Marzbarz

I met with him for the third time recently.  He's fantastic - incredibly kind and gentle.  I enjoy our conversations so much - he always has something interesting to say.  I wish I had the funds to travel with him and just to spend time with him. 
I have a hard time believing he's totally straight - I would suspect bi, because, just because.  LOL.  I do wonder why he quit porn, but he said bottoming was painful for him.  One last thing - he's always stayed in perfectly acceptable motels - Sheraton, Marriott. 

Sorry to hear about your experiences.  When I was last in Portland in 2019, I gave up walking to/from Stag after dark for my own safety.  But I still felt safe enough to take the light rail to Silverado.  It's a pity you didn't make it in, it is great inside.
Thank you for sharing, so others like you and I who aren't as accustomed to frequent encounters with the mentally ill, homeless, and drugs can be aware of what to expect and plan accordingly.

Thanks, sir.  I've already left, but my last day there I took the streetcar to Powell's and then walked to both places - it was about 4pm.  Burnside is OK, but it got dicey once I got to the side streets.  I felt safe enough during the day.  BTW, Silverado has a Couch Street address, but it's entrance is on the side street, 6th Avenue.  This was confusing to me and the Uber driver - we couldn't find the place.  I don't believe "Silverado" appears on the building on the Couch Street side.  Maybe I'm wrong...
I did go in Stag and had a drink - there were some dancers there.  
Maybe next time I go to PDX I'll try again.   Thanks for your suggestion...

Sorry to report, but I’m in Portland now and just took an Uber to Silverado and Stag.  The area looked awful, and I’m from Detroit.  The Uber driver was concerned and told me not to get out of the car- that it was a very bad area.  So I didn’t.  I’d asked at the hotel the day before about walking to Powell Books nearby but was told to take the tram because the area was bad.
Any suggestions for a plain old gay bar in a safer part of town?
Damn, I wanted to see naked men so bad.
Other parts of town look fine.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The media always exaggerate things a bit in order to keeps folks watching. The murder rate in Portland is certainly not as high as in some of the poorest states of the country but burglaries, shoplifting, car break ins, and other property crimes have been on the rise and now are slowing coming back to pre-pandemic levels.
@Marzbarz Just avoid walking around with your iPhone in your hands unless you absolutely have to use it, know where you're going and you'll be ok. 

Crime in Oregon starts to trend down, according to FBI data
WWW.OPB.ORG A rise in crime during the pandemic across most of Oregon’s largest cities — including Portland — is abating, according to a new state analysis of preliminary federal...  
Portland Crime Statistics
WWW.PORTLAND.GOV Interactive report summarizing the type and number of report offenses by Neighborhood.  

I live in downtown Portland. It’s no worse than any other city. You just need to use street sense and be aware of your surroundings. The vast majority of people I meet on the streets are friendly and harmless

I like to stay at the Hoxton, very close to Stag. It’s also near Chinatown. I’ve never had any issues walking around that area. Portland is far from being a dangerous city. Those rankings are generally in the Southeast and especially the river cities.
Portland nowhere near most dangerous cities in the US, new study of crime data shows
WWW.KPTV.COM Despite frequent negative media coverage, Portland is not even close to one of the most dangerous cities in...  

I met with him for the third time recently.  He's fantastic - incredibly kind and gentle.  I enjoy our conversations so much - he always has something interesting to say.  I wish I had the funds to travel with him and just to spend time with him. 
I have a hard time believing he's totally straight - I would suspect bi, because, just because.  LOL.  I do wonder why he quit porn, but he said bottoming was painful for him.  One last thing - he's always stayed in perfectly acceptable motels - Sheraton, Marriott. 

I met with him for the third time recently.  He's fantastic - incredibly kind and gentle.  I enjoy our conversations so much - he always has something interesting to say.  I wish I had the funds to travel with him and just to spend time with him. 
I have a hard time believing he's totally straight - I would suspect bi, because, just because.  LOL.  I do wonder why he quit porn, but he said bottoming was painful for him.  One last thing - he's always stayed in perfectly acceptable motels - Sheraton, Marriott. 

You have a hard time believing he’s “totally straight” because that is impossible at this point. 

I met with him for the third time recently.  He's fantastic - incredibly kind and gentle.  I enjoy our conversations so much - he always has something interesting to say.  I wish I had the funds to travel with him and just to spend time with him. 
I have a hard time believing he's totally straight - I would suspect bi, because, just because.  LOL.  I do wonder why he quit porn, but he said bottoming was painful for him.  One last thing - he's always stayed in perfectly acceptable motels - Sheraton, Marriott. 

Thanks for the info.  That's too bad. 😞

I met him last week.  I'd highly recommend him.  Pictures are accurate.  Incredibly nice person.

I met him last week.  I'd highly recommend him.  Pictures are accurate.  Incredibly nice person.

Josh, thanks for the good advice. You've brought up some concerns I hadn't even considered.
 
I'm convinced: it's best to insist on meeting in the bar or lobby. Also, good idea about not divulging the name of the hotel too early. I would never have considered the possibility of the police setting up a sting operation in the client's hotel.
 
It's good to know I wasn't just being a nervous Nellie, and that a lot of other guys have the same concerns.

Thanks for the responses. This was for a first-time meeting. ( I wouldn't have any problems texting hotel information to a provider I knew. ) Also, with a first-timer, either with phone or texting, I'm very careful what I include: basically arranging for a meeting and that's all. Nothing about what I want to happen at the meeting.
 
I like the idea of meeting a new person in a public area, especially if the pictures are not accurate. This would be a good reason to stay at a hotel with a key card system. I was at an older, boutique hotel, which didn't have key cards.
 
From an escort's perspective, I think it's better for the escort if they can get a definite room number, but it made me uncomfortable for the escort to ask for it. I was afraid it could have been a sting operation, and I'd be leading the police straight to me. Although, as I said, I never put anything "incriminating" in the text.
 
But my worries were needless - we had a great time.
 
Not too long ago, I met an escort who had been the victim of a sting operation. He was very careful with me and seemed like a cautious guy. It would seem to me the police have better things to do.
 
BTW, I just found out about Protonmail and signed up. Thanks for the info on Signal/Telegram.

I saw Tommy in December. I'd say he's early 30s - maybe 35 at the most, but he looks great. Like I told him, his pictures don't do him justice. He's very handsome, and his muscles are gigantic. And best of all, he had no attitude. He was just a great guy - like we'd been buddies forever. There was instant rapport.