That's it. I'm moving to Amsterdam!
#1
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That's it. I'm moving to Amsterdam!
https://imgur.com/gallery/uJixr/comment/1587694509
^This!
This is how things should be.
This is the realistic, safe choice of mode of transportation we should all enjoy.
This is the respect which should be afforded to anyone who chooses to go by bike.
The rainbows and butterflies are just a bonus...
^This!
This is how things should be.
This is the realistic, safe choice of mode of transportation we should all enjoy.
This is the respect which should be afforded to anyone who chooses to go by bike.
The rainbows and butterflies are just a bonus...
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Campione Del Mondo Immaginario
Campione Del Mondo Immaginario
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#3
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Especially with the economy and political goings-on, the Netherlands has never looked so attractive.
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“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
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The bikeway around New York is impressive.
#5
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I visited Amsterdam once...my memory of it is pretty vague...I visited Amsterdam once...
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Oulu Finland does great bike paths too, but alas, no weed or hookers. Reindeer steaks, and various forms of salted preserved fish though... and the world air guitar contest are there though, so not a total loss.
And they DO have saunas.
https://www.airguitarworldchampionships.com
And they DO have saunas.
Air Guitar World Championships takes place on August 21-23rd already for the 24th time!
National Championships start during the spring and entry for the Dark Horses' Qualifications (August 22nd in Oulu) will be opened in summer. Stay tuned for more info.
National Championships start during the spring and entry for the Dark Horses' Qualifications (August 22nd in Oulu) will be opened in summer. Stay tuned for more info.
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Ahh Finland. The depressed man's Netherlands. There was a great 60 Minutes piece on Finland many years back, but I'm sure most people who would be interested have already seen it.
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https://imgur.com/gallery/uJixr/comment/1587694509
^This!
This is how things should be.
This is the respect which should be afforded to anyone who chooses to go by bike.
The weed and hookers are just a bonus...
^This!
This is how things should be.
This is the respect which should be afforded to anyone who chooses to go by bike.
The weed and hookers are just a bonus...
If you get nearer to the weed and hookers it's more like this, with lots of tourists on rental bikes added who don't know the rules, the unwritten rules and often don't know how to ride either. Most 'coffeeshops' are for the tourists anyway, the Dutch smoke less pot than anybody else in the Western world. There's discussion about removing the window hookers too, it remains difficult to keep human traffickers from Eastern Europe out and it has become like a zoo due to overtourism. It used to be a nightlife area with lots of normal bars too, if you walked past the hookers on your way to the next bar you just wouldn't pay much attention and don't bother the girls as you're not interested in their services. With many tourists that decency isn't so obvious. When it comes to the dignity of the women and girls, it worse than it has been for 5 centuries. The whole area is suffering.
I think cycling in Amsterdam is fun, but it's not very cycling friendly, probably one the least cycling friendly places in the Netherlands. It's got a video game appeal to it because it's hectic but you can't just go anywhere as fast as you want like some shots of the infrastructure suggest.
Yes, there is already climate change that is dealt with. But if sealevel rises more than a meter it can get very complicated. If a levee (outsmarted the censor there) is raised it gets much wider too, and the space is also needed for the water coming downhill from Switzerland, Germany and France. And a lot of the North Sea defence relies on the dunes, which are manipulated and managed but are still mostly natural.
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Yes, there is already climate change that is dealt with. But if sealevel rises more than a meter it can get very complicated. If a levee (outsmarted the censor there) is raised it gets much wider too, and the space is also needed for the water coming downhill from Switzerland, Germany and France. And a lot of the North Sea defence relies on the dunes, which are manipulated and managed but are still mostly natural.
Yes, there is already climate change that is dealt with. But if sealevel rises more than a meter it can get very complicated. If a levee (outsmarted the censor there) is raised it gets much wider too, and the space is also needed for the water coming downhill from Switzerland, Germany and France. And a lot of the North Sea defence relies on the dunes, which are manipulated and managed but are still mostly natural.
#16
Senior Member
The OP has only just discovered this about Amsterdam?
Several things in my experience as someone who has been there on several occasions.
