Comments by felipe609

Define "bad." I've walked in a club, and then immediately walked out if there are no dancers. (I've also sat at a strip club and nursed a beer when I was the only one there and there were no dancers and it is not something I usually suggest.) I've parked and not gone into a club if I get a weird vibe (like it seems unsafe, or there's lots of cops nearby). If it is somewhere in between--there are people, it's not unsafe, but I just don't "feel" it, I will usually have a beer and leave. I usually go to clubs that are not that far from other clubs, so it is not too hard to go to one then another.

The short answer is that there are a bunch of reviews of New Jersey clubs. That is where I would start. The longer answer is, what type of clubs do you want? New Jersey has all kinds of clubs, except the fancy type of clubs you'll find in Midtown Manhattan. Another longer answer is, "within an hour from Manhattan" is not very specific. An hour's drive or an hour by public transportation? In rush hour from a Midtown hotel, or at 2am from Times Square? There's been some days it's taken me an hour to get through the tunnel. With luck you could get to Elizabeth in an hour from downtown. You could also get to Irvington/Orange/Newark, and Paterson/Passaic/Hawthorne in about an hour, depending where and when you start. Those are the three clusters that I would begin looking at reviews for.

I have to say I have never found this be a thing. Keep in mind that many dancers give you a false name, tell you they like you, and otherwise mix non-truth with truth. Because, well, it's part of the fantasy. I doubt if you asked a dancer's full name or address she would give it to you, either. At various times, a dancer will ask me if I am married or seeing somebody. I usually lie. Partly because I don't want to think about my significant other while at a strip club. Partly because I don't think it is really anybody's business. If a dancer asks me if I am married, I will usually ask her is she is married. I put as much faith in her answer as in mine. Also, for what it's worth, I am not sure if a stripper being single makes her more attractive. I mean, I am not going to try to date her--though maybe some people have that fantasy. Actually, I find something sexually attractive about a married woman. (I don't do OTC. That said, if I did, I would probably steer clear of married dancers because that could lead to drama. But in the club, I think it is less likely.) But in general, I wouldn't ask unless I was asked first. (Dancers often ask me about kids, too. But I find that dancers are often much more likely to be open about their own kids, including showing me photos.)

I don't pretend I wrote the best review ever. But I do have to say that this comment annoys me Putting names in reviews is really stupid. I wrote, "She was a darker-skinned Dominican woman, with nice curves without being fat. She looked like she was in her mid-thirties; mature without being old." I am not sure how that is nondescript. It sounds descriptive to me. I am not sure what more you could want, except perhaps her name. And, again, I don't write names. What would she have done for $90? In a literal sense, I don't know because I didn't buy a dance. She could have licked my toes, done my nails, or given me a tattoo. It is like trying to describe a meal that you saw on the menu but didn't order. At the same time, if you are reading reviews for Bishop's Corner, it is not really that hard to figure out what one can do after buying a dance.

People did not seem to like my description of Sunrise in Paterson (NJ) as upscale. That said, some less-than-upscale clubs I've been to include almost any club in Irvington (NJ) and several in Paterson. To me, what often makes a club sleazy are: it smells; there are flies; there are stains on the furniture. Having recent shootings or other violent crime is an added bonus. All that said, while I am not a regular patron of Bridgeport bars, the ones I've been to are dive bars, but are not overly sleazy in their ambience. Upscale bars tend to have doormen, a cover charge, somebody in the bathroom asking for tips to give you toilet paper, expensive drinks, lots of velvet seating. The most upscale clubs I've been to in the US are in Manhattan

We are talking about a club in Paterson, not Manhattan. Thus upscale is relative. But relative to Marcet, or Bottom's Up, or the old Fifth Avenue, I think that Sunrise is upscale. For example, they had soap in the men's room, and no flies. The beer comes in bottles and not cans. And I did not want to spend the money at the time. Again, I realize that one could go to a really nice club where it is standard to tip the bathroom guy more than a lap dance costs at Sunrise.

