Portland & Seattle

Portland & Seattle (Full Version)

All Forums >> [Community Discussions] >> Ask a Mistress

Message

Coupleofwhats -> Portland & Seattle (10/17/2008 11:17:01 AM)
After 25 years, I'm finally over New York. My boy and I agree that the West coast would be a welcome change. We were thinking about either Portland or Seattle. Anyone live in (or used to live in) either city? What's the scene like over there (Lifestyle-wise, Pro-wise?) Are there any stores that I should not miss on my upcoming trip? Do you find that vanilla people look at you weird if you hit the street with a crop in your hand or slightly fetish-y clothing?

LadyHibiscus -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/17/2008 5:22:12 PM)
Only San Francisco is REMOTELY like New York, fetish wise. Portland is indeed the land of the unusual, though! I have some friends who are on Fetlife now who live in Seattle, and there are a few folks who post here that are from there... word has it that it is slow...

ShaktiSama -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/17/2008 5:36:20 PM)
Seattle is pretty nice, if you can handle the weather. There is a mid-size fetish community with a very positive spirit and some very nice local resources, including the Wet Spot. The other nice thing about Seattle is that it is within driving distance of Vancouver, which is a pretty amazing fetish city. I have seen people from Germany fly in to Vancouver for the Sin City fetish ball with some regularity, and there are at least two or three monthly fetish parties, as well as additional semi-private events.

undergroundsea -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/17/2008 7:42:30 PM)
I used to visit Seattle on business regularly and was able to experience some of the scene there. Seattle has a dedicated sex positive space called The Wet Spot which hosts events on weekend and weekdays. At the time (my last visit was almost seven years ago), it had weekly pansexual parties, as well as other miscellaneous events (gender specific events, dance night on Thursday, potluck night on Wednesday, erotic drawing night, etc). Alanna Gabasch (I may not have spelled her name correctly), a speaker and educator at the national level, runs The Wet Spot and contributes energy to various sex positive events in Seattle like the erotic art festival. I do not recall the names of the stores I visited but I recall three or four places with a good selection of either toys or clothes. I also enjoyed the goth clubs. I attended a few fetish events in Seattle and did not experience any odd moments because of how I was dressed near the clubs hosting the events. I also looked forward to good food when I visited. I visited Portland for just a night and attended a fetish night. There I did experience odd moments because of how I was dressed as I walked in the areas near the club. However, based on what I have heard from others I expect my experience was not a good representation of Portland. Still, between the two I consider Seattle a better place. And, yes, Seattle's proximity to Vancouver is a plus. I think Seattle also has more natural beauty. It is, however, notorious for rain and traffic. Cheers, Sea

Coupleofwhats -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/17/2008 7:48:51 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: LadyHibiscus Only San Francisco is REMOTELY like New York, fetish wise. Portland is indeed the land of the unusual, though! I have some friends who are on Fetlife now who live in Seattle, and there are a few folks who post here that are from there... word has it that it is slow... Yes,I actually like San Fran a lot, but the market for Pro Dommes (and all sex work in general, really) seems worse than New York's. Also, the real estate prices aren't that much different, if I recall correctly. Part of the reason I want to leave NYC is so that I don't have to pay a ton to live in a closet! I'm about ready for a house and yard. (And, fingers crossed, my own studio space.) Market wise, things are slow everywhere: the economy stinks. If I move, it would probably happen a year and a half to two years from now... so maybe things will be a little better by then.

Coupleofwhats -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/17/2008 7:50:23 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: ShaktiSama Seattle is pretty nice, if you can handle the weather. There is a mid-size fetish community with a very positive spirit and some very nice local resources, including the Wet Spot. The other nice thing about Seattle is that it is within driving distance of Vancouver, which is a pretty amazing fetish city. I have seen people from Germany fly in to Vancouver for the Sin City fetish ball with some regularity, and there are at least two or three monthly fetish parties, as well as additional semi-private events. Yes! I heard great things about Vancouver. (I'm leaning towards Seattle, and the boy is pulling for Portland. Vancouver is definitely working in my favor.)

Coupleofwhats -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/17/2008 7:55:34 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: undergroundsea I used to visit Seattle on business regularly and was able to experience some of the scene there. Seattle has a dedicated sex positive space called The Wet Spot which hosts events on weekend and weekdays. At the time (my last visit was almost seven years ago), it had weekly pansexual parties, as well as other miscellaneous events (gender specific events, dance night on Thursday, potluck night on Wednesday, erotic drawing night, etc). Alanna Gabasch (I may not have spelled her name correctly), a speaker and educator at the national level, runs The Wet Spot and contributes energy to various sex positive events in Seattle like the erotic art festival. I do not recall the names of the stores I visited but I recall three or four places with a good selection of either toys or clothes. I also enjoyed the goth clubs. I attended a few fetish events in Seattle and did not experience any odd moments because of how I was dressed near the clubs hosting the events. I also looked forward to good food when I visited. I visited Portland for just a night and attended a fetish night. There I did experience odd moments because of how I was dressed as I walked in the areas near the club. However, based on what I have heard from others I expect my experience was not a good representation of Portland. Still, between the two I consider Seattle a better place. And, yes, Seattle's proximity to Vancouver is a plus. I think Seattle also has more natural beauty. It is, however, notorious for rain and traffic. Cheers, Sea Another vote for Seattle! Thanks!

