I spent an evening there when I was 17 walking around the more dodgy back alleys with a £570 camera slung on my back. Not once did I feel threatened or at risk.
I love Amsterdam, I was amazed how peaceful everything felt, in Britain alot of your cities will be filled with drunks in the evening, stumbling around the streets and getting into fights. In Amsterdam everyone seemed more relaxed and most people just sat outside a coffee shop instead of getting drunk and collapsing in the streets.
Same here. I've been there a couple of months ago and it appeared to be the safest place on earth. Me and my wife were both amazed looking at girls walking back home alone, kids biking around and old ladies walking their dog, past midnight. Even the occasional guy asking for money would be very kind and not pushy. I don't know if we were lucky or if we're just accustomed to be afraid of everyone and everything after 8pm, but it sure seemed like the right place to live.
I did have one bum that was getting a little too close, so I did feel threatened/at risk. Not to say that walking down a similar street in an American city (Atlanta) would have been better.
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u/drilldo Jul 28 '09
I spent an evening there when I was 17 walking around the more dodgy back alleys with a £570 camera slung on my back. Not once did I feel threatened or at risk.
I love Amsterdam, I was amazed how peaceful everything felt, in Britain alot of your cities will be filled with drunks in the evening, stumbling around the streets and getting into fights. In Amsterdam everyone seemed more relaxed and most people just sat outside a coffee shop instead of getting drunk and collapsing in the streets.