Sunday, October 12, 2014

THOUGHTS ON TODAY'S NEWS

Today's profile in the New York Times of how alleged criminal activity by football players at Florida State University is handled by the university community is the latest news account about professional athletes (whether NCAA or major league) apparently engaging in criminal behavior without consequence.  And, while it would seem to be critical of one particular university community and one particular group of professional athletes, you could write this story about big-time sports programs anywhere.  The problem isn't really Florida State, or Penn State or the Baltimore Ravens.  The problem in some large measure is the result of our culture of celebrity - i.e., famous people are better than the rest of us and have our blessing to do whatever the hell they want - which has allowed certain famous athletes (along with other famous people) who may be very talented, but lack morals or judgment or integrity, to engage in bad behavior without consequence. 

Who's at fault?  Obviously, the individuals, who are responsible for their own conduct.  But, the rest of us bear some responsibility, too.  There's the group of people who make a lot of money off of these famous athletes.  Hardly free of conflicts of interest and there are plenty of examples of this group doing the wrong thing in response because of what's at stake for their own personal interests.  As concerns sexual assault crimes, there is the pervasive societal evil that continues to demonize victims of sexual crimes by suggesting that their own behavior contributes to their victimization.  It does not and it never has, but if you don't think that view is widely held and a serious part of the problem, consider that blowhard columnist George Will recently wrote in the Washington Post to suggest that women are clamoring to be sexual assault victims on college campuses for its "coveted" status.  And, this alleged human being has a wife and daughters.  And, there are the fans and supporters who, being far removed from the consequences of such criminal actions, are able to focus on the entertainment value of victories linked to these athletes, while putting emotional and intellectual distance between the criminal behavior and their own lives. 

This story does not reflect poorly on Florida State, so much as it holds up a very unflattering mirror to our society and some fairly immoral choices that are made by lots of people in this culture of celebrity.  I attended the University of Florida, a fierce rival of Florida State, but which is having another pretty lousy season (by Florida football standards) at 3 and 2 (we lost again to LSU last night).  But, I would caution against wagging the finger too quickly.  Instead, there are more important questions to consider, as highlighted by this story.  Would you be just as thrilled that your adult child was dating a famous (and rich) athlete if you knew up front that your child would be punched in the face, dragged out of an elevator by the hair, attacked at home or far, far, worse?  Let's not fail to pick up on something important for all us to consider.  Because, as someone once pointed out to me, when you point a finger at someone else, three other fingers are pointing right back at you.  Just saying. . .

Monday, March 17, 2014

24 HOURS OF BROTHERLY LOVE

During the past year, I was fortunate to travel extensively across the United States: Boston, Atlanta, New York, Charlotte, Dallas, Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Grand Rapids, San Francisco and Napa.  As a result, I have lots of ideas for new blog entries.  Trouble has been, I can't seem to focus my thoughts for any extended period of time; it feels not so much like writer's block as writer's overstimulation.  So, sometimes, you have to deconstruct and just start with a smaller piece or a slice.

I religiously read the 36 Hours column in the Sunday New York Times travel section to discover where my next weekend getaway might be.  The range of destinations is far and wide, often jumping from continent to continent with each consecutive weekend.  Some of the Times' weekend getaways actually require more than a weekend.  Compare two columns from last fall.  Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, which is about an hour from my home in Maryland, was the destination for a great Labor Day weekend with long-time friends.  Antwerp, Belgium, on the other hand, would involve a rail transfer after an overnight flight to either Brussels or Amsterdam.  And, sometimes, there are times when even a long weekend isn't possible.  That's when I look for a quick 24-hour fix of someplace fun and obviously pretty close to where I live, which is about halfway between Washington and Baltimore.

One of my very favorite 24-hour destinations is Philadelphia.  The City of Brotherly Love is almost exactly halfway between New York and Washington, and almost exactly two hours from my driveway.  But, Philly is different from either of its more vanguarded East Coast neighbors.  As the nation's fifth largest city, it has a real urban feel like Manhattan, but is much smaller and more manageable.  It has grand museums and monuments and even stately boulevards like Washington, but also is very much a working city with old-world neighborhoods and a gritty vibe.  So, recently, when good friends invited me to their art gallery opening in the city's Manayunk neighborhood, I jumped at the chance to join the party and spend another 24 hours in William Penn's town, which always offers something new to explore along with its more than 300 years of history.

