Why I Love Amsterdam's Red Light District

When I tell people that the Red Light District is one of the reasons I love Amsterdam, they instinctively begin lathering their entire body in hand sanitizer. I’ve spoken to people who went to Amsterdam without setting foot in the Red Light District. This is their prerogative, but if travel is about the opportunity to experience new things, why skip out on such a meaningful chance to learn about something so pervasive in cultures around the world?

Often called “the oldest profession,” prostitution does not have the best reputation in many parts of the world. As an American, I grew up thinking it was bad and dirty. As a feminist, I’ve spent years hearing debates among women on all sides of the argument. One of the most feminist women I know is aggressively anti-sex industry. Certainly, there are many parts of the sex industry I’d like to change to be kinder to women, but seeing the Red Light District in Amsterdam was so surprisingly powerful and reaffirming.

I didn’t know what to expect. I thought it would be like many seedy parts of cities I’d been to before, with sex shops and skeezy people and (duh) red lights, with a cherry-cheeked prostitute on top. Our first pass through the Red Light District was around 11pm on a Thursday. It was lively and filled with stag dos, but aside from those groups, it was not a scary or dirty scene in the slightest. First of all, the RLD is located in one of the oldest parts of Amsterdam and is architecturally stunning. The red lights reflected on the canal create such a cozy and lovely ambiance.

The next surprising thing was that the women were at street level. My partner and I both expected them to be in windows above the street, but instead it looked like women in bikinis about to walk out someone’s back patio door. And the women? Were beautiful. I tried to look at many of their faces, trying to judge what they might be feeling or thinking. We’re all conditioned to think that prostitutes have experienced some level of abuse; something must have driven them to this life of squalor and crime, right?! *shakes bible at sky*But instead, they matched the same range of emotion you would find when walking into any establishment: the welcoming one, the apathetic one, the bored one, the confident one, the one who has probably been in this job too long, the new and eager one, and so on. Seeing it face-to-face really brought it home: these are just women at work. Tomorrow, they probably have brunch plans with their friends, and maybe they’re going to visit their grandmother on Sunday.

The booths are kept immaculately clean. Women rent them and work for themselves, on their own schedules, and keep all of their fees. They can dictate how much or how little they work, can take a break whenever they need it, and nobody can tell them not to. When prostitution is legal and regulated, it can be quite an empowered profession. 

While walking through the Red Light District during mid-afternoon, we witnessed a tourist trying to take pictures of three women in three booths next to each other. One of the women opened the door and yelled at him. These booths were slightly off the main drag and the women were a bit older. The tourist did not put his camera away. All other tourists nearby started trying to tell him to put his camera away, as well. It’s possible he didn’t speak English or Dutch, but the message was pretty clear through non-verbal signs. Finally, the woman in the middle booth opened the door, took a threw steps towards him, and threw water at his legs. She didn’t want to destroy his camera, but wanted to make a point. And she did. He put the camera away and left.

Everyone nearby was in full support of what she had done, and it was a kind of amazing moment to have witnessed. The women take care of each other and the rules in that area are there to protect them. Even though they’re sitting for-hire in windows, they dictate the terms. They control who enters and when they leave. Anyone who argues that legalizing prostitution wouldn’t be good for the women who choose it as a profession should be forced to go meet these women.

Of course, as with all things, there are seedier, lower rent versions of the sex industry in Amsterdam. Still, I think regulation does a lot to protect everybody. If you’re there, take the time to stop at the Prostitute InformationCentre. Experienced women trying to educate the public and tourists set up an incredible and welcoming small museum in the Red Light District. We really enjoyed this, and they were more than happy to talk and answer questions. 

How Do You Decide Where to Stay?

It used to be much easier. When it came to finding a place to stay, we used to just choose the cheapest place that didn’t have bed bug reports. Now that we have slightly more in our travel budget, our options are much more open. Even the jump from £20/person per night to £30/person per night can improve your options. Everyone has a formula or method. Some rely on TripAdvisor, which can be a really useful tool. Others use a travel agent or book on a friend’s request. Here is my tailored methodology when booking a place to stay.

Step 1: Research and Budget
This sounds like total common sense, but it would be easy to think “I’m going to book the cheapest place in xxx neighborhood and be done with it! YAY SO EXCITED” or “I can afford £50/night, so I’ll see what’s in that range.” Check airbnb.com. Check TripAdvisor. Take a look at hostels and hotel prices. Spend some time looking around blogs and get an idea of what the average cost is for the place you are visiting. Next, work out what your budget is. If you are visiting a place where accommodation tends to be expensive, try to eat as cheaply as you can duringthe day to free up some extra money.

