Amsterdam, Netherlands

The circulation in the city is based on modes of transportation I am just not used to. Cars, feet, trams, buses, boats and bikes can be used to get from point A to point B in this city. Those reddish sidewalks that bikers angrily ring their little ringers at me when I stubble on them are dedicated bike paths; not lanes for confused tourists. And these paths make sense when one looks at the bikes. These are heavy, single gear old school gliders that go at a pace somewhere between a stroll and mosey, not fast road bikes or mountain bikes with front shock forks. These are bikes meant for a pleasant ride. All uncharted territory for me since riding a bike in Houston while possible, I wouldn't want my last act on this Earth to be a speed bump for a Hummer.

Amsterdam is an odd mix of sensibility of decadence. The coffee shops here serve a mediocre cup of joe and soft drugs. Eastern European, Asian and African women stand behind doors lit by red and UV light. And African men stand on corners asking with a quick word if you would like something more scandalous. And then a few minutes walk away is some of the best museums in the world, shops full of the latest design and art books, and kids playing schools set in plots of mixed used com temporary architecture. There has been a Royal Architect for the last 200 years. The problems of space and use have been thought through and planned around.

The society here is progressive. I can't think of too many places where the science museum has a display of sexual positions demonstrated by wooden figures. The kids that peeked into the exhibit found the whole thing, and I quote, "gross". That being said, I don't think jackassery is tolerated here. Other then the tourists here with the Cannabis Cup badges proudly around their necks, people seem to have their head on strait.

Spent my time looking at art while I was here. There was a Kate Moss photo exhibit which I thought was kinda silly, but there were still other some amazing prints at FOAM. The Van Gough museum proved that impressionist painting is just not my favorite. It was amusing to hear the Dutch take deep morality questioning breaths while watching a Taiwanese art documentary about betelnut beauties. The Maritime museum has some impressive boats and I even crashed the Ship Repair and Conversion 2006 exposition. Not really my cup of tea, but there was a cool X-ray fluorescence system used to monitor ship engine fluids. Chemical Engineering, yo. And used the thought framework to better understand the batch bioenginering processes displayed at the Heineken Experience. Made the beer taste better, I swear.