How young is too young? I wouldn't try to dance if I were under 18 since that's asking for all kind of legal problems. In some places it's 21. Too old? I think it depends on the dancer and the club. There are certain clubs that seem only to hire dancers between 21 and 25. I've been to other clubs that are much more diverse--age wise, size wise, skills wise. I have seen dancers who, I think, should probably have retired in the Clinton presidency. If you enjoy dancing and you are able to make enough money to justify it, then I would keep going. If you find yourself dreading it, if nobody wants to tip you or get dances, it might be time to stop (or perhaps move to another club). At the same time, some of this depends on financial stuff. Do you have health insurance? Do you have some sort of retirement money set away? Do you have anything to fall back on when you cannot dance any more? If the answer is no, you might want to try to develop another option. On the other hand, I have met dancers who have some other income (including benefits) and enjoy dancing as a side-hustle.

For the record, I did not say it was upscale. I said it was too upscale for my tastes. Nor did I say it was expensive. I said it was more than I wanted to pay at the time. Having worked in Manhattan in the past, I know that there are clubs that are much more upscale, much more expensive, and where a domestic beer would be three times as much.

I am curious where the cameras to watch your car are. I usually park on the street (actually on the sidewalk), but I don't see any cameras.

I found this review useful--I don't see the need to repeat the same descriptions over and over about the physical conditions. The change of ownership and paper towel dispenser news is important (for those who do not know, there is a large sign, "Ask bartender for soap and paper products" as you enter the men's room.) My only question is, how did you manage to spend between $100 and $300 on this visit? Did you tip the paper towel dispenser?

There is now way that you can absolutely guarantee that you won't be recognized. You can minimize the chances: wear clothes that are different than what you are wearing at work and wear a mask (so long as there are other people wearing them). Keep your eyes open for people you recognize. But most people who go to a brothel/strip club are probably not going to look at other men. And if somebody recognizes you, he probably won't immediately place you and just register you as sort of familiar. If you get recognized near the border, you could have some story about going across the border to...meet friends, try Mexican food, shop for souvenirs, avoid people from work. All that said, there is always a chance that you will meet people from the convention. You have to decide if you can live with this chance. I mean, there's always a chance you can meet somebody from work anywhere, but since there is a convention going on in San Diego, it seems more likely. If being found would likely mean dire personal or professional problems, then don't go until most people have left. Or I suppose it is possible you run into your boss and he'll treat you.

Just a note. I think that there are different levels of use of TUSCL. Some people post on the discussion board all the time, and write a bunch of reviews. (Of course, others seem to post discussions all the time and never seem to post a review.) For me, I don't have the time or the interest to spend a lot of time following discussions, especially if they do not have much to do with what I am interested in. But I find the reviews useful, and try to post my share (not just to get VIP status, but to contribute my knowledge.) So if you do not frequent the clubs I like to review, you've probably never heard of me. Which is fine, but it is not the same thing as just wanting to get info for free. I do post on the boards when I have a question that doesn't seem to have been dealt with in the reviews. Bridgeport is not really my regular stomping ground (which is actually North Jersey, where I live), but sometimes I get bored and want to go somewhere else, especially when I have a work-related reason to do so. I suppose that it says something about me, but I like the clubs to be found in Irvington, Newark, Paterson...and Bridgeport. I realize they are not to everybody's taste, which is also fine. Thanks for those who responded with info on Bridgeport.

Well, yes, Papi, except this is the fourth time that I have reviewed this club. I don't expect you to go back and look over the previous reviews--although I did in fact reference those in this review--but others have reviewed this club. As I general rule I don't feel the need to review the same club over and over. (Hell, the first review: it's hot. Hell, the second review: It's hot; Hell, the 666th review: still hot.) The only reason I would review a club again is if something has changed. During the Covid pandemic, this club did change. Then it changed back--hence the title of this review. Also, to be clear, I cannot review services that I did not order. I cannot tell you what high end cachaça costs. And I did not buy any dances. Maybe I shouldn't have written the review then, but as somebody who sometimes (not regularly, but sometimes) goes to this bar, I would like to know the current situation, and I figured others would as well.