Step 2: Location
Take the time to narrow down your neighborhoods, and then look more closely at what’s available in your price range.

Through trial-and-error, I’ve determined that location is the most important thing when I’m traveling. I might be able to book a cheaper hostel further out in a suburb of the city center, but if I’m going to have to pay for public transport to get to sights and likely will need a taxi home when intoxicated (maybe proximity to good nightlife should have come first…), it’s not going to save me that much. I like to start days early and end them late when I’m on holiday, so being centrally located is key.

That said, I like to get a local flavor of a place, so I avoid the central touristy neighborhoods and go for local flavor. In Copenhagen, this was the Vesterbro neighborhood. In Amsterdam, this was the Jordaan. For visitors to London, I’d recommend avoiding hotels on Trafalgar Square and opt instead to be near London Bridge or Angel. Especially in large cities, you can still be very central without paying touristtown prices. On a couple of occasions, I had to increase my budget a little bit to accommodate location, but I have never regretted that decision.

Step 3: Cleanliness
Whether it’s a hotel, hostel, guesthouse, or flat rental, I don’t want to be reminded that I’m in someone else’s bathroom while I’m brushing my teeth and spot something disgusting. I do not need crisp white linens and fresh towels every day, but I appreciate feeling like some care has gone into the cleaning process. I won’t generally book a place that doesn’t have any reviews, and I always value what people have to say about accommodations’ cleanliness.

Step 4: “Other Stuff”
My favorite filter on Airbnb is the “hot tub” filter, but we’ve never actually stayed in a property with a hot tub. Most places that have hot tubs in our price range are not very centrally located, disqualifying them immediately. Pampering is nice, but most city breaks are not that sort of vacation. We did once rent a very modern and stylish apartment, only for me to fall down the spiral staircase (shut up) while drunk, leading to bruised arms on my wedding day. Fortunately, they weren’t very noticeable and ended up just being a funny story. Fireplaces, balconies, amazing décor, and similar items all fall in the “other stuff” category.

The Hopefully Avoided Step 5: Sacrifice
Sadly, even the most well-researched trip can leave you frustrated with no good options that tick all of your boxes within your budget. As stated above, you may need to increase your budget. If my budget has no flexibility, my priorities shift slightly – I’m more willing to sacrifice location than cleanliness. This just means you add some more neighborhoods to your initial search and continue to do so until you’ve found something. 

COVET: Airbnb Wishlist in Budapest

When I got paid last week, I impulsively booked flights to Budapest. I still have a little bit of time to sort out our accommodations, but I've already been scoping Airbnb pretty hard. Budapest has the added feel-good bonus of being really affordable, especially after the prices we experienced in Denmark. My top choice at the moment has a bathtub in the bedroom. Oh, Budapest, I hope you're as weird and beautiful as you are in my dreams. 

I'm not sure about the price or the layout of this one, but I'm so overjoyed by the fact that the living room contains all of the following items: 
-Fuel fireplace
-Long rain chandelier
-Weird middle-of-the-room speaker (possibly a space heater...)
-Metal lined paper wall art
-Suede! Purple! Couch!!!

And do check out the silhouettes in the shower. It feels like someone designed this as performance art, but I love it all the same.

If you're on a tight budget, you could do a lot worse than this airy, warm apartment. It is pretty sparse for decoration and it isn't the most fashionable, but the colors and the high ceilings and the terrace do a lot to bring the charm. Besides, there's a hookah. 

"Am I on the bed or on the floor?" This is a question you will ask yourself repeatedly as you roll around this place from saucy sheets to lush carpet. The view can truly not be beat, though. 

I am pretty much obsessed with anything that shares my name. That red couch is amazing, too. 

Cheap Eats in Copenhagen, or How to Eat Three Hot Dogs in 24 Hours

The Nordic countries are not known for being cheap. London is not known for being cheap. By the transitive property, I thought this meant that I’d be swapping one expensive city for another and would hardly notice the difference. As it turns out, that was a very silly assumption.

I will skip the part where I rant about how a bottle of Carlsberg could cost up to £7 or £8, and I won’t mention that our dinner cost more than our flights. Admittedly, we tried to book a table at Noma, but since it was such a last-minute trip, we were unable to get in. That would have been a costly dinner, but well worth it.

