There's a separate discussion thread about porn theatre experiences here on the Message Board. Today I have something that came through a review I edited and published in the Sex Listings yesterday.

As you see, there's still action at the Oregon Theatre in Portland. Also, unlike many fictional stories written specifically to be totally exciting and fantastically sexual, this review does appear true to life and it reads like something from a real person describing what actually happened. Some parts are vague, there's a point where "the place is dead," then the guy gets off and feels great. Then he leaves. You could put yourself in this account.

Our page for the theatre including location, a map, and other reviews is here: http://listings.cruisingforsex.com/u...7-details.html

Also, I send out a newsletter with either the "Best Reviews" such as this one or the "Highlights" which include not only "Best Reviews" but also excerpts of other shorter reviews from places around the US and other countries that have been published recently.

If you're not looking at the Sex Listings regularly, you might want to subscribe to the newsletter so that you won't miss these types of things. See http://www.cruisingforsex.com/email.html for the subscription page.

One of my many delayed projects is to set up a newsletter archive, since there's a lot of interesting reading material which Keith or I may have sent out over the years.

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Yup. This sounds like a pretty objective, truthful review of a typical theatre from yesteryear. Few people went to such places to meet their husbands, create LTR or even start a romance. Sure, such things must have happened, too. But this was really no one's original intention.

You cruised because you wanted to get your rocks off. If you chose a working day, chances were that the place would not be too full, but that the guys there meant business.

Cruising is a bit of sport, too. No one really scores all the time, every time, and there is always a real chance that you may be wasting your time and money.

To some, a major upside of such venues was that they were meant to be maintaining anonymity. The blow & go, fuck & go, or whatever you may be after, is always ALL and EVERYTHING they wanted. You did not want to meet a dude at the bucks, get to know him, listen to his story, and answer his questions before you hit the home run.

I am probably a bit old fashioned here, but I'd always hit a theatre/club/bar or spa have a look around, and try to hook up there with someone whom I find attractive than spend time "chatting" on Grindr, coping with old pictures, fakes and flakes, trying to sync his schedule with mine.

WYSIWYG right there and then. So, you call your shots, and score or not. The life moves on, and so do you.

KD

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That review really does have the "ring of truth" to it -

I wonder why they have gloryhole booths if people go at it right in the theater?

It amazes me when I read about guys getting completely naked or fucking in a public theater - would be great to see but I don't think my upbringing would ever let me join in that far!

I have always wanted to go to a "real" porn theater. Where I grew up in high school there was a drive in outside the city limits that would run a couple of Disney films each year - so they could say they were serving all aspects of the community - but most of the summer they ran porn. The real cheap 70's porn. They never checked ID's (you were supposed to be 21) but as long as you were driving they figured you were old enough. Amazing after a few beers how many straight buddies would say "fuck it I'm gonna go for it" and pull their pants down to jack off. Although with a lot of guys that was as far as it went, thankfully not all of my straight buddies ended up being completely straight!

Where I live now in Los Angeles there are 2 real porn theaters that I am aware of. Never gone to either of them. One is in Hollywood and reports are it is mostly full of meth heads looking for air conditioning - and it gets busted by cops a lot. The other is in West Hollywood and is a gay porn theater - but they say it is expensive with limited traffic and reports are a lot of guys that are full of themselves. Someday I will make the trip to the westside and check it out...

I don't understand how some of the guys go to places like that and get upset if some of the guys are older, out of shape, etc. As KD said - these are not the places you go to meet a boyfriend or have sex with a super stud - these are the places you go to get off. Sure he may not be your ideal man - but he has what you need right now.

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Some dudes will always complain, no matter what. It makes them feel better, more valuable, born for higher purposes, whatever... I never pay any attention to them. Whoever thinks that he can do better is welcome to do so. No one is stopping anyone these days.

Gay cruising areas are open to virtually all men. And men come in all forms and shapes. A dude who can't live with this fact is simply making his life very difficult.

This is where the fact that cruising offers no guarantees for anything. You may be interested in someone but that someone may not be interested in you, and v.v.. The notion that you paid the ticket and are therefore entitled to have fun with the guys of your choice is naive.

I actually, like the idea of the uncertainty associated with cruising. You go out and try. No one is to be taken for granted, and yup, you may or may not be wasting your time and money. It comes with the territory.

KD

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I loved the variety of men, older, younger, blue-collar, white-collar, etc. In the time when I was cruising parks and beaches I lived near or in San Diego and mainly encountered whites and a few Latinos. Maybe Blacks and Asians had other ways of hooking up, cultural differences and all. Anyhow, I never ran into anyone repulsive, or maybe I was just slutty back then. It was basically whoever wanted to have a good time.

An aside: When I first moved to that area from DC one of my questions was, "Why aren't there any Black people?" Turns out they were present but in much fewer numbers and segregation, though not as obvious as in racially-charged DC, still existed. One company where I worked had about 250 employees and I only met two Blacks there. But I digress...

The thing about striking out or wasting your time was frustrating. That was why I'd prefer to go to the park or the beach instead of to an ABS or whatever. I'd have a good time anyhow, I'd get fresh air and exercise and so on.

When I lived near a beach I'd take a walk down the coast road to it on the weekend or in the evening after work, or sometimes I'd drive to Black's Beach. From work, it was a short drive for a lunch break at the San Clemente Canyon nature trails. There was quite a bit of "wildlife" in the canyon some days. Some of the same guys also appeared in Balboa Park in the evenings. The usual faces, the usual places...

Now years later, I'm back "home" in Texas and life has brought more responsibilities, less free time, no play time. It's OK, since there's a time for everything and sometimes duty, work, and family calls on you more. I look back on those days very fondly, though, with a sense of having been much more free than I realized at the time.

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I felt the same way, too. Sure, sex always sounded like a very good idea. And, it happened pretty frequently, too. But I did not know that for sure, and occasionally, I did not hook up. I was rarely desperate, and have always had a buddy or two to call at if I felt like I was getting a bad case of blue balls.

I was out there, walking, meeting and talking to some guys I knew if the cruising area had little to offer at that time.

Another cool thing was that even the guys who would hardly stand any chance at the more popular gay bars, spas, etc., managed to hook up for sex.

I also noticed that some of the guys who otherwise sported the 'I am too sexy for anybody alive' attitude, dropped to their knees and sucked a few pretty average looking guys, once no one lived up to their expectations at the more popular venues, where cliques policed its members for their hookup choices.

At times, I would head back home without having scored. I never took this in any negative way. I gave it a try. It did not work on that day. Fine, there is the next day, too.

A few of my friends would get upset and unhappy each time they failed to score. I kept on telling them, 'Guys, if you want to go for sure, hire an escort.' Unpaid dudes have every right to like you for sex or not like you.

KD

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The real life social interaction can make a big difference - there may be a guy whose picture would not get you excited - but as you talk a bit he is really nice and you enjoy each other on a level other than just sex....

The problem is as noted by the "HEADS UP" posts for some reason with all the problems in the world today the police often seem to feel like breaking up areas where guys meet is something the police should do. So many of the public outdoor areas around here are now either closed off or patrolled so much nothing happens.

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