SouthOfTheBorder

Here’s Sarasota today - another Once in a Thousand Year flood. The last Once in a Thousand Year flood was Ft Lauderdale April 2023

correct. people routinely lie about wealth & income. statistics & probabilities tell the real story outside of wildly exaggerated anecdotes here that’s why I prefer to hire native New Yorkers if that’s an option - they typically don't come w the pretentious bullshit. some profiles make that clear & it’s helpful

that seems to be the point

$15k a month to a single provider by one client is just absurd as a point of reference for any realistic conversation about rates. more likely providers wildly exaggerating their own value & status, which seems to be the norm among a certain type. lots of people in this business engage is fantasy, delusion & grandiosity- it comes w the territory. providers can set their own rates however they wish & nobody “controls” their rates just my opinion - but a quote of $500/hr is more a red-flag than anything else it’s worth noting the the OP is a provider & was asking about current market rates - evidently he’s unaware of the $15k monthly gigs btw - anything that is truly “exclusive” cannot be purchased by just anyone for a set price. it’s the opposite

you’ve got it backwards - in NY, people with real money think others have the privilege of working with them. It’s discounted tickets to shows, games, private gallery openings, discounts in stores & reservations nobody can get - if you’re connected. they all know how to cultivate their best clients & keep them coming back. the rich don’t get rich by paying market rates.

if we’re talking about hourly rates in NYC, this is the fallacy - the elite don’t pay top rate for anything. those prices are for American tourists visiting NY. Europeans certainly won’t pay those rates either. price has no guarantee of quality in provider context & certainly doesn’t signal an “elite” experience. and yes, providers can charge whatever they want and clients can overpay too. it’s just not necessary. it’s all smoke & mirrors

New York is an expensive city by any measure. But, expensive doesn’t equal value or good quality. It’s also insanely overpriced for certain things targeted for tourists. nobody living in NY since before 2019 is paying $500 hour because they either know providers from before & have a rate, or they know when/how to look. the best strategy is daytime weekday hires when demand is lower & guys prefer working. and don’t fall for paying for Ubers - if the guy hasn’t figured out public transportation, then there’s a lot of other things they haven’t figured out either lots of these high rates are quoted by guys that don’t live here & passing through, thinking it’s unlimited money. when those same guys are in Europe, they’re quoting half of the rate, if that. and most clients in Europe aren’t tipping either hint - don’t ever try to do things when everyone else wants to do that same thing bc then you will pay. so, don’t come for ny Pride & think you’ll get reasonable rates for providers. and if the price quoted is too high, just say no thank you & move on - someone else will be reasonable at a non-peak time. $300/350 is really the most I’d pay for an hour in ny & that would be someone established & reviewed, not an unknown. for 2 hours, I’d expect less per hr

a business plan is just that - and should be altered when necessary. not wise to make wholesale adjustments tho based on one unfortunate event. the easiest way to succeed at anything is look at what very successful people do in that field & copy them. don’t reinvent the wheel or try to change an entire industry or culture bc it won’t happen. in this business, a demand for money upon arrival is crass & immediately sets up the appointment awkwardly. I would not call that person again. the custom is payment at the end & I expect providers to be able to screen enough that this should not be an issue. that said, I usually offer payment at the beginning w a new provider so they don’t have to worry about it if a provider is constantly experiencing problematic clients & situations , then it would be helpful to look at the way the services are being advertised because it’s not happening randomly.

Pineapple Point in Ft L seems to get best reviews. I stayed there once many years ago - not sure how it is now. Be careful tho bc a lot of the gay accommodations in Ft L are sketchy & not well maintained.

learning to walk-away from stupid people or situations is worthwhile

any of those areas in Florida are fine as a gay couple. the question is what else are you looking for in the environment ? the Florida keys aren’t known for the beaches. Pensacola & Amelia Island tend to draw more redneck types. Miami & Ft Lauderdale if you don’t mind an urban beach & want more gay specific options. The Florida beaches become much more tropical looking south of West Palm Beach w coconut palms & different foliage. Ft Lauderdale probably best overall and easy access to a major airport w good connections

re; “rape”, sending someone to “collect” the unpaid fee & driving 10 hours for an appointment - none of these ideas or actions make sense in context of the simple act of hiring a provider once you’ve been scammed by either provider or client - chalk it up to a learning experience & don’t do the same thing again. if you lost $200-$400 then you got off easy the vast majority of appointments & transactions happen without any trouble at all. don’t make it complicated unless you want a complicated situation

keeping expectations low & reasonable makes for better outcomes. providers aren’t machines & I don’t expect them to cum. and, I don’t need to cum to be satisfied. I usually tell the provider at the start that I don’t need to cum & here is what I enjoy, xxxxx for an erotic/sexual experience - takes all the pressure off & they seem to appreciate clear direction the best providers are intuitive & can read the body language - they’re not mindreaders tho, so if you want something specific, then say it

at this point - if someone demands upfront payment, I’d leave immediately. It hasn’t happened much, but when it does, it usually means mediocrity since payment after services rendered is the norm, it should be noted in profile if they want payment in advance - of course, the scammers won’t reveal themselves that way. always cash - no electronic trail or names

https://www.vox.com/culture/24087565/princess-kate-middleton-disappearance-rumors-explained-abdominal-surgery-kensington-palace

keep in mid the two youngest children haven’t been seen or photographed since Christmas - why ? P George only photographed twice since Christmas w William Middletons mother in a severe car accident in March & was listed in “critical condition” - not seen since. and then there was the mysterious shooting of Thomas Kingston (married to a Royal) in January & a close pal of William’s. William shows up publicly days later w bruises. Meanwhile, the rumored mistress Rose Hanbury is making public appearances w Camilla. Coincidences ? The Middletons are being erased - all of them

