Strippers. Whats your opinion.

[ChriswUfGator]

There are walkable pockets of nightlife in Jax... just not in every neighborhood. The beach has just as many bars / night clubs as Ybor and is more accessable and better quality IMO

Ybor is way out on the outskirts of Tampa and is now completely run down. At 2am cops come out in force in almost riot gear looking to bust heads... last time I was there a horse (cop) bit my shoulder. 

By outskirts do you mean 1 mile from downtown Tampa?

I have to agree with Schwaz on this one, Ybor has gotten really REALLY gross. Years ago it was a blast, and "the" place to go. I remember driving over there to go out, and it was absolutely thriving even at 2 in the morning.

But now all that has changed. Ybor is currently going through the same thing that happened to the Church Street district in Orlando back in the early 2000s. The rest of Tampa has now "grown up" in other areas, and there are many better places to go elsewhere. Same as happened with Church Street, the surrounding ghetto is gradually reclaiming it.

Last time I was in Tampa I drove through there, and it had really changed. Homeless people were everywhere begging, even in broad daylight, and there were a ton of vacancies and boarded-up buildings. So I guess not only would I no longer go there just because none of the "hot" clubs are there anymore, but I also wouldn't go because it just plain doesn't look safe.

[thelakelander]

Interesting.  The surrounding areas were a part of a vibrant neighborhood until they built I-4 through the heart of it.  While Ybor is not the club district it was in the 1990s, it does appear to be evolving as a livable urban district.  Today, there are tons of lofts, condos, hotels, recently constructed infill single family housing and commercial development in Ybor.  Today, the area is just not confined to 7th Avenue anymore.  Its also getting an IKEA, so I disagree that its regressing.  I'd say its rapidly turning back into a community again.

[Ocklawaha]

Speaking from the Loop, Jacksonville doesn't hold an electric candle to Chicago. But Chicago's "beach" is a joke, I'll tell you that right now. If there aren't sharks in it, I'm not convinced it's a beach.

My point exactly. Most people visiting for a football game or a work conference are either here from a big metro area or have visited many other big metro areas. Advising them to stay & play downtown Jax would be most likely give a bad impression of our area.

Uh, Fella's, There ARE SHARKS in the Great Lakes! A fairly recent phenomenon, believe to have come from the Mississippi River, where Bull Shark pups started showing up. First it was a coastal back water thing, then suddenly a Memphis thing, then St. Louis and now they have caught the B**Tards In the Great Lakes. At least that is the theory. Bull's are the only adaptable salt or fresh water sharks, and also happen to be the ones that account for most of the attacks and deaths in the USA. How about we all meet at Bluff Landing down on the Ortega River for a good Ol Cross River swim and picnic... Say about the end of May?

Even more rare, there have been reports of bull sharks that have apparently made their way up the Illinois River and into Lake Michigan such as the encounter of a female that was verified by U. of Illinois biologists as being 6 feet 9 inches and weighing over 300 lbs and located off the coast of Chicago, Illinois.[25]

Jacksonville beach knows how to party down!

Having lived all over the America's I'd say our beaches are weak on a major city scale, but they are still excellent for nightlife considering the restrictions and long refusals of building and mass transit. I too have entertained many out-of-towers at the beach and to a person they have met with RAVE reviews. But the reviews are tainted with comments "What a fun little place", "Never heard of this village...Thanks Bob," "What was the name of that little beach you took us too?" etc.
Come-on guys, kill the build ban and let's say anything WEST of 3Rd can go as high as 100 floors. Beach keeps the afternoon sunlight (which high rises have killed in Daytona, Ft. Lauderdale etc) and we get the intensive development between the high water mark and the hotel/condo front doors.... Then of course JUST ADD STREETCAR.


THIS IS THE A PHILLIP RANDOLPH VISION THAT CAME OUT OF THE CHARETTE! (Memphis)

How about the A Phillip Randolph area?  Why must it have a "family atmosphere" Shwaz??  Why would you send them all the way to the beaches??  There are a million of those places here in Metro Jacksonville.  When Steelers fans come to town they do not ask for the family atmosphere district...  They are looking for the district completely barren of families... distinctly lacking families... they want to have fun and not have to worry they might offend mother and child.

