Goin to Amsterdam, aka the Promised Land
 

I will be in Amsterdam for my November break for a full week and I would like to humbly request the aid of all my fellow TFP'ers for information about where to go, what to do, where to stay, anything else you think would help a brother out. Just keep one thing in mind; I'm a college student, so ritzy single rooms are a little out of my price range but good ol' group dorm hostels are well within reason. Other helpful information is, of course, where to find the best bud and best smoking atmosphere. And whether shrooms are something to be weary of or if they're pretty safe. Thank you all, Drac.

I don't know where to get what, but I do know that hash is much more available in europe compared to the states. And hash is fucking good. Try to get your hands on some.

Can't remember enough to give you specific places, but if you have a spare afternoon eat some spacecake. ;)
As for shrooms, make sure you have a place you can go to if you need a break from the action. Take them with a buddy and prepare to laugh. Oh, and don't be the idiot that thinks they can eat twice as much as everyone else.

I'm sure flyman can expand on the drug questions...right fly??

Re: Shrooms... be patient. They take a while to kick in. More than once I've grown imapatient and taken more "just to make sure I took enough". Not so good.

Takes about 60 to 90 minutes for them to kick in. Just wait it out.

Also, I agree. Hash is much better than Grass, IMO. When I was in University in the late 80s and early 90s hash was what you got. There wasn't all that much grass available. Grass always makes me sleepy. Hash makes me giggle like a school girl.

A buddy of mine went to amsterdam a couple summers ago, he said shrooms + van gogh museum = good times. He also said sitting out in a park/field and smoking is a pretty relaxing way to go. Other than that I've never been so I don't know what to tell you.

I lived in Amsterdam for a while. Go to the Bulldog for hash, bud, and spacecake. There are two locations in Amsterdam. One is in the Redlight District, and the other is on the Leidseplein. Enjoy.

Been going to Amsterdam since 1990.

The Flying Pig is a pretty well-known hostel (community dorm) type place...inexpensive and all. 2 downtown locations, I believe. Never stayed there, but I've been by it. It's known to be a friendly, crowded, social environment - mostly college kids like yourself.

I've never done shrooms in A'dam, just weed and hash. I've been to the smartshops though: SmartZone, Innerspace and Conscious Dreams are some 'name' places for shrooms.

There are a lot of places to get good weed/hash. Bluebird is known for its wide range of good quality hash. Barney's, Katsu, de Dampring, Grey Area, de Rokerij, Dolphins, Tweede Kamer are some places with good reputations for top weed, although there are many more excellent coffeeshops to be sure. Contrary to what the good poster above said, the Bulldog is not a very reliable place for good gear. Most people who want good gear stay away from this tourist trap.

Part of the fun of going to A'dam is planning it all out. Another is knowing what gear is appropriate for what activity. For example, you don't want a weed that's going to lock you to the couch if you plan to do a lot of daytime - sight-seeing - social stuff. Pot comes in 2 strains: Sativa strain = "up", energetic, get-stuff-done, museum hopping, sightseeing high. Indica strain = "stone", heavy, late-night, gaze-at-the-wall-for-hours, listen to music, chill-out high. Tell the clerk what your looking for. Hash/Ice Hash is concentrated THC, and some of it is just amazing. I'm partial to hash myself.

As I said, half the fun is planning the trip...
Feel free to pm.

But if not a very experienced smoker, make sure you don't get too strong a sativa, or bad things could result. I like a nice 50-50 mix. They have all the well known strains there, go to overgrow.com and check out the strain guide, you will find information about any strain of weed you can think of, primarily the growth traits, but alot about the effects too. Find a few that seem your fancy, and ask for them in the dam. Even if they don't have that particular strain, they may have strains that resulted from cross breeding of that particular one.

Damnit, now I really want some hash, and all that is available around here is total shit.

Yes...good advice.

dude.........it's all about moderation.


pick your poison but just don't over do it.

smoke one for me too eh

Excellnt advice, if you smoke 10 joints of white rhino and pass out on the floor for 20 hours, it really could impact your vaca. And don't take offense to this, but I think it is hilarious that you came to nonsense for this advice rather than traveling. But yeah, I probably would have too.

agreed about The Flying Pig it is a great place to stay!
also go to Barney's for breakfast and get some of their 'Sweet tooth' weed is beautiful!
area 51, dophin cafe, loads and loads of places...the red light district is worth a visit but really the whole city is amazing, you might miss out on the best of the park at that time of year though...
how about going to the amsterdam arena and watching ajax play? that'd be fun after a couple of sweet tooth doobies!

Damn, thanks for all the replies everyone. I've got a lot of it planned out, except for what day I do what. I just have a to-do list at this point:
some Smartshop (one with shrooms and peyote)
Grey Area
Greenhouse
De Dampkring
Sensi Seeds
Barney's for breakfast
Katsu
Tweede
getting some lower grade hash and making the best stir-fry ever in the guest kitchen

Thanks again for the tips and if you have any other tips, especially names of good pot to try aside from White Widow and Rhino (though I know I HAVE to try Hawaiian Snow from Greenhouse), they are greatly appreciated. Just for reference, I'll be there November 4th through the 8th. Any TFPer's that will be in A'dam at the time, PM me if you want to burn one down.

The thing is, there are literally thousands of different strains, with effects ranging from making you pass out, to making you giggle like a school girl, to making you hallucinate (if in the proper stting and mood) with a select few strains. I would try my damndest to get some bubblegum, which I have heard nothing but good things about. I've heard alot of good things about blueberry, but the reviews seem to vary greatly depending on breeder. Ask the guy at the counter, he will know what will get you where you want to be.

Just on a side note, is there anything that I should avoid like a pack of leper-babies with the Black Death? Bad streets, alleys, types of people to avoid, random laws that I should know about and definitely not break, etc.
Thanks for the help guys.

In BC the Hindu Kush (sp?) strain is considered tops. I'm not sure if they have an equivalent or similar strain in the Netherlands. Tell the clerk what type of effect you're looking for, and they should be able to find a blend to suit you. People have crossed strains to create crazy combinations of flavour, hallucinogenic properties, energy boosting/draining, etc.

First off, Amsterdam is statistically among the safest big cities in Europe. Nevertheless, if you're alone, use big-city common sense. Don't go down dark alleys at 1 in the morning, be alert and aware in your senses and body language (ie., don't walk the streets alone while stoned as a shrimp), and probably THE most important thing - don't acknowledge shady looking people in the street offering anything (at any time of the day)...just keep walking...eye contact is unnecessary. Also, it is bad form to smoke anywhere in public besides the coffeeshops, you might not get arrested, but you might get hassled by someone who doesn't want to see or smell the stuff, or you laughing uncontrollably in their face (or their kid's face, etc...).

Keep in mind that it is illegal to have over a certain amount of weed on you in public...probably not a good idea to walk around with an ounce, etc. Secure your passport and valuables...I always stayed in a hotel with safes, don't know about a hostel. Don't try to smuggle anything out of AMS...airport security has seen it all; they know all the tricks, and it makes their day if they catch someone.