Our first dinner in Copenhagen was at Nose2Tail, which was a delicious meat feast with plentiful wine and a cozy atmosphere. This restaurant serves three dishes per day: one meat, one fish, and one vegetarian. You are at their mercy, but you’re going to be okay.

After our first six hours in Copenhagen, we returned back to our accommodations a lot poorer than we’d expected. Clearly, eating on a budget in Copenhagen was going to take some creativity. Fortunately, the Danes have a good cheap eats culture that will allow you to experience local flavor without crying over your credit card statement.

1. Hot dogs
Denmark is awesome at hot dogs – who knew?! Order one with everything on it, lean forward slightly so all of it doesn’t end up on your shirt, and dig in. While there are other Danish foods that might be more traditional, I’ve ranked this one at the top on account of the Day We Ate So Many Freaking Hotdogs. In our defense, we went on a (free!) walking tour and really needed the calories. Or something.

Our favorite hot dog stand was by far DØP Pølsevogn. Located next to the Round Tower, everything ingredient is organic and delicious. You have a choice of sausage and toppings and the flavors were hands-down the best we tried. Prices were around £4.

Another great option is Harry’s Place, which serves up a similar style of hot dog to smiling faces. There are a variety of unnamed stands around Copenhagen, and we didn’t see or try any that weren’t good.

2. Smørrebrød
If you can’t pronounce it, just describe it: small, open-faced sandwiches on rye bread with a variety of toppings. The Danes love smørrebrød and will be able to point you in the right direction. Schoennemann is a very popular and centrally located choice. Kanal Cafeen is a good option for the traditional cuisine done well.

3. Fiskebaren
This one is slightly cheating as it’s the name of one single restaurant and not a concept, but it’s a fantastic way to taste local flavors in smaller portions. This fish bar, located in the meatpacking district, is lively any night of the week. The dishes are simple and fresh, and you can share three small plates with a companion for under £10 each.

It’s important to note that we did not get the opportunity to explore any of the many Asian restaurants, which might also be a good way to keep costs down. If someone tries this one, please report back. I’m dying to know. 

The Best Affordable Meals in London

If you’ve ever known someone who has lived in London, New York, Paris, San Francisco, or Hong Kong, you have likely heard numerous complaints about the cost of living. When we moved from Philadelphia (a very reasonably priced city) to London, we had to make a lot of adjustments. Not only were we moving from two incomes to one while my partner studied, our rent more than doubled. Fortunately, we’ve found ways to still go out and enjoy amazing food without breaking the bank.

Eventually, I want to write a post about Michelin star restaurants vs. those rated highly by people on Yelp, Foursquare, etc., but that post is still ruminating.

After living here for three years, here are my favourite cheap-ish places to eat in London. I’m by no means a professional food critic, but I like to think I have good taste in what’s good. Good? Good. Great.

Let’s get the classic and cliché bits out of the way first.

Golden Union – This is our go-to place for fish and chips in central London. I don’t even eat fish and chips, but our American visitors need to be fed! We came across this place after a long evening of drinks with friends and am so grateful for it. It feels like an old school chippy that has been modernized and made less gross, if that makes sense. Several types of fish to choose from, or just get a giant plate of chips! You can even get chips on a bun. Atkins friendly! Just kidding. You won’t pay a fortune and it’s not trying to be gourmet or ridiculous. It’s just damn good fried food in a convenient location.

Pig & Butcher – For the first year and a half we lived in London, our go-to British pub food for out-of-towners was served up at the Only Running Footman. This place is good and is well located near Green Park and Buckingham Palace, but hidden on a quiet residential street to keep it from getting too crazy or filled with tourists. It’s an adorable pub and I’d still recommend it if you’re looking in that area. However, I cannot recommend a pub with better food than Pig & Butcher. This place opened near our neighborhood and we’ve never looked back. They do all of their own butchering on site, and everything is prepared with great care. You can taste the freshness of every single bite of food. I took a snobby New Yorker here not too long ago, and it ended up being his favorite meal of his trip (among a list that included some pretty heavy hitters). The beer selection is excellent, too. If you’re on a super tight budget, their bar snacks are cheap, amazing, and pretty filling.

So the fish + chips and pub food are out of the way. Here are some other great options.

Borough Market - This isn't a restaurant, but it might be one of the best meals you can have in London. Open Thurs-Sat, I recommend you take a wander around before deciding what you want to eat. Something is destined to call to you from the range of amazing smells in this market. You can keep it simple with bread and cheese, make your own sandwich, or order any of the amazing hot prepared food. The market is very particular about its vendors, so you can trust that anything you order will be divine. 

