At least (a) in the Red Light District which (b) the bouncers will allow pictures of.
UPDATE: So … the infamous Red Light District of Amsterdam, also known as De Wallen …
It turns out to be one of those places that one should go, just to have had the experience, but it’s nothing to (metaphorically, not, obviously, literally) write home about.
The RLD is due south of the Centraal rail station in Amsterdam, amidst a series of alleys and basically along either side of a narrow canal, plus some side street action. The main area consists of (a) bars, (b) sex toy shops, (c) small cafes and “coffee” houses, (d) movie theaters and live sex shows, (e) a few fashion boutiques, and (f) the famous “display windows.”
It’s these last that give the city’s RLD its notoriety. The whole area is older buildings, and many of these buildings on the ground floor (sometimes on the basement level, or the second floor) have hookers, one to a window, doing their not-quite-nude best to entice the passers-by to pop in for some fun. (The Lonely Planet guide indicates prices start at 50 euros for 20 mnutes).
They aren’t just for show, though probably 95% of the passers-by are window-shopping tourists of one sort or another. We did see a few takers go in (amidst much jocular pointing and/or encouragement from friends and strangers).
It’s somewhat fascinating, as a phenomenon (the RLD as a whole), but oddly unengaging as a “hot night out” sort of thing. The place has, I suspect, lost a lot of its impact in the last few decades, as the Internet and changing social mores (even in the US) have made the visual imagery much less shocking, much more passé in some ways.
Speaking purely for myself, I prefer my pornographic/erotic experiences a lot more friendly/personal or a lot more abstract. This situation was just sort of blunt and dehumanizing and seedy and a bit sad. For those who enjoy or find it useful (as customers or vendors), more power to them. Just not my cuppa.
No pictures by me (the bouncers evidently don’t approve), but here‘s a few from Google. More info here and here, and, of course, Wikipedia.