggage. And the fee! 27 Euros doorstep to doorstep. And about 25 minutes, too. That's a bargain.
Don't get me wrong - I love the train and all it provides! But if I were not as mobile or carried excess luggage, Uber is really nice.
Houseboat and de Pijp
I cannot say enough about the de Pijp area. We felt safe late at night. You have an Albert Hein just across the street. A Marqt is a few blocks away. Then the Western beginning of Albert Cuypmarkt just 2 blocks away. There are several good food places in the area, too. My wife liked the healthy, organic-oriented SNCKBR. It also had one of my favorite late night munchies - Turkish food.
Give me a good Turkish pizza with some lamb, or baklava, and I'm pretty happy. You guys can have all the Febo you want. I'll take the late night Turkish. And was this nearby Turkish location a real treat or what? The baklava was fantastic. The man I pegged as the proprietor would drizzle a little extra honey on top. Oh man, that makes my mouth water even now. And his price was great at 4 pieces of baklava for 3 Euros.
I really enjoy the CS in this area. My fondness of CS Yo-Yo is well documented on this Forum. Then Ibiza and Carmona are just around the corner, as in 2-4 blocks. Great location!
Other than the location, I can talk about Houseboats all day on this board. A few of you have written me about Houseboats, and if any others are interested, I'm happy to share what I know. Must haves on a Houseboat are good patio over the water and a good coffee maker. This Houseboat was adequate with a Nescafe coffee maker, but had an extra plus patio overlooking the water! Since I mentioned coffee, truth be known, I could chat about coffee more than I can chat about weed. AMS was special in introducing the coffee trade to Europe, and AMS has pretty decent coffee. If you guys enjoy reading, David Liss wrote a pretty good historical fiction book about the beginnings of the early commodity trade in AMS, The Coffee Trader. I have an espresso machine at home that if you pat it gently and speak sweetly to it, it will respond by producing the best espresso. But on a Houseboat, Nescafe will do. Mr. CC, with your love of coffee, I imagine we could enjoy some quality conversations about coffee. And I figure that KeyMonCha and Black Star might know a thing or two about the coveted Jamaican Blue Mountain beans. Funny how I've sourced connections from nearly all over the world for clients to bring coffee to me. I have connections in Kenya, Columbia, Hawaii, and Jamaica for coffee. I can get ahold of some rare coffee beans easier than I can get weed in Texas. Go figure.
Dropped luggage at 11, and must piddle around until the cleaning crew finishes near 3. No problem. Time to explore and soak in the sights of my favorite city in the entire world!
Let's Go Walk Around
First stop - SNCKBR (no vowels), in de Pijp. It is a fresh, organic restaurant, which my wife searches out on every trip. And it was my first chance to check the Forum! I have to tell you that it was a great welcome to AMS to open this Forum as soon as possible and read a few regulars who had posted on chat to ask if I had landed. Papi, I believe Macky, and DLN were all posting to ask if I landed. I've since noticed that the regulars here do a fantastic job of keeping up with everyone and asking how the visit is proceeding. Ed is the latest to enjoy the Forum hospitality upon landing. Thanks, guys!
Popped into Carmona and wanted to look into purple strains based on some March posts on this forum. Carmona looked like a nice place. I just peeped at the menu and looked at the purple. Even the BT frowned at it. It looked like little BBs for an air gun. Pass. No purple from here. The BT was really nice, though, and the location was great with a nice smoke room.
We circled back and I popped into Ibiza. The BT here was very cool. He said the visitors for 4/20 smoked all of his Green Crack strain, but he had a very nice looking Sour Diesel and OG Rolex Kush. I'm meeting up with Lemming and DLN tonight, and I want to have a little gift for them in appreciation for all of their posts and general helpfulness on this board.
We walked around as a family and wound our way up Utrechtstraat to Kiboot. We've become friendly with the owners over the years, and we love their little dog, Jimmy. Alas, they were shopping in Morocco, and Jimmy was not there, so we continued our way to Rembrandtplein.
Bought a pipe en route at a little shop on Utrechtstraat. Great prices here, and very nice pipes. I just cannot roll a joint to save my life, and I'm not hauling other delivery devices across the Atlantic. So the best delivery system for me is a new, clean pipe for about 8 E.
While at Rembrandtplein having my first Heineken, it dawned on me that I could slip into my first ever CS - The Saint. The first time I can really recall hanging out in a CS was with my sister, and we had a grand time (well, with a bit of revisionist history, we had a grand time) at The Saint. Since that time nearly 1 decade ago, I've seen nary a review or comment. After popping my head in, now I know why. It is an overpriced tourist trap. G13, which is a great variety - 20 E a gram!!!! AK-47 at 14 E a gram!!! I have never seen 20 E a gram, and thought that Barneys or Greenhouse would be the first to claim that accomplishment. Nope - The Saint. In all fairness, the BT was nice and spoke different languages. But the prices were outrageous. Plus, it is a dungeon in there with no windows. And if you want to sit outside, you are looking at the brick wall of an alley. Ugh. Now I know why no one here frequents that establishment. Oh well, mission accomplished as far as an update on The Saint is concerned.