I love this idea, I was in on the A. Phillip Randolph Charette and have never been to one so energy packed. This district even gave us a guided walking and bus tour the whole length of the street. There's the grand old building that the "dumb negro" was told would have to come down for the freeway, but the "dumb negro" figured out how to freeze the ground under it and sitting on ICE he slid his massive building North of the Arlington Expressway! So much for inferior races! HA! The guy was brilliant!

Randolph has a hundred storys on every block and the community elders are more then willing to share EVERY tale. They are excited about visitors, they want tourism, the adore the Streetcar Concept, and they realize with the Stadiums nearby they are in a can't miss location. My money is more on A. Phillip Randolph as our future "Happening District" then any other neighborhood in Jacksonville. Perhaps someone has the drawings or report from that Charette, they are DAMN EXCITING

OCKLAWAHA

[ChriswUfGator]

Interesting.  The surrounding areas were a part of a vibrant neighborhood until they built I-4 through the heart of it.  While Ybor is not the club district it was in the 1990s, it does appear to be evolving as a livable urban district.  Today, there are tons of lofts, condos, hotels, recently constructed infill single family housing and commercial development in Ybor.  Today, the area is just not confined to 7th Avenue anymore.  Its also getting an IKEA, so I disagree that its regressing.  I'd say its rapidly turning back into a community again.

The condo/loft craze is dead as a doornail in Tampa. That's so 2007. My Dad's friend Felix Amon is (or I guess 'was') one of the larger developers over there and he just went belly-up, and says the market is abysmal. Most planned projects have been canceled, and even a good chunk of the ones that already broke ground won't be finished.

And as to ikea, that's their business model lately. They actively look to find areas where they can get property dirt cheap that's close to a major interstate, because they know that people will drive for XX amount of minutes to go to the store. If Ybor hadn't been in decline, they very likely would have located elsewhere to find cheaper land. Have you been to an ikea store before? The last one I went to was in Jersey, and it was built it on a former shipyard/superfund site, and it's in the middle of the Hood (note the capital "H" lol).

Back in the 1990s, Ybor used to remind me of the french quarter in New Orleans, thriving, and with a thousand different bars and restaurants, and all of them were always packed. But the last time I was there in 2008, 1/3rd of the buildings were boarded up and obviously neglected, the place was a total ghost-town with no pedestrians and few cars, and there were vagrants EVERYWHERE. The only places that had even a couple cars in front were the cigar museum and the movie theatre.

You really ought to go for a visit...if you haven't been for awhile, you're in for a real shock. I did a google search for some recent pics to illustrate my point...



And note the omnipresent chickens. Always the sign of a great neighborhood:



The place has changed. It really looks like it's going through exactly what happened to Church Street in the early 2000s.

[thelakelander]

The condo/loft craze is dead as a doornail in Tampa. That's so 2007. My Dad's friend Felix Amon is (or I guess 'was') one of the larger developers over there and he just went belly-up, and says the market is abysmal. Most planned projects have been canceled, and even a good chunk of the ones that already broke ground won't be finished.

That's not an indictment on the neighborhood.  That's the current market we live in.  Outside of a few select places, most real estate markets are struggling right now.  Nevertheless, that area saw a significant amount of reconstruction during the boom,moreso than what was witnessed in any of Jacksonville's urban core neighborhoods.

And as to ikea, that's their business model lately. They actively look to find areas where they can get property dirt cheap that's close to a major interstate, because they know that people will drive for XX amount of minutes to go to the store. If Ybor hadn't been in decline, they very likely would have located elsewhere to find cheaper land. Have you been to an ikea store before? The last one I went to was in Jersey, and it was built it on a former shipyard/superfund site, and it's in the middle of the Hood (note the capital "H" lol).

