Sex for Sale in Amsterdam's Red-light District
by - Written: Apr 12 '01 (Updated Sep 16 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Interesting
Cons: crowded, dirty, somewhat sad
The Bottom Line: While an interesting district to visit, I find it sad and degrading for these girls to be so exploited. It makes me wonder what brought them to this lifestyle.
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| RobinLynn's Full Review: Red-Light District |
While scrolling through the newly submitted reviews today, I was surprised to see a new travel category on Red-Light Districts. With so many wonderful travel categories eliminated since the site change, I found it interesting that this particular subject was deemed more important than some of those that have disappeared. I guess the decision-makers at Epinions have discovered what those in the entertainment and fashion world, and most of all, those girls in the shop windows in Amsterdam have long known, that sex sells!!
With that in mind, I decided to update and try to improve on a review I wrote some time ago on Amsterdam’s Red-Light district.
I was a little anxious , actually nervous, when my husband and I decided on our first evening in Amsterdam that we would go to visit the famous or rather infamous “Red Light” district. Since it is the number one tourist attraction in the city, and I knew everyone back home would question us about it, I decided to go and “get it over with” . I was rather amazed when neither the doorman at the hotel, who hailed us our cab or the taxi driver who took us there, even raised an eyebrow when we told them our destination.
When we arrived, I was surprised by how crowded the streets were. It reminded me somewhat of New Orleans ’French Quarter, with lots of young men and women just wandering the streets, leering into the bars and shop windows. Only, instead of seeing liquor everywhere, the sweet and pungent odor of marijuana wafted out of many of the small pot bars, known as “coffee houses”. There were plenty of couples of all ages, even lots of older people, just walking up and down the streets, filled with curiosity.
Prostitution was legalized in Amsterdam back in the seventeenth century. The Dutch have always seemed to have a very open and tolerant attitude toward all social issues, including religion, and thus it has always been a mecca for those seeking all types of freedoms. In fact just this week, the Dutch government passed a new law making euthanasia legal, in certain terminally ill patients. The Dutch are also a very pragmatic people, and the government must have decided at some point, that since they could not totally stop prostitution, they may as well legalize it, keep it in one area, and somewhat control it.
There is even a Prostitution Information Center on one of the main streets running through the district. The area attracts over one hundred thousand curious visitors a day, and over forty million dollars a year are spent in these brothels. They house over twelve hundred of these mostly young women.
The most expensive and elegant of these clubs is called Club Elegance(what else?) and was established over a hundred years ago. It is actually considered of national historical significance.
Of course, from the street, where most of us tourists were just there out of curiosity, all that is seen are signs for tawdry live sex shows,and many bored young women, in bikinis, dancing or just sitting in shop windows.,which are often surrounded by bright lights. For the most part , they looked quite bored. I have actually seen more revealing,sexy swim wear on the beaches of Jamaica and South Beach!!
Many of the girls had a very blank expression in their eyes, in fact, even worse, there was often a lifeless quality to their stares. I found it very disconcerting. We were there early in the evening, right after dinner, so I don't know if things got more rowdy into the early morning hours.
All over Amsterdam, the official city flag flies proudly, with its red and black stripes, on which is centered XXX in large white letters. They were hung from public buildings throughout the city as well as many hotels and other establishments. I can only assume this is where the expression XXX rated began, in the city whose name will always be linked to a freer, more open attitude toward sex !
Recommended:
Yes
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