bigjoey

While I am more that glad to be living in the present, I still miss the Gaiety and the beautiful men coming out through the silver curtain for the Grand Finale😥.

He use to escort several years ago but opened up his own gym.  Guess the trainer business needs some side income to support him.

Pictures and information are accurate. I know several people who socialize with him and say he’s a “good guy.”

39 minutes ago, Tygerscent said:

There was a fun but troubled little place called Cafe’ des Artistes, One West @ 67th… closed around 2009~ Do you reserve it~? I was charmed by the murals and enjoyed the food there~ It was a 3D experience… Unfortunate regarding the title 19 ending~ 😬 

 It is now the Leapard Des Artistes: apparently equally naughty… I guess it is true… I leopard can not change its spots~  

 

Great place in its day.  Fond memories👍.  Thanks for the reminder🙏

3 hours ago, Tygerscent said:

Over rated: Four seasons NYC…

 went there several times.

 Experience 0.5: I was younger and very naïve about dining at the four seasons restaurant NYC… OK, business casual and they basically want a collared shirt, tie and a suit coat. I actually came dressed in a collared shirt, tie and a sport jacket. They didn’t like the jacket. It was off white~ At first I honestly thought they were kidding… …Because who makes that big of a deal out of the color of your sports jacket~?

  They got all flustered and upset about it, (three people to deal with this like I’d come in there with a giraffe… nothing against giraffes)~ They said they would find something suitable in the back room. They brought three different jackets. They all fit but, they kept switching the jackets because they didn’t exactly match my shirt and tie. Then they went to get me another tie to make it an ensemble. I just wanted to go in there to enjoy a meal. It was like a comedy show. They just put way too much attention on their snobbery and self image at the cost of providing a relaxing and comfortable meal~ When their image comes before the comfort and enjoyment of the Customer/diner, it’s a bad sign~ There attempt to avoid being the shame of an off white sport coat became a spectacle in itself~    
 

Experience #1: Prom night: (not mine). Several couples we’re having dessert comprised of cotton candy with raisins on it… literally red and green cotton candy with raisins on it and was priced around $50. 😳 Cute little gimmick but, not cute enough to mask the fact that it’s carnival food they are selling for $50. Even if they made 200 of those dishes, it’s literally a few bags of sugar and a couple boxes of raisins. I couldn’t believe people were paying the money for cotton candy with raisins on it. Somethings so inexpensive and easy to make could’ve been given away for free and it would’ve made them look like a they cared~ Did I mention that it was cotton candy with raisins on it? It’s $2.00 at a carnival. Cotton candy with… oh never mind~ 

Experience #2: I ordered my meal and was chatting with my Client when the courses began to arrive. The waiter was literally standing over my shoulder within arms reach. I’m chatting with my client and having a relaxing evening with him but, apparently was not finishing my courses quick enough. In fact, not even starting them quick enough for this waiter. For two courses I literally got one bite off of the plate before the waiter took the food away.

 The second course I was dipping in for a taste and he pulled the plate away~ 😳

 The third time he tried to do it I actually took my fork and acted like I was going to stab his hand and he looked mortified,  pulled his hands away quickly and stood down~ Really, aren’t we there to eat and enjoy the meal~?
 I was surprised he didn’t slap my hand with a ruler. Apparently, you’re only supposed to look at what they bring you. If that is the case it would’ve been suffice for me to simply read the menu and call it a night. Make a bed time story out of it~ Something to fall asleep to~ (Drinkin’, Winkin’ and Nod)
  I’ve been in exceptionally nice restaurants before… I understand timing. It wasn’t like I was ruining the timing for the chef and his courses. 
 When we got to dessert, I saw something called summer pudding on the menu and I had never experienced it before. It sounded fascinating to me and I was really excited about it~ So, I ordered the summer pudding. The waiter said: “you’ll have the raspberry flambois~“ I said: “I’m sorry. I actually asked for the Summer pudding”.

 He said: “Sir, you’ll have the raspberry flambois.”.

 I said: “I’ve never had the summer pudding~ it sounds fantastic~! I’d like to try that please”. 
 He got visibly upset and insisted on the raspberry slam blah and further explained that if I really wanted, I could have the summer pudding but, the chef would be very upset because, it didn’t match the rest of my meal. (A meal, keep in mind, I barely got to taste making what dessert I order a moot point). The entire time I’m wondering why this waiter is being confrontational about a dessert. The question crossed my mind… “Who is eating the meal… the chef or myself~?” The waiter went as far as to bring the chef to the table. It was completely embarrassing and quite frankly inappropriate. I get that the chef is creating his art but, why offer anybody a choice on the menu at all if the chef is going to pick out everything you eat. Save the banter and simply make a prefix only menu in that case~ Don’t embarrass the Customer~ 
 
I think it was just the way all of these things  were handled that really was offensive to me as a diner there.

