SouthOfTheBorder

I’d be very careful with any Miami/Ft Lauderdale “masseur” with no reviews. More scammers in those two cities than anywhere else IMO. That area seems to draw a certain type and lots of desperate people. And most of the providers there don’t actually travel between Miami & Ft Lauderdale - even tho they advertise in both cities and make it appear that they do. This guy, or anyone similar would be a hard-pass without some way to verify the profile & services.

I think one of the important things for me is hiring under the right circumstances. I don’t hire because I’m lonely or to cover-up some other problem. And I prefer being alone on Holidays when I can - no pressure, no drama, no travel & no fuss. It’s a luxury. I wouldn’t hire on Christmas Eve/Christmas - but more power to those clients & providers that make it happen.

feelings about age tend to change over time. I think men are most sensitive about getting older late 40s & through the 50s. Once you get to 61/62, I think it becomes a badge of honor in a way. There’s a realization that time is limited & very silly to be preoccupied with something inevitable. And this is cultural too - Latin & Asian societies tend to respect elders much more and less side-lining of older people. In gay life, this translates to much more interest in older men from men of all ages. As for providers - it’s often a hiring decision based on looks, which I think is a mistake. I’ll take sexy at whatever age vs exceptionally young/handsome every time. Guys who get by on looks alone don’t tend to be the best performers.

this is the thing w texting - we read into it based on how we feel & what we expect. if he’s a younger person & working provider, then inundated with friends, family & inquiring clients texts. the one word reply is an acknowledgment & answer to the question asked. the chatty conversation is for when he’s being paid.

totally normal - nothing to see here I wonder how the paparazzi manages to photograph their every move ? It’s almost as if someone is providing places & times and you can bet they employ several stylists to get that look

you will find many of the tops will bottom behind closed doors. I think this will depend more on the clients physical appearance than in other situations. but, it’s Brazil and they tend to be much more fluid and open-minded than just about anywhere else. If you are searching out that kind of scenario, it requires more work on your end and maybe more money than standard too. Anything is possible.

this makes sense & is professional - but, I think you and a couple of others here are the exceptions. For known providers who are well-reviewed, travel schedules are just fine. I can see the upside when there is an established client base in certain cities that make the travel worthwhile/profitable. For the vast majority of providers with travel schedules- I wouldn’t even consider reaching out because they tend to be fishing in the markets, the trips don’t happen, no courtesy to respond and/or the scheduling is too tight. Zero interest in playing that game.

the very best providers are busy at all times in NYC. the mediocre and below probably struggle all year, regardless of Holidays & season the number 1 deal-killer is being flaky imo. New Yorkers won’t tolerate - some tourists might

if you think staying at home is expensive, just wait until you see what assisted living costs….costs of $10,000 monthly are not unheard of. And when your money has been drained, then you get booted to a Medicaid facility. And that’s the point - in any scenario, getting old in America will break you & your family

I completely relate to this & understand. my elderly parents also fell victim to 24/7 watching “the news” - even though they lived in a very safe & tranquil small town, they were convinced of all sorts of conspiracy theories that never came to pass. these channels prey on the elderly and manipulate by fear. just look at the ads on the shows & you know who the targets are - reverse mortgages, gold coins, memory supplements and other assorted scams. the non-stop consumption of “news” completely changed them & very difficult to carry on any sort of a conversation that didn’t revolve around what they had just seen on TV. And then at the very end - all of that made no difference whatsoever. Quite sad actually to have the last years of life spent that way. It’s all about money: monetizing grievance, fear & anger for profit.

‘Financial Ruin Is Baked Into The System’ Thousands of people shared their experiences and related to the financial drain on families portrayed in the Dying Broke series https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/15/health/readers-long-term-care.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share&referringSource=articleShare

there’s a new TimTales guy from Paris that also is available as a provider - he’s on Hunqz

I don't understand "flying someone in" as a first meeting & I'll bet it never actually happens. I could see it happening after a relationship is established. So much time, money & effort involved for an unknown outcome - it can't begin to make sense for either client or provider. This scenario seems a sure time-waster.

The name is Pointe 202 - sometimes just called Pointe or 202. You can find a reasonable/safe/nice hotel within 5 minutes walking (or less) from there.

