My Florida Travelogue

[snoopy]

Just returned from a week in Florida: 4 days in Tampa visiting friends and 4 days in Ft. Lauderdale/Miami area. This was my third trip to FLA in the past 2 years, but my first visit to Tampa. Although I know that different nights of the week have a lot to do with how good a time you have in a club, I have to say the Tampa clubs were dead on the nights I visited. Again, I know it was Sunday-Wednesday, but the clubs’ listings for their weekly lineups did not match reality. I went to Rainbow Cabaret on Monday as they advertised Amateur strip night. I don’t think anyone was too interested and as it hadn’t started by midnight, I went home. Then went to Radar on Tuesday (as they were supposed to have dancers) only to be told by the bartender, “Someone might show up…we never know.” They had four customers watching American Idol. Then went to the MaleRoom another night and they had 2 dancers: one an older, muscle guy who talked incessantly about his work-out routine and diet regimen, the other dancer was a cute twink. So, that was Tampa, sorry.

 

On Thursday it was on to Ft. Lauderdale. I spent most of Thurs-Saturday nights at the Boardwalk. I like this place for the most part. I don’t like the lap dance room as they still have very uncomfortable massage chairs. They just opened a front bar they call the Bird Cage. It was mostly empty the nights it was open. I thought, “Why don’t they turn that space into a nice private dance area?” The one they have is usually filled on weekends and sometimes you have to wait, plus it is cramped and you often find yourself rubbing elbows with the person beside you. 90% of the dancers here are Latino, they range from beefy muscular to twink to fem and everything in between. There are always tons of guys. A warning about one dancer, Jacob, who is featured on Boardwalk’s website homepage: he’s a hustler and will scam you. I went into the back with him as he is physically close to my type and after 20 minutes of lap dance he said it had been 10 songs and that I owed him $200! It reminded me of my early visits to Montreal and a few unpleasant experiences with dancers who tried to gouge me. This experience left me very bitter. He’s a real operator. It’s a shame as he is physically attractive but is clearly only gay-for-pay. Prices for lap dances here vary widely. One dancer gave me 3 songs for $15 and the other extreme is someone like Jacob who gets $20 per song. It is impossible to tell when one song ends and another begins as it is on a continuous loop from the DJ, but still, beware and upfront about length, cost, etc.

 

Saturday night was Fetish Night at the Boardwalk which only meant that a few dancers did some version of kink/drag costume and there were 2 drag singers. All dancers stopped when the drag queens sang….afterwards, there was barely any applause. One was singing a Marilyn Manson song. I thought, “This is odd, here’s a guy dressed as a girl singing a song by a guy who dresses in kink!” Its lip-synching too, and Marilyn Manson has a deep male voice. It seemed very out of place here.

 

My last night I ventured to Cupids in West Palm Beach. It was a Sunday night and when things got going they had a total of 14 dancers….almost as many dancers as customers. Sundays they have half price VIP rooms ($25 for 15 minutes) and 2-4-1 lap dances. Most of the guys are beefy (not my type) but a few younger and two twinks. Had a nice private in the VIP room with a dancer from Montreal (formerly of Stock) who is now in Florida permanently, he says. A couple of negative notes on Cupids: a number of the dancers seemed very inebriated (even bragging that they’d been drinking all day). Another negative was that a girl came in who was celebrating a birthday and with her entourage virtually took over the place. Even the DJ/MC who is now a co-owner kept goading her and her group over the PA system. I thought I had come to a gay strip club but was made to feel like an intruder at a girl’s birthday party. How about instead have a ladies’ night once or twice a week like Montreal? And the other negative was the DJ/MC constantly telling the customers to tip the dancers. That was my week.

[stripfan]

Thanks for the warning on Jacob.

 

 

 

>One was singing a Marilyn Manson song. I thought, “This is

>odd, here’s a guy dressed as a girl singing a song by a guy

>who dresses in kink!” Its lip-synching too, and Marilyn Manson

>has a deep male voice. It seemed very out of place here.

 

 

LOL

[Guest Havan_IronOak]

As an ex New Yorker who's relocated to the Tampa Bay area I felt that I should comment on this review of Tampa nightlife... It's probably 100% correct.

 

That said. There are good dancers at The Male Room frequently. There are also always 3-4 dancers on Wednesday nights at Grand Central in St. Pete and 2 at Christopher Street on Ulmerton in Largo.

 

Christopher Street has lately been PACKED on Thursday nights since they added "Chicken Strippers" These young guys are so friendly and so frisky and are having such a good time that you can't help but have a good time too.

 

This area will NEVER have a big town feel but if you like to go out and have the strippers actually spend a little time with you and if you just enjoy flirting up pretty guys in brief briefs then by all means "come on down".

 

No you won't find any Champagne rooms but having a sweet young guy do his best to give you a heart attack and a lap dance at the same time can be kinda fun.

[snoopy]

I wish I had known about St. Petersburg's bars. I picked up the local gay guide but did not see these events mentioned. Sounds like I missed out and would have enjoyed the "Chicken Strippers". Also, I just realized I misidentified one of the clubs I visited in Tampa...it was Valentine's not the Rainbow. The one twink dancer at the Male Room was very frisky and friendly.

I also saw a great show while in Tampa. The B'way show "Doubt" was at the performing arts center. It was the original cast and very well done.

[Guest verymarried]

doubt

 

This is off subject but I noticed that you saw the play "Doubt". I am considering taking my kids (11 & 12) to Doubt in the near future. They are fairly sophisticated theater goers and actors, having been to all kinds of things in New York and London. I wonder if they would follow and understand Doubt and any lessons it has to offer. Any clue?

[snoopy]

I don't have any childen so can't speak for yours, but personally I think the subject matter is a little too dark and intense for pre-teens. There were no children at the performance I attended (and that was in a theater that probably held over a thousand people). I saw one patron who I guessed to be about 16...that was it. Also, as the focus of the play is on a questionable relationship between an adult and a child, that might give you some pause too. But for adults, a very well done and thought-provoking piece.