I don’t know exactly how to ask the question. But when we went to Spain, we visited Madrid, Barcelona, Granada, Cordoba, Seville, and Toledo. We weren’t in Seville or Toledo at night. And maybe we didn’t go to the “right” neighborhood of Barcelona. We never noticed hookers anywhere else. But Madrid impressed me as being full of hookers, wall to wall, wherever you went. Sometimes it was not obvious at first, you would see a college girl leaning up against a lamp post fooling with her cell phone. One draws no conclusion from that. You come back 2 hours later, same girl, same post. Aha!
I suppose one reason I ask is that many Americans I have talked to about our vacation have reacted positively to the fact that we went to Barcelona or Granada, but have had big reservations about Madrid. I liked Madrid OK, we had some good food there and the museums are absolute must sees. But in a way we didn’t know what to make of all those hookers. In a way it is sad because it reflects a rough economy. I imagine that many Americans might be horrified by the phenomenon. I’ve never indulged in that hobby, but Louise didn’t mind my looking at these ladies, several of whom had model-type looks. So I found it vaguely entertaining I suppose.
Does the fact that a city is full of hookers diminish your enjoyment of the city?
Or alternatively, what do you see as “wrong” with Madrid?
When I was leaving Rome around noon a couple of years ago, I noticed all the ladies along the roadside. Also when I was in Padua, I noticed a bevy of tall leggy ladies.
Incidentally, the fact that Americans are horrified about hookers shows how conservative our society really is. People need to get out and see the world!
I suppose New York has its share as well, come to think of it.
But for some reason they kind of fade into the background.
On Monteras, which is a bustling pedestrian mall leading down to the Plaza del Sol, we watched ladies moving in on wealthy looking men in suits, putting an arm around him and making a sales pitch. I can’t recall seeing that in NYC.
Costa Rica has hookers everywhere, it is legal there! Saw a ton of fat guys with little tiny things that I know were hookers, It was more entertaining for me then anything. My wife at the time thought it was awful!
My ex-wife and I were propositioned once in Paris by a gorgeous blonde hanging out in front of a small hotel. While I don’t indulge in that particular hobby, it was kind of tempting…
Other than that, I saw a lot in Madrid as you say, and of course a ton in Amsterdam (where it’s legal). The window shopping aspect of it actually disturbed me a tad, but, as I said, I’ve never indulged in that. For the record, I’m not a fan of strip clubs either (knowing it’s an economic transaction and not something that they’re doing out of passion for me just turns me off).
No - they’re everywhere (over the last year we’ve seen hookers in NY, LA, Paris, Puerto Vallarta, Stockholm and Copenhagen, as well as in Chicago (go to Gibson’s ). The kids don’t seem to notice them (the sole exception was a tranny hooker that my daughter spotted in our neighborhood a couple of weeks ago, but s/he was hard to miss).
Doesn’t really bother me. It’s persistent beggars and hawkers that put me off. For some reason, I seem to always get targeted by junkie-looking beggars in SF. That really bugs me. I recall one particularly unpleasant one following me around while I was walking to the Pinecrest Diner corner Geary and Mason for breakfast very early one morning - she was really skinny, with a gaunt face and very sharp-looking eyes. When I shook my head (indicating I wouldn’t give her the money she asked for) she shouted at me at the top of her lungs: “Why not?!!!?” and proceeded pestering me until I entered the diner.
If I wasn’t brought up not to fight with women, I swear…
No, Ken, without criminalization, they are not needed. The girls are independent contractors and do not need “protection”. In many countries there are “Womens’ Police” who keep an eye on the girls and make sure they are not exploited.
I have a friend who works for an NGO dedicated to improving the life of sex workers. She is now based in Rio but has done studies and field work in several countries. They even get money from the UN which considers this a workplace issue.
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). The kids don’t seem to notice them (the sole exception was a tranny hooker that my daughter spotted in our neighborhood a couple of weeks ago, but s/he was hard to miss).