Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
social control
The buzzword in Holland is “social control,” meaning that
neighborhood security comes not from iron shutters, heav-
ily armed cops, and gated communities, but from neighbors
looking out for each other. Everyone knows everyone in this
tight-knit neighborhood. If Magreet doesn't buy bread for
two days, the baker asks around. Unlike in many big cities,
there's no chance that anyone here could lie dead in his house
unnoticed for weeks. Video surveillance cameras watch pros-
titutes, while prostitutes survey the streets, buzzing for help if
they spot trouble. Watch the men who watch the women who
watch out for their neighbors across the street who watch the
flower shop on the corner—“social control.”
where Rembrandt sat, sketchpad in hand, to see a criminal's body
dissected. The painting that resulted
(The Anatomy Lesson of Dr.
Jan Deijman)
now hangs in the Amsterdam History Museum (see
page 161).
Today, the Waag is a café, sitting in the middle of Nieuwmarkt
Square (which sports a modern public urinal)—a scene that is
somewhat seedy, but hip, bar-filled, and very local.
• From the square, go back on Zeedijk street to the police station, head
west a few steps down Korte Stormsteeg, then go left along the canal.
Oudezijds
Achterburgwal
This beautiful, tree-lined canal is
the heart of Red Light District
nightlife, playing host to most of
the main nightclubs. The majority
of the sights are along the right-
hand side of the street.
• But first, on the left-hand side,
find...
S.M.
Sign (at #11)
he
S.M.
signs in the windows advertise prostitutes specializing
in sadomasochistic sex. Formerly, the international code for rough
sex was “Russian Massage.” (“French” meant oral, “Greek” meant
anal, and “British,” I believe, meant sharing tea.)
Banana Bar (Bananenbar, at #37)
The facade of this nightclub is decorated with Art Nouveau eroti-
cism classier than what's offered inside. For €45, you get admission
for an hour, with drinks included. Undressed ladies serve the