CHOOSE WELL: With such a short amount of time, planning a 24-hour visit necessarily requires narrowing the focus of your limited time.  For me, with the art gallery opening set for Saturday evening, I considered what I would do with my Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning.   I went with a city market, a museum, a hotel bar and a run along a newly expanded path.

After checking into the brand new Home2 Suites by Hilton, a spotless property that is designed for business and other more independent-minded travelers (there's no restaurant or room service), I walked across the street and into the world-famous Reading Terminal Market, an amazing city market that has been selling fresh fish, meats, produce, flowers and other bounty from the countryside around Philadelphia since 1893.  In addition to several sit-down restaurants and lunch counters, the market also is a primary retail space for many Amish farmers who transport their harvests for sale from nearby Lancaster County.  My mission involved searching for fresh flowers that would be needed for a date the next day back home.  Mission beautifully accomplished, I proceeded to the afternoon's destination, the Barnes Foundation.  The Barnes Foundation is a museum and horticultural institution that was established by Albert Barnes in the early 20th Century.  Barnes made millions as a chemist who helped develop an early anti-venereal disease drug  before the advent of anti-biotics.

Apparently, Philadelphia society at the time was unimpressed with Mr. Barnes or, perhaps, the source of his wealth, so he was not welcome into their ranks.  He turned to the study of art and began collecting works from the famous and nearly famous artists of the day.  That happened to include some of the world's greatest Impressionists.  Today the collection of more than 800 paintings, including an amazing concentration of French Impressionists, and 2500 other pieces of art is valued at more than $25 billion.  Barnes left his collection in trust to a foundation controlled by Lincoln University, a historically black college in the Philadelphia suburbs.  The trust directed that the collection be open to the public on very limited terms.  A combination of financial need and growing demand to see the famous art led to a series of court cases that resulted in breaking the terms of the trust and moving the collection in 2012 from its original location in the Philadelphia suburb of Merion Township to a gleaming new home on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Center City, taking its place on the boulevard with the city's other major museums, the Franklin Institute, the Rodin Museum and the spectacular Philadelphia Museum of Art, itself worthy of a separate visit.  As you make your way through the rooms of the new Barnes, which faithfully replicates the placement of the art in its former home, you will be struck by how often you recognize a famous paining - a Renoir, a Cezanne or a Monet - and think, "I didn't know that painting was here."  For art lovers, Philadelphia's destination status could not be higher.

Leaving the Barnes and having a few hours to kill before getting ready for my gallery opening event, I decided on one of my favorite city pastimes, visiting a hotel bar.  Staying at expensive hotels may not be in the budget, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy a cocktail or a meal at these luxurious digs and absorb some of the vibe.  Philadelphia has lots of high-end hotel options, including the Ritz Carlton, Park Hyatt and Four Seasons.  I chose the recently opened Le Meridien Philadelphia, which gave luxurious new life to a former YMCA.  The lobby bar greets you front and center as you pass through the main entrance.  With its dark, richly paneled walls and white marble floors, the lobby appears at once classic and chic.  I ordered the bar's trendy version of pretzel sticks and a vodka martini for my afternoon snack.  A little buzzed and definitely sated, I walked back to my hotel to shower and change for the raison d'ĂȘtre of my trip, my friends' gallery opening.

The car service alternative to taxis, Uber, has arrived in Philadelphia, so I happily hopped in a black town car and chatted with my friendly driver as he made the 20 minute trip to Manayunk, the location of my friends' gallery.  Manayunk is located a few miles up the Schuylkill River from Center City Philadelphia.  Historically a separate, working class town, it was annexed by the City of Philadelphia in 1854.  Today, Manayunk's Main Street is full of art galleries, shops and restaurants, and is one of the city's hipper neighborhoods.  That evening, I helped my friends celebrate the opening on Main Street of the Bazemore Gallery, a boutique space showcasing modern artists, including my friend and co-owner, Lenny Bazemore.  After an evening celebrating my friends' success, chatting with lots of interesting, eclectic Philadelphians and admiring beautiful art, I Ubered back to my hotel for a good night's sleep on my firm hotel bed.

Up sorta, kinda early the next morning, I laced up for my morning run.  Philadelphia is a runner's city.  First and foremost, it's almost entirely flat and the tight grid of narrow streets makes planning your route easy.  The city sponsors several running events throughout the year and its November marathon is one of the best, most well organized in the country.  Of course, a must-do for any runner visiting Philly is a dash up the iconic, "Rocky" steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, from where you turn toward the skyline of Center City and make an obligatory fist pump.  Indeed, I left my hotel and made my way up the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the museum.  Normally, I would head around the museum to the north and enter the path leading into Fairmount Park, Philadelphia's fabulous green lung that straddles both sides of the Schuylkill.  Instead, I turned to the left and made - for me - an amazing discovery. 

