Amsterdam's Red Light Districts
Written: Dec 13 '00 (Updated Dec 13 '00)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
|
Pros: adventure
Cons: streets are under construction; an army of panhandlers; drunk tourists (like me!)
|
|
|
| Kallisti's Full Review: Red-Light District |
Commonly referred to in the singular, the city of Amsterdam is actually host to a trio of red light districts, plus an area where "street walking" is also tolerated.
The one that people are generally referring to when speaking of "The" red light district surrounds the landmark Oude Kerk (Old Church), roughly extending from Warmoesstraat to Kloveniersburg in an east-west boundary and Oude Kennissteeg to Oude Hoogstraat from north to south.
In a westerly direction -- across the Singel (one of the canals)-- is another bastion of red lights referred to as the Singel red light area. Walking from the Damrak/Oude Kerk areas to the Anne Frank House one will likely encounter a few Singel windows, although this area is not as densely occupied or active as the Oude Kerk. The women at work here seem to be somewhat older, and I suspect that their rent is less expensive than in the center of the tourist area.
The third "RLD" is the Pijp district, located somewhere behind the Rijksmuseum. My travels did not take me into the Pijp, so I am unable to describe that section of the city. I've heard tell that it is a working class residential area that caters to local customers as opposed to the tourist trade.
My stay in Amsterdam included five days at the Winston Hotel, which is just around the corner from the Old Church and directly in the heart of "the" RLD. Although this was a central location with excellent access to the public transportation system, de Bijenkorf -- a wonderful and massive retail establishment comparable to London's Harrods which is also a good place for breakfast or lunch -- various "smart shops"*, coffeeshops and the adult entertainment venues on the Oude Zijds Voorburgwal, it was not a good place to get a sound sleep. Between the often loud milling about of the window-shopping red light clientele, the art-school rock crowd of the Winston Kingdom nightclub below my window and the clanging cacaphony of the Old Church carrilon sounding every 15 minutes, one must really be exhausted to get a decent sleep in that area. I can still hear the bells!
The appearance of the women in the windows ranged from common, Yeti-like and probably diseased to the rare, but occasional, strikingly beautiful icons of northern European beauty. From likely illeagal immigrants to the girl next door earning money for their law school educations -- or simply a very early retirement.
Working at this job -- it is, after all, a job -- may earn an attractive and professional prostitute about Nfl 500.00 an hour. That's about $150.00 to $200.00 an hour in US funds (and that's alloting for in-between customers "down time").
The window-workers may refuse service to customers according to their own whim and standards, are educated in the prevention of disease and may also solicit tips on top of their hourly rates.
The job is, however, difficult and often demanding. One obvious hazard is posed by the often drunk and obnoxious English or Arab hordes who seem to forget that these women are real human beings rather than animals in cages.
In an alley/back yard of the Winston, I saw a middle aged man above one of the rows of red lights, monitoring video feeds at what appeared to be a red light command and control operations desk. I could not see the videos, so I don't know if the cameras were on the street or in the "privacy" of the high-tech, red-lit, blacklight lit, sometimes mirror balled or strobe light blasting cubicles. The rooms are about 5 feet by 12 feet, and feature stereo systems, toilets, sinks, a makeup mirror and a small bed. They are all -- as far as I could spy -- outfitted with panic buttons. There is another red light on the outside of the cubicles -- an alarm light that signals for assistance. I did not see any of these light up. Perhaps they are also equipped with sirens?
I did not purchase time from the ladies around here, but I did explore the other adult entertainment offerings of Amsterdam to be found down the Oude Zijds Voorburgwal.
When researching my trip I repeatedly came across reviews of a place caled Cassa Rosso. According to the internet-advertised hype about this place that I had been exposed to, I thought it would be worth checking out.
I thought I had found the place and purchased a Nfl 50.00 ticket at what appeared to be the ticket window/entrance. It clearly said Cassa Rosso on the sign. The guy gives me the ticket. I head towards a door and was told not to go in there. "This is a ticket office" he says. "You have to go down the street to see the show."
I headed off down the street in search of the real Cassa Rosso. the next Cassa Rosso I came to was also a ticket office. There I was instructed to cross the street two blocks further down. On my third attempt I found the real Cassa Rosso which didn't look as attractive as the two previous fake Cassa Rosso ticket offices. With some trepidation at the possibility of this, too, being a fake Cassa Rosso I handed my ticket to the goon squad at the door and was huddled up a steep and narrow stairway to the show.
The show room was about 12 feet by 20, and packed with attendees elbow-to-elbow. The seats were all taken and there was obviously standing room only. Being somewhat claustrophobic in small places with lots of people, I needed a drink. I think I spied a bar at the other end of the room -- only a few feet away, but it seemed like an eternal sea of humanity that I would have to cross just for a little beer. As I had smoked some of the smoketty-schmoke, I became a little anxious. Something was going on on stage that involved a naked woman, but I couldn't really see what was happening. More people were guided up the stairs and packed into the room. There must have been at least 60 people in this small place. I was more entertained by the Boris Vallejo-looking Barbarian girl murals that wahtever the main attraction was. More people were then packed into the room and no one was leaving. It was then that I remembered that the Singer fire disaster was an American experience, and that building occupation codes in Europe were probably somewhat lax. I imagined a fire breaking out, and the inevitable stampede of humanity trouncing each other as they tumbled down the steep, narrow stair case and got the heck outta there.
Whew! A wasted Nfl 50.00 and a small anxiety attack later I found myself at a local bar with room to breathe and ein klien bier. Twee biers later I was unrumpled enough to venture forth again.
My next Amsterdam adult entertainment experience was equally startling.
Encouraged by the Grolsch I ventured into a pornography store that featured private cabins. I was curious about the cabins. Were they like American hunting cabins with fireplaces and moose heads on the wall? The image of a cabin that foremost comes to my mind was clouding whatever reason the little schmokie and bier didn't alter. I saunter back toward the alleged cabins, not bothering to decypher any instructions written in the complicated Dutch language that may have been posted somewhere. I open the "cabin door" not knowing what to expect and am greeted by the sight of three people groping each other to the tunes of a porno video in a booth the size of my refrigerator.
Witnessing my apparent faux-pas -- the trio was not part of a scheduled private cabin show -- the proprietor yelled something at me in Dutch followed by "and that's why they're called PRIVATE CABINS!" in English and I got the heck out of there, too.
---K
*The so-called smart shops offer various types of psychoactive fungi -- cubensis and psylocybin mushrooms; also living, potted peyote plants & San Pedro cacti -- as well as recovery cocktails of amino acids & vitamins and oxygen. The hubub of Amsterdam is not, in my opinion, the ideal "set & setting" for a psychedelic experience. I have hob-nobed with native American medicine people in the past, so having a conversation with Mescalito was not an item on my to-do list.
Recommended:
Yes
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
Kallisti
|
 - Top 1000 |
|
Location: Stick a fork in it.
Reviews written: 149
Trusted by: 38 members
About Me:
Hi.
I haven't posted to Epinions since I realized something.
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.