RedMagic1 -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/17/2008 8:14:08 PM)
The positive comments on this thread about the Wet Spot are from out-of-state visitors. The people I know who live in Washington have, without exception, told me negative things about how it is run. Most (in)famous on these boards is Leatherist, and I always figured he just had a burr up his ass about the owner when he posted about the place, until I met a female bottom in real life who independently gave me the exact same list of complaints. There are, however, many private play-parties, kinky kampouts, etc., in greater Seattle. Food critics tend to say that Portland has better restaurants, though there is better Indian food in Seattle. Probably irrelevant to you, but not me[;)], is that Portland is one of the most vegetarian-friendly cities in the nation. If you choose based on kink and scene, Seattle wins. If you choose based on lower cost of living that does not sacrifice culture, Portland wins.

Coupleofwhats -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/17/2008 8:32:20 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: RedMagic1 The positive comments on this thread about the Wet Spot are from out-of-state visitors. The people I know who live in Washington have, without exception, told me negative things about how it is run. Most (in)famous on these boards is Leatherist, and I always figured he just had a burr up his ass about the owner when he posted about the place, until I met a female bottom in real life who independently gave me the exact same list of complaints. There are, however, many private play-parties, kinky kampouts, etc., in greater Seattle. Food critics tend to say that Portland has better restaurants, though there is better Indian food in Seattle. Probably irrelevant to you, but not me[;)], is that Portland is one of the most vegetarian-friendly cities in the nation. If you choose based on kink and scene, Seattle wins. If you choose based on lower cost of living that does not sacrifice culture, Portland wins. Well, as long as there are private parties, I'm fine: I avoid all but two public play parties in NYC, and manage to get invited to private affairs with regularity. I like the thought of a kinky kampout... fire?? I love Indian food, so that's definitely good to know. :) I'm far from vegetarian, though. The boy thinks Portland is cooler and goes on about music and such. (I still pop in some New Edition and dance around my bedroom, so I'm markedly less into that.) Really liking that we could BUY rather than rent there.

RedMagic1 -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/17/2008 8:54:25 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Coupleofwhats I like the thought of a kinky kampout... fire?? ...and outdoor bondage. Sounds pretty boring, doesn't it?

Coupleofwhats -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/17/2008 9:13:46 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: RedMagic1 quote: ORIGINAL: Coupleofwhats I like the thought of a kinky kampout... fire?? ...and outdoor bondage. Sounds pretty boring, doesn't it? Outdoor bondage sounds fun. It would be easy to find bugs to put on them while they can't move. [:D]

undergroundsea -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/17/2008 9:26:56 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: CoupleofwhatsI love Indian food, so that's definitely good to know. :) There were many choices for Indian and Asian food near the UW campus. One place I used to frequent that was near my hotel was Cedars. Vancouver is even better for Indian food. I only visited Vancouver once but there was this street that had tons of places. My mouth is watering as I think back on it. Cheers, Sea

tiemetght -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/18/2008 9:21:46 AM)
Let me throw my voice in for Seattle. Not only does it have the WetSpot, but it has Monk as well. Lots of room for your professional endeavours, beautiful scenery, fantastic food. Close to Vancouver and even Portland, though it is a drive, but a beautiful one. Don't worry about the weather, I'm from Detroit and thought it was temperate even in the winter. john

OttersSwim -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/18/2008 10:19:14 AM)
Aww...are those the only choices? I was going to suggest Denver. nods

LadyHibiscus -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/18/2008 10:27:00 AM)
I really don't like Denver... it's very far from water! The town itself is great, nice people, all that, but I am just used to being near Big Water! Denver IS close to Thunder, though, and every year I wish I could attend that event. Another thing about Seattle is that it's one of the few places in the US that has FEWER sunny days than Detroit! So, it would feel really homelike, but with no snow. And I do have some friends there... Honestly, CW, the pro dominant business has to be pretty bad all over, with the economy being what it is. I would dearly love to go back to it, but in metro Detroit, it's not likely to provide much income, since I don't do blow jobs... [>:]

MadameMarque -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/18/2008 12:16:43 PM)
The Center for Sex Positive Culture aka the Wet Spot, has a detailed calendar of events, here: http://sexpositiveculture.org/calendar Not all of the events are members-only, but out-of-town guests can ask to attend members-only events by special arrangement, when visiting. You can also ask to be added to the email list, and receive newsletters about not only the club's going's on, but other events in the area that may be of interest. In Vancouver, there is http://www.libidoevents.com. Welcome to the area, for your visit or to stay! "When the flower blooms, the bees come uninvited." -Sri Ramakrishna

MadameMarque -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/18/2008 12:30:10 PM)
...I forgot to add the Portland Leather Alliance, http://www.portlandleather.org, who puts on the successful Kinkfest (www.kinkfest.org). And if you're interested, a local chapter of MAST, Masters and slaves together, has formed. Here's MAST's website, to make initial contact with the local chapters: http://www.mast.net/chapters/seattle/index.htm.

OttersSwim -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/18/2008 12:33:51 PM)
Ah but Lady H, Denver has mountains! And those are quite special in their own right. [:)] I am looking forward to going to Thunder next year - it will be my first! YAYs!

Venatrix -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/18/2008 1:03:20 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: OttersSwim Ah but Lady H, Denver has mountains! And those are quite special in their own right. [:)] Big deal. Most of the women who post on these boards have mountains, too, and we don't have to travel to see them. [:D]

Sylverdawn -> RE: Portland & Seattle (10/18/2008 1:03:40 PM)
I have friends in seattle..and I wouldnt say that the cost of real estate is inexpensive.. persay.. it gets a little more reasonable the more to move away from the coast line and the city center.. and the cost of living is somewhat more expensive...I have been to Vancouver and Victoria.. glorious glorious glorious...

Page: [1] 2 next > >>

Collarchat.com © 2025

Terms of Service

0.03125