The Schuylkill Banks has turned the formerly pedestrian-unfriendly lower stretches of the river into a great urban path that leads all the way to a point across from the campus of the University of Pennsylvania on the west bank, and just before the Schuylkill flows into the Delaware River.  Along the way, you will enjoy views of Center City from a new perspective, pass under bridges and by the gorgeous, Art Deco 30th Street train station.  Now, when running in Philadelphia, you can more easily include long distances in your runs, all within sight of Center City's skyline.

I finished my run, cleaned up and checked out of the hotel, headed to Annapolis for a Sunday date, armed with a huge bunch of flowers from Reading Terminal Market.  I also left with new, happy memories of one of America's greatest cities, and practically in my backyard.


Saturday, March 15, 2014

AMSTERDAM IN WINTER


There are many enticing images of Amsterdam in the warmer months: tulips bursting forth in the city's many lovely parks, lively cafes with their tables spilling onto the narrow streets lining the famous canals, and long sunsets - which reflect in the waters and over the gabled roofs of the city's narrow houses - that stretch far into the evening at these coordinates in Northern Europe.  But, a visit over the recent Christmas-New Year's break to this most charming and easy-to-navigate of European cities confirmed for me that the Netherlands' largest metropolis - and one of its two capitals - is enjoyable and fun at any time of the year, but especially during the winter months.  Sure, you'll miss some of the color and warm-weather activities, and the weather may be far less predictable, but you'll also gain smaller crowds and queues at world-famous attractions.  You also will have more of an opportunity to interact with the citizens of Amsterdam, who are simultaneously gracious, polite, worldly, sophisticated, friendly and welcoming.  Oh, and no matter when you plan your visit, you will be greeted by a nation of flawless English speakers.

SETTLING IN - LOCALLY:  I first visited Amsterdam nearly 15 years ago, traveling solo.  I stayed in a canal-side hotel with no air-conditioning in the Jordaan neighborhood, the most famous residence of which is the Anne Frank House.  I had arrived during an unusual May heat wave with black turtlenecks in my luggage, planning to sit in a cafe and look (hopefully) like a hip European.  Instead, I had to ditch the Bohemian duds for some cargo shorts and t-shirts bought at H&M, which had not yet crossed the Atlantic.

Returning to Amsterdam this time, I was traveling with my boyfriend and this was our first trip together outside the United States.  It also was his first visit to the city.  Hoping to both relax while on break and explore the city, we wanted to find a home base away from some of the commotion of the central city.  But, we also wanted quick access via public transport to the center of Amsterdam and all of its major attractions.  And, we were looking to not spend hundreds of Euros a night on a hotel.   I turned to www.airbnb.com, which matches private rooms with travelers across the globe.  Having had good success renting flats in Barcelona, Avignon and San Francisco, I contacted several property owners in Amsterdam and settled on a studio apartment in the Watergraafsmeer, a close-in suburb just outside the city limits.  The area was developed on reclaimed land in the 18th Century as wealthy Amsterdammers looked for space to build country retreats.  Today, only one of those estates remains, but the neighborhood retains an elegant feel. 

The owner of our apartment had fashioned a cozy and very comfortable studio in the basement of his home that was quiet and removed, but also incredibly convenient to both the local businesses of the neighborhood and to all that Amsterdam offers visitors.  Located on a charming square with two restaurants literally next door, we also were just one block from Middenweg, a major street with restaurants, clothing shops, a great grocery store, a wine store and a bakery. Importantly, the number 9 tram stopped just a block away from our apartment and took us directly to Centraal Station in about 15 minutes, with stops in between at Rembrandtplein and Dam Square. You also could easily transfer to the number 3 tram, which, in turn, takes you to the Museum-Kwartier and the amazing trifecta of the Rijksmuseum, the Van Gogh Museum and the Stedelijk Museum.  Importantly for me, the apartment was one block away from Park Frankendael, which surrounds the last remaining country estate of the same name, and another short distance to the larger Oosterpark, both of which gave me several pleasant options for my morning runs.

