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Palm Springs or Fort Lauderdale?


Leather-lee

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On 8/23/2021 at 4:59 PM, BestCatcher said:

I live in Palm Springs yet have visited Ft Lauderdale several times and find them both very accommodating for middle-aged and older men. Both have a robust gay scene and lots of bars catering to diverse interests in our community. Both attract large number of visitors from all over the world. PS draws weekend visitors from San Diego, LA, Las Vegas, Phoenix and San Francisco. FTL is just as easy to get to from anywhere in the east and south. PS seems to have more clothing optional resorts that offer day passes, so there’s plenty of opportunity for outdoor play. That said, FTL has Slammer 321 which is one of the finest man-to-man play spaces I’ve encountered anywhere. And their grandfathered liquor license allows them to serve your bring-your-own booze from their bar. 

You just can’t go wrong visiting or living in one or the other. I’ll continue to visit FTL and, if I lived there, would visit PS regularly as well. The major difference I’ve seen between the two is that FTL has gawd awful traffic that can make getting from one place to another a big pain in the ass. PS does not have traffic.

I lived in the Bay Area for most of my life but Fort Lauderdale has by far the worse traffic! It takes forever to get from one point to another and  Fort Lauderdale is not that big.  There’s two fun bathhouses and slammers and the beach is just beautiful not to mention the great restaurants. PS has CCBC and no traffic but no beach.  Because of the distance, COVID and the fact they have an asshole for governor not to mention the right wing politics I’m staying in Calif 

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  • 6 months later...

I've have been debating between which of the two is the better deal.  Hope to retire in 10 years and maybe leave my home state of Maryland. I've been to Palm Springs four times and will be there again 10 days from now for my birthday.  Also, one of my siblings lives in CA.  What I like about Ft. Lauderdale is that I love being around water. This man enjoys being on the ocean.  Both places are gay Meccas and it's great to be around our own tribe. Someone above noted how lousy traffic is in the FT. Lauderdale area and he's absolutely right.  Between 4 & 7 in the late afternoon, it can take you 30 minutes to drive 4,5 miles. Nuts.  Condos start around 100k in FTL wheras in Palm Springs, they start around 150k and a nice one means you need to look at 225-250k and upwards. No state income tax in FL.  Politically I am an independant. In the past dozen years so many have gone off the deep-end and poilitcs has become their religion so I know that some of my friends are turned off by DeSantis, then on the flip side, many consider CA the land of crazies.  None of this means much to me as I stay in the middle of the road. Still debating but if I had to make a choice right now, I'd likely pick FTL. 
 

Fort-Lauderdale.jpg

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  • 1 month later...

Hands down FT Lauderdale is the place to go to retire or live.   Wilton Manors being the best gay Mecca in the world.

I traveled the world trying to find the best gay mecca to live in and Ft Lauderdale won.

There are many more bars and clubs in Ft Lauderdale than in Palm Springs.  Most of the gay bars are on  Wilton Drive so  you can park and walk to any of them.  Unlike Palm springs where you have to drive long distances to get to one bar from another.

Ft Lauderdale is by the Sea and everything is green with palm trees and tropical weather.  You can be in shorts all year round.

There is 321 which is a super hot sex club with a BYOB bar. 2 Bathhouses and many private sex parties all year long not just on the circuit party days like most places - including palm springs.

The community is mostly made up of men in their late 40's on up. It is very Bear oriented and super friendly.  If your  an older gentleman then there is tropics a bar specifically for older men and their admirers.  I like going there and im not that old. 

There are all kinds of gays in Ft Lauderdale.  From Professionals to retired people. If you flash that you have a lot of money or you think that you are gods gift to the world then you will definitely be disliked and nobody will talk to you.  Ft Lauderdale likes its down to earth people. Unfortunately Palm springs has the weekend crowd that comes from all parts of California with a lot of money and have their noses up in the air and their butts. 

Yes if you drive during rush hour or busy times of the day there is traffic especially in the winter when all the snowbirds come down.  But since everyone wants to live in paradise you have to pay some kind of price.

Palm Springs is wonderful don't get me wrong.  I dont mean to sound negative about it.  There are many wonderful people there and the events that go on are amazing.  The problem for me with Palm springs is that realestate is super expensive and living there is expensive. But the part that bothered me is that there is not a full time community there that mixes professionals and common folk. You are either retired or y ou are working some kind of service industry.

It is beautiful and if you like the desert you will love palm springs.

 

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4 hours ago, KOKO said:

It is beautiful and if you like the desert you will love palm springs.

