Civilized in Amsterdam

AMSTERDAM -- A lot of people told me that that Amsterdam would be like New York. People said that about London, too, but I haven't found the comparison correct in either case.

The licentiousness in Amsterdam is far more under control than I expected. After a couple days, I have yet to observe a Dutch whore. I also haven't seen any stoned-out white Rastafaris.

It feels calmer and more manageable than New York. The lack of constant horn-blowing and shouting does that to a place.

So Amsterdam is not like New York, and it isn't as out of control as I imagined. Most everyone here is calm, friendly, slightly prim-looking, very civilized.

The whores and the marijuana are largely out of sight and out of mind, because you know what Amsterdam is all about? It's all about bikes.

There are more bikes than at Mackinac Island. These people bike everywhere, and everybody bikes. Old ladies in skirts, old men in suits, yuppies, teenagers -- bikes galore. The bikes are not fashion-conscious or lean in design. They are sturdy. Cleveland native Margaret Hamilton might have pedaled such a bike down the backroads of rural Kansas.

This lends an edge of egalitarianism and self-effacement to the city. How bad a day can you have if you put on your suit, then bike to your banking job?

As much as I like the idea of the bikes, and watching the Dutch happily pedal past, they cow me as a pedestrian. I have a touch time walking down a sidewalk on a good day. Between auto traffic, the city's trams and its slightly cobbled stones, the bicycles make it more likely that I'll get brushed back or knocked on my ass.

This is especially troublesome because I've been liberally enjoying something that is illegal in the U.S. but widely accepted in Amsterdam: jaywalking.