As already mentioned, the Zandpad is not part of the old citycenter (with nice pubs & coffeeshops). It always was an area where normally only cars were slowly passing or quickly parked for a visit and the lonely punter was strolling along in the sandy dust. Recently the Zandpad was newly paved and better lighted (it never was actually) so it gets more comfortable. More punters are walking now, having parked the car. The scene is not specially unsafe or obscure. The boats (not more than floating boxes) are all some 5 metres from the walkway, every boat has some 4 or 5 windows and you have to enter a gangway to each door for better views. In the evening hours there is plenty choice and prices and service are like Den Haag and Amsterdam. A walk from Central Station will take some 40 minutes, a cab fom the citycentre to Zandpad will not take much more than 5 minutes.
W.