PICKING THE THING: Visiting a city like Amsterdam, which is stuffed with world-class museums, historic sights, great shopping, excellent dining and drinking options, and all manner of cultural offerings, it's tempting - for me at least - to push forward in a death-march procession from one highlight to the next.  But, because my boyfriend and I wanted to recharge during this trip while still getting to know each other (we had met just three months earlier), we tried to identify one major "thing" for each of the 7 days of our visit, and agreed that everything else would be left to serendipity and our need to just chill.  We also purposefully did not set our alarms and started each day when we awoke.  Most days, we managed to strike the right balance.

DAY ONE: We arrived the day after Christmas, which also is a national holiday in the Netherlands, so most of the city's major attractions and many businesses remained closed.  But, we thought we could at least find a meal at one of the hotels.  After meeting the owner of our apartment who graciously allowed us to check in well before Noon, we grabbed a quick nap and shower then took a tram toward Centraal Station, hopping off at Rembrandtplein, a major tourist square since the 19th Century.  There are several hotels and lots of nightlife options located on and near this square, which features a statute of Holland's most famous Golden Age painter.  From here, we walked somewhat aimlessly north along the canal-lined streets of the central city, generally toward Centraal Station.  The streets were filled with holiday shoppers and tourists out for a walk, even if many shops were closed.  During this time of the year - at least during our visit - most tourists seemed to be from other parts of Europe and we met very few fellow Americans. 

Amsterdam's Centraal Station is the transportation nerve center of the city, sitting at the heart of its medieval core.  More than 250,000 passengers a day pass through this imposing, Gothic redbrick structure that opened in 1889 along the bustling city waterfront.  From Centraal Station, Dutch railway trains depart every few minutes to Schiphol Airport and all other points within the Netherlands, while other, high-speed trains carry travelers to Brussels, Paris and Germany.  In addition, the city's extensive tram, bus and expanding subway network converge at Centraal Station.  A real bargain for visitors staying at least a week is the 7-day transit pass, which allows unlimited on and off access to the city's trams, metro, buses and ferries for about $40. 

Ferries depart from Centraal Station to Amsterdam Noord, an area of recent development on reclaimed land across the Het IJ, or River IJ.  Owing to Dutch engineering's mastery over water, the IJ today is freshwater, but it once was a saltwater bay of the North Sea.  Thanks to damns and reclamation projects, Amsterdam no longer is directly linked to the open sea, but it remains a major port. 

That first afternoon in Amsterdam, the faint winter sun shone as we emerged from Centraal Station and made our way east along the waterfront.  From here, we could see several modern additions to the city's low-slung skyline.  Seeming to rise out of the waters of the IJ is the glass-encased Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam's home for contemporary classical music.  Nearby is NEMO, the excellent science museum that appears like the hull of a ship sitting atop a motorway tunnel connecting central Amsterdam and the north of Holland.  Our stop for the day was the Openbare Bibliotheek, the gorgeous, atrium-centered headquarters of Amsterdam's public library.  My boyfriend and I found a cafe next door to the library, where we enjoyed the setting sun from a second-floor perch with a pot of tea.  After taking the number 9 tram back to our neighborhood for evening, we made the first of many visits to the well-stocked neighborhood grocery store, where we put together a dinner of cheese, bread, fruit, chocolate and wine.

FEELING LIKE A LOCAL: For day two, our "thing" was something I had researched, but which is not necessarily on one's obvious Amsterdam itinerary: a visit to a hammam, or Turkish bath.  Like most of Europe's major cities, Amsterdam has a large Muslim population, many of whom are Turkish.  As in other Muslim countries, bathing often is a cultural experience and frequently shared among generations.  In many cases, a bath or hammam is open to only one sex, or offers separate opening times for the sexes.  I was just looking for a unique experience that would help cure our jet lag while jump-starting the relaxation.  What I found was Gentlemen's Barbershop, a salon for men that offers haircuts and shaves along with offers hammam and spa treatments.  After exchanging emails with Ian, the friendly manager-owner, I arranged for two, one-hour hammam treatments, as well as a head-shave (the Kojak) for me.   The experience of laying naked on a slab of granite in a sauna-like room while being scrubbed from head to toe and being doused with bowl after bowl of hot water was amazing and unique.  Probably not for everyone, much like a massage, but I felt super relaxed (not to mention super clean) afterward.  The experience definitely reset the button on my energy.

