Least Favorite City to Work

[Jarrod_Uncut]

I have to add another city that seems to becoming a least favorite: Saint Louis. Initially it appeared to be a favorable change of market from Kansas City in 2018 all the way thru last year. But lately I’ve noticed not only has inquiries become “stale”, but it seems several providers that were posted have vanished. Wouldn’t surprise me considering the past couple of weeks have been seriously deficient of bookings. And the Gay bar scene here seems to be on life support. Idk what’s going on with the city, but there’s definitely going to have to be some changes going into next year. Will have to look into a new city once again.

But that’s the way it seems with cities and why I don’t necessarily have “favorites”. Things could be okay during a particular season, then nothing. Or it may be good for a couple or few years, and then either become overly saturated with providers or overly pricey to live and play in (Denver and Phoenix have been examples). Then you wind up feeling it’s nothing like it used to be.

Edited November 12, 2021 by Jarrod_Uncut

[marylander1940]

18 minutes ago, Jarrod_Uncut said:

I have to add another city that seems to becoming a least favorite: Saint Louis. Initially it appeared to be a favorable change of market from Kansas City in 2018 all the way thru last year. But lately I’ve noticed not only has inquiries become “stale”, but it seems several providers that were posted have vanished. Wouldn’t surprise me considering the past couple of weeks have been seriously deficient of bookings. And the Gay bar scene here seems to be on life support. Idk what’s going on with the city, but there’s definitely going to have to be some changes going into next year. Will have to look into a new city once again.

But that’s the way it seems with cities and why I don’t necessarily have “favorites”. Things could be okay during a particular season, then nothing. Or it may be good for a couple or few years, and then either become overly saturated with providers or overly pricey to live and play in (Denver and Phoenix have been examples). Then you wind up feeling it’s nothing like it used to be.

Yes, Liam used to live there and left. 

small cities are a hit or miss... unreliable but if a visiting escort is the only choice in the menu clients might hire him. 

[Jarrod_Uncut]

14 hours ago, marylander1940 said:

Yes, Liam used to live there and left. 

small cities are a hit or miss... unreliable but if a visiting escort is the only choice in the menu clients might hire him. 

Well Saint Louis isn’t “small” though. The City and outer neighborhoods are similar in capacity to Boston, Chicago and even DC. And the traffic is now heading back to pre-pandemic, hectic levels. 
 

I’ve seen some small cities lol. I’m talking, the cities where this is just 1 or 2 exits and then the rest is nothing. Places like Amarillo in Texas, St. Augustine in Florida, and Cheyenne in Wyoming are cases of small hit or miss cities. But when you talk about a hub city with a reasonable skyline that’s not performing, something is not right. 
 

I personally feel the heavy mask mandates in Saint Louis last year and into this year, is what has greatly affected the scene here. Either people got scared or businesses just weren’t thriving. They were more strict here than Kansas City, but Kansas City and Saint Louis kept going back and forth with it. Meanwhile the rest of Missouri is walking around like nothing happened.

[Guest]

I'm not sure if the OP was primarily interested in American cities, but I'll throw in one from Europe: Barcelona. Spent 3 nights there, advertised on RM and hunqz, and got nothing. but. crickets. 

(and a few flakes too) 

[Jamie21]

Fascinating to read from the perspective of someone in the UK. I’ve learned so much if I ever want to do a tour of the US!

But yeah I’ve been to Orlando, like downtown Orlando (not the tourist parts although they’re even worse) and it’s dull dull dull. I wasn’t working there though…I was there for work (a ‘normal’ job ha ha) but I did look for a gay scene and found nothing. Maybe I wasn’t looking hard enough, maybe I didn’t care. The city sort of drained me. I’m used to culture, history (I’m talking > 200 years of it) and a sense of place. Orlando had oranges and a mouse. St Petersburg was good though. I liked that. 

[+ Pensant]

On 11/10/2021 at 9:42 AM, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

Orlando also has a lack of character and culture. 

It's where people go to forget they're still actually people.

Ghastly is the adjective that come to mind. Squalor zone.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

2 hours ago, Pensant said:

Ghastly is the adjective that come to mind. Squalor zone.

 

[Alex93108]

On 11/14/2021 at 3:41 PM, DanteV said:

I'm not sure if the OP was primarily interested in American cities, but I'll throw in one from Europe: Barcelona. Spent 3 nights there, advertised on RM and hunqz, and got nothing. but. crickets. 

(and a few flakes too) 

I think the best places in the world to hire ( and presumably work) assuming money no object, based own my life experience : 

New York

London

Paris

Dubai

I would also add Los Angeles too - but that would be a very distant 4th.  Of these I would say the rates are the highest in New York, Dubai and LA. You ain't seeing anyone worthwhile for the less than 300-400 US.

