So visitors [to Portland] are sometimes surprised to learn that it is a plausible contender for the title of lewdest place in America. It has more strip clubs per head than any other city; in its compact downtown, sex shops are scattered amid the bookstores, coffee bars and social services. This is apparently down to the combined influence of west-coast liberalism and frontier manners.

There was always something odd about Portland.

One of the results is that Portland has been a leader in what might be described as the small but growing industry for ethical adult entertainment. There is a vegan strip club, for example; another, owned by a cattle rancher, sells locally-sourced steaks.

related link

link to story here: http://www.economist.com/blogs/schumpeter/2011/12/sex-workers



  1. Cap'nKangaroo says:

    “..it is a plausible contender for the title of lewdest place in America.”

    home of the Portland Trailblazers, duhh.

  2. spsffan says:

    I recently heard on the radio a perfect description of a vegan:

    “A particularly annoying type of vegetarian.”

  3. howard beale says:

    you’d think men going to strip clubs are there to fantasize those women are interested their their meat

    guess i just don’t understand strip clubs

    • scandihoovian says:

      and I haven’t a clue what the hell you just said.

      • howard beale says:

        I’ll help you to understand
        (fantasize) is to make believe
        (their) repeated was a typo, sorry
        (meat) a euphemism penes
        duh
        do you need vegetarian or vegan defined or just want to admit you did not care for my observation

        • Sam says:

          Correct spelling and punctuation would help define the sentences.

          • howard beale says:

            oh you think he might just be being picky and knew what I was saying

            that’s ok by, me as a dyslectic i’m use to that sort of stuff

            glad to know it was jerk behavior and not someone to stupid to get a simple joke

    • So what says:

      He understood it, he was just making fun of your typing ability.

  4. ABO says:

    This post rates a big “so-what?” in my book.

  5. CrankyGeeksFan says:

    “in its compact downtown …”

    The key word is downtown. This is just an exercise in marketing by the clubs. The strip clubs are trying to get more of the business lunches and dinners by offering vegan and locally-sourced food; two growing trends in restauranting. Nothing “ethical” here – just marketing.

  6. HUGSaLOT says:

    what’s ethical about being vegan? It’s more about being smug and driving a Prius to the titty bar.

    • Somecalmetim says:

      (In a particularly annoying voice)…”I don’t eat meat, I prefer to watch my meat dance slowly while half heartedly removing its clothes before cavorting around naked on a blanket for 3 songs…You meat eaters disgust me.”

  7. msbpodcast says:

    Yeah… Portland has some of the cheapest poon-tang around. I used to drive my car over the bridge and some destitute prostitute would always try to knock on window.

    That’s where I first heard “Wanna Date?”

    Being a smart ass, I said no and gave her a date: June 15, 1215. (Google it.)

    There was (still is 🙂 ) a stripclub in Montréal, Québec that had the most amazing sandwiches on the island.

    Back in the day, we worked right near the IATA building on University street and we went there every Tuesday and had lunch. (We hit a different establishment every day of the week and some were on month-long rotation for our health. [Pig knuckles at the Rymark tavern was not something anyone could do more than one a month.*)

    The crowd that went for lunch was there to eat and not to stare at some titties flopping around or some bush meat gyrating to some innocuous disco.

    I’d feel bad for the women working there, right up until they delivered the sandwiches. Then they ceased to exist…

    Some of the women programmers would show up there too because we’d brought back doggy bags and the sandwiches were so good that they overcame their reticence.

    They had Club with great smoked turkey, smoked meat (think pastrami and look up … way up,) corned beef, tongue,, served with some perfect French fries (none of that thin McDonald’s crap either, these were 1/4″ x 1/4″ strips of real potatoes twice fried and served steaming hot in a basket with mustard or mayo.)

    Keerist. I’m drooling just thinking about ’em…

    *) We knew some poor guy who lost his job, whose wife divorced him, whose son announced he was gay, whose daughter ran off with a biker, whose dog got run over and whose drivers licence got revoked. He went to the Rymark and had pigs’ knuckles boiled in beer and six quart drafts everyday for about a month … and popped-off with a massive coronary. No surprise there. It was sad as hell but nobody could keep a straight face at the funeral. Québecois are like that. I’m sorry but it was a funny way to commit suicide.

  8. Dr Spearmint Fur says:

    Vegan strippers? Hmmm, I guess some men like “boney”.

  9. Animby says:

    Vegan strippers?
    Low hanging fruit.

  10. President Amabo & my wife Chewbacca (Give us a flat, chronological (civilised) comment view please) says:

    God’s greatest creation is a naked woman.

  11. Birddog says:

    Bow chicka wow wow

  12. What? says:

    underboob

  13. Grandpa says:

    And so the point is? Is there something wrong with strip clubs for adults? Perhaps your Christian beliefs should remain within yourself or on church grounds. It’s not like the strippers are attacking you and trying to force their beliefs on you.

    Welcome to the puritans. Don’t you have something better to complain about, like, abortion (murder).

  14. Animby says:

    Grandpa said: “Is there something wrong with strip clubs for adults?” As opposed to what, Gramps? Strip clubs for kindergartners?

    There’s no real link to a story about this and I’m waaay too lazy to do my own research but I gotta wonder: do the girls have to vegans or is it just the club menu that’s meat free? I mean, if they give you a lap dance, will you still get an occasional whiff of tuna or just cabbage?

  15. Cursor_ says:

    I have never set foot in a strip club ever and will continue not to do so.

    Look but no have? No thanks.

    If I can’t take her home for a test ride I don’t want it.

    Tantamount to window shopping, no point.

    Cursor_

  16. Maratin says:

    Why no video clip with this story? I think I’d understand the issue a lot more with a 4 or 5 minute clip.

  17. Martin says:

    Why no video clip with this story? I think I’d understand the issue a lot better if you’d included a 4 to 5 minute video.

  18. Glenn E. says:

    It’s probably due to the very lousy weather in Portland and surrounds, that many a religious mission never made it there. These places started out a logging towns, too. And what few Bible-thumpers showed up, probably got run out of town double quick. So it’s not much of a surprise to learn this carried over to modern times. Some place had to be the moral armpit of the US. Just Sarah Palin’s kind of place.

  19. gramomster says:

    I am female, married to the same man for 24 years. We enjoy going to clubs, and have definitely decided that if anyone is being exploited, it’s the guys who toss their paychecks at the dancers a buck at a time. Or, a $20 at a time! The women mostly appear to enjoy the torment they inflict on those who crowd the stage bar, they don’t get touched (a person’ll get booted for touching), the women have every bit of control in every interaction. They are beautiful, and the dancing is incredibly erotic and insanely physically demanding. These are women who are proud of their bodies, keep them in top shape, and choose to provide sexy pleasure without providing sex.
    Love taking my man home after a trip to the club!!!


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