Planning Monger's Trip to Detroit, request advice

PS -- am planning this as a long weekend, or similar-length trip.

F.e., depart on Thursday mid-day, arrive Detroit late afternoon or early evening; monger Thursday night; all day and night Friday; all day and night Saturday; depart mid-day Sunday. Or, f. another e., depart on Saturday mid-day; arrive Detroit late afternoon or early evening; monger Saturday night; all day Sunday (?); all day Monday; all afternoon Tuesday; depart late Tuesday evening.

remember the Henry VIII club near the airport is not as high mileage as the southgate location (Henry the viii south).

Bogarts and Flight Club are right down the street from each other about a 2 minute drive or 5 minute walk. Flight Club is a carbon copy of Penthouse in terms of structure but I did enjoy Penthouse more than Flight Club because of their hotter dancers.

Bogarts and Penthouse are about 12 miles apart. Penthouse and FC are $15 cover on the weekends after 7pm but free before 7pm. Mandatory valet $7 at both FC and PH.

I would recommend staying at an inexpensive chain hotel near the airport. Some hotels have free shuttle service to and from the airport. Don't rent a car because you shouldn't drink and drive and you'll have to pay valet parking at many clubs. The cost of a cab to the Flight Club or Bogarts (in Inkster) should be reasonable. The Penthouse Club will cost more by cab, but you could arrive when they open and stay until late at night (or until your money runs out), avoiding the cover charge. On Sunday most clubs don't open till 2PM and you'll find fewer dancers than on Fri and Sat.

And the budget is?

EVERY Detroit club is going to bleed you some, whether it be by mandatory valet, cover, higher drink prices (than most parts of the country), a VIP fee or VIP wristband fee. Given that Detroit clubs are a mixed bag as far as dancer talent/attractiveness/extras go, you may well find yourself bouncing from one club to another. By all means, if you've paid cover once say for dayshift, get a pass to come back for night shift to defray that charge. Visit some club websites to print out free cover passes (Coliseum and Landing Strip and maybe Hustler will have them -- many competitors will honor them.)

In my opinion, there are two must knows to frame the experience around:

1. Penthouse Club dayshift is #1. Nightshift? overrated = too many bachelor parties/guys night out and strippers in their 30s supporting 2+ kids. Penthouse does not charge gals per song for the use of their VIP dance areas. So a gal can cut you a multi-song deal (like my unlimited time - wound up being 35 minutes -for $150 experience, with $20 tip to the VIP bouncer up front.)

2. Henry's South: the surest thing with the cheapest upfront prices (50/100/150) from the dancers. It's a dive bar in a good area, does have some attractive dancers but several who are over the hill. After getting quoted 300 and 800 at Hustler, such as one TUSCLer did last night, well, you now know where the prices are much more reasonable. Always keep this info in mind for any dancer who starts you off 'nice and high'.

As far as housing goes, there are many drabby, run-down motels along Michigan Ave. near Bogart's and Flight Club. But they charge within $10 of what you can get the Marriott at DTW for through Priceline's Name Your Own Price. Choose the Marriott! I've heard intel from the Bogart's/Flight Club dancers such that those strip motels should be avoided.

Last, read my article on Detroit for additional intel. Pay particular attention to the very last line!

In your profile you say you have never exceeded what you experienced in Toronto when you started in the hobby 20 years ago. IMO Toronto is a better destination than Detroit for what you seek. If you choose Detroit pick up a rental and curb the drinking; otherwise you will be paying a small fortune in cab fares if you hit 4 or 5 clubs a day.

As for Vancouver as a SC destination? Are you nuts? Vancouver is my favourite city in the world but the Vancouver SC scene plays NO part in the city's appeal for me.

Montreal's SC culture? I know absolutely nothing about it.

I reiterate, north to Toronto and its suburbs.

Should you choose to get a rental car, get it on Priceline or Hotwire. Through the week, Hotwire will be high cost for rental cars, on Thursday the rate drops substantially. The last 2 times I was up in Detroit starting on Thursday afternoon, I got a economy (or upgrade up for no charge when they were out of economy cars for $17 a day. If you drink heavily, be aware that on Michigan Avenue(where Bogarts and Flight Club are across the street from each other) the cops use Michigan Avenue as a revenue source. The cops are hiding everywhere, Inkster and county police patrol Michigan Avenue. Motels: CT is correct, but try Priceline to get a better rate at a long term place. I've gotten $25 per night rates at Extended Stay America through Priceline a few times. Hot times with dancers: All of the clubs mentioned will get you off with varying rates depending on your buzz and the dancers. PM me, if you want some solid recommendations.

farmerart, I think he was joking about Vancouver and Montreal because he wrote a ":P" smiley face after it meaning he was just joking.