MeatLiquor – I expected to hate this place. I am a burger snob for starters, and this place is designed to Be A Scene at all times. You can’t book a table and the queue is always around the building – strike 1. The music is turned up to deafening volume and the décor is trying way too hard to be edgy and ROCK – strike 2. But alas, strike 3 never came because the cocktails are phenom and the food is pretty spectacular. Burgers start at £6.50, which is not bad at all when you compare it to McDonald’s overpriced crap nearby. The fried pickles are magical. I’d recommend getting there early or going at an off-time. Arriving after 6:30pm means you’ll have to wait a while, but it is really worth it if you want a good and simple burger.

Le Mercury – French food done simply and well. There are no frills at Le Mercury, but you’ll have a delicious dinner in a cozy atmosphere. Thurs – Saturday, book ahead as the tables will be full. This place is also open until midnight, making it a great late night food option. They have two locations on Upper Street in Islington. It probably won't be the best French meal of your life, but it is solidly good, unpretentious, and enjoyable.

St John Bread & Wine – If you are passionate about food at all, you have probably heard of the St John franchise and chef Fergus Henderson. While the original St John restaurant is a little fancier, you can have a relaxed and affordable lunch at the Bread & Wine location. This shop still packs in creativity and high-quality ingredients in St John’s stripped down, classic atmosphere. Go with a friend and split three dishes. You’ll leave satisfied and it will cost you each under £15. Choose something weird that you never thought you’d eat. Last time I had ox heart. I don’t know how they managed to make that taste good.

Ottolenghi – This one is kind of cheating, because Ottolenghi is not cheap. However, you can sort of get around that and still try recipes from one of the world’s most popular chefs. Dinner for two at Ottolenghi will run you at least £70, but breakfast/brunch is way more affordable. It’s such a relaxing place to eat and the breakfast food is really done well. Another option is to stop in and buy a couple of Ottolenghi’s salads on offer for the day. You’ll end up with larger portions than if you were sitting at a table, and you can enjoy them in a park or at home.

So, that’s it for now. I’m sure there are many that I’m forgetting and I’ll revisit this topic from time to time. You’ll notice that I haven’t included any Indian food. Most curry houses in London will be pretty tasty and on par with each other. Try Dishoom for a more polished experience, or Mooli’s for a grab-and-go situation that’s akin to an Indian burrito. It works somehow. 

Friday Procrastionation: Pictures That Make You Want to Go & See

What percentage of your Friday work day is spent working? Mine can range anywhere from 25-90%, depending on the time of year, my mood, the weather, how much I drank last night...

One of my favorite things to do is cruise the public commons photos on Flickr. Here's some eye candy to inspire you today. If you work extra hard, you'll get paid better. If you get paid better, you can travel more, and maybe even afford one of those fancy cameras to take amazingly frameable photos of your own. I take all of my travel photos with a mobile phone at the moment, and should probably follow my own advice and work harder. Alas... THE INTERNET.

This week's search term is "end of summer":

The prequel to Fantasia.

From: Library of Congress

Wolcott, Marion Post,, 1910-1990,, photographer.

Typical southeastern Georgia farm with newly harvested field of oats

1939 May

1 slide : color.

A dude in a nice suit on the edge of a cliff. Why did people do sh*t like this before Instagram? 

From the Oregan State University Special Collections

Original Collection: Visual Instruction Department Lantern Slides

Taken at the Palisades - the steep cliffs on the west shore of the Hudson River from Hoboken to Piedmont

Hey, so it turns out "end of summer" was not the best term to start this little game off. There aren't many awesome photos. There aren't many photos at all. Sooo. How YOU doing. Here's a house covered in chamomile plants in Reykjavik taken c. 1900. 

Collection: Icelandic and Faroese Photographs of Frederick W.W. Howell, Cornell University Library

And finally, doesn't it look like this boy has a really long, jacked up arm? My arms are freakishly long, and this is how they feel when I'm forced to stand up in an uncomfortable situation. 

From the UA Archives 

"A young Upper Arlington boy rides a wagon with a steering mechanism and sail. This photograph was one of several published in the September 1918 issue of the Norwester Magazine depicting the end of summer and heralding the start of the new school year."

Well, there's our first installment of Friday photo searches. I'm sorry it's such a letdown. But it's Friday and there's nobody reading this, so I'm sure you'll get over it somehow. Besos!