I wouldn’t try to stay close to 117 - no decent hotels there & it’s not a neighborhood geared towards tourists. Lots of better hotels very near Pointe in Copacabana. Travel time between the two saunas depends on traffic, which can be horrible. Within average traffic, maybe 10 minutes in Uber. Or, the subway/metro is an option with stations very close to both saunas. Uber is so inexpensive in Rio tho, that it’s not really a factor in decision making. I prefer staying with easy access to Pointe & then going to 117 when a change of scenery is required. Others may disagree, but I prefer hotels in Rio just due to extra security and not disturbing the locals in the place they call home. Most better hotels will not allow guests in the rooms though.

I feel like the OP is alter-ego of @socurious

there are travelers & there are tourists tourists seek out lists of the things other people tell them are good - and nowadays they need pics to post, proving they’ve checked the box travelers seek out new experiences for themselves, without the need for lists or validation of their choices I’ve been to more Michelin experiences than I can count for work-required dinners - mostly pretentious & over-priced imo. Btw - most of those places in NYC are filled w people on expense accounts or tourists. New Yorkers spending their own money - no so much.

yes - that’s him. he usually goes between nyc & Miami. the old profile seems to be gone. he’s a good guy & still my favorite

my 27 year old nephew picked me up at the airport last year. He'd been there dozens of times as a passenger & picking people up/dropping off. He lives about 30 minutes away. He couldn't navigate getting home without his IPhone & maps. (It wasn't about avoiding traffic - he didn't know the way) The reliance of technology was complete & total - and that is typical of younger people. They've grown up relying on handheld smartphones for the most basic things & no longer can function without. Then layer on social media with the need for constant validation & affirmation of their choices. It's not hard to see why they have trouble with basic tasks & choices that are outside what their phones tell them to do.

correct - American society, institutions, infrastructure, etc are in decline. the broader economy as measured by traditional metrics is doing just fine. there is no recession, there hasn't been a recession and recession is not in the foreseeable future the biggest threat to the American economy is political instability. If something happens where the US is no longer regarded as the safe-haven for global investment & deposits, then all bets are off. Be careful what you wish for.

From yesterdays New York Times - of course the keyboard warriors here are much better informed. This is exactly what has been discussed here: perception vs statistical reality perhaps the naysayers here aren’t experiencing the same robust economy - personal choices have consequences Economist Who Won’t Admit They Were Wrong -ios

their minds function differently than generations before - mainly because they grew up with computers & since 2007 with ubiquitous IPhones & similar screens everywhere all the time. They don’t have the same attention spans, ability to focus or critical-thinking skills. that’s not a bad thing because the workplace has changed & multi-tasking among several screens is common & necessary. I’m not surprised at indecision when confronted with a menu - that generation needs to have validation/likes for the things they choose & like themselves. it’s the result of an onslaught of digital information that they never turn off. It’s not a put-down to recognize the changes & why they’re happening. We are the outliers now, not them.

that watch is ugly - no

these people have a vested interest in making everything negative. it suits their political agenda and preferred narratives. fear is the easiest tool in the political playbook to manipulate people - a constant stream of negative spin creates fear & uncertainty. lots of people buy the propaganda, even when statistical analysis shows otherwise. and this fits neatly into a broader effort to delegitimize education, science & experts in favor of those who “feel” something. It’s that perception thing - meaning the feeling is something different than proven factually. Perception really isn’t a thing when actual critical thinking skills are zero to none. And these days - people believe what they want to believe and select news sources that will confirm exactly that. They no longer consume news to be educated or have an open-mind to change opinion based on new information. It’s not a good trajectory and it’s not sustainable - nobody cares about that though. As usual, they have not considered the long term effects of a society that celebrates ignorance.

San Francisco is a unique situation & nowhere else in the US comes close to the myriad of problems that have all come together there at one time. I happen to agree with you that many areas are appalling & I would not want to live there now. It really depends on how you’re quantifying the various problems in SF. The homeless crisis is the worst in the nation - mainly because SF itself is a very small city both in terms of population & geographic area. The city population is about 800,000 vs NYC at 8.5million (these are the city populations, not broader metro populations). So with thousands of homeless there it has an outsize impact. SF is still safe in terms of violent crime. Property crime is another matter altogether. And then there’s the unquantifiable damage the homeless crisis is doing to the quality of life and desirability of the city. Nonetheless - the devil is in the details and the big cities that some with an agenda like to talk about as crime-ridden aren’t crime-ridden at all compared to other less obvious cities. But, that doesn’t fit the narrative. There is perception and then there is the truth. Statistically speaking you’re far more likely to be crime victim in Cleveland, Memphis or Baton Rouge than SF. And you’re safer in NYC than almost anywhere else in the US.