Courage

My father has a cousin who is the gayest men I've ever met who was married & "straight". Being married to a woman, doesn't make you "straight".

I didn't make an assertion one way or the other--just reported the statements of his wife and a gay guy who knew him 50 years. If your own Mr. Rogers is gay, cool beans.

Not sure if this is the right corner of the forum to post, but I wanted to recommend the documentary about Fred Rogers currently in theaters. Most of the audience was a bit misty by the end.

Several interesting bits of gay history.

A fascinating part of it was Rogers' professional relationship and personal interaction with François Clemmons, a gay black man who Rogers recruited to play the police officer on the show.

Another bit, which I never thought about, was perceptions of Rogers' own sexuality. There's a weird moment when Tom Snyder asks Rogers to his face whether he's straight (Rogers' answer is edited out). Clemmons and his wife say he was straight.

Oh, and Westboro showed up at his funeral.

I didn't leave thinking he was Jesus or anything, but I did like him a lot better than when I was a kid.

Being gay and black exposes you to worse treatment than one gets being only either black or gay. It is reflected anecdotally and certainly in AIDS incidence statistics.

You don't have to blow anybody you don't want to, but being decent to people is good for you as well as them.

Mark down the following 3 locations: 1. City Hall. 2. Philly Art Museum. 3. Rittenhouse Square. Connect the dots - do not stray beyond 2 blocks of triangle indicated.

Ya know, that makes a certain sense...

My first apartment in Philly was in a townhouse on a pleasant residential block a short walk from City Hall, between Rittenhouse Square and the Gayborhood; it cost $60/mo.

Lunch costs that much now! My first non-campus apartment was a $700 studio in a small highrise in Fairmount in the late 90s (I knew the neighborhood before the real estate agents changed the name to "Art Museum").

Does Philadelphia have rent control?

Not that I've ever heard of.

If your job is not in the city, you may not want to live there due to the sizable wage tax

Unfortunately, I will be subject to the wage tax. C'est la vie.

Haven't been there in a few years but its quite trendy in a Hoboken-esqe way. I'd imagine it could be a bit pricey though.

It's been awhile for me, too. A quick look on Zillow suggests you're right about it being pricey, but I'm kinda resigned that anyplace both nice and convenient will be pricey. I read a while ago that they no longer have the big bike race that went down to Logan Circle. :-(

I live in Philadelphia. My suggestion near the Benj Franklin Parkway where the apartments are relatively cheap because of massive development.

Will look carefully. Lived there in the late 90s and have an elderly relative still there. It is pretty nice.

From my experience of having lived in south Jersey many years ago, it seemed to me that the area around Rittenhouse Square was gay friendly and relatively safe (though a friend got mugged in the park there late one night). Not sure if that is true today. I worked in North Philly (north of Temple U.) and would not recommend that to anyone, unless they have bulldozed it and started over.

I lived one year near Temple and moved to Fairmount, but believe that near campus is (in relative terms) much safer than it used to be. Don't wanna be around students, though :-)

Suggest you PM WilliamM who lives there.

Thank you, I knew that there were a few people here who live in Philadelphia. I should ask @WilliamM if he'd mind a message from a stranger first...

So a job will return me to Philly after 20 years--I was a student there through the 90s.

I'm in the process of scoping out neighborhoods to rent a one-bedroom apartment in and, obviously, the place has changed. I visit regularly, but don't venture far outside Center City or the sports complex.

My priorities are:

1) Convenience to City Hall area, either by proximity or a Septa ride. I don't want to pay insurance and parking.

2) Good prospects for socializing. I'm early 40-something and have family and acquaintances in the city, but am leaving behind a lot of friends when I go.

3) Keeping rent to at *most* $1,600 (cheaper obviously welcome).

4) Gay-friendliness and safety.

@Eric Hassan So sorry to read about this. May both your recoveries be swift and complete.

This is a very ugly time on a number of fronts.

Ah, to be young and know everything! I remember that feeling. Enjoy it.

Courage is also the name of an ex gay ministry.

And Avalon is the name of a Toyota. :-)

Honestly never heard of them 'til now. I'm not RC, though.

[uSER=14922]@Courage![/uSER] great username!

 

It was partially homage to Rather, who I am a fan of...though I wouldn't wanna see him in porn <shudder>

Do my mom's Erica Jong books count?

Always interesting responses on here...so, anyone have a suggestion for simple meditation techniques? A link or book title'd be helpful.

My Indian GP says meditation and deep breathing helps with anxiety. I asked my crunchy granola psychologist friends and they suggested a few names that sounded way more involved than I'm likely to carry through on.

I am not sure one's BMI is how others gauge overweightness in the escort world but it is a great scientific method.

Once again, my sparkling conversational skills show why I must pay for what other get free

How much does one have to weigh to be considered overweight?

I realize your question might be rhetorical,...but it depends on height. For medical purposes, a Body Mass Index > 25 is considered "overweight," and > 30 is "obese." Although as a calculation based solely on weight/mass and height there are bodybuilders who might disagree :-D

Here is the NIH BMI calculator: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/lose_wt/BMI/bmicalc.htm

This has been an interesting thread. One thing, that pertains in *my* case as a *client*, is that in addition to being big I'm not particularly experienced. I know through expensive hard luck that I'm not the sexual athlete depicted in porn and it's triply difficult being self-conscious, perhaps unrealistic, and--in the moment--finding practical positions to be (in my case) an aspiring top and as (related by others) a functional bottom. So far, oral has provided the best experience, but fantasy being what it is I'll try again.

While I don't fault escorts for not being expert in helping a client with difficulties cope, I'd like to imagine it's a credit to the very best providers if they can help breaking people in, so to speak :-D

I'll admit to being jealous of my brothers for the sort of legacy that having children confers, but no.

I lived there for seven years in the 90s going to two of the large universities. I lived primarily in University City and Fairmount. Frankly, I liked it better before what someone above called the "renaissance." It has become much more expensive, much more congested, much more touristy, much more bourgeois, and much less unique. It has been very good for some people, but some of the things that gave the city character exist only as commercial shells of themselves or memories.

As for safety--most places an affluent traveler or resident would visit are safer than the places that add to the crime statistics. If you keep your head about you and stick to the well-lighted beaten path, you'll be fine. If you go looking for trouble, there are many places to find it.

You don't believe in gaydar?

I believe it is something some people think they have. I suspect it picks up on some gays with some traits fairly reliably. I suspect it misses people who lack those traits but are gay--i.e., men attracted to men but who are butch, closeted, and/or in denial.