New edge of town, new clubs

I recently moved to the OKC area from the east coast. I hadn't been seeking out strip clubs since I moved. However one day driving around, the scene on 59th and Eastern In OKC caught my eye. This is actually part of an enclave of the city called Valley Brook. It seems like the entire town of Valley Brook survives off these half dozen or so clubs and writing speeding tickets.

These areas of cities where strip clubs cluster always fascinate me. You can almost sense where you're going to find some action: down by the interstate, maybe by the docks, maybe out towards the airport. Seated among the warehouses and junkyards and waste treatment you're likely not far from a strip club. 59th street is about .5 miles from the interstate, near a fireworks warehouse and some water treatment plants. The air force base is just a little further east.

You can imagine that these locations are strategic, attracting folks passing through on the highway. There are also political reasons you won't find clubs clustered like this in the middle of downtowns. I understand there were once heady days, where one could find all manner of action in Times Square. Growing up in Philly, I remember clubs and XXX theaters dotting the edge of downtown. However that seems like a bygone era, since "adult businesses" aren't part of the new era of the Disneyfied urban economy. Many cities passed regulations barring nude or topless dancing in certain areas, pushing these activities to the fringes of town where most of us enjoy them today.

Now obviously there are many many exceptions. Philly for example has a club right in the heart of the city, and dozens more nestled into otherwise quiet residential neighborhoods. Some may even prefer these joints to the larger establishments on the edge of town. However, it's rare you'll find multiple, large strip clubs operating anywhere else but the edge of town.

So my adopted home of OKC, the heart of one of the reddest states in America. You can imagine they're pretty hung up on adult businesses and OKC seems like no exception to having regulated all their strip clubs out of the downtown core. I suppose that's where Valley Brook comes in: having relaxed regulations in their enclave, allowing after hours establishments and fully nude dancing, which you won't find elsewhere in the city.

A lot of people find parts of town like this "seedy" or "off-putting". I don't. For one thing, the mix of people you'll find in these "seedy" areas is like no other. They bring together people of all classes, all looking for roughly the same action. You might meet actual sailors. That's leaving aside the beautiful women. For another, it feels like a well kept secret, or a transgression, to go where other peoples sensibilities won't take them. When I was driving around the edge of OKC it was like my 6th sense was tingling: without even doing research ahead of time, I knew clubs were close the first time I drove by 59th and Eastern.

So far I've been to two places along 59th. They are more on the dive/neighborhood joint part of the spectrum. But it looks like there's some larger clubs and even other adult businesses further down. I plan to visit them all in the next few weeks. I love exploring new places!