As we left our hammam treatments, the rainy skies were clearing so we walked a short distance into the Jordaan and grabbed lunch at one of the many cafes before backtracking along the Singel Canal to catch our canal boat tour.  Sure, it's touristy, but a canal boat tour is a great way to avoid inclement weather for 90 minutes while getting a great overview of Amsterdam and orienting yourself to the layout of the city.  Plus, the tour completes a circle by crossing the IJ in front of Centraal Station, which gives you a waterborne perspective not otherwise available.  In addition, we were able to catch a glimpse at two impressive structures on the north shore, the city's striking Palace of Justice and EYE, the dramatic home of the Netherlands Film Institute.

After the canal boat tour, we headed "home" to our apartment to change before venturing back out - technically violating the one "thing" rule - for dinner following a visit to perhaps Amsterdam's most famous museum, the Van Gogh Museum.  Amsterdam's art museums are world famous and busy at any time of the year, so the queues can be quite long, even in the winter months.  Our strategy was to try and pick the most "off" period, which mostly worked.  The Van Gogh Museum, dedicated almost entirely to the troubled Dutch Impressionist, is open until 10:00 p.m. on Fridays and cocktails are served in the atrium lobby.  Problem solved.  It still was crowded on the evening of our visit, but not excessively so.  After viewing the many outstanding works of one of my favorite artists, we grabbed a glass of wine in the lobby and then headed across the Museumplein, the grassy park at the center the obviously named Museum Kwartier, to a great little seafood restaurant I found through Trip Advisor. 

Brasserie Bark is one of those excellent, small restaurants on which you hope to stumble while exploring a city.  In this case, we found great food with excellent and friendly service in a slightly art deco setting.  My boyfriend and I made different seafood choices, both of which were delicious.  With the encouragement of our waiter, we even sampled a couple of very potent versions of jenever, the juniper-flavored, Dutch version of gin.

The next day, we awoke to bright sunshine, something I could not have planned for in Amsterdam in late December.  So, I put on my running shoes and explored Oosterpark, one of Amsterdam's earliest parks, and the surrounding neighborhood.  After a breakfast of fresh juice, croissants and jam, we set out to just explore with no particular "thing" on the agenda other than lining up our plans for New Year's Eve.  Eventually, we found our way to the Westerkerk, a Dutch Protestant church dating to 1621 that has the city's tallest tower.  Next door is the Anne Frank House and Museum, where the queues often stretch well around the block for the opportunity to hear the heroic story and witness the remarkably small space in which such courage, bravery and humanity ultimately was betrayed.  Also adjacent is the Homomonument, three pink granite triangles that honor the victims of the Nazis' persecution of LGBT persons during World War II.   This square also houses the Pink Point, a LGBT information booth, which is where we tracked down information about still-available tickets to New Year's Eve parties.  Amsterdam is a very international city, food-wise, so we didn't worry about making a bad choice for lunch along the busy streets nearby and had a delicious lunch at an Indian restaurant.

Fueled by our lunch of Indian specialties and naan, we walked to Centraal Station in time to catch a ferry across the IJ to get a closer look at EYE, which we had spotted during the canal boat tour.  EYE appears like a spaceship docked on the water.  The museum tells the story of the film industry in the Netherlands, but it also features current and classic films in four theaters.  During our visit, we could have seen Dr. Zhivago on New Year's Day.  A signature feature is EYE's waterside cafe.  With terraced seating against a wall of glass, the cafe is the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail or a meal and watch the sun setting over central Amsterdam across the river.

SUNDAY IN THE PARK: The Sunday of our visit, we awoke to more brilliant sunshine, which seemed to suggest a walk in the park and brunch.  So, we headed to Vondelpark, Amsterdam's Central Park.  Located just off the Museumplein, the park opened in 1865 and today welcomes millions of visitors annually.  Its 20 acres feature cafes, paths, ponds and grass areas, perfect for brunches, strolling, running or having a picnic.  Even in winter, the park is beautiful and not at all devoid of green.  From the park, we made our way along the adjacent streets of high-end shops to the street-level restaurant of the Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam's modern art museum.  We had a delicious brunch while enjoying the people watching both outside and inside the restaurant.  Then, we made our way upstairs to view the impressive collection of paintings, sculpture and other art media in a building that dates to 1890, but which reopened in 2012 after a major renovation and expansion.  Along with likes of Picasso, Kandinsky and Rodin, the Stedelijk also showcases Dutch natives like Piet Mondrian and Willem de Kooning.