 I’ve been to five star Michelin restaurants before where three or four prefix menus are offered~ Even then, if you had a food allergy or simply didn’t favor some thing, an option was offered and the chef and staff were happy to oblige, often with some extra side dish~ Often times the owner or head Chef comes to the table to have a nice little chat just to say hello and offer friendship.
 They make you feel welcome and wanted… That vibe was not happening at four seasons New York City.
  

I still have a collection of three of the Four Season ashtrays.  Back in the “old days”, each place setting had an ash tray.  They had one for each season and changed them out accordingly.  

It was one of the most beautiful mid century modern rooms anywhere with those bead curtains that gently swayed.

While never cheap, the food was always good.  The service was excellent.  BUT I am going back 40-50 years ago when the restaurant built its reputation.

2 hours ago, TumYum said:

Back to the topic... I will let YOU decide if it is worth the time while you are in Singapore to visit the:

 

The REAL Museum of Ice Cream is in NY:

26 minutes ago, nycman said:

 

You take friends….to a museum….about a steamboat….that was buried…in a cornfield….in Kansas?

Dear lord, how is it possible that Kansas hasn’t passed a law requiring gun safes?

By all that’s holy, you people should be dead. 

Actually, the museum is in Missouri.  The riverboat was on the Missouri River when it sunk.  The river had shifted over the years, leaving the boat in Kansas.

Unless you see the museum, don’t knock it.  I have taken visitors  there who live all over the world, and they have all found it a great museum.  In addition, it is clearly the world’s best sunken riverboat museum🏆🥇😀😀

On 12/3/2021 at 6:54 PM, marylander1940 said:

Arabia Steamboat Museum - Wikipedia

To find a steam boat buried in a corn field... a friend took me to this this underrated and unknown museum and I loved it. 

I take all my out-if-town visitors there and they love it.  Great museum.

For me, going to college was just expected by family.  It was not only just going to college but what type of graduate education to be a “professional”: doctor, lawyer or dentist were the main choices offered.

Myself, sister and all cousins went to college.  Most of the females went into teaching (some had masters degrees) and all the males got professional degrees.  

The expectations were set high and it never occurred to any of us not to work hard to meet those expectations.

Except for the set being real and the fireworks, better music and direction with Zeffirelli’s Aida😀😀:
 

That’s how the Italians do ancient Egypt😀😀😀.

10 hours ago, HoseMaster said:

Yes.  I’ve done a few “vacations” with escorts over the years, and $2,500 for the week is the most I’ve spent.  If you ask around, you’ll find ones that will do that rate.

Same here.  In the days before the pandemic when I hired for a week or more, if the activity that week included a great location with great experiences that appealed to the escort, the price for his time dropped.

4 hours ago, E.T.Bass said:

 

 

Has anyone seen the WWI Museum in KC or the Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City?  They sound interesting but I never hear them praised much.

The World War I Museum is absolutely amazing.  Not just the artifacts but also the presentation and interactive displays.  When I have visitors and we go there, we usually spend about 3 hours.  Well worth the time👍

https://www.theworldwar.org/
 

Cruise ships have even stricter No Smoking Policies. The ships usually have a small outside smoking area but do not allow smoking anywhere else.  They don’t worry about the “anything else” because smoking gets you dropped off at the next port😱.

2 hours ago, Benjamin_Nicholas said:

Is this Calvin's brother?

Correct.  I’m getting old🥵

12 hours ago, rustyrex said:

Funny, I used to draw.  I started doodling again last night.  Better than a stick figure but far from real life portraits.  The goal is to create a life like drawing of a gorgeous naked man that would be worthy of hanging in a museum...or an erotic book cover. 

Maybe having a live, nude model might help👍😀.

10 hours ago, Charlie said:

I did a lot of volunteer work during the early years of the AIDS epidemic, and I was getting burned out. I decided I needed a new hobby, so I took up something I had always wanted to do, which was play the piano. I was in my late 40s, had no experience and couldn't even read music, but hired a teacher who lived near me, who was recommended by a friend. She was an elderly graduate of the Curtis Institute, and she gave lessons in her home, so I had to buy my own piano to practice at my home. She was a delightful personality; we chatted a lot, and I discovered that she had been the favorite pupil of Isabella Vengerova, whose own piano teacher had been Johannes Brahms! One day she had to cancel our lesson because she was having lunch with her old friend Lenny, who was visiting--it turned out to be Leonard Bernstein. My interest was classical music, but after two years of lessons, I could barely manage a short and simple piece by Mozart, and it was time to admit to myself that my goals had been far too ambitious. I was about to go off to Czechoslovakia for a one year sabbatical, which was an ideal excuse to use for stopping my lessons with Bella, and shortly after I returned, I had new responsibilities which were an excuse not to resume them. I would sit down occasionally to practice at home after that, but my heart wasn't in it any longer, once I realized that I would never be able to play for my own entertainment. I sold the piano before we moved to California.

During the pandemic, I sometimes wished I had the piano back, so I could use the empty hours at home to try to practice again, but I knew that was really just foolish day-dreaming.

