Your downtown might be the size of Amsterdam.

I may have that all wrong--I'm trying to check the scales...

Amsterdam central, where there are few or no cars, is about forty minutes across on foot, the part in the top of this pic.

Ach...

My town by comparison:

And here's Barcelona:

Hey, map blogging!

Amsterdam, 1544 (?)

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.

Not only downtown. In Gràcia there are many streets closed to traffic now. Gràcia is like an island, you can walk from Gal.la Placídia to Joanic through nice and quiet small squares and you'll only have to cross two noisy big streets, Gran de Gràcia and Torrent de l'Olla. Have you seen calle Astùries, recently? It's great. No more cars, there either.

That's one of the differences, I think.  For those who enjoy

there's the light, the air, the peace...no cars...and coffee shops....enlightenment...

For those who don't...maybe Amsterdam isn't so interesting...although I've been with a non-smoking...ah...but we went to a coffee shop...where the air is laden with...so...that maybe one of the points...oh...was there a point?  Hey, look at that!

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.

Yes, of course, BCN is not like Amsterdam in this respect, but tell me, which european or american city is like Amsterdam when it comes to get something to smoke?
In any case, things are moving in Catalonia, there are plenty of grow shops and we have an annual cannabis fair. It was held precisely last weekend.

http://www.elperiodico.com/default.asp?idpublicacio_PK=46&idioma=CAS&idnoticia_PK=373023& ;idseccio_PK=1022&h=

There is also an association (Navarra Cannabic Representation) that will run in the next Spanish elections as a political party.