Since the summer started Amsterdam starts being filled up with tourists again and I have no problem with that. But somehow that American tourists become more and more noticeable. Nowadays it seems you can split them up in two groups:
1) You have your organized group, cycling around on rented yellow bikes, with name badges on theirs shirts. Besides being a hazard to themselves (in traffic) they are also a danger to many pedestrians. Riding a bike in the US is so much different than down town Amsterdam.
2) You have your solo tourist who thinks we are all on drugs and he or she would like to join in. You recognize them when they are completely wasted, their pupils big as basketballs, thinking they are the first and only one doing that.... And when they have the urge to talk to you, their first sentence starts with:"Hi, I am from the USA!"
What happened with the old type of American tourist? The ones who just went around doing their things. The ones you could have a conversation with about other things than: what you do for a living, how many cars you own or how successful you are in doing business... Please bring them back again.
Please don't see this as a flame on the whole US. I have lived in your country for three years and have many fond memories of the many people I have met there. But I am tired of being run over by cyclists and then having to pass wasted tourists pissing on the streets because they had to go....
1) You have your organized group, cycling around on rented yellow bikes, with name badges on theirs shirts. Besides being a hazard to themselves (in traffic) they are also a danger to many pedestrians. Riding a bike in the US is so much different than down town Amsterdam.
2) You have your solo tourist who thinks we are all on drugs and he or she would like to join in. You recognize them when they are completely wasted, their pupils big as basketballs, thinking they are the first and only one doing that.... And when they have the urge to talk to you, their first sentence starts with:"Hi, I am from the USA!"
What happened with the old type of American tourist? The ones who just went around doing their things. The ones you could have a conversation with about other things than: what you do for a living, how many cars you own or how successful you are in doing business... Please bring them back again.
Please don't see this as a flame on the whole US. I have lived in your country for three years and have many fond memories of the many people I have met there. But I am tired of being run over by cyclists and then having to pass wasted tourists pissing on the streets because they had to go....