EZEtoGRU

My own encounter was not with a big celeb but he was a known TV fixture in the UK nonetheless.  I worked for a British company in the 90's and traveled to the UK 5-6 times a year for more than 10 years.   My business destination was not in London but I would spend my weekends in London and I would often stay in the Kensington area.  There was a gym in the area that several of the area hotels had a discount at so I used to go there.  I did workout, but my main interest was cruising in the sauna and steam rooms.  It was not a gay establishment...rather a pretty well-equipped gym (for UK gyms in the 90's) serving the Kensington community.  One Saturday afternoon, I was floating between the sauna, steam room, and showers of the wet area when this massive bodybuilder appeared and went into the sauna.  He was huge.  Not common in the UK in those times.   I of course followed him into the sauna.  There was no-one else around which was a lucky thing.  Long story short....I ended up sucking him off in the sauna.  It was wonderful as he had a beautiful huge cock and he was so masculine.  Only interested in getting head.   Interestingly, at the end of it all, he said something along the lines of: "we're both gonna forget this ever happened".  I answered "no problem".  I thought it was a strange comment given that no-one else saw us.  Only he and I knew it had happened and I had no idea who he was.  Anyway, his comment intrigued me even more.  
Mr huge bodybuilder changed and left the facility after the BJ.  I hung around for another hour or so.  When I left, I asked the girl at the front desk who the huge bodybuilder was.  She answered that he was one of the gladiators from the UK Gladiator show.  Sure enough, the next time I saw the Gladiators show in the UK, I recognized him immediately.  I won't reveal which one it was but, as far as I know, he lives a completely straight lifestyle.  This occurred in the 90's although I do not know which year.
Beyond that, another celeb story was told to me by others so I was not personally involved but it is interesting nevertheless.  In 1979, the touring company of the musical "On the 20th Century" had a six-week stint at the Fisher Theatre in Detroit.  The cast included Rock Hudson and Imogene Coca.  Those were the days when touring shows still included known stars.  Very rare today.  The show got lousy reviews and didn't last past subsequent appearances in Chicago and Los Angeles AFAIK.  Anyhow, at the time I worked in one of the offices at the new Renaissance Center complex in downtown Detroit.  The centerpiece of the complex was the Detroit Plaza Hotel (some 90 stories....now a Marriott).    I belonged to the health club facility at the hotel and would go there frequently in the afternoon after work.  It seems that Rock Hudson was staying at the hotel during his time in Detroit (I don't know if the entire cast of the show stayed there).  Anyway, I was told by several of the other gay guys that frequented the health club that Rock would sometimes appear in the steam room in early/mid afternoon and sometimes "play" around.  I never saw him there but when I would get there at 5:00pm, he was probably getting ready to head to the theatre for the 7:30pm curtain time.  Interesting tidbit.
A quick third story that did not involve sex but just nudity.  In 1980, the Republican Party held it's convention in Detroit.  Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush stayed at the Detroit Plaza Hotel where I frequented the health club.  One afternoon that summer, I opened the shower curtain to exit the health club shower when, to my astonishment, George Herbert Walker Bush was standing in front of me butt-naked with a secret service guy on either side of him.  He asked me:  "Are you finished?".  I answered "Yes I am" and I proceeded into the the changing room.  I don't remember anything about him...but I do remember the secret service guys were very hot!!
All good fun that I'll remember forever.

I've been watching each night since Tuesday...at least for a little while.  Friday was the busiest night as far as number of dancers goes.  Most the guys were returning former dancers (Jay, Pauly, Adrian, Marco, Kyle, Frank, Zach, Ronny) plus a few mostly forgettable new guys.  Most of the returning dancers are not in as good of shape as before...which is understandable.  Gyms were closed for many months.  Alex the bartender is back but the rest of the bartenders I saw seemed new to me.  Former dancer Tommy seems to be the new manager.  He was there each night but didn't dance.  
It was hard to tell how busy the bar was as the camera didn't pan around the room whilst I was watching.  I'm sure it will take a few weeks for them to get back into the groove.  If I was in Canada, I would definitely plan on going.   

I've been watching each night since Tuesday...at least for a little while.  Friday was the busiest night as far as number of dancers goes.  Most the guys were returning former dancers (Jay, Pauly, Adrian, Marco, Kyle, Frank, Zach, Ronny) plus a few mostly forgettable new guys.  Most of the returning dancers are not in as good of shape as before...which is understandable.  Gyms were closed for many months.  Alex the bartender is back but the rest of the bartenders I saw seemed new to me.  Former dancer Tommy seems to be the new manager.  He was there each night but didn't dance.  
It was hard to tell how busy the bar was as the camera didn't pan around the room whilst I was watching.  I'm sure it will take a few weeks for them to get back into the groove.  If I was in Canada, I would definitely plan on going.   

Lucca Mazzi…a great name for a restaurant! 

I wonder if he used shoe polish on his beard & eyebrows.  Too bad there are no videos of him in his ad. 

He doesn't look real. Like one of those Pixar movies
 

Yikes! Is he using one of those freaky photo filters?

I can’t get past the aggressive eyebrows.

I'm currently at a Marriott in the Detroit area.  Pen and paper back on the desk.  TV remote not wrapped in plastic.  Bible and The Book of Mormon are in their designated spot.  Things seem to be getting back to normal.  As an aside, the hotel is buzzing with people.  I spoke with the restaurant manager at breakfast this morning.  She said they have been busy all week and will be through the weekend (she said they have two weddings!).  Another Marriott in the area was sold-out yesterday and today which is why I am at this one.    It seems business people are back on the road.

