Because there are alot of prostitution windows along the street, you're not allowed to take photos of them, or punishment is immediate. I'm not sure what the punishment was but I didn't want to find out. Anyways, I took this video with the camera looking like I wasn't shooting, because of this it's pretty jarring. I like the beginning of this video where that guy gets in trouble from his wife for looking in the window. If you're looking for a hostel in Amsterdam near the red light district, I found lots of good ones at www.hosteltrekker.com.