Vancouver sounds similar to Columbus with clubs trying $50/song dances and $100/song for feature dancers.

A possible alternative would be Greektown in downtown Detroit. The Atheneum Hotel, five star, is across the street from Bouzouki, a mid-range club. Active mileage, but dancers in the 6-7 range. See my most recent revue. Ready cab service will get you to Penthouse and the other clubs on Eight Mile Road, but expect a $20.00 fare one way. Upside, if you make OTC contact at Bouzouki, it's just a walk across the street. Downside, the Zook is the only club in downtown Detroit and you are stuck, unless you take a cab to Penthouse and the others.

Additionaly, the area around the hotel has a major gambling casino hotel, restaurants from five star to walk-in hamburger joints, an eight block walk to a Tiger game and hot women just hanging out in clubs. Hit or miss, but the hits, if they happen, can be great.

I would not go to Detroit expecting OTC. I have been there a few times and never got any OTC offers but plenty of ITC offers. if you want OTC go across the tunnel to windsor and hire a legal escort.

Art may well have a valid point with regard to Toronto. If the sole club I've been to, The Canonball Cabaret, is at all representative, then there's no cover, no valet charge, no VIP/VIP wristband charge. Dancer talent was good to great (hey, it was payday Friday afternoon and the gals were there to lift the boyz' checks) and although I was quoted higher than Detroit prices (seemed to be a regular negotiating ploy), well, I started quoting Detroit prices (the 50/100/150) to counter and did find favorable traction. Specifically, one gal offered 10 songs worth of everything the 50/100/150 price model covered for $200. We were off (well, after she tried to talk me out to her vehicle first for high mileage -- is that legal? No offence, but I wouldn't want to get mounted by a Canadian Mounty while on a brief holiday spent trying to boost international trade. Besides, Art said it gets kind of sketchy outdoors of the Cannonball sometimes...)

Interesting CTQ, how much did she original quote you for? How do the Toronto clubs make their money if there is no cover, no valet, or no VIP charge?

Sam, the first offer was for $400 for an hour at my hotel, more money than I had left at that point. So I turned her down. She came back around a little while later and reopened negotiations. But 10 songs in those uncomfortable chairs is a burden!

To all the replies thus far: thanks very much! This is just the type of discussion, with nuggets of information sprinkled here and there, which will help me out. I like the recommendation to hit Toronto for old times' sakes; but, I would be on a visiting trip if I went back to a city where I used to live, and there might be fears of running into someone I knew. I'll reconsider that city, however. A large portion of that decision will come down to the US $ : Cd $ exchange rate. I recall Toronto fondly in great degree because I was there when (A) prices hadn't skyrocketed over the US $20 plateau at a lot of places, in either nation, and (B) the rate was giving me almost 1.5 improvement. This math could mean I was spending US $7 for a three-song lapper set, and US $90 for full service. That math doesn't apply any more.

I'm disappointed at the travel arrangements. It's looking like, more and more, there's going to have to be a rental car involved. I will have to take care about drinking, given the Detroit Police procedures mentioned in this thread. ("DEE troit POE leece.")

Thanks for the hundreds of other tid-bits. Bonus thanks to CTQWERTY, and, I'm going to go read your article now. PM might be forthcoming soon. :)

Vancouver was a joke, in terms of strip clubs. But the escorting scene is awesome there, as far as I've heard. Montreal isn't so excellent for high-service strip clubs but the places in more rural Province Quebec between Montreal and the US / Cd border are explicitly high-service brothels masquerading as strip clubs. Those places arise and disappear all over the continent; it's just a trick to find out where. For a while northern Miami / West Palm Beach was the place in the USA; looks like Detroit is tending that way; East Saint Louis is entirely a different ballgame (poverty and desperation and lack of policing, right next door to a major urban area with normal urban share of middle-class and well-paid office worker males) but with comparable results. San Francisco, LA, Vegas, New Jersey, Baltimore, Tampa, and Oregon all have vibrant strip club "scenes" in the sense that there's a lot of adult entertainment cash being spent by males on females; but that doesn't mean that the cash is getting good service, or high service experiences, or even getting lap dances. Tampa is in some ways "adult entertainment central" for the whole USA but the REAL fucking and sucking in that city often are not in the strip clubs (there are noteworthy exceptions), because the places called "lingerie modeling studios" are where that particular jurisdiction has decided to relegate such activity. Vancouver, similarly, has such good escorting that the strip clubbing falls by the wayside.