Remember that song "my milkshake brings boys to the yard - in this case its   $  £  € and AED

Edited November 22, 2021 by jetlow

[Guest]

1 hour ago, jetlow said:

I think the best places in the world to hire ( and presumably work) 

I wouldn't presume the two go entirely together, myself. Good to hear your experience though. 

[Jarrod_Uncut]

Bump this topic up,

I want to mention a new city I’ve been posting out of: Seattle. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a pretty busy market and has been good to me, BUT: there’s a lot of bullshit here also from clients. I’ve already had to report several to Mr. Number for being no shows or just general flakes. Some I didn’t look up because I was busy or forgot to do so, and sure enough: they had a report or 2. 
 

Now I’m going to have to revert back to requiring everyone to pay a consultation deposit. It’s like I try to be nice, and give a little leeway, and the fucking idiots always find a way to make me go back to doing what I was before.   

Edited March 24, 2022 by Jarrod_Uncut

[edinbrooklyn]

On 11/10/2021 at 10:42 AM, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

Orlando also has a lack of character and culture. 

It's where people go to forget they're still actually people.

An acquaintance claims it’s the only place (Florida in general) that he experienced anti-culture shock.

[Jamie21]

8 minutes ago, edinbrooklyn said:

An acquaintance claims it’s the only place (Florida in general) that he experienced anti-culture shock.

I visited Orlando a few times (not to work, I’m exclusive to London ha ha) and I have to agree. First time I visited Orlando I was excited…hotel was downtown. I hoped for an interesting vibrant local scene.

It was appalling, dull, boring and void of character. I walked around (a mistake in the US obviously) and became increasingly disappointed at what I found. A really strange place. Sorry Orlando. 

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

3 hours ago, edinbrooklyn said:

An acquaintance claims it’s the only place (Florida in general) that he experienced anti-culture shock.

3 hours ago, Jamie21 said:

It was appalling, dull, boring and void of character. I walked around (a mistake in the US obviously) and became increasingly disappointed at what I found. A really strange place. Sorry Orlando. 

Agreed, on both accounts. 

Without theme parks, Orlando is a city filled with cardboard chain eateries and slummy old strip shopping centers.  Just add in some boxy, old timeshares, a murky man-man lake and there you have it.

There are pockets of wealth, as well as a small community of artists who try to rise above Disney.  It's a tough road to hoe.  The overwhelming planned homogenization in Orlando- aimed at making families feel comfortable- is often the culprit in robbing the city of real personality.

Edited April 11, 2022 by Benjamin_Nicholas

[Kevin Slater]

3 minutes ago, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

a murky man-man lake

In a sharp voice "No women were involved?!".

3 minutes ago, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

It's a tough road to hoe.

Who you callin' a hoe?

3 minutes ago, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

The overwhelming planned homogenization in Orlando-

Who you callin' a homo?

Kevin Slater

[mike carey]

34 minutes ago, Kevin Slater said:

In a sharp voice "No women were involved?!".

Who you callin' a hoe?

Who you callin' a homo?

Kevin Slater

I think he is saying that Orlando isn't blooming.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

48 minutes ago, mike carey said:

I think he is saying that Orlando isn't blooming.

Oh. My.

[Luv2play]

I am obviously the odd man out but years ago when I visited Orlando at least once or twice during the winter over a 5 year period I enjoyed myself there. Now I was living during the winter season ( 5 months) in Miami, which I really liked. But Orlando, where I had friends from Montreal who were life-long Orlando people, I found had some charming spots not on the tourist trail. 

I only once spent a day at Universal Studios and passed on the rest of Disney World. The man made lakes really impart a charming aspect to the residential areas. WinterGarden was a nice old time winter resort dating to the turn of the 20th century when wealthy midwesterners would frequent the place. The Tiffany museum is a small gem featuring the original glass from the chapel on Louis C. Tiffany's Long Island estate.

A friend of mine was a leading proponent of the "historic district" who worked to get it recognized decades before I met him in Montreal. I always stayed in one of his charming small hotels which overlooked a lake. Through him I got to go to museum events both in Orlando and St. Petersburg, which both have interesting small museums.

My friends are long dead now so no reason to go back but I'll always treasure my memories of visiting there.

 And yes, I was a whore during nights at Parliament House.😉

 

Edited April 12, 2022 by Luv2play

[Jamie21]

5 hours ago, Luv2play said:

I am obviously the odd man out but years ago when I visited Orlando at least once or twice during the winter over a 5 year period I enjoyed myself there. Now I was living during the winter season ( 5 months) in Miami, which I really liked. But Orlando, where I had friends from Montreal who were life-long Orlando people, I found had some charming spots not on the tourist trail. 

