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Smoking Ban Switching up the Crowd at Amsterdam Coffee Shops

August 18, 2008 at 2:05 PM | 1 Comment

Guidebook guru and pot promoter Rick Steves just left the Netherlands, and he's got a substantial update on the marijuana scene in Amsterdam. First things first: Don't bother calling an ambulance after smoking too much because the EMTs will just tell you to walk it off!

But the big news is what's changed thanks to a new smoking ban--that prohibits indoor tobacco smoking but gives marijuana puffers a pass:

The Dutch, like the rest of Europe, mix their marijuana with tobacco. It might seem strange to an American, but if a coffeeshop is busted--it's busted for tobacco. Shops are mixing a kind of herb tea as a tobacco substitute for joints. Coffeeshops with a few outdoor seats have a huge advantage as their local customers can light up outside....

Many local smokers would rather get their pot to go than smoke it without tobacco at their neighborhood coffeeshop.

Thank heavens for American vice tourists then!

Related Stories:
· Lessons Learned in an Amsterdam Coffee Shop [Rick Steves]
· No Impulse Buying Magic Mushrooms [Jaunted]
· Drug Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: jlantzy]

Travel Trendwatching, PEZ Dispenser Style

August 24, 2007 at 4:55 PM | 0 Comments

This quick hit list is all about pop culture travel trends in real-time. Six bits of travel pressed, dry candy pixels for you to digest weekly.

Fame
Comedy Central Airs Colbert-Branson Water War
Rick Steves: Legalize It!
Google Cracks Open the Space Travel Market
Lame
China Airlines Photoshopping Real Life
Spirit Airlines Still Figuring Out Email
Puffer Fish Masquerading as Salmon

Hempfest Post Mortem: Rick Steves Is Pro Stoner

August 20, 2007 at 12:07 PM | 0 Comments

Sixteen years ago, 500 potheads got together in Seattle to celebrate none other than that sweet Mary Jane. This past weekend, thousands of 4:20 fans hot boxed their way through heinous I-5 traffic to get to Mecca: Hempfest 2007 in Myrtle Edwards Park. The glorious weekend of weed-themed festivities is one of the few occasions where local police turn a blind eye to the illegal habit of toking--even in public.

The free event was run by a massive volunteer crew (with, we suspect, a serious case of the munchies) and included live music, a bong-a-thon and an entire convention center of hemp-based products. It also stirred some healthy debate about the war on drugs. We took special note of comments made by our friend at NPR, Rick Steves, host of our favorite radio show, Travel with Rick Steves. As it turns out, even he likes to burn, and he's in favor of legalization. He told the Seattle Times last year:

Nobody should think that Europe is down on hard drugs. They just don't clog their legal system with a lot of innocent pot smokers. Our program is so laughable, wasteful and counterproductive.

Seems his views haven't changed much since then. Even if he didn't get high, Steves was vocal this year on in his support of those that did. He told a reporter at the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

I'm not going to sit at (Edmonds') Fifth and Main streets and smoke a joint, but 800,000 people in the U.S. were arrested last year for marijuana while in Berne (Switzerland) they're in public, smoking and playing backgammon and not bothering anyone. It (criminal prosecution) forces people into the street to deal with scary people. It's just so wrong.

Steves has got a point, but right now, we're still reeling from the contact high.

Related Stories:
· Travel Guru Stands Firm on War on Weed [Seattle Post-Intelligencer]
· Seattle Hotels [HotelChatter]

[Photo: Oregon Norml]

Finding Florence's Top Tourist Haunt

April 24, 2007 at 10:17 AM | 1 Comment


Even though we mentioned Rick Steves yesterday, you've got to be careful when it comes to the Euro travel guru. That's because you're not the only one who's heard of his guidebooks. (And that's one reason we like to pack Rough Guides.)

But why skip the Rick Steves advice? Because of this item in Travel Weekly's answer to Page Six, Travel Confidential:

While in Florence, she and her husband consulted "Rick Steves' Italy 2006" to find a restaurant that was popular with locals and not a tourist trap. They decided on Trattoria Nella. When they walked into the establishment, they discovered a packed restaurant and spotted six tables with -- you guessed it -- copies of "Rick Steves' Italy 2006."

Doesn't sound too "back door" to us, Rick.

[Photo: maggi.m]

Related Stories:
· Travel Confidential [Travel Weekly]
· Adventures of Link: Sunday Papers [Jaunted]