RED LIGHT DISTRICT
The Dutch are also famous for their liberal reputations and live-and-let-live attitude. I had heard stories about the city's legalized marijuana and prostitution, but had no idea what that would be like. I wondered if drugs and prostitutes would be all over town, or in just one area. Would the red light district (De Wallen) be dirty and unsafe? After Frank and I checked into our hotel, we went for a walk. We took the first two lefts out of our hotel, and were walking down a nice street by a tree-lined canal. We had no idea where we were headed as we dodged bicyclist after bicyclist. I said to Frank, �I wonder where the red light district is� -- and the next thing you know, I smelled marijuana. We were on the outskirts of it. Many of the over 300 �coffee shops� that are licensed to sell small amounts of marijuana, hashish and related soft drugs -- are located in or near the Red Light District. Laws are tight. All patrons must be at least 18 years old and they can't buy no more than 5 grams at a time. You can't buy cocaine or any other hard drugs, and selling any drug (including marijuana) in the streets is illegal. Most people don't smoke in public, but I did get stuck behind a young Brit weekend tourist smoking a joint the size of a small cigar, as he and his friends harassed one prostitute after another. I almost got high from walking into the huge cloud that followed him. By the way: These coffee houses don't serve alcohol � just coffee and marijuana.

COFFEE WITHOUT THE CANABIS
A great place to have coffee is at Caf� de Jaren (tel.: 31-20-625-5771). This place, with high ceilings and a multi-color tiled mosaic floor, is full of beautiful people.

PROSTITUTION
In Amsterdam, prostitutes rent out tiny one-room apartments (there are several hundred of them). Most have full-size glass windows, and the bikini- or lingerie-clad girls that range from 18 to way too old to sit on stools or standing in windows so they are on full display for anyone walking by. They're almost like zoo animals, out there day and night. A few of the women are drop-dead gorgeous, while some are on the far other side of the spectrum. The rooms have curtains; if they're shut, they are either sleeping or doing you-know-what. Walking around the few streets and alleys that this area covers felt surreal � almost like we were in a movie. It wasn't really dirty or dingy, and the people walking by could be found on the really nice streets of Amsterdam. I even saw a tour group of middle-aged Italian women. I had more fun looking at their reactions than seeing the prostitutes. This place is almost as much of a tourist destination as the Van Gogh museum. And, like the Van Gogh museum, pictures are strictly forbidden. For more click HERE.