Monday, December 8, 2008

Clean it up for the Kids

My friend sent me an email to let me know the party might just be over in Amsterdam's city center, home of the Red Light district. I'm sure any of the changes wouldn't totally destroy the sex and drug trade in the Dam, but the delightfully seedy nature might be sterilized.



I spent much of my time overseas in Holland, especially Amsterdam, so I won't say that the Red Light district wasn't shady at night or that the streets are crime free. But the dirty carnival nature of those labyrinthine streets is part of the Red Light's charm. I love that city just the way it is, the way it lives in my memories, but I can't help thinking if I ever make it back there, the changes probably won't diminish the city's awesomeness.

I guess I'll have to make a trip over there in the next few years to verify that

3 comments:

Jude said...

AHH,walking along a Blvd.with camera tucked sureptiously under my arm..clicking away madly at the three flights of windows advertising carnal commerce.The first floor was usually not so pretty..sort of"bargain basement"..but on each ensuing floor it seemed to get more expensive...the only thing that you had to be very careful about on the street was not to get run down by the men rushing into the alleyway entrances of the "SHOPS".
I was lucky enough to have Nora as my guide,and I do have some pretty good pics of the women,who if they thought you were trying to take a pic would pull a flimsy, lacy curtain across the window.Truth in advertising was their motto....and advertise they did!!
It was a very interesting trip,and the city is quite beautiful,and with a guide like I had,you know it was a great experience.

Ratherto said...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I...*sniffle*...never....*sob*...got to go to amsterdam. WHAAAAA!

Nora said...

First of all, they're not going to take away all of the iniquity and subversion, I think they just want to remove some of the fetid sleaze, which, as I said, has a certain charm. But don't worry, I don't think they'll ever really clean it up.

Yeah, Juderonomy, that day lives in my mind as one of my fonder memories. That's what good girls do, you see: take their mothers on day trips to Amsterdam so they can take pictures of the working girls and then get threatened by the bouncers for their troubles.