They also put one in the heart of Atlanta's Atlantic Station.  The industrial area they selected in Ybor had been in decline during and well before Ybor's greatest clubbing days.  Before the bust of the market (IKEA was already coming in by then), several properties had been renovated into new uses.  So I would disagree that the neighborhood declining would result in them coming to Ybor.  If decline was truly a factor in landing IKEA, they would have found greater opportunity in a ton of other neighborhoods in Tampa, with direct interstate access.

Back in the 1990s, Ybor used to remind me of the french quarter in New Orleans, thriving, and with a thousand different bars and restaurants, and all of them were always packed. But the last time I was there in 2008, 1/3rd of the buildings were boarded up and obviously neglected, the place was a total ghost-town with no pedestrians and few cars, and there were vagrants EVERYWHERE. The only places that had even a couple cars in front were the cigar museum and the movie theatre.

Yes, in the 1990s, it really was an "adult entertainment district" (the vagrants were there during this era, as well).  However, during the early 2000's the city attempted to make the area more family friendly.  Since then, the vibe has changed.

You really ought to go for a visit...if you haven't been for awhile, you're in for a real shock.

I was just there in December.  Its still more vibrant and compact than any entertainment district we can offer up locally.

The place has changed. It really looks like it's going through exactly what happened to Church Street in the early 2000s.

Church Street was a two block complex owned by a single operator (like the Landing or Universal City Walk).  Ybor is a neighborhood that happens to be a national historic district (like Springfield or Tampa's Hyde Park).  Many popular 90s club districts (ex. Dallas' Deep Ellum, Cleveland's Flats, etc.) are going through the same thing (less clubs, more mixed use development).  National economic conditions aside, Ybor will not die but it will continue to change from the 90s club district you remember, into a place not solely concentrated on 7th Avenue or dominated by bar/nightclub use as the major economic generator.

[ProjectMaximus]

Speaking from the Loop, Jacksonville doesn't hold an electric candle to Chicago. But Chicago's "beach" is a joke, I'll tell you that right now. If there aren't sharks in it, I'm not convinced it's a beach.

Do you go to school in Chicago?

[civil42806]

boy did this discussion deviate from the original question

[thelakelander]

No doubt.  The discussion moved out the nudie bar and about three hours to the South.

[fatcat]

to bring this back to original topic. There is no doubt strippers and stripe clubs are forms of vice. I have never entered one or have personal knowledge of one but I see such business exists in two big cities and offer two examples here:

1. Boston. Out side Boston along rt1, there are many strip clubs seems to be doing well by the fact the taxicabs traffic though I never encountered an adult that admits entered one. It is not a walkable area at all. actually quite like a "red light zone" from my point of view.

2. Montreal. The strip clubs are mixed in with all other business within the walking down town area. it can be next to a museum or a department store or some record store. They can be identified by small doors and thug looking security guards and advertise on the window. Did not see people go in or out because they seems to blend in or exit the crowd quickly.

my opinion, live and let live but zoning is needed. Outside of residential area is definite needed, outside commercial area is not needed. I do not want any club loud noise outside my house when its time to sleep no matter what that is.  There is one certain church in Springfield used serves up loud music very early Sunday morning. Neighbors afraid to complain because it is church music. But the volume recently went down. I guess someone finally spoke up. 

As for the impact on children, I think it is the parents responsibility to explain such things exists. If every parents get to eliminate what they think is harmful to their children from public, I do not know what will be left. Can I ask all the Protestant churches to be eliminated from down town jax? Can I ask all the light saber to be eliminated from toy stores? Can I ask hooters to be removed from Landing?

As for women, they are adults and capable of voice their opinion or make their choices. From my limited knowledge learned from limited women population, their concern is more about  the work place sexual discrimination than objectivity of strip clubs.

[Shwaz]

2. Montreal. The strip clubs are mixed in with all other business within the walking down town area. it can be next to a museum or a department store or some record store. They can be identified by small doors and thug looking security guards and advertise on the window. Did not see people go in or out because they seems to blend in or exit the crowd quickly.

