What a relaxed atmoshpere . . . life the way it COULD be . . . Every time I go there I always think two things in rapid succession: I want to live here, and, Why can’t America be like this? Low crime, decriminalized cannibis, regulated prostitution. . . these things happen, legalized or not, and instead of wasting tax dollars and overstuffing prisons trying to forestall the inevitable, the Dutch simply decriminalized things. Brilliant.

Wandering around the canals, in and out of the coffeeshops, smartshops, museums and bars, is the ultimate experience in “anything goes.” Whatever it is that people like to do, somehwere, if you look long enough, people are doing it in Amsterdam. Also be prepared for amazing volumes of dog shit and bicyclists in the city. You will, at some point, step sideways to avoid dog shit and into the path of a frantic, bell-ringing Dutch bicyclist.