I have to say I am surprised that Papi Chulo voted against my review and desertscrub voted yes. In any case, to answer Papi's question, I didn't get any dances. I think they are $20 for the house, plus whatever you work out for the dancer. They don't really have VIP--instead, they have two little curtained off rooms with a chair. In terms of mileage, it has been rumored that there is a full menu available. While I do actually like feijoada, I haven't ordered it here so I am not sure what it costs or what gets mixed in with it.

Hey, this review actually answers the question I had on the discussion page!

As I said North Jersey is my go-to zone. The few times I have gone to Bridgeport, I have found the clubs to be comparable to Paterson or Irvington. Which brings me to my question. I mean, I am not sure if the reviews actually are that useful now. The last time I checked, only one club had been reviewed since last year, which makes me think that the others are closed. (Except that at least one is hiring bartenders on its Facebook page.) If you go to look at the reviews of several Jersey clubs, you would get the idea that many really suck. I mean, read the last review for Vic's. But I am not sure if that is because they suck or because there are fewer reviews and the reviews might not be represenative. But, oh wel....

I have had five different temperatures depending where the reading is taken: forehead, right ear, left ear, right wrist, left wrist (all with the same thermometer gun). None was over 99.9 but there was sometimes as much of a 5 degree variance. Really cold days and really hot days also affect the reading. I am not sure if these really do anything. First, a fever does not accompany all Covid cases; second, I assume if I had a fever, I would not feel like being out and about; third, if I had a fever, and I wanted to go somewhere, all you need to do is take paracetamol or ibuprofen or aspirin and it should reduce your fever. That said, I do not think people with a fever should really be out. They should have these at the entrance to all workplaces, and make anybody with a fever take a mandatory, paid, sick day.... The only time I've "failed" a reading is at a local place (not a bar) that requires a reading, and has a fancy model, that never fails to require five minutes and five or six attempts to even get a reading.

Okay, yes, I could call the clubs. Except, while I am interested in whether the clubs are opened or not (because who wants to go to a club that's closed), I am more interested in whether it is worth going. A club can be open and still not worth the time and money to go to. As 623 says, usually when I call a club it goes like this: [ring, ring, ring, ring, ring, ring] Club: Hello, club. Me: Hello, I just wanted to see, are you open? Club: Yeah, we're open. Me: Are there people there? Club: Of course, it's hoppin'! And when I get there, it is the bartender sitting by himself drinking Bud Lite. I wouldn't actually expect a bartender to say anything else--and often a club's attendance ebbs and flows--but I don't actually believe what he says. And often the bartender doesn't pick up. Does that mean the place is closed? That it is too busy to pick up? Anyway, if anybody has anything to say about Bridgeport, I would be interested. The last time I checked the reviews they were several weeks old, but that doesn't mean anything, necessarily, either.

Are the private booths gone or just not in service? (And of course, some people might remember when 5th Ave had no private area, either.)

I am interested in this too. I have only been to one NJ club, Ragtime in West Paterson. As I noted in my review, I found it a weird experience. I read that 5th Ave in Paterson is also open, in the parking lot, which sounds like an even weirder experience. Mainly I have just been, well, not going to strip clubs. I am hoping that most of them reopen when this is over.

I do have to say that I am intrigued. I mean, this was never a place I went for the ambience or to just hang out, and I am not sure I would want to see it in full daylight. Although I do appreciate that they are trying. Are any of the other local places also trying?

What are the drink prices?

Mexico City is not Tijuana, Nogales, or Laredo. There is no huge red light district catering to foreigners. It is the capital city and it tries to present a modern, cultured and refined image to the world. Nor is it Monterrey. There is no abundance of table-dance clubs. I would not suggest going to Mexico City to go to strip clubs. The local government shut down most strip clubs several years ago. It is my understanding that some still exist; they are either expensive focusing on wealthy Mexicans or they are semi-clandestine. Of course, in such a large city, you can probably find anything you want if you know how to look for it. Prostitution is also relatively common in Mexico City. Last time I was there, I passed several street walkers at several places around the city. (They are usually outside specialized hotels.) There are also areas where there are many streetwalkers. However, this is not sex tourism, but aimed at Mexicans. If you do not speak Spanish, you will likely have trouble. I do not go to Mexico City for sex tourism, so take this for what it is worth.