Amsterdam Coffeeshop Directory Forums

The best seat for extreme people watching is the comfy pillow bench across from the front door at Stone’s Café on the Warmsesstraat and Oude Kerksplein. Across from Baba’s, (with the big brass elephants) where there are usually two muscular door men watching over things.
And since it’s a busy intersection in the Red Light District the people who pass through those cross-roads are as varied as the languages filling the airwaves. Extreme people watching because the view varies from the saddest looking crack-head,(blue-white skin hanging on bones, attached by boil grommets), to the beautiful people with Dutch blue-blood running through their veins and a keen fashion sense carried out in scarves, boots, and strut.
So strange to see the quiet little Granny walk into the sex shop in sneakers and velour hoodie, noshing on fish & chips. Or the pack of young lads resembling the Vienna Boy’s Choir trying to act is if the sights and sounds are commonplace to them.

I enjoyed a cappuccino and a wonderfully moist vanilla space-cake with my new friends Kirk and Alex. Kirk is a smart young mathematician from Windsor UK who after cautiously letting me share a table with him quickly turned into my best friend with much catching up to do.

We discussed work and friends and plans and travels. Then we moved to those wonderful cushions across from the door and Alex joined us.

Alex is about my size wearing a blue-gray martial-arts uniform and absent mindedly twisting the baby dread-locks atop his nappy head (like the one’s Buckwheat had on Little Rascals). Alex has a British accent, milk chocolate skin, and light grey eyes. He introduces himself by sharing a story about his time sparring with the Dali Lama and how he was a body-guard for David Beckham, Victoria, and the kids.

It didn’t take long for me to call bull-sh*t. “Alex, I have an important question for you.” Alex leans in. “Are you the most fascinating, well-connected man on the planet or are you top full of bull-sh*t?” There was no direct answer. Instead he smiled broadly and waxed on about the truth being mine to find in the journey...



Savvy

The body-guard for this coffe shop also manages several other shops in this area. He is about 7 foot, (no exaggeration – he bends deeply at the waist to get through the door) bald, and every time he explodes through the door he booms in English with a thick Dutch accent, “I’m a good fellow!” Then winks at me and breaks in to a few isolated bars of, “the wild-wild west”. His voice shatters any quiet conversation and the room quickly knows of his presence and seems to straighten up a bit. He clears ash-trays and empty tea cups and if the bartender wants someone removed she simply need nod in the culprit’s general direction. The poor American boys who made the mistake of putting their feet on her mosaic coffee table were quickly escorted from the premises. Not by brute force, but by brute voice.

“OFF WITH YA THEN – BYE, BYE!” No room for argument, the boys left immediately.

High-lights: Standing in front of Van Gogh's 'Irises' and being able to see the thick brush strokes. Standing where Anne Frank hid for two years and suddenly breaking in to tears when I read that she died shortly after anyway in a concentration camp. I didn't remember that part of the story.

Reclining on the dock by the hotel with a glass of wine, a chunk of cheese, and crusty bread, watching the sun burn up the IJ River.

Savvy

A couple of good stories and views.

I know of the bald guy from Stones Cafe that you are talking of, he is actually a really nice guy I found. I used the shop as a local for a few beers every night one trip and one the 3rd night he was in (as always) and it was pretty crowded as a football match was on....he pretty much kicked someone off a stool just to carry it over to me when he saw I was standing with a pint in hand. I felt kind of embarrassed as the guy I felt like I was getting special treatment but the big man is hardly someone to say no to when he has done something for yourself.

The football match was when England lost to Northern Ireland as he was jokingly digging me all match and announced himself (so the whole bar could hear!) as Irish for that night....haha. Then when we lost the match he told me to make up for a bad game by visiting the girls in the RLD round the corner. Made me laugh anyway!!

yep - he made me feel so safe! I would like to have him as a personal body-guard and roll in to clubs with him in tow.
(sorry for your loss Englishman!)

Savvy wrote:yep - he made me feel so safe! I would like to have him as a personal body-guard and roll in to clubs with him in tow.
(sorry for your loss Englishman!)

Don't be sorry...our poor excuse of a team deserved to lose.

I also watched England go out of the Euro 2004 on penalties to Portugal when I was in Amsterdam so I don't have the best luck of football matches whilst there. Best thing is that after 10 minutes of smoking or wandering the RLD then I couldn't care less about the game....haha.