I was in MTL in late August on a trip that ironically started in Boston. Strip Clubs are very much a part of the tourist trade there. I didn't enter any of them but will say it's exactly like you describe. They had crazy names too. - "Club Super Sex" was the only one I can remember. I spoke with a local guy in one of the restaurants and he said there whole angle is you're a loud to touch the girls during a lap dance.... but that it's really just a big money scam. Every cub had something like a $30 cover just to get in... from there you had to pay the inside doorman and then another guy to seat you. MTL was expensive enough for me to skip all that nonsense.

I was once part of a scam at a strip club in Budapest. They have many scams there that involve women and one of their most popular scams is in the stip clubs. I was there with a friend we got lured in off the street by a guy who advertised a dancer having 3 breast's. Of course we couldn't pass that up. It was a small cover to get in and the club was very nice inside. We ordered a couple drinks and were almost immediately joined by 2 dancers. They asked if we would by them a drink which we agreed. They were boring and apathetic and before finishing our first beers we were ready to leave. We asked for our bill which came out to like $400 for 2 beers and to champagne flutes of mystery drink the dancers had. We argued about being over charged and girls were trying to tell us that the drinks were actually a charge for them to be sent to our room after we left.
1. These girls sucked and theres no way we wanted to spend another minute with them 2.We're not that dumb.

The girls started getting upset because we refused to pay and they went for the bouncer. I dropped $20 on the table and headed for the door. My friend who at this time was furious about them trying to scam us stayed behind to pour every drink he could find all over the soft velvet bench's in the booth we were sitting at. In his haste he must've knocked over a few glasses that fell to the ground and shattered. One of the girls saw him and ran to the bouncer. I was now out front when my buddy came out and said "I broke some glasses... we should run" The last thing I remember was running down the side streets being chased by a bouncer that looked like a pro wrestler. Luckily I had on tennis shoes!

[Ocklawaha]

I was once part of a scam at a strip club in Budapest. They have many scams there that involve women and one of their most popular scams is in the stip clubs. I was there with a friend we got lured in off the street by a guy who advertised a dancer having 3 breast's. Of course we couldn't pass that up.

ROFL Man! I went to one with a cousin in Arkansas, it was the "FOUR BREAST ILLUSION"... WTF? So we, like you had to check it out. YEP! It was real alright, they had a 100 year old woman dancer with her boobs tied in a square knot.

Hee Hee

OCKLAWAHA

[Shwaz]

Boobs in a knot would be a major let down... although believable with all the inbreeding in AR

For some reason I thought it would be like the girl in Total Recall hahaha

[Coolyfett]

Just a place to see airheaded chicks with issues get naked for cash. And the issues are deep rooted. They are very dramatic, When I drove cabs Id pick them up with their boyfriends and the arguments were just classics!!! To date one you would either not really care about them and had other chicks OR a dude with no self esteem whatsoever. Its a waste of money IMO, but if you got it, hey spend it. I remember one stripper taking her kid to the daycare prior to "work" and she had the lil boy thinking she was a nurse. How lame is it you have to follow your stripper girl friend to work, watch her grind other dudes, other dudes grab her ass & tits, and you are sitting there like "thats my girlfriend YEA!" Then you got the stripper/prostitutes....these ain't the normal strippers...I remember this one I picked up from Lane Ave near Londontown....they didn't have enough to get a room for the night or whatever, so the GIRL was like "can we use the cab for an hour?" I parked the car at a carwash, took the keys, my ipod and went to China Wok. I made 30$ for taking a lunch break, plus her fare back to the strip club, the dude was gone when I came back. I remember another guy I picked up on McDuff, took him to the stripclub SOS on San Juan....Dude went in, got his girl and literally slapped his girl the whole trip down 17 to their apartment, with the girl saying "Im Sorry" "im sorry" "Im Sorry" "I won't go back" I got a 10tip for the "noise" plus the fare. You got the money, spend it. The women that work at these places.......

[fatcat]

LOL! you guys must have been really drunk. If a woman has 3 or 4 breasts, she would not be in any strip club. She would be on HBO. Or better yet, on 60 minutes or discover channel under the name "science"

[mtraininjax]

1. Everything is REAL in a strip Club
2. All strippers are there because stripping is an art.
3. All strippers are happily married without baggage of any sort.

4. I have the winning lottery numbers....