Grouping Amsterdam activities/sites for the geographically impaired

Exploring the "district" is a five minute walk through. Very little to see especially during the day -- never been there at night. There is actually a small district in Haarlem between the train station and the square. Looks the same. There is a very interesting beer brewery in an old church just a couple of blocks SW from the square in Haarlem.

I would not visit the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum the same day. Separate them.
The Dutch Resistance Museum is ok to go with one or the other major museums and it is excellent.
Why don’t you stay in Amsterdam, such a great city? The only place we weren’t excited about was Haarlem. It was OK. We also stayed in Leiden for a week on our second trip to TheNetherlands.

The Free Walking Tours also have nightlife tours that will take you around to different restaurants and bars. You'll meet people from all over the world, and it is a great way to really find your way around any European city.

We always take the night tours after taking the Free Walking Tours in the morning.

Your husband could always have GoogleMaps on his telephone to find your way around any European city. Amsterdam is not really very physically large. We always get around on the trams.

Take a tour of the red light district with the PIC. Prostitution information center. Google it for the website. They are advocates for sex worker rights and you will get a tour of the district and learn about their issues. Then you can make your judgement as to whether they are exploited.

I agree that you shouldn’t do both museums on the same day.

Consider a boat tour with those dam boat guys close to dusk. The lights of the canal were a sight to see.

Do we explore the Red Light District?

Pat, I didn't explore it but I did walk through it. I was trying not to look in the windows but one woman caught my eye and smiled at me. I smiled back but I still felt guilty about it. I did some research after that, and found there are differing opinions about this area; some of which are contradictory to what the Prostitution Information Center says. While it is true that the occupation is regulated to a certain extent, there are other ways to control them. The rent for the windows is very high, which means the women must engage in sexual acts at least 5-6 times per day just to pay expenses. Most of the women now are from Eastern Europe, which suggests that possibly some are being brought here by sex traffickers.

I know that the area (and occupation) is regulated but it still bothers me a lot, because quite frankly, I don't trust government regulation to always help those who need it the most. And that's in any country. I think the main reason the PIC was put in place was to keep the tourists coming in and supporting the District. Here are a few articles I found after my trip there that might be helpful:
https://www.amsterdam-advisor.com/amsterdam-prostitutes.html
https://humanityinaction.org/knowledge_detail/the-audacity-of-tolerance-a-critical-analysis-of-legalized-prostitution-in-amsterdams-red-light-district/

I will say that I do not believe a walk through the district is supporting what goes on. It's a part of the city, good or bad, and it's an interesting area. But I think people should be aware of what they see as they walk through it.

Two sites I really liked in the Red Light District was Our Lord in the Attic Museum and De Oude Kerk.

And Mardee is right; just because something is regulated, doesn't mean exploitation isn't also happening. It very likely is. But simply avoiding walking through the area doesn't change that either way. Frankly, the RLD in Amsterdam seemed a bit Disneyland-ish compared to the one I saw in Antwerp.

Thank you all for more food for thought, and more changing around my color-coded post-it notes. I have done two museums a day at the Smithsonian's, so may keep that, as these two are so close together. I could go to the diamond polishing demonstration between the museums. Looking at Diamonds always gets my adrenaline flowing!
I planned a mid-day canal cruise to rest the feet, but I also like the idea of an evening cruise for the lights. The second Amsterdam day is a Friday, maybe we'll do an additional evening walking tour and or canal cruise that day. Have you found it necessary to book in advance? I was surprised that my first choice for the Damn Boat Guys only had one seat left - in April!
Thanks for the help, more pondering here, as the CA rains keep me indoors.
I'll have more questions, but I am so grateful for all your help.
PS
Any beer and or cheese tours in Amsterdam to recommend?

Here’s another vote for an interesting brewery in an old Haarlem church. It’s a brief walk from the main square but worth it. https://www.jopenkerk.nl/haarlem/en/

Frank and Mona, you are the third or fourth to recommend that Haarlem brewery. It is on my planning chart in ink (vs pencil)! Thanks so much. Rain is so conducive to trip planning !

The second Amsterdam day is a Friday, maybe we'll do an additional evening walking tour and or canal cruise that day. Have you found it necessary to book in advance? I was surprised that my first choice for the Damn Boat Guys only had one seat left - in April!

Hi Pat! I assume mid April is high season in the Netherlands given the tulips coming into bloom, so whatever you really don't want to miss sure why not book ahead?
PS, Loved the post -it notes, do you take them along or eventually transfer them to another system for travel?

Sandancisco,
I read with envy all the high-tech planning tools folks here use, but it's not for me!

I'll take the hard copy folder of all our confirmations, along with the post- it notes pages, but they are summarized on a one-page itinerary, which consists of a ruler-drawn two-week calendar, which is always done in pencil.

My only reason to not book too much in advance is weather, but the canal tours seem to be flexible with cancelations due to weather.

Safe travels!

Pat, I have only spent 4 nights in Amsterdam so I am certainly no expert, but just wanted to say that we were also conflicted about visiting the red light district, but we went ahead and are glad we did. We did the Rick Steves audio walk and found it very good. Of course, I would only recommend during the daytime. We were surprised to see that there is a kindergarten right in the red light district!
Oh and just wanted to say that I am also the travel planner and my DH also just wants to know what we are doing that day! Lol! However, its his job to navigate us once we are there. I mean, he needs to be useful somehow right?😜

Red Light District is fine, though you would probably enjoy it more during the day.

Rick Steves talks about the RLD a lot. In fact, somewhere on this site or on his app or both there is a good narrated walking tour that you can listen to and follow that takes about an hour. I would suggest you take that tour, which is informative and describes the oldest part of the city, and then go to the Church in the Attic which is right there.

@Tammy, are we married to twins?!
When we were leaving Regensburg, in 2022, my husband said he was tired of medieval towns, and asked where we were going next. I replied, "three nights in Rothenburg."
He actually had to admit he enjoyed R'burg!

@willhaysnoe,
I'll take your advice on the church in the Attic. Thanks so much!

I strongly second Derek's recommendation of the Prostitution Information Centeer (PIC) tour. Actual walking tours of the RLD are no longer allowed so what they do is have an information session, then give you a map to walk on your own, and then come back with questions if you want. If there are only a couple people signed up, then they can walk with you and it won't look like a tour.

Train station to Dam Square is pretty direct. The RLD is near Dam Sq.

I believe there is a tourist information center outside the central train station. Given your geographic impairment concerns, each day when you arrive from Haarlem, you could check in with tourist information and have them help plot your day on a hardcopy map perhaps. If you stayed at a hotel in Amsterdam, the concierge or front desk could do this for you. When you finish your walking tour, I'm sure the guide can help you make sure you are heading in the right direction for the boat.

Cd in Dc,
Great idea using the TI center, thanks so much. Why didn't I think of that...duh!

To help with geography, I find Google maps is wonderful. You can save your favorite places/want to visit places on the map in lists, then make the map smaller to see which are nearby - then plan accordingly.

Of course, I read all sorts of travel info and make paper notes as well.

Planning is half the fun of actual travel! I enjoy learning about an area and it's history.

Have a great trip!

Veryspecialquilts, thanks so much! I think I spend more time planning than on the actual trip.

I think I spend more time planning than on the actual trip.

I KNOW I do! It's practically a second full time job😳

They say travel excitement starts not when your journey begins, but when you start planning. Yay for all of us planners. We get to experience that anticipation any happiness so much longer!