Charlie

Of course, I made the trek out to Versailles on my first trip to Paris in 1971. Some of the buildings were not open to the public at that time, so what I remember more is the gardens.

Why didn't I think of that?

My partner and I always go out to dinner at a good local restaurant on my birthday. If it is a milestone birthday, I try to do something extra. For instance, on my 70th, we went out to dinner with an old friend, at a fashionable restaurant near his flat in London. On my 35th birthday, I was feeling depressed about growing old, and decided I didn't want to do anything. I was persuaded to stop by a friend's house for a drink, and when I walked into the living room, three dozen people shouted "SURPRISE!" That is still my best birthday ever. My partner's birthday also happens to be the anniversary of the day we met (at a birthday dinner party that a friend of his arranged), so we usually make more of an elaborate occasion out of that. On his 75th birthday, I surprised him by arranging for a chauffeured 1940 Cadillac to take us on a wine-tasting tour in the Santa Ynez Valley. It blew my gift-giving budget for the year, but I figured it might be the last milestone birthday celebration he would remember. I was wrong: for his 80th, his youngest brother threw a huge family shindig that brought the whole family together in their Ohio hometown for a weekend of nostalgia. My best friend threw a wonderful catered bash for family, friends and colleagues, to celebrate his 50th birthday. He said he did it because he had a premonition that he might not have another true milestone birthday. He was right: he died at 54. So go ahead and treat yourself on your day.

I used to own #94!

What I don't like about making my bed is that it is so difficult to find sheets that are not 100% cotton, which means that they are always wrinkled, and I refuse to iron sheets. I used to be able to buy decent colored sheets that were cotton-polyester blends of various kinds that stayed relatively unwrinkled, but I can't find them any longer. That means that I always have to use some kind of spread over them, and they are getting harder to find--at a reasonable price--as well.

I really don't miss the real Sunday paper. I always felt an obligation to read everything, and now I only read as much of it as I feel like reading online. It's sort of like this MB: I used to read every thread, and not I skip over most of it.

Home delivery of The Desert Sun costs a couple dollars more than buying it every day on the newsstand. I used to love reading the Sunday NY Times, but delivery was costing me $90/mo; then I learned I could get it digitally for $15/mo.

I have been there often, so of course one time I took advantage of the opportunity to do what the name suggested. I have also been to Weed, California, a number of times, but never indulged.

On the newsstand, our local paper, The Desert Sun, costs $2, and the Los Angeles Times costs $2.75. However, we have both delivered early each morning, because my spouse likes to cut out the crosswords and work on them during the day. I have a digital subscription to the New York Times, for $15/mo.

One of my favorite pieces of furniture is our living room sofa, which we bought in 1972. When we moved to CA in 2004, we had the frame and stuffing renovated, but the upholstery (a Belgian fabric that has worn like iron) was in such good shape that all it needed was cleaning. If one buys good furniture and takes care of it, there is no need to replace it, unless one just wants something different, or needs something different in a new space. For years our dining room table was one we inherited, that had been handcrafted for my spouse's grandparents in 1904. It did eventually become rickety, so we replaced it with a new, modern one in 1976; it didn't stand up quite as well, so we had to replace that one with another new one in 2017. My secretary desk was made from a Williamsburg pattern by a carpenter for my mother-in-law in 1950, and it is solid as a rock. It would be foolish to replace it just because it has some nicks and scratches from numerous moves.

The title of this thread brought back happy memories of all those exciting days and nights cruising Washington Square, Christopher St, Greenwich St, CPW, 42nd St. etc. A lot changes in sixty years.

Loved him, loved the book. And, boy, does his passing make me feel old.

Nowadays, I usually wake as soon as there is any light in the sky, because if one wants to get anything done outdoors in Palm Springs in summer, one has to do it before it gets too hot (i.e., before the temperature gets into triple figures). When I was young and wild, however, I often got home from my nighttime adventures about the same time I now get up to start the day.

On Friday, it was 119 here in Palm Springs. At night, long after dark, it was still 106. When I took the dog out to do his business, he looked around, said no thanks, and went back inside. During the day, I have to carry him to a neighbor's beautiful lawn and put him down on the grass in the shade of a tree to get him to do anything, then carry him home again. This morning I started playing tennis at 7:30; we normally play till 9:30, but at 8:50 the temperature on court was 101, so we decided to quit. We had reservations for dinner this evening on the outside patio of a local restaurant, but I called and asked them to change the reservation to a table indoors, because the temperature at dinnertime is supposed to be 108.

Thank you, Moondance. This may be my favorite thread in the Gallery.

I suspect there are still remnants of the hustler life that John Rechy knew there.

Both.

My guess is that traffic on the 5 on Tuesday afternoon will be much heavier going northbound out of LA and SFV than southbound into the valley, and vice versa on Thursday.

I have no nieces or nephews of my own, but my partner has four middle-aged nieces and a nephew, all of whom call him Uncle Joe. We have been together since before any of them were born, so they have known me all their lives. Three of the nieces still call me Charlie, but since our marriage, one niece and the nephew call me Uncle Charlie.

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. Those days are long gone. Center City is full of expensive new hi-rises. The Gayborhood has been invaded by straight millenials who want to live close to their offices and restaurants. One used to be able to move up toward the Art Museum or across the Schuylkill to Powelton, but they have also become crowded and expensive. Spring Garden may still be a possibility. I'm told that Fishtown and even Frankford are the new "happening" neighborhoods, but I have no experience with either one. I think it is probably still possible to find affordable places in Bella Vista, Queen Village, or the area south of South St west of Broad. If convenience to City Hall is important to you, and you can't find someplace within walking distance, don't stray far from stops on the Market or Broad St subways.

Unfortunately, not everyone who advertises as an "escort" is a mentally/emotionally stable businessman. You have turned down all his offers, but he seems to hear your reasons as an invitation to bargain, not as the definite rejections that you have tried to imply. Do not continue to interact with him in any way, because it just keeps you in his thoughts. Keep a record of his attempts to contact you, however, in case legal action does eventually become necessary.

Nate was the best escort experience I ever had in LA. Period. However, I would warn that some photos in his ad are several years old. I have met Kristian several times socially, but I have seen his cock, and it is memorable. He is also very personable. Iron Maus I have met only briefly, and he seems sweet, but he appears somewhat younger than the other men you have mentioned here, and I suspect that maturity is part of what you find attractive, if you are turned on by Roman and Westcoastmike.

Although I am a very experienced traveler, all over the world, I still don't sleep well the night before a trip--especially if it involves flying--and I always have nervous bowels until we are underway. Once I am aboard the plane/ship/train/car/horse, etc., I usually relax, until I have to move on to the next phase of the journey.

If you squint, he looks like Tim Tebow.

It is interesting that most of these bald guys have a lot of body hair.