Hmm, other cities? Maybe Detroit it ISN'T? The world is my oyster. It's looking more and more like I'll fly on Sunday May 8 or Monday May 9, as early as possible in the morning, to arrive that day in a major USA monger's paradise city; and that I will return to my home, mid-day or later, on Thursday May 12, or even a dawn flight Friday May 13. I have MUST MUST commitments Friday afternoon and wouldn't want to cut it close.

Oh yeah another thing: can anyone point me to Detroit strip club websites that show reliable hot pictures of CURRENT dancers?

I don't know of any with dancer pictures but several have free admission passes. Hustler (expire in June 2011), Landing strip, Bouzouki, Coliseum, La Chambre (stripclublist.com promotion). Most strip clubs have free admission during the dayshift anyways (before 7PM or before 6PM at Hustler) and dayshift is when the experienced extras dancers are working.

@ everyone: anybody coming to New Orleans? I'd be happy to inform, whether about strip clubbing, partying in non-sex-industry-oriented venues, other tourism, and especially about mongering opportunities (as distinguished from less high-service strip-club-going). Maybe if I find the time I'll write an "article" for TUSCL. I sent a PM a while back to a few active correspondents, but I didn't keep a copy, doh!

@ samsung1: thanks for the quick reply! :)

I am the expert on Detroit strip club weekends. :). I live in Chicago but frequently (6-10 times per year) make a weekend trip into Detroit solely for clubbing purposes. I travel all over the country for business so I am familiar with the scene everywhere. Detroit is my #1, followed by Tampa and Las Vegas.

Rental car is the way to go. I stay at the Westin in Southfield. It's a higher end hotel about 5-10 minutes from Penthouse by car.

I never go anywhere else but Penthouse and Flight Club. Bogarts and Henry VIII are trashier than PH and FC. The talent is lower quality. The only reason to visit Bogarts and Henry VIII is to save a few $. Since this is a special occasion I would stick to Penthouse and Flight Club. You get what you pay for.

The dayshift/nightshirt argument that Detroit people talk about is only relevant on weekdays. On weekdays, the hotter, younger girls work the dayshift before going to night school or whatever. On the weekends I find nightshifts better.

My Detroit weekend starts like this.

Friday afternoon go to Flight Club where the you will get the last of the business travelers spending time before going to the airport.

Friday night drive to Penthouse Club where most of the top talent is. It's about a 20-30 minute drive from FC. I hang out the rest of the night here. Then it's a 5-10 minute drive back to my hotel.

Saturday. I usually start out at PH when it opens. Then I check out FC after a few hours. And then back to Penthouse at night. Again, then 5-10 minutes to my hotel. Saturday you could also check out Bogarts and Henry VIII just fit shits and giggles

Sunday afternoon I spent at PH before heading home.

BG, you're welcome. Given my gripes with several Detroit clubs (getting bled repetitively) maybe my next trip should be to Toronto. To answer Sam's question, I think the clubs make money off drinks (comparable to Detroit's prices as I recall) and the house fee I'm sure they charge the dancers to work there. And whatever profit there is, is definitely not reinvested into better furniture and cleaning the bathroom (though Art did say they had removed one level of the grime which coats the men's bath.)

There are no sites with Detroit dancer pictures.

Below is the dancer hotness scale.

1. Penthouse
2. Flight Club
3. Hustler (distant third)
4. Bogarts/Henry VIII (distant fourth)

As I wrote above, I would stick to PH and FC unless money is your #1 concern.

My Detroit and Montreal comparison.

Travel Cost: Montreal airfare and hotels are much higher than Detroit. Montreal cabs are cheap and plentiful. No need for rental car.
Clubs are close by each other in Mtl. Can walk to some from most hotels.