The bike path situation, while looking grand, can result in serious downgrading of level quality. And if you want to ride on the road with a bike path running parallel to it, be prepared for really aggressive driving skills and attitudes towards someone not wanted on roads. The density of bike usage is so bad in some parts that, as some of the pictures illustrate, it is almost impossible to get anywhere with any level of efficiency. And the bike parking becomes intimidating on footpaths for ordinary pedestrians.
On the whole, the visit to Amsterdam was not something I particularly enjoyed as a bike rider, compared with a few other Netherland places once out of there.
Several things in my experience as someone who has been there on several occasions.
The bike path situation, while looking grand, can result in serious downgrading of level quality. And if you want to ride on the road with a bike path running parallel to it, be prepared for really aggressive driving skills and attitudes towards someone not wanted on roads. The density of bike usage is so bad in some parts that, as some of the pictures illustrate, it is almost impossible to get anywhere with any level of efficiency. And the bike parking becomes intimidating on footpaths for ordinary pedestrians.
On the whole, the visit to Amsterdam was not something I particularly enjoyed as a bike rider, compared with a few other Netherland places once out of there.
#18
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The one on the west side of Manhattan along the Hudson River is lovely. It's now my favorite place to ride in NYC, and it was my commuting route in my two most recent jobs, so that was great. But it doesn't go around anything. The east side path is not complete, and it's in bad repair. There are long term plans to have a route that goes around the harbor, including the New Jersey site. That's good. And NY State wants to have a bike route from NYC to the Canadian border. We already have a bike route along the old Erie Canal, from Buffalo to Albany.
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Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
Tom Reingold, tom@noglider.com
New York City and High Falls, NY
Blogs: The Experienced Cyclist; noglider's ride blog
“When man invented the bicycle he reached the peak of his attainments.” — Elizabeth West, US author
Please email me rather than PM'ing me. Thanks.
#19
Senior Member
Ah yes, the pasture is always greener on the other side of the fence...until you realize you're looking through green glasses. I've been to Amsterdam, have no desire to go back. Give me a ticket to Berlin any day!
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The OP has only just discovered this about Amsterdam?
Several things in my experience as someone who has been there on several occasions.
The bike path situation, while looking grand, can result in serious downgrading of level quality. And if you want to ride on the road with a bike path running parallel to it, be prepared for really aggressive driving skills and attitudes towards someone not wanted on roads. The density of bike usage is so bad in some parts that, as some of the pictures illustrate, it is almost impossible to get anywhere with any level of efficiency. And the bike parking becomes intimidating on footpaths for ordinary pedestrians.
On the whole, the visit to Amsterdam was not something I particularly enjoyed as a bike rider, compared with a few other Netherland places once out of there.
Several things in my experience as someone who has been there on several occasions.
The bike path situation, while looking grand, can result in serious downgrading of level quality. And if you want to ride on the road with a bike path running parallel to it, be prepared for really aggressive driving skills and attitudes towards someone not wanted on roads. The density of bike usage is so bad in some parts that, as some of the pictures illustrate, it is almost impossible to get anywhere with any level of efficiency. And the bike parking becomes intimidating on footpaths for ordinary pedestrians.
On the whole, the visit to Amsterdam was not something I particularly enjoyed as a bike rider, compared with a few other Netherland places once out of there.
#23
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Maybe if you could find a decent way to express your English, we could understand exactly what you mean by kpm.
Last edited by Rowan; 02-19-19 at 07:18 PM.
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Of course, there are a fair number of posters in this thread -- and serious cyclists, what's more -- who have little to no desire to go back there. As far as I can tell, none are drug users. which seems to play a significant role in the visitor attendance based on my most recent observations in the city.
Maybe if you could find a decent way to expressed your English, we could understand exactly what you mean by kpm.
Maybe if you could find a decent way to expressed your English, we could understand exactly what you mean by kpm.
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Of course, there are a fair number of posters in this thread -- and serious cyclists, what's more -- who have little to no desire to go back there. As far as I can tell, none are drug users. which seems to play a significant role in the visitor attendance based on my most recent observations in the city.
Maybe if you could find a decent way to expressed your English, we could understand exactly what you mean by kpm.
Maybe if you could find a decent way to expressed your English, we could understand exactly what you mean by kpm.