Baltimore's Block vs. Detroit

I go to the Motor City because it is closer than Baltimore & better than where I live.

I’ve heard/read the block can often be a rip-off and the SCs there tend to have a lot of annoying, and sometimes expensive, gimmicks.

Examples:

+ some clubs will not allow a dancer to sit and talk w/ a customer unless the customer buys her an overpriced drink

+ confusing and ridiculous pricing structure – i.e. instead of there just being let’s say a $10 table dance or a $20 lap dance, come clubs have a whole bunch of different prices for different types of dances in different areas of the club - i.e. a dance at the bar is ‘x’ – a dance on the sofa is ‘y’ – a dance on the “other sofa” is ‘z’ – etc.

But, I have not being there myself, just what I’ve heard/read – perhaps others w/ 1st hand experience will chime in.

I get the feeling the block is kind of a semi-tourist trap.

Just can comment on Detroit. Detroit can be as much fun as you want it to be though unlike the block, the clubs in Detroit area are really all over where as the block is well one small section of the city of Baltimore. Few Detroit clubs are within walking distance of each other.

I think when I first joined back in 2009, Detroit was just on the upswing and Baltimore was getting less comments mostly because the user base of TUSCL was changing. More Midwest users and less east coast users.

I guess I hadn't noticed but silkypants is right. The block used to be a regular topic on here when I started, I even think Founder had a 'guide to the block' as one of the original articles.

Based on a single recent visit to the Block (where I walked into every club one afternoon and sampled a high mileage dance in one club)and multiple visits to Detroit, here is my comparison:

Quality of dancers: highly variable across different clubs in both cities. None of the Block establishments matched the consistent quality of the higher end Detroit clubs (Flight Club, Penthouse) but Detroit has plenty of lower end clubs that seem to match the quality that I observed in my tour of the block (lots in the 5-7 category with an occasional 8 or 9). I give a slight advantage to Detroit, but I also acknowledge a very limited sampling of the Block.

VIP and extras (availability and cost)-- seem to be available in both locations with the Block featuring higher and seemingly non-negotiable prices (especially the fee to the bar for access to a private facility). Some of the lap dance areas in the Block consisted of sofas that were visible throughout the entire bar. I did find one VIP (at Chez Joey if I recall the club name correctly) that was exceptionally nice, kind of like a private upstairs living room that was available for a fairly hefty fee. Most of the Detroit clubs feature private booths or cubicles for lap dances, often too small for optimal fun. Many of the Detroit clubs charge fees to access these VIP cubicles-- something like $20 at BTs and less at other clubs. Advantage Detroit.

Hidden charges-- I encountered several Block clubs that would not allow dancers to sit and talk with customers unless the customer purchased a very expensive drink for the dancer (think $20) who seemed to be trained to guzzle these overpriced drinks as soon as humanly possible. Even with the pushy waitresses at Bogarts (near Detroit), I've never encountered such a rip off scheme in the Detroit clubs. Advantage Detroit.

Quality of physical facilities-- Detroit's strip clubs consist of free standing buildings with their own parking facilities. Some of the Detroit clubs are pretty seedy (think Henry VIII, both locations) but many are spacious and upscale building that were designed as strip clubs (bars, comfortable seating, a stage with stripper poles, lighting and music). In contrast, the Block seems to feature converted row houses-- long narrow establishments with somewhat limited seating. I noticed that the stages for the dancers were behind the bar in a few of the Block establishments, an arrangement that limited tipping opportunities. Advantage Detroit.

Convenience. The Block features multiple clubs within a one block area. Detroit's clubs are spread out and require driving time between the clubs. Parking is a pain in the Block area-- never at any of the Detroit clubs because they usually have their own parking lots but some of the Detroit clubs insist on charging a parking fee. Advantage the Block.

Safety: My visit to the Block was in the afternoon-- a pretty safe time to visit any club. The Block has a police station located in the vicinity so police are pretty visible and accessible. Most of my visits to Detroit establishments have been in the afternoon or early evening and have also felt safe. Both cities have reputations as high crime areas (someone might verify my impression by checking crime statistics) so its probably a toss up on the safety dimension. Probably a toss up.

A reminder-- my comments about the Block are based on one afternoon visit. Others with more experience with the Block might have differing opinions and comparisons.

Thanks for the input. I may have to go see the Tigers play a weekend series sometime this summer.