nate_sf

There have been questions about whether there will be the annual gathering in Washington DC next January over MLK weekend. Though it's many months away, I thought I'd start a new thread with the info so people can start planning ahead. So first off, yes it will be happening. I'm committed to making sure it happens, and thank those who have offered assistance. Thanks in particular to @Keenan for getting the ball rolling in this earlier thread. As with past DC gatherings, the weekend will span the MLK weekend, and coincide with Mid Atlantic Leather (MAL). There wasn’t one this past January because it coincided with the inaugural, and also covid. But assuming we’ve turned the corner with covid by January, we’ll be back in 2022. For those of you who may not be interested in MAL or the leather scene, not to worry! Traditionally the DC gathering has coincided with MAL because it's a long weekend and many of us are in town, but the forum gathering is otherwise independent of the leather activities and is welcoming to all forum members. You may choose to sample some of the MAL activities, or go "whole-hog", or alternatively forgo them completely. That's up to you. The Events We’ve followed a familiar script for the events over the years. However we’d be interested in people’s thoughts about possibly switching some things around, and finding a replacement for the strip-club evening. Welcome Happy Hour – Friday early evening – Cocktail Hour at or near MAL. This is an informal kickoff to the weekend, dovetailing with MAL. Great for those attending MAL, or who may just be curious in checking out the scene. Leather and uniforms are welcome but not necessary; jeans and t-shirts are totally fine, or you could right from the office in your suit (for those who appreciate men in suits!). For those who want to stick around and eat, we’ll also reserve a table at the hotel so we can saunter over and get some food while enjoying the eye candy. Weekend Happy Hour– A couple of years ago we added an informal get-together at a gay sports bar in the Dupont Circle Area on Saturday afternoon. It’s a change of scenery and has been fun. This will be either Saturday or Sunday afternoon, depending on the brunch. The Brunch – This has been the main event, and has traditionally been on Sunday. However Keenan made a good point that it coincides with the MAL contest, as well as the MAL brunch. Maybe we try it on Saturday for a change? If we did that, we’d swap it with the Saturday sports bar happy hour, which would then move to Sunday. It would allow people to meet each other at the brunch earlier in the weekend, and still have a chance to get together the next afternoon. Strip Club? – One of my favorite events of the weekend had been the visit to the all-nude Secrets bar on Saturday night. But alas, Secrets is no more. Any new strip clubs or gogo bars to check out? I've been monitoring the Strip Club forum... The Poll So how about this idea of having the brunch on Saturday, instead of Sunday? Let us know what you prefer with this surveymonkey poll: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/K2PF3DM We’re looking at either having the sports bar happy hour on Saturday and the brunch on Sunday, or vice versa. Don’t care? That’s an option too! Accommodations Generally speaking, DC within “The District” (i.e., DC proper) is easy to get around on foot, Metro, cab/rideshare. The weekend’s events will be mostly in the Dupont Circle area or at the Hyatt Capitol Hill (walking distance to Union Station), so anywhere near or between those locations will be convenient. Rooms at the MAL host hotel are already sold out, and they’re also sold out at the hotel across the street. But they still have arrangements at some of the neighboring hotels. Here is the link to the reservations page: http://www.leatherweekend.com/hotel/ There are several other hotels in the immediate vicinity of the Hyatt, within walking distance, that are not affiliated with MAL. However just as many forum members are likely to be staying at other DC locations, including the Dupont Circle area. If you have a question about a particular hotel you’re considering, post the question in this thread and you’re likely to receive feedback. Interest List If you're interested in attending, please send me a direct message and I’ll add you to the interest list. Be sure to include an email address, as the final itinerary will be sent by email, not PM. I won’t share your email address with anyone. If you've already contacted me and I've replied back to you, you're on the list. Questions and Suggestions If you have general questions or suggestions for the gathering, please add a reply to this thread or send me a PM. There is plenty of time to plan things so interested in suggestions.

It's made us closer too. Perhaps TOO close... we like spending time with each other, and as I've started going back to the office on occasion I feel a little bad leaving him at home. And to think I used to go to the office every day! Codependent, yes.

He’s sex on a stick!

... and @Lucky’s spouse is quite handsome too. Did I already say that? ?

Embarrassing mistake, sorry about that guys! I wish I was still sitting next to the pool... ?

Oh wow... can I receive a care package? ?

I'd be happy to organize the 2022 gathering. I'd helped out @ArVaGuy a few years ago so can take the reins having benefited from that experience. @ArVaGuy and those before him did a great job setting up the template, and I think overall the series of events works really well. I think the suggestion of switching the brunch from Sunday to Saturday is an interesting one. That might give people more flexibility in planning their weekend, and an opportunities to schedule follow-ups with new acquaintances given they'll be meeting earlier in the weekend. Though the DC gathering coincides with MAL, and MAL is loads of fun, there may be some who are less interested in MAL but still interested in meeting up. I think the past events, with a Friday happy hour meetup at MAL and the brunch in the gayborhood provided something for everybody. The year I got involved we added a happy hour at a gay sports bar to further widen the appeal, and I thought that was fun even though I'm not particularly sporty. In any event, I already booked my flights and hotel so I can say with certainty that there will be a 2022 DC gathering, and I'm happy to commit to organizing it so people can be confident in making plans. Flights were pretty cheap when I booked, and they still might be. As @Keenan mentions the MAL Hyatt is long sold out, but there are some nearby hotels participating that are offering MAL rates. You don't need to register for MAL to book at the participating hotels, and you can also attend much of MAL a la carte if you just want to try it out for size. If you're interested in attending, please send me a message through here or directly through my email at [email protected] so I can contact you as the date approaches (your info will be kept in confidence).

