XXX-rated Bookstores
 

eltrain has brought it to my attention that I've recommended Treasure Island, FL as a beach destination when in fact, so eltrain says, there are XXX-rated bookstores there. eltrain took me to task for inflicting such smut on un-suspecting tourists such as his/herself. I did apologize as I am a mannerly girl.

But I have to wonder. Are there places nowadays where they do NOT have such businesses? And given the great preponderance of smut on the internet, are these places losing their sordid reputations? It's difficult for me to comprehend how porn in a book could in any way be more pornographic than what's on the internet. Not that I would know, of course.

And there's the question of whether or not one should warn tourists of the possibility of encountering such offensive words. And pictures. Oh my. And radio with those songs.

you mean eltrain the toad?

He/she did not describe him/herself as such.

Tandori Girl, sometimes one wonders if they should even bother giving advice at all, the way Some people attack them or respond in such a negative way.
I think we should all just keep posting away and we can all take away what we want from it.
There are quite a few XXX rated stores, bookstores, "toy" stores and cinemas in NYC..we don't need to warn people about that do we?
You do a very nice job giving lots of good advice about Florida, I say keep it up!
((F)) Scarlett

TG....Agree 100% with Scarlett.....dont let the toad get to yah....And you are correct..porno is everywhere.....got Comcast?..got da porno....

Well, you can always just drive on by the xxx bookstore if you don't want to stop! Geez. Moralistic toads drive me crazy.

I see what you are saying. I recently gave someone advice on a hostel to stay at in Zurich. I happened to mention the 'blue movie' house on the corner and I guess that helped them decide it was a no go. Especially in larger cities I think that these things are a fact of life. Look at the Place Pigall area of Paris! There is a sex museum for goodness sake ;)

TG -

You are anything but mannerly. I posted an honest though negative assessment of the St. Pete/Treasure Island area, and you immediately disparaged me.

It's obvious you and the others have an economic interest in promoting this area, and your rude comments are a transparent response to the fact that your livelihoods are threatened when someone tells the truth.

I've noticed you don't refute anything I've said -- because you can't : TI and St. P. are awful. You can't defend the indefensible, and so you resort resort to name-calling and personal attacks.

Fire away -- I stand by my comments.

I'll bet I've recommended a hotel or two that probably has that stuff on cable. For a price, of course.

Geez, I hope there aren't any bodies being exposed on the beach. No thongs. No bikinis. And NO -- absolutely NO weenies hanging down. And no exposed BREASTS.

And NO fanning the papayas.

Those criticizing Eltrain should go back and read the original post before commenting. It seems to me that Eltrain's comment was not really just about an adult bookstore, but rather a comment on what he/she perceived as the general "tackiness" and rundown appearance of the area (ie trashy beach etc). The adult bookstore comment was just a secondary statement. Though some folks may not mind the tacky atmosphere she describes, others will, so her observation is entire appropriate in that it helps people decide if the area is right for them. It is after all, HER opinion that she is stating, and her observations are as valid as anyone elses. Others may disagree with her opinion (that is their right) - but the fact is, her observations are as valid as the next persons.

Ken

Uh-oh...easy everyone. Here's where I think the problem arises. The Tampa Bay area is <i>terrible</i> about corralling those places. They are here, they are there, they are everywhere! We eventually become somewhat innured to the sight, but that's not the case for many visitors. The two cities I lived in prior to Tampa had their share, but they were more or less contained in certain areas of the city...and ones I didn't have to look at if I didn't want, yet those who did could easily find them. There are visitors who arrive here from those cities who are shocked by XXX rated enterprises being springled throughout the entire region. To them it is indicative of a seamy section of town. We know better.

eltrain, my husband runs a 4* hotel here. Until recently there were 3 or 4 strip clubs directly across the street from us, yet this is a genuine 4* hotel and it's lovely. Fortunately the hotel is set down a long drive, but that &quot;Nude Girls&quot; sign did smack me in the face every morning when I pulled out onto the Causeway! :( And...we actually have lost group business specifically because the meeting planner did not want his function located in an area near strip clubs, fearing that some of their attendees would be offended. sigh Unfortunately it's a thriving business and the only thing that rid us of (what I consider) our blight, is the coming highway interchange construction.

I think we simply lose sight of the fact that in many areas these don't exist, and when they do, they are restricted to a certain not highly travelled area of town.

Amusing story. One of the strip clubs across the street caught fire in the pre-dawn hours a year or so ago. One of our security people spotted the flames coming through the roof and called the fire department. lol That morning my husband had a talk with her, &quot;If in the future if you <i>ever</i> again see the Tanga Lounge on fire, DO NOT call the fire department, is that clear?&quot; lol He was kidding of course...sort of.

stormygirl, I had read that that sex museum in the Pigalle section of Paris is quite good and worth the visit, even for old fogies like us. I did have it in the back of my mind to go, but we were in the Montmartre area Christmas Day and alas, most of that area was locked up tightly.

I have no problem with her opinions of the area, based on a tiny window of opportunity during which she sniffed at the tackiness of an area that the Trust for Historic Preservation is now pushing to preserve (just as they did South Beach in the 1980s). She is unfortunately one of a majority who feel there is nothing salvageable in mid-century architecture. But I do have a problem with her moralizing. It seems rather odd that she would object to an XXX-rated bookstore when you don't have to look much further than the beach to see just about everything you can read in a book.

OO, do you ever go to the big city?

<i>The</i> big city? We go to lots, but which one so you mean? One of the areas which I mentioned living in where it was coralled was Dallas...big by most standards.

I'm as happy as you that those &quot;clubs&quot; are gone across the highway. But we're talking about an XXX-rated bookstore in St. Pete. A bookstore. Do you think we should be banning books?

TD-Not if Joe Redner gets his way!

I suppose some would say that Anna Maria Island is run-down. It's absolutely not the place to go if you want a slick beachfront--Longboat is the place for that. Many of us prefer the traditional Florida beach towns like AM and TI--no one cares if you wear a designer swimsuit and some of the most beautiful beaches in Florida are behind the ramshackle buildings.

Smut IS everywhere. We took our kids to Amersterdam a few years ago. We didn't like the open prostitution and avoided those areas. We didn't like the legalized sale of hash and marijuana, so we didn't go to the coffee shops. We loved the Anne Frank House, the Picasso Museum, floating flower market etc. If you avoid places because of a few offensive establishments there are a lot of wonderful places you'll never get to see.

Well now, this is a funny thread. Almost missed it.

Could be that there's just a little distance between book banning and not wanting to vacation next to a store where the book's pages stick together.

But I have been to St Pete beach/Indian Rocks and didn't find it bad at all. Nothing wrong with pointing out what's there though, so that people can decide for themselves.

You're right. It is good that eltrain pointed it out because I've never noticed it and I sure don't want to miss it. I might just see some offensive words if I get real close.