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Amsterdam Now 20% Less Amsterdammy

It wasn't supposed to happen this way. The idea of making weed and prostitution legal - or quasi-legal - in Amsterdam was meant to remove the criminals from the equation, not encourage more criminals to get involved. But wouldn't you know it, recent years have seen a marked increase in scumbags who roll in to Amsterdam intent on harshing everybody's mellow, and now the gig is up. Authorities in the Dutch capital have had it with the organized crime syndicates who use the coffee shops, peep shows, massage parlors, and other red light businesses to launder money and front gambling parlors, so they're shutting them down. Well, not all of them, just about 20% of the city's special coffee shops in the town center, and an untold number of "windows" where scantily clad prostitutes beckon the lager louts who stagger around on stag parties. So what's left to do in Amsterdam besides getting screwed, blued, and tattooed? Well, the brilliant white light of sobriety and propriety just might steer you to the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, where you can admire the brush strokes of Dutch Masters like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Steen. Or you could take in a concert at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, where the Latvian conductor Mariss Jansons leads some of Europe's most talented musicians through a program of classic and modern masterpieces. And if you're feeling sporty, you could watch Amsterdam Ajax play football in Amsterdam Arena. But if it's your destiny to be bad, then start off with a few pints at any of dozens of pubs throughout the city center and then go find your dens of sin. You won't have to go far.

[Photo: The Guardian]

Related Stories:
· Amsterdam Limits Sex and Drug Trade [The New York Times]
· Amsterdam Coverage [Jaunted]