The critical metric will be when the majority of adults are double vaccinated. This is now projected by September so by then I think tourists will be allowed into the country.
I and my cohort of 70 plus are just now receiving our second doses, mine in two weeks. That means mid July before I am enjoying the full effects of the vaccine. The summer will be almost half over before I can really start to going about more freely. 
It's very a long haul, especially watching Americans loosening up much earlier.

I'm currently at a Marriott in the Detroit area.  Pen and paper back on the desk.  TV remote not wrapped in plastic.  Bible and The Book of Mormon are in their designated spot.  Things seem to be getting back to normal.  As an aside, the hotel is buzzing with people.  I spoke with the restaurant manager at breakfast this morning.  She said they have been busy all week and will be through the weekend (she said they have two weddings!).  Another Marriott in the area was sold-out yesterday and today which is why I am at this one.    It seems business people are back on the road.

Good for him. There was nothing in his actions that suggested to me it was intentional.

Would that be to non essential travellers like tourists?

I don't think anyone said what you quoted so the legitimacy of your whole thought process falls apart.  But let's pretend someone made the exact statement you quoted.  How do you go from that to claiming the person is exhibiting self-loathing?     That is a huge leap IMHO.   People have opinions.  You can agree or not.  That is fine.  
I personally believe most gay men are less masculine than straight guys.  It is my opinion and I believe it to be true.  You can agree or not.  I really don't care.  You are allowed to believe what you choose.  

A few comments, as someone who has recently travelled to a few cities in Florida (including Fort Lauderdale) and lives in Atlanta.  It is very encouraging to see the bars come back to life.  First, the crowds are back!  I’ve talked to multiple gay bar owners who have said their numbers (crowds and dollars) are higher than pre pandemic levels.  every time I walk by Blake’s and Ten they are packed.  The Hideaway is packed.  The bars in Fort Lauderdale are packed   I think this is happening all across the US as people are ready to mingle!
Second, Memorial Day weekend is usually a quiet one for Atlanta gay bars because most of the party boys go to the festival in Pensacola.... as they did this year.  However, this year it was crazy.  I went to Richards on Frisay and it was packed. I went to BJs on Sunday night.  It was packed!  It really is a stunning turnaround.  
 
But unfortunately, Swinging Richards is a shadow of what it used to be.  a few observations as to why..... BJs actually has more hot guys.   SR had maybe 18 dancers Friday  night.  6 of which stayed in the VIP room all night and refused to go on stage even when they are not doing a VIP room.  As a consequence they have a packed house and one to two dancers on stage for 3 straight songs…. And the quality of guys has definitely dropped. If you are a bar, you should make it easy for your customers to buy a drink.   Management at SR doesn’t grasp this concept.  They only had 3 bartenders to serve drinks.  No waiters and no busboys.  Typically took 20+ minutes to get a drink.  Add to all of that, no new talent.  All of the guys that are there started dancing a minimum of two years ago.  Some have been there for over a decade and the “veterans” have unbelievably bad attitudes.  
 
on thursday night a rich surgeon was visiting from out of town and he took 9 guys into a VIP room for over 4 hours. His total bill was over $20k.  Good for them.  But because they have so few dancers working  were no dancers on stage. Yep, for the 100 or so folks that paid a $20 cover charge... they were able to “look at the stage” and buy overpriced drinks. 
 
it really is a shame.  They had such a good run for such a long time.  They have something you can find in very few places in the US (male  nudity and alcohol).  
 
seriously hoping for Johnson’s Atlanta

How odd. I just re-read the entire thread and I don't detect a hint of self-loathing from any poster. I note that people have personal preferences, likes, & dislikes. So what? Why are you so offended by this? Why must we all acquiesce to what your vision of masculinity is?

Similar for me.  I've been called for jury duty many (6-7) times in multiple states (Michigan, Florida, Texas) but have never been selected for a jury.  Just lots of sitting around.  I don't mind it as I see it as my civic duty.

As usual, you're such a shining example of how to serve your city/state/country 🙄. 
*Admin Note: Attack the issue not the person. 

As usual, you're such a shining example of how to serve your city/state/country 🙄. 
*Admin Note: Attack the issue not the person. 

Similar for me.  I've been called for jury duty many (6-7) times in multiple states (Michigan, Florida, Texas) but have never been selected for a jury.  Just lots of sitting around.  I don't mind it as I see it as my civic duty.

Awesome work boys!  Congratulation and thank you!!

It's not just you... shorter shorts at the gym (and outside of the gym) have definitely become a trend. I have a couple of short gym shorts myself that are designed to be worn commando.
 
Oddly perhaps, it goes in parallel with guys wearing shorts over compression pants, which creates a lot of coverage.
 
So cover up or strip down, your choice!

How odd. I just re-read the entire thread and I don't detect a hint of self-loathing from any poster. I note that people have personal preferences, likes, & dislikes. So what? Why are you so offended by this? Why must we all acquiesce to what your vision of masculinity is?

How odd. I just re-read the entire thread and I don't detect a hint of self-loathing from any poster. I note that people have personal preferences, likes, & dislikes. So what? Why are you so offended by this? Why must we all acquiesce to what your vision of masculinity is?

Yes, I remember the "seedy reputation" The Shoe had back in the day, LOL, although I sort of liked it. The dancers that I saw the other night were more the "masculine hunky types" that you described. There were no twinkly types that night much to my dismay. More dancers tend to be there on the weekends. The dancer that I knew that night, was the only one I recognized; the rest seemed new to me. I'm not sure the last time you were there, but Micah has really renovated the place and cleaned it up. There are three rooms there now - each with its own bar. And the middle room with the recessed floor in the middle has been leveled so no one is falling down the steps as they enter.