I’ve used dayuse.com several times. super easy with lots of options in big cities. you can pay on the website or upon arrival at hotel. very good deals & deep discounts compared to overnight rates. it’s a perfect solution for hiring - totally worth it to avoid risk of having a stranger in your home it makes sense - hotels are getting additional revenue from unused rooms during the day.

while anecdotes are interesting & are part of the story - it’s generally more useful to look at market trends. Since, beginning of 2024 - home prices are up in San Francisco 3.7% YTD according to the MSN story provided. No telling if this will be sustained or not. the big difference between San Francisco & Florida - SF has jobs & income to support high home prices. Florida does not - the Florida economy is driven by low-wage jobs in service & tourism. Florida’s real estate sector is based upon speculation. San Francisco economy is driven by global technology & finance - more billionaires per capita in SF than any where else. And it’s not just billionaires - the very high incomes of tech workers in SF supports high home prices in a very small city with a finite supply of housing. The problems in SF will eventually get fixed. And Florida will remain Florida, dependent on nonstop & unregulated population growth to sustain the real estate speculation, which has already peaked. both areas have a long history of boom & bust real estate cycles. no surprise SF is seeing a bust now.

he made a poor choice for two reasons. first, a small town in a foreign country with little to no expat community will ensure isolation. second, if retiring abroad for economic reasons alone, meaning lower cost of living - then yes, I expect that would lead to someone feeling isolated because probably can’t afford to travel to return to home country whenever the urge hits. Vietnam would be a deal-breaker given distance from US for me. lots of positives about retiring abroad - but definitely not for everyone. willingness & determination to learn the local language is essential no matter where you choose - if not, isolation will certainly follow no matter the location. being close to a major airport also helps if the idea is extensive travel while in retirement or to return to home country at will.

the “soap opera” is a very small part of the interest. the bigger story is the entire British media being complicit w the Monarchy in suppressing the real story, whatever that may be. And, of course it exposes the hypocrisy & racism of the Royal Family as it demands privacy for Middleton and the press goes along while at the same time, offering up Meghan Markle for public consumption with no pushback. The racism is significant as King traditionally heads the Commonwealth of Nations - former British Colonies, mostly populated by people of color. It all begins to look ridiculous in context of their own personal situations & behavior. It stirs debate in those countries about true independence and severing relations with the Crown, like now happening in Jamaica & Nigeria. The Royals have a long & established history of disposing of people who no longer serve their interests or somehow threaten the Monarchy. Obviously, Middleton has delivered the heir & spare - and now she is no longer necessary. Not the first time. its the unraveling of a centuries old global institution- with almost no questions being asked by the press, for whatever reason. Thats what is interesting.

it’s easy to get visas for retirement for a variety of countries - those visas are typically classified as “non-lucrative” and prohibit any work while in that country. also usually requires becoming a tax-resident whether or not you live there most of the time. most require proving adequate financial resources necessary to support the visa-holder(s) in retirement. working & living in another country where you don’t have citizenship is another matter & not easy unless it’s a “digital-nomad” visa where the person works remote from a company based abroad. most countries don’t allow any visas for foreigners to live & work in the country - it’s viewed as taking a job away from someone that lives there. there are some exceptions for highly-skilled workers that companies relocate for specific jobs.

scammers acting as providers is a frequent topic on many threads here they have many different ways to scam & get money from targets the threats are very real & it’s way more common than anyone thinks - the vast majority never get reported and never show up in any reviews. buyer beware

she’s not coming back - and hasn’t been seen in almost six months. the two younger children haven’t been seen either

it feels like “scamming” or people actively doing dishonest or harmful things using online platforms is accelerating. there are more perpetrators looking for victims because it’s just easier online - and the ease of which many invite strangers into their homes, typically when they are alone & most vulnerable. there’s nothing wrong with an abundance of caution however that works for each person in context of risk tolerance. and there’s a big difference between a mediocre provider appointment or getting short-changed vs getting robbed/assaulted or blackmailed. while the chances are slim this will happen, play the game long enough & with frequency - something unpleasant will happen. the idea is to minimize the chances for something to go sideways. I think the best vet is to hire someone with a known public profile - someone that has a social media presence or other. very unlikely for someone to risk their reputation on small stuff. risk-tolerance definitely changes over time & when you have more to lose. I’d never invite an unknown person into my home these days for whatever reason. dayuse.com is your friend - discounted hotel rooms during day hours when trouble is less likely to happen