Amsterdam is known for pot and prostitution, among other things.  Having lived here for 3 ½ months, I can say with confidence that that is ridiculous.  They form a small and not terribly significant part of the city.  There is a 'red light district' not far from where we live, a lovely part of the city.  You can tell by the dirty red awnings on the buildings.  Within the same distance, there are scores of eating places and cafes, world class museums, one of the greatest music venues of the world, a fantastic public transportation system throughout, an active canal system, an Apple Store, libraries, schools, public parks, gardens, summer music and theater in the park, and a host of cultures.  

Anthurium Spadix Anthurium spadix and spathe

I saw an episode of Rick Steve's once about Amsterdam.  Rick visits a 'coffee shop' where he learns about various marijuana products. It looked kinda like a Starbucks.  The only ones I have seen look more like rundown old bars.  Maybe I am not looking in the right places.  In the area of the Museumplein, you may smell pot sometimes. One of my neighbors yelled one day at two young men "ARE YOU SMOKING POT, ARE YOU, ARE YOU SMOKING POT?"  She told them to go away, and they did.  I thanked her.  

If you like plant porn, you can see more at http://www.sutophotos.com/plantporn. By the way, the plant in the photo is an anthurium. The purplish stalk is the spadix, and the white bumps on the bottom are the flowers of plant. The almost white leaf is a spathe, a type of bract, not a petal. Many of the plants in the anthurium family have fascinating shapes and colors.