Club Cost. Lower cover in Mtl. Around $10 + $2 bouncer tip Detroit cover charge is around $17 total ($10 + $7 valet) Mtl dances are cheaper. $10-$15/song. Detroit dances $20-$25/song

Mileage Mtl Is limited to some stick shifting. Escorts are more available though. Detroit extras are very common in all clubs.

Dancer Hotness The high quality clubs are Kamasutra in Mtl and Penthouse in Detroit. I find the Kamasutra to be slightly above PH for dancer hotness

City Fuck, Mtl is a cosmopolitan city with a lot of stuff to do. Great restaurants, culture, etc Detroit is crap.

Still though, for a pure clubbing weekend I vote for Detroit. The mix if dancer quality and mileage is unmatched.

I love it when my hometown gets slammed by you out of staters. If you don't like my city, too bad. I'd rather go to a den of iniquity in a tough old town, than get bored to death and ripped off by ROB's in a "cosmopolitan" town. I doubt that you guys go to the opera. LMAO. I'm on my way out of Florida, I'll be hitting the best clubs on my way out. Inner Room was good, but not stellar today. Another visit is called for during "prime time" on weekday afternoons.

Book Guy, I don't recall seeing Detroit police mentioned anywhere. My caution was about the suburban police. Detroit police have better things to do than stop drunk clubbers. Like apprehending the AK-47 crew. LOL

Detroit is my hometown as well. No offense implied. I'm glad it has become the best SC spot in the US.

@Book Guy. This just beats the hell out of having AAA plan your trip!

Finally I can say I'm not jealous of your Florida trips, VM. We broke 80 today!

Detroit is awesome. The only thing missing is full nude stage shows at the upscale clubs. I like Christies cabaret in cleveland because of their nude stage shows.

I think Detroit is top of the line too. Maybe I haven't travelled to enough Toronto clubs or hit the suburbs thoroughly, but my limited experience in the GTA is summed up as follows: you can do better.

Not too much taken, bananafish. I only get offended when I think that any place, anywhere has it's problems and for whatever reason we humans take pleasure in kicking the old lady while she is down. CT, I saw you guys got HOT!!! That's good news. LMAO. I'll be back for the summer, but now it is time for the road again.

If you want to visit a real dump, try Akron, OH. $5 lap dances and I regret not trying to negotiate on them!

Just a word of caution. You probably feel obligated to check out Bogart's after reading the reviews, but don't elevate your expectations. Simply said - the place is a dive. Small, not too clean. Sure, you'll get drained, but dancer hotness is not guaranteed! Give it look to satisfy your curiosity, but don't be surprised if you're disappointed.

Wow, thanks again to all the contributors. I'm extremely likely to adopt something akin to Bananafish's suggested itinerary ...

... or then again, maybe not. :(

A few new scheduling developments just took place in my life, and it looks like I'm on goldurned HOLD for Detroit again.

Damn the torpedoes, BookGuy !!!! FULL SPEED AHEAD !!!

Damn the torpedoes, BookGuy !!!! FULL SPEED AHEAD !!!

Yeah, I hear ya. But it can't be avoided. I had that "must attend" thing on the 13th; and a "must attend" thing on the night of the 8th. I thought I could squeeze something in between, but now it looks like the thing on the 13th is really a thing on the 3th AND 12th AND 11th. That would give me departure at dawn or later on the 9th; return at noon or earlier on the 10th: not enough time to justify it, this time around.

Again, apologies to all who contributed or hoped to monger-meet. It will happen some day, I promise! :) For now, if any of y'all come to New Orleans, let me know, and I'll do double-duty to share info and tour-guiding and hosting, as best I can.

Sorry again. :(

Right now Detroit is the best choice. But it won't be like this forever. At some point we'll all remember the 'good old days' in Detroit. In Detroit we've seen this cycle repeat itself over and over again. From what I am reading on tuscl this is the golden age for SCing in Detroit. No where else seems to have comparable costs and activities. It's relatively safe here also, as you stay with clubs on the outer boundaries of the city, or the suburbs. Detroit wasn't always this good, and it won't last forever. I've been around the US, and the other places have been more money, less certainty of enjoying oneself, touch and go for safety. Go to PC, FC, and maybe HC. Perhaps a roadtrip to Saginaw DV. Get a few coneys or a nice middle-eastern food meal. Go home safe and happy.