Great story.  Thanks for sharing.  In the Kevin Bacon game of personal relationships, nice that you are 3 links removed from Brahms🏆👍😊. The 

What amazes me is why didn’t the taxi companies rush to get apps?   They have them now but it took a long time.

8 minutes ago, JoeMendoza said:

wow, just realized if an average person poops a pound a day, that is about 340 tons of poop dumped in the ocean for that one 274-night cruise (hopefully there's a good way to dispose of it). talk about toxic waste!

long cruises like that scare me... mostly because of this.

 

I would probably just opt for going to the places in the world I like to visit (thru planes first), then maybe charter a nice yacht (with hunky deck crews) for a couple days to enjoy scenes that might actually be nice to see - like Tahiti...definitely a combo of land and water - too much of one thing, I think is just not my vibe.

Google is our friend:

https://www.news.com.au/travel/travel-ideas/cruises/what-really-happens-to-your-poo-when-staying-on-a-cruise-ship/news-story/c4f45391a07a51863efc3d5633d51c8e?amp

There was a time when trains and planes just dumped waste along the way🥵.  Now they put it in storage tanks to be pumped out and properly disposed.👍😀

 

4 hours ago, Epigonos said:

I'm with Vegas_nw1982 in not being a fan of very large and mega ships.  I have cruised on Princess and Oceania.  Three or four years ago Princess began nickel and diming it passengers.  Items that had once been included where no longer so.  Menu choices were greatly reduced and food quality deteriorated.  I proceeded to switch to Oceania and have been very pleased.  There is no extra fee for the specialty dinning-rooms and things like bottled water are handed out free to people going ashore.  Although Oceania cruises are more expensive than Princess ones in the end they cost about same when you consider what you pay for on Princess and what is free on Oceania. 

 

I’ve been on a half dozen Oceania cruises and had great experiences.  Being all inclusive, no surprises.  Great staff.  The ships are smaller than the huge ones like Carnival do really no lines for meals or shows.  Nice gyms.  Food was good and usually reflected the ports where we stopped so it was changing all the time.  The speciality restaurants were excellent.

Canyon Ranch runs the spas so good service there (no happy endings🥲😀)

Highly recommend.👍

There are people who live on cruise ships now.  My mother met a few of them on her twice yearly Crystal Cruises.  Some thoughts:

1-normally while you are on the ship for nine months, other passengers are only doing certain segments so you meet new people all the time.  One woman told my mother she plays bridge almost every day and she loves having new partners every 10-15 days as people come and leave for different segments.

2-another woman told my mother that she has different grandchildren join her for different segments so that about half the time she has a grandchild (or child) with her.

3-they love having “staff”: maid service daily, all meals not only in various restaurants but room service 24/7, a butler, laundry, casino and nightly entertainment, high tea, spa services like massages and hair salon, lectures, etc.  Shore excursions if they want (most were well traveled and had been to the ports many times and just stayed on board).

4-they loved meeting new people as segments changed.  New stories to hear and a new audience to hear their stories.

5-many had sold their homes and had a fixed address with a child so the cost of the ship was offset by savings of having a house (taxes, utilities, up keep, insurance), food, entertainment, automobile, etc.

I had the feeling that many of them were wealthy widows and had full suites.  I think many liked the attention of the crew.  Crystal Cruises were geared to an “older” crowd with formal nights and the ship’s officers danced with the ladies.  The dining room had a captain’s table and I’m sure the handsome captain lavished attention on these residents. 

The medical care on the Crystal ships was good.  The infirmary had multiple dialysis machines!! (My mother’s comment was with multiple dialysis machines, they knew their client base well😀).

If a woman can do it, I suppose there are male versions but just not as open:

https://www.the-sun.com/lifestyle/3941738/sugar-mama-pay-man-15-years-younger-cougar/

Are there any open male versions of this where both parties admit the reality of the relationship?    I know of ones that were “wink wink” like Nick Gruber and Kevin Klein but just not this blatant.

 

1 hour ago, bostonhb said:

Oh to be a fly on this wall 

A fly on the wall OR better yet an invitee to be an observer😀

😀 Soon to be official city post with a stipend and city resources😱:

$8.00😱🥵

47 minutes ago, tassojunior said:

What really bugs me is all the iPad requests for tip amount on carry-outs. Even places that are all carry-out. You want 20% for handing me a muffin? 

 

Absolutely correct.  I hate these tip screens at carry out places where the clerk has done nothing to deserve a tip.  If I pick my food up from a case and the only effort the clerk has done is to wave the bar code reader on my item(s) and tell me to put my credit card in the slot and not even bag the order, I find it difficult to think they are going to get an 18% tip minimum.

I have become brazen in my old age👍😇😀. I have started hitting the “OTHER” button and then giving a dollar if the clerk is good.

These discussions always take me back to my beloved Gaiety Theater days in the 1990’s when the “older” veterans use to complain that the dancers wouldn’t do hotel room privates for $50 anymore.🥵