Feeling a bit cold, as in near freezing, with 50 degree Fahrenheit weather (we left the swamp otherwise known as Houston, TX with 90 degree weather and 85% humidity), and with a VERY tired family, it was time to retire to the Houseboat.
Barney's Lounge on Reguliersgracht
En route to the Houseboat, we stopped by an old standby, Barneys Lounge on Reguliersgracht. Say what you will about Barneys, but their product is always high quality. I got an old school Laughing Buddah and Cookies Kush. More on this purchase later!
As for Barney's itself, the BT (male and female) could not have been nicer. They asked if I had visited before, and were genuinely interested. I commented that I liked the older decore pre-television and when they had the faux bamboo-top tables. Evidently the newer BTs chat with older patrons about the older vibe, and they seemed genuinely interested in my prior experiences, asking me where things were located, if the BTs were helpful, if the clientele was older (yes, by a couple decades based on the look). The BTs were young, but commented that they wish they got an older clientele in from time to time. Then they pointed over to the sitting area where about 10 very young smokers were all seated and spread out. They commented a bit on the different types of people who buy, and consequently who is interesting and who they would like to just buy and fly. I was in there so long that my wife felt the need to text me. I tell you one thing - that Barney's Lounge must get the good BTs. I've had negligible experiences at the other Barneys locations, but at this location the BTs are always top quality, will sell any amount (even odd amounts) of weed, and are very helpful.
Batavia
Wife and baby napped. I got organized in anticipation of Batavia at 9 p.m. with Lemming and DLN! Wife awakens around 8 and proclaims that she does not want to sit at the Houseboat while I journey up to Batavia. That's cool, so we all trek to Batavia. It is about a 40 minute walk from the Houseboat.
*** Sidenote, did you ever notice that everything is about a 15 minute walk from the next destination? It struck me on this trip that every destination was about 15 min. from the next. Houseboat to Rembrandtsplein - 15 min. Rembrandtsplein to Blue Bird - 15 min. Houseboat to 9 Streets (and La Tertulia) - 15 min. 9 Streets to Noordermarkt - 15 min. Noordermarkt to Batavia - 15 min. Uncanny how everything is about 15 min. apart on foot. So Westerkerk to de Pijp, on foot, is about, oh, 40 min. walk. ***
I'm excited for my first T&T with 2 esteemed Forum members, Lemming, his companion, J, and DLN. We arrive at Batavia right on time. I had a bit of an idea what Lemming looked like due to a photo or two floating around. And DLN did not take long to spot with his ugly college shirt. Bwahahaaa - j/k DLN (DLN and I went to rival Universities, and even as adults we poke fun at one another's schools). Wife and baby camp out at a table near the door while I go downstairs to socialize.
Batavia was a real treat. I've never been before. And as a bonus, I was able to briefly meet Papi and nathan420stoner! I wish I would have been able to chat with you two more, but you two were popular and sitting at a full table in the corner. Next time I'll make it a point to hang out with you!
For those of you on this board who have not met Lemming and DLN, you are really missing out. Lemming is very easy-going and relaxed, and the glue that helps hold this Forum together. DLN is by far the most knowledgeable cannaseur (good term that I think DLN used on this board, which has been picked up by the other Forum regulars) that I have met in person. I guess it is possible that someone knows more about marijuana than DLN, but I have not met them.
DLN whips out his Pax 3, which is an amazing little vaporizer. Lemming has a nice joint. J, Lemmings companion, is really nice, and it seemed I spoke to her the majority of the time. In fact, the time flew by at light speed. No sooner did I start a conversation with J than it seemed like it was time to leave. Guys, I apologize that I had to head out. But with my companions loyally waiting upstairs just so I could meet, and us recovering from the long flight, I was super happy to get those 40 minutes. I hope you guys enjoyed that Sour Diesel and OG Rolex Kush! DLN was just about to start dabs, but the wife said we probably needed to head back. I have a foot in the responsible world and a foot in the stoner world, so straddling the two interests, the family interest must win out if I am ever to come here again. Plus, wife and kiddo are super fun to hang out with, and I wanted to capture as much time in AMS with them as possible since travelling to AMS is such a chore for us. Time to head back (40 min. walk). I would have loved nothing more than to stay, as I was just getting warmed up to chat. Dang. Fortunately we should experience many future opportunities to hang out over the next several years!
Sleepytime
Walked back to the HB. Little wife, who is a steadfast stickler for super healthy food, has a guilty pleasure of Wok to Walk. Busted!
Back at the HB, remembering the Laughing Buddah, I packed my little bowl and enjoyed every bit. I read a lot on here how you rate weed according to its ability to 'cut through' the preexisting weed induced haze. The Laughing Buddah was the only CS purchase that cut right through the existing fog. It was spectacular. And little buddy did his best Julius Caesar, Marc Antony speech with a special 20 min. monologue of blah, blah, blah for us to end the night.
AMS is so magical. Great first day with much more to come (including pics if I can ever get a few to upload)!
)
