I read the Georgia boards along with the Florida boards, so I'm familiar with the discussion you mentioned.
As you're well aware, some dudes are just nuts, arguing over inconsequential matters just for the sake of arguing. While it can be annoying to head somewhere and expect to find a good cruising spot only to discover nothing is going on, cruisers should know by now that nothing is set in stone when it comes to locations for sex. This has never changed and never will: cruising spots come and go, and sometimes we find sex in areas that aren't cruisy at all -- we just luck out at the right place and time. So it's pretty easy to dismiss the whiners...
I recently checked out the ONLY ABS anywhere even remotely close to me, having discovered it in the CFS sex listings. It was a 120 mile round trip, but I decided to give it a shot last weekend. Though the single review was dubious at best, I wouldn't have even bothered to discuss the place at all: it was an extremely hostile environment for gays. No sex could ever happen there, at least I didn't see any possible way. I sure wasn't pissed off about it. I knew there was a good chance of the joint being a dud when I decided to go. Take my lumps, waste some precious gas, learn from the mistake. Oh, well.
A couple weeks ago I had a conversation with a dude I run into from time to time at a cruising spot. We lamented the lack of any other places for a few minutes before fucking around. I suggested a couple great areas to him, kind of hoping that maybe he might pass along the idea to others and that these spots would catch on. So far... no such luck. I didn't really expect it, but it was worth a try. If I knew anyone else I might mention it to others, but I don't really talk to anyone besides this one guy.
What pisses me off, as I've often mentioned, is that this city is ripe for the picking. There are literally hundreds of places that are virtually impenetrable to the general public, secluded and safe. They exist in just about every part of town, too. Yet no one explorers, no one discusses, no one seems to do anything about it. The guys here stick to areas that USED to be cruisy, so technically they are still ARE cruisy, but NOTHING happens. All the old spots have been staked out by vice and effectively closed: everyone is too afraid to make contact, yet they still go and do nothing at all. Other areas have changed geographically with new roads or new buildings, rendering them unusable for cruising.
So why in hell aren't guys creating new places? In the "old days," (here he goes, reminiscing again), it seemed to me that while cruising locations still changed often, new ones ALWAYS appeared so there wasn't any kind of shortage. Not anymore. At least not here.
Admittedly, it's been REALLY bad here lately. I wonder if the rest of the nation is the same, at least in the larger cities or more conservative towns. I drove to a spot where at least vehicle contact is possible, a place that has been moderately active over the years, though it is necessary to go somewhere else if you DO meet someone. This place was staked out by marked police cars for the better part of two weeks. One evening I saw the cops cuffing a dude and frisking him. I was OUT of there in a hurry. I won't go back, either. Another area I won't mention has also had high police visibility lately, though to my knowledge there hasn't been an organized bust yet, but I've heard tales of men being hassled and told to leave.
It's got to be pretty tough to create a new spot by design. I think it probably just more or less happens. Some areas I can think of here would be very subtle indeed. If they aren't on a main road or well known in general, it's hard to get anyone to go there. About a year ago, a guy posted a message in the Florida forums about a new park. He wanted to make it cruisy and said so. I've gone there a few times since then. It's a GREAT place, but usually I'm the only one there. I've never run into a gay dude, just a few straight folks making out here and there. It's just not easily accessible to the masses.
I think prevailing local attitudes matter, too. In GWT's part of the country, cruising seems to be very active. Here, the guys seem to think that gay bars and waiting online for Mr. Right Now is the only way to go.
And to be honest, I think a LOT of men have become extremely lazy when it comes to cruising. If they can't have it easily and quickly, they just don't bother anymore. Face it: cruising takes some effort. You don't always succeed. But for my money, it's the thrill of the chase, the excitement of the entire scene as a whole that makes it fun. If men won't even bother to check out a few spots... they sure won't bother to CREATE them, either.
You guys with bookstores in your city are luckier than you imagine. I've read hundreds of posts and Sex Listing complaints about bookstores being dirty, having "inappropriate" clientèle, bad movies, etc. Get the fuck over it. At least you have a place to go! Some of us are dying here!
If the cops and the election year blues are going to shut us down, we need to make an effort to shake things up a bit. But not many, including me, alas, are going to be willing to hang out someplace with no one else there in hopes of starting a trend when we can go to an existing place and take our chances, risky as that may be. I do not want to bring a book along with me if I'm cruising, you know?
I'm taking a trip next month to visit the family in New York, and I'm planning on posting a few messages asking for suggestions for cool spots to check out on the way up. I have the luxury of time on my side so I'm very interested in exploring the scene up and down the entire east coast. I love observing the gay subculture in different states. It's fascinating, exciting, and I just might get a few good blowjobs out of the deal, too.
|