BenjaminNicholas

She's technically proficient and a beautiful woman. As for flavor, she's Disney bland. No belt. No balls. No vocal girth. I once sat through her trying to sing 'Mother' in Ragtime. I never forgave her for that.

I want to like Ben Platt, but I don't. DEH was a chore to sit through. It was bland-by-Wildhorn standard and the story felt like it pandered constantly.

This. And when people think they're anonymous, they act like classless garbage. Vetted reviews remain the way to go. Hooboy and Daddy had it right.

There really needs to be an I Don't Give Two Shits merit badge.

You're making this punchline way too easy. MUST. RESIST. SMARTASS.

In an odd way, I do too. It's not exactly how I'd suggest he package it. There's no gray area, that's for sure.

Of course I read the post. Don't be daft. I never excused his behavior. I commented on yours (a bit), but mostly on others who made it personal and ugly, real quick. We both agree that there are a lot of guys who aren't cut out to be escorts. Let them figure it out. The market will tell them and they'll be gone. What I don't like is an anonymous dogpile, especially when said-escort isn't even here to defend himself or comment. It's not what you say, but how you say it: From the sensationalistic headline alone, I knew this wouldn't go well.

The main difference being that he paints in broad strokes and doesn't name-names. When you namecheck an escort and provide a link, it's a whole different ball game. As you can see, it encouraged others to climb out from under their bridge and make much worse comments. There's no place for this kind of teenage pile-on bullshit here. Being critical with cause is one thing. Being an asshole is quite another.

I'm getting whiplash from this constant vacillation.

I do realize that the optics of living in Texas aren't so good right now. We do a two-step forward... and about 10 thousand steps back. As long as you don't need a Little Orphan Annie Secret Decoder Ring to hire a guy, I think we will survive.

It's window-dressing, meant to deter sex-trafficking, not hobbyists. It was also created and passed by people looking for reelection after 12-15 months of huge blunders with their base. Lipstick on a pig. Nothing will change.

Ah, but now you're painting a different picture. Before, it was how materialistic you are and how being kept played into having everything you wanted. You were willing to put off love for a Tesla. Now, you say that escorting made you feel dirty and that your mental health was deteriorating because of it. It's easier for me to see why you made the jump... And I say that with zero judgement. Health is wealth. I just wish there was less bravado in your initial posts so we could have gotten to the point more quickly.

A gilded cage is still a cage. To be frank, I wouldn't call that lucky.

I'd say that the Hudson Yards Equinox is the most overtly gay, as it's the newest, largest and has a pool. It's got plenty of guys fucking around in the locker room. They really don't even try to hide it.

It's threads like these that again prove why this board has so few escorts wanting to be part of the discussion.

It's changed so much, especially over the last decade. The new 'balanced men' initiative replaced the 'let's get swole, drunk and fuck' mindset. I regret nothing.

It's not really an LA thing. It's a money thing. The West coast cruises are some of the least expensive gay cruises you can take, so they attract that contingent of the community. Having been on several starting foreign-port (Asia, Europe) gay cruises, they are COMPLETELY different. I wouldn't say it made me a gay cruise fan, but the pax are a full step-up from what's on the US-based boats. I also prefer the cruise lines they tend to use out of Asia and Europe (Azamara, Ponant, Uniworld).

SigEp

Hooboy and Daddy had it right to begin with: Vetted reviews are the way to go. It's more work, but there's quality in that standardization. Otherwise, you end up with a shitstorm that happens when you allow every 'anonymous' anyone to post whatever they want about an escort, unchecked. This site's reputation has never been one to tear people (escort or otherwise) down. I don't think it needs to start down that road now.

Costa Rica is the spot to go onto Airbnb or VRBO and find a fantastic home/compound. Prices are uniformly affordable. The homeowner can usually have groceries arranged (or tell you where to shop) or, if you'd like, have a cook come in. While a hotel would be more traditionally convenient, the houses on offer in CR are incredible.

When the review side goes live, it should- in theory- boost traffic here: There's always been a great deal of sideways handshaking between the two sites (that is, when the two sites were linked). There's also the option of SEO and tinkering with some paid targeted advertising. Twitter would be the easiest. Facebook has a more firm TOS. Not sure about IG. More than anything, both sites (reviews/forum) need social accounts. Insta and Twitter at the least. It's how you gain and churn an audience. It would also invite in a younger contingent of posters/reviewers. There are many of us here who have solid socials already who could help with that.

SURVEY SAYS.... YES. With some, there's always a power-play happening when hiring an escort: A sense of quietly- or not so quietly- making it clear they're 'above' the guys they hire. That level of unmitigated ego can't be pushed down for long. It's a wash, rinse and repeat, classic defect. It also makes them easier to spot and drop.

The wine business is still strong with the younger set, especially since many vineyards are bottling quality product that's not at all expensive. One example: Rosé has been a mainstay for millennials. It's continued to see a huge boost for the wine industry. Craft beer has never been stronger. Seltzers (alco-pop) are huge too.

Hate to tell you this, but this forum has (known) members who stalk, dox and harass escorts outside of the board. it's just a malfunctioning part of how this place has always run. Unchecked obsession is an incredibly unhealthy thing.