Daddy was a mentor and a friend. When I was just starting out, he gave me advice on my advertising: what photos to include and not to include, text of the ad, and how to handle appointments. He really enjoyed mentoring us guys. My favorite time was meeting with him several years ago for lunch at a casino restaurant he enjoyed frequenting in Vegas. He flirted shamelessly with the waiter, and more or less held court. We were there for hours, and I just thought to myself, just sit back and enjoy the ride. He seemed to be in his element. Like so many others here, this site has been a huge part of my life. I've learned so much, been entertained, and met great friends. I, and we, owe so much to him. RIP

So speaking of Palm Springs... :rolleyes: ...any suggestions for restaurants for meals that are not part of the official agenda? I haven’t been to PS in a couple of years. Anything new and notable?

Though I found the ad mostly obnoxious, I really loved this line.

This sounds like my gym locker room. Masks are required indoors including the locker room, so guys end up walking around with nothing but masks. Would seem like a fetish in other settings...!

Yes for me. I think he's very sexy.

I’m guessing the way you can tell the gays from the straights is their swimwear. I don’t think the straight guys would dare wear speedos!

Desert Open Studios is the same weekend, for those of you artsy types: https://www.desertopenstudios.com/ I've never been, so this could be something fun to discover I hope!

It’s wonderful to hear from you! Meeting you at the Chicago gathering those years ago was a highlight, and your posts have always been a delight. Regrettable circumstances this time around but I‘m with the others in sharing hope and sending good vibes your way. ??? Please share as much as you’re comfortable with here. We’re indeed a family and here to provide support. Especially for a salty broad!

I'm in the same boat. I had Covid back in May, but was on the fence for attending since I doubt I'll be vaccinated. But then a couple of weeks ago I took another antibody test and it showed I still have antibodies, even nine months after the initial infection. My understanding is reinfection is extremely rare. But I don't want to throw caution to the wind. I talked it over with my husband, who was infected at the same time as me, and he said he was fine with me attending. Also my 85-year old parents have now had their second shots of the vaccine, so I'm less concerned about getting them sick. Plus where I live mask wearing is still mandated pretty much everywhere, so that protection is still there. This could easily be its own conversation, and there have been lots of discussion elsewhere on the forum so I hope it does not hijack this thread. But I wanted to share my risk assessment and my thoughts on deciding to attend.

The closest I've got to renting hotels by the hour is a day rate rental. Dayuse is an app that offers rentals for several hours at a time. And more recently hotels themselves have begun offering day rates as a way to boost occupancy during the downturn resulting from the pandemic. Yesterday my husband an I rented a room for day use at the new Grand Hyatt at the SFO so we could escape construction that we've been having at our house, and it was a nice break. We booked it directly through the Hyatt website, so could accrue points and all that stuff. The day stay rate also included discounts on food and beverage, and half off the parking. But even if you book for the night and only use the room for a couple of hours, the hotel will not care. Hotel management fully understands what people use hotel rooms for, and I'm guessing a percentage of guests do not actually stay the night. If you're shy about checking out before nightfall, in most instances you can just leave the key card in the room and slip out. They will already have your credit card on file, so will just close out the bill in the morning and email you the receipt. I've done this loads of times and never had an issue.

I saw both of my parents naked from time to time when they had showered and were getting dressed. They were pretty blasé about it. While they thought there was nothing shameful about nudity (they came of age in the 60s), they didn't parade around naked either. It was just part of getting ready in the morning. We had a swimming pool, and Dad used to take a skinny dip each morning before work and swim a few laps. Again, didn't make a bid deal out of it, but I guess he figured it wasn't worth dealing with a swim suit for a quick dip. Maybe he picked that up from boarding school, as boys' swimming was still done in the nude at some schools when he was a kid. I never asked him about it though, so it's just a guess.

Writing a check to buy groceries.

Similar with me on the last car I financed. The bank had a really good interest rate. But then when I got tired of looking at the balance of what I owed, I started making double principal payments. It got paid off faster than I’d imagined. So not quite paying cash, but the pain of financing went away soon enough.

As far as expensive cars go, I'd think this is a good choice. Yes, you'll lose a lot of value in the first year if you're buying it new, but this is the kind of thing you could hold onto for a long time if you wanted. Toyotas run forever and the maintenance is pretty reasonable. They also hold their value pretty well. The Land Cruiser might even do better than average in retaining its value... I was looking for a used one last year and they seemed to carry a premium, at least where I live. So the question would be, can you afford it without busting your budget? If so, then why not. Only other thing to consider is gas consumption if you're not used to driving a big vehicle... it can be a surprise when you fill up at the pump, and then fill up again. But if you're only driving 10K miles/year it's probably not a big concern.

I like hairy. B or D.

When I was in junior high, I was giving an oral report on something or another, and was trying to sound scholarly by using the word "organisms." However as luck would have it, I said "orgasms." Several times in the report, no less. I didn't realize until later. That would explain the odd looks I got! Years later in college, a professor was giving a history lecture and made the exact same mistake, "orgasms" rather than "organisms." That time the lecture hall burst out laughing, as did he.

The other category that younger people may qualify is essential workers such as grocery workers. A buddy of mine who's in his 20s was able to get a vaccination because he works at Trader Joe's. I've seen guys advertising as having antibodies for a while now. I would not rely on self-reporting... I can imagine a guy saying he's sure he's had covid, and is sure he has antibodies but may not have confirmed either. Or if he's had covid and tested positive for antibodies, how long ago. That said, I had covid back in April/May. Two weeks ago I went back to get tested for antibodies out of curiosity, and I still have them nine months later. So it's possible.

Yeah... I mean a hard dick is a hard dick, right? Not like we haven't seen them before.