The next day, we were up and out early to plan our attack for the third of Amsterdam's blockbuster art museums, the Rijksmuseum.  If you had visited Amsterdam during the decade before April 2013, you would have been unable to visit this vast collection of Dutch art.  Following the extensive renovation that returned the 1885 building to its original grandeur but with the latest technology to protect and preserve, the Rijksmuseum is the place to go to view the magnificent art of the Dutch Golden Age.  But, all of that pent-up demand has meant long, long queues since the museum reopened last year.  You can save time by buying and printing general admission tickets that helpfully are not restricted to a specific date and time.  Among the thousands of pieces, Rembrandt's famous 1642 painting, the "Night Watch," occupies a special place of honor in the first floor galleries.
 
THE FINAL DAY OF 2013: For New Year's Eve day, my boyfriend and I decided to venture out of Amsterdam for the day.  From among the many appealing destinations, we chose the short, 45-minute journey via train to Den Haag, or The Hague.  Although Amsterdam is the constitutional capital, Den Haag (or 's-Gravenhage, which means the Count's Hedge) is the official seat of government for the Netherlands.  Home to Parliament and the King, as well as the International Court of Justice, Den Haag is a regal, elegant city of embassies and parks with a mixture of older buildings and modern skyscrapers.  This compact city of 500,000 offers good dining and shopping opportunities, a couple of excellent museums and, in the warmer months, the North Sea beaches of the adjacent suburb of Scheveningen.

After arrival at Den Haag Centraal Station, we walked the short distance to the center of town and stopped for lunch at Cafe Dudok, a lively brasserie across the street from the impressive Dutch Parliament buildings.  Our waiter turned out to be a fashion designer who had started a clothing line and even had one his creations make an appearance on "Holland's Next Top Model."

From the restaurant, we hopped a bus headed north to one of the city's museums.  Museum renovations seem to be the thing these days in the Netherlands and this was true in Den Haag, as well.  So, we were unable to visit the Mauritshuis, Den Haag's world-class museum housing an amazing collection of Dutch and Flemish art.  But, an impressive sample of the museum's collection is on display during the renovation at our destination, the Gemeentemuseum.  Den Haag's municipal museum is a good example of the Amsterdam School from the early 20th Century, which is described as an expressionist style of architecture.  In addition to its interesting permanent collection, during our visit we lucked out with a temporary exhibit showcasing the life and collections of Coco Chanel.

RINGING IN 2014:  We returned to Amsterdam that evening to get ready for our New Year's Eve night out.  The rain was coming down and the trams had stopped running so we grabbed our first taxi of the trip and made our way to Paradiso, a former church converted into a music venue, for an evening billed as the "F*cking Pop Queers Las Vegas New Year's Eve."  With a name like that, it had to be a wild and crazy, right?  In truth, there was very little debauchery, but we did enjoy three floors of dancing and bars and fun.  A friendly crowd of gay and straight couples danced with drag queens other entertainers and counted down to 2014.  After toasting the New Year, we left Paradiso and made our way to the Leidesplein, one of Amsterdam's busiest squares, and New York Pizza, which describes its pies as "freakin fresh."  After our first meal of the year and waiting in the well-managed taxi queue, we returned home to the Watergraafsmeer, having actually been up and out and partying on New Year's Eve for the first time in many years.

In the morning, I headed out on a gloomy, gray day for a final run on our last full day in Amsterdam.  Later that evening, we decided - at last - to get a little gay on and went to two of the city's numerous gay bars, Queen's Head and Prik.  Despite the cheeky names, both really are just places to grab a drink and mingle.  Nevertheless, owing to its status as one of world's most tolerant and gay-friendly city, Amsterdam certainly does have bars and clubs where far more than drinks is available.  This brings me to two other aspects of Amsterdam city life that are often noted by those who have never visited: prostitution and marijuana.  The famous red-light district is alive and well, though the city has made attempts to clean the area up a bit.  And, the equally famous "coffee shops" still are purveying the happy weed, although there was a dust-up last year after Parliament passed a law prohibiting foreigners from entering the coffee shops.  Problem was only foreigners actually frequent these places, so the law had to be dialed back.

Truth is, the seedier aspects of Amsterdam life are but a few small pieces of the puzzle of this amazing city.  Rather, these examples of tolerance or live-and-let-live attitude show just one personality trait of this beautiful, friendly, worldly, hip, historic, fun and charming European capital.  I look forward to returning - no matter the weather - to peel back more layers of one of the world's greatest cities.