I only once spent a day at Universal Studios and passed on the rest of Disney World. The man made lakes really impart a charming aspect to the residential areas. WinterGarden was a nice old time winter resort dating to the turn of the 20th century when wealthy midwesterners would frequent the place. The Tiffany museum is a small gem featuring the original glass from the chapel on Louis C. Tiffany's Long Island estate.

A friend of mine was a leading proponent of the "historic district" who worked to get it recognized decades before I met him in Montreal. I always stayed in one of his charming small hotels which overlooked a lake. Through him I got to go to museum events both in Orlando and St. Petersburg, which both have interesting small museums.

My friends are long dead now so no reason to go back but I'll always treasure my memories of visiting there.

 And yes, I was a whore during nights at Parliament House.😉

 

I guess some places you actively have to look for culture and interesting places. I’m used to London, it’s on every street corner here, built into the fabric of the city. One becomes complacent to it. 

[edinbrooklyn]

New York has a little bit of something for everyone. So much to chose from on every front!

[Jarrod_Uncut]

On 4/11/2022 at 10:48 AM, Jamie21 said:

I visited Orlando a few times (not to work, I’m exclusive to London ha ha) and I have to agree. First time I visited Orlando I was excited…hotel was downtown. I hoped for an interesting vibrant local scene.

It was appalling, dull, boring and void of character. I walked around (a mistake in the US obviously) and became increasingly disappointed at what I found. A really strange place. Sorry Orlando. 

 

21 hours ago, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

Agreed, on both accounts. 

Without theme parks, Orlando is a city filled with cardboard chain eateries and slummy old strip shopping centers.  Just add in some boxy, old timeshares, a murky man-man lake and there you have it.

There are pockets of wealth, as well as a small community of artists who try to rise above Disney.  It's a tough road to hoe.  The overwhelming planned homogenization in Orlando- aimed at making families feel comfortable- is often the culprit in robbing the city of real personality.

That’s why I was so glad my family moved out of Orlando in 2018…because I started living there and often times staying for extended periods. It was horrible. Despite the theme parks, the abundant sexy selection of men (many Latino but also Black/White but unfortunately also: “straight” and married), and nightlife…I spent many weeks there on low productivity because I couldn’t get much done. Then I had a client who was trying to persuade me into a “career” there…so he could secretly be my “partner” on the side that he could take credit for. Instead of just being a regular, every session was like a inspirational speaking. Absolutely not. 

Fortunately, being in Orlando made me want to explore other areas of Florida that I’d not given chances to previously. I was often traveling to the smaller communities and sometimes seeing both the gulf and the Atlantic in the same day. 

 

[JTtorretto]

Worst Cities: 

Orlando

Phoenix 

St Louis 

Pittsburgh 

 

[Jarrod_Uncut]

On 5/25/2022 at 9:57 AM, JTtorretto said:

Worst Cities: 

Orlando

Phoenix 

St Louis 

Pittsburgh 

 

I’d echo all the above. 
 

Orlando requires an extended stay/living there to see enough clients. Most were at the resort hotels: which I used to love/hate. I’d get to see nice rooms I wouldn’t stay at myself, but it was such a mission getting from the car to the hotel room. Especially the Gaylord and anything in the Disney complex. There seemed to be fewer hiring locals, and majority didn’t seem to become regulars. Why would they, considering variety is fierce there.

 

Phoenix: it can be one of my favorite or worst. The level of flakes there can make it seem worse than it actually is. Next time I go, I’ll have be sure to stick with a firm deposit policy. 
 

St. Louis: no surprise there. It’s been my part time home market. They are recovering I think from the Covid lockdowns. They were shutdown and more strict than Kansas City. Which hurt businesses. However, I think the main issue is the mentality. People out there don’t like to pay for shit when it comes to men. They can be cheap and stingy, and seem to have a complex towards anyone in the industry. I have a select few clients I deal with, the rest I can’t be bothered to fuck with. Many already have multiple reports on the client warning sites.

Haven’t done much of Pittsburg, but previous trips didn’t have me running back. It’s more of a Thru fare when traveling between the Midwest and East Coast. I wouldn’t go there again without deposits either. 

Edited June 1, 2022 by Jarrod_Uncut

[Storm4U]

I wasn’t sure which cities are my favorites for working, but after thinking about it Ive decided that New York and London are my favorites…by far

Edited June 27, 2022 by Storm4U

[pubic_assistance]

On 11/9/2021 at 9:02 AM, jetlow said:

I remember when the Abercrombie boys = beauty

Doesn't require memory for me, I'm still  like that !  ....😉

[arnie]

No one has mentioned Las Vegas.   Might even make Orlando look cultured except we do have a sphynx and a pyramid.  And King Arthur, well sort of. Our culture is down now that Donnie and Marie have departed!   But how does it rate for doing business?  Seems to be a steady stream of guys coming through town.  Some guys have been in business here for years.  The one thing that always surprises me it that with the cost of flying how guys only come into town for maybe 3 days.