YOLOing Your Way: Should You Book a Trip if You Have Credit Card Debt?

Oh mah god, I can hear Suze Orman screaming while I write this post.

I’m not a big fan of musicals, but I’ve been known to shout NO DAY BUT TODAY at friends when it comes to making things happen. This mantra suits decisions related to fitness (“I’m going to go to the gym tomorrow…” NO DAY BUT TODAY!!!!), applying for a new job (“I’m not happy in my job anymore. I should redo my CV and start looking for something else.” NO DAY BUT TODAY!!!!), working on one’s relationship (“we should probably look for a couples’ therapist.” NO DAY BUT MOTHERF’ING TODAY!!!!), or travel. Your friends don’t always love being shouted at in this manner, especially if they’re just looking to complain and don’t want to actually change anything. Read the room.

There are a million ways of saying NDBT (not to be confused with NKOTB).

Carpe diem.

Seize the day!

YOLO

Live like there’s no tomorrow.

But, if you’re playing the odds, there will be a tomorrow. Actually several tomorrows, which will mean that the credit card debt you’ve YOLO’ed up will eventually be a very crushing daily reality. It will be more yoyo than YOLO.

For me, the struggle comes in with regards to travel vs. balancing our finances. My partner is a PhD candidate, which means most travel expense comes out of my pocket. I don’t like carrying credit card debt and was free of it for four years until very recently. By most people’s standards, my balance is very low, and I’m paying it off as I go along. Of course, I just bought a $1200 (uuuuuuggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh) plane ticket home for the holidays yesterday, jacking the balance right back up. At the same time, I am itching to schedule another trip between Copenhagen in a few weeks and late December when we head back to Philly/NYC. I’m looking at cheap options, but it will still lengthen the amount of time it takes to pay my balance off. And by having a monthly payment, it will continue to impact what trips we can plan in the future, especially as we eye up Iceland for early 2014.

To explain my circumstances more clearly, my UK visa just got extended for two more years. In September 2015, I get booted back to the US. I’ve been traveling around Europe as much as I possibly can while we live here, and will continue to travel as much as possible when we move back. Because we only have two years remaining, I’ve been chewing on my fingers to try to find a balance among spending on travel, eliminating debt (I have serious student loans, too), and saving for our eventual move to the States + future + family.

When I look at it all at once, it feels like one of those fuzzy models of a molecule from high school science class. My opinion on it changes every day. On Tuesday, I had resolved to not book any more trips until my credit card balance is paid off. Today, I’m thinking I’m going to book that trip to Riga if the flights are still cheap next week. Here is my current reasoning:

-We live in the UK and have NHS coverage. If we get sick or hurt while we’re here, it won’t mean the same massive debt as it might mean elsewhere *cough* America.

-We will never be able to travel so cheaply or easily again in our lives, whether because of finances (I’m debating $100 for both of our flights, where it would cost $1,000+ from the US) or because of children.

-I could spend frivolously on travel in 2014 and get more serious about saving in 2015, though we all know that’s unlikely to happen.

Possible solutions:

1.       Pay off credit card and then worry about saving and booking travel. This is the most responsible option, but is also the most boring in the immediate future. Of course, it would be the most freeing in the longer term. CONFLICT.

2.       Continue to travel while making sure that amount spent is less than amount paid off. I’ll call this the slow burn method of paying down debt. Or indecisive.

3.       Go crazy and live in a constant state of joyful abandon and soul-crushing financial panic.

What I should do? Number 1. What I’ll probably do is number 2 with a peppering of number 3, complete with midnight teeth-grinding.

Crunching numbers is all well and good in real life, but I’m in real life limbo. I have a real job, but one that I probably can’t keep when I move back to the United States. If I have a small credit card balance when I move home, will I really be that sad about it? Or will I be sadder that I blew the opportunity to do all of the travel I want cheaply while I had the chance? I’m all for financial responsibility, but there are so many intangibles involved in travel experiences.

That isn’t to say I won’t say “no, we aren’t going there for dinner. Let’s have a 2 euro sausage, instead.” But the expense of getting there, being there, and experiencing it is minimal in comparison to the cost of missing out while I have the chance. So I’m taking a two year hiatus from full responsibility and just half-assing it. I’m sure I’ll pay of my cc as soon as I can while feeling okay about my state of travel affairs. Deep breaths, eyes forward, and just keep swimming.

Photo by me - Cinque Terre, Italy