Amsterdam Short Stories Response

After reading a few of the short stories in Manfered Wolf's Amsterdam: A Traveler's Literary Companion I found the story about the red light district most interesting. It must take a very unique man to want to live in the red light district and immerse themselves in such an odd and tempting environment. I think the author of this story was indeed a little strange in the way that he conducted himself while living there.

The way he made rules for himself about how he would not go into an apartment unless the woman was playing a particular classical record or wearing a very specific outfit was an interesting way to deal with his temptations. This seemed to actually be a common interaction of people that spent any decent amount of time in the red light district. The men who would come to the red light district and walk around the entire day would go from window to window looking for the perfect woman without ever stopping because no woman ever met the image they had in their heads. Then there was the bum who also spent a lot of time in the red light district that said he would only go in if he saw one that was smoking, which he subconciously knew would never happen. All of these people are the ones that spend the most time in the red light district, and I think these types of rules is what allows them to keep a level of detachment from what is going on around them. The interesting part is that the men who are actually customers spend very little time, and were described to basically just get in, do their business and get back out.

The other part of this story that I found interesting was the description of the red light district early in the morning before any customers had arrived. The way it was described made it seem like you are taking a time machine back hundered years back in time with maids out in the street scrubbing the cobbelstone.