Several years ago, when my student life was new and social activities were almost daily, I tolerated the smoke. So well in fact that I started smoking. About two years ago I managed to lose that terrible habit, and now my tolerance for smoky places is very low. Which is unfortunate, as Amsterdam (and most of Holland) seems to thrive on smoke-filled environments.

While searching for a clean-air establishment in which to meet some friends, I found another great resource: Smoke Free Netherlands! From smokefreeworld.com, this website lists a small but comprehensive variety of hostels, hotels, restaurants, and even one bar that has a smoke-free room. Hopefully in the future the list will grow longer, but for now I've found a goldmine.