That's what bothered me when I was looking around for a warm place to move to.  Sure, PS itself has a lot going for it, sexually.  It seemed too "plastic" - nothing is "grounded", everything's there to reinforce the illusion. And then, PS just stops - it just ends, and there's nothing but the damn desert.  In every direction.  I found it really suffocating.  I guess living all your life in major metro areas will do that to you.  Get in the car, and go in any direction, with civilization all around you at all times.  No regrets about choosing Ft.L.

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  • 1 month later...

I live in Palm Springs and so I’m probably prejudiced. Yes I’ve been to Fort Lauderdale and really enjoyed myself. But for me the heat/humidity is a killer. I’ve lived all my life in California and I’ve not really had to deal with heat/humidity too much in my life. If I go to Florida from late May to September I get miserable and all sorts of allergies. But living in the desert in the summer is no piece of cake either. it gets very hot with highs exceeding 100+ degrees for three months but it’s mostly a dry heat, except during the occasional monsoon. You often spend most of your day indoors and go out at night because that’s the fun time anyway.

Palm Springs is the western most City in the greater Coachella Valley;  the Valley has a population of about 450,000 people.  (See coachella and Stagecoach Music Festivals).  Actually Palm Springs is surrounded on the south and west by tall mountains; we have open desert to the north and the rest of the Coachella valley extending about 30 miles to the east. So it depends upon the direction you  are heading  when you meet the desert.

Yes, Ft Lauderdale has the Atlantic Ocean Beaches in its eastern edge and that’s a deciding point for many people.  In Palm Springs  your backyard ocean is your backyard pool, hopefully stocked with cool margaritas served by naked hunky pool boys. And the classic Pacific Ocean Beaches of Southern California are about two hours away.
 

 Palm Springs does have the advantage of being relatively close to the Los Angeles metropolitan area with all the city things to do there as well as San Diego. Both are about two hours away I can’t really compare the culture of the two places since I’ve not been in Ft Lauderdale or Wilton manors enough (but I do know that a former mayor or city manager?? of Wilton Manors lives in Palm Springs).

California has one big advantage over Florida: A third dimension. While Florida is a flat flat flatland. California has the highest and geologically youngest mountains in the 48 contiguous states creating some spectacular scenery. On a 75 degree Palm Springs winter morning, you can look up and see the snow covered peaks; and maybe go skiing in the afternoon. 


Now California is a blue state while Florida is a red state. Therefore, Californians are big into fucking while Floridians prefer fisting. Just kidding!

But seriously the political differences between the two states is symbolized by the following contrast. The State of Florida is today pushing to eliminate any State Medicaid funding for gender affirming care for transgendered persons,  while also today, the Mayor of Palm Springs is transgendered, and a highly respected member of the community. 

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We live in PS also and I have family in Ft Lauderdale. It is a city and fun depends on what you like.  Palm Springs is part of the first gay resort towns and only palces gay men can go to on vacation and be themselves. along with P town, Key West, Sagatuck, Rehoboth to name a few. Its small resort laid back, lots of artist, musicians, actors etc.bars are more for socializing and meeting new friends from different parts of the world There is a time a year that is "season" when sometimes the tourist out number the locals 2 to 1. Where as Ft Laurderdale is a city like any other San Francisco, San Diego, LA, Boston, DC, Chicago, Etc.  The scene is pretty muc the same as the other gay freindly cities besides alot more tourists all times of the year tey do not realy have a season. Palm Springs is so different geography wise obviusly its a desert tucked away in a valley with mountains all around and pools lots of pools. Ft Lauderdale is Tropical beaches and ocean and pools. but besides the sun and they are both are hot. One has what they say is dry heat and when it is windy which can be often think of it as a convection oven. Where the other is a wet damp heat like a steam room. With all that said I love Palm Springs nothing like a hot dry night of raw sex outside by the pool. 

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  • 1 month later...

 I’m still undecided about the two cities; when I was in Palm Springs in April I met a guy who I really liked who invited me to come visit so I flew out this morning from BWI to spend a few days with him. While I was at Dallas Ft.Worth airport waiting for the connecting flight, I saw that one of the biggest & best men in gay porn was standing a few feet away waiting for the same flight. Man, Drew Sebastian is even better looking in person. He was nice, gracious, shook my hand. I told him the truth, that I am a huge fan.  Made my day ! 

3CB6E5FE-3E65-4546-AE4C-05D07BB89783.jpeg

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1 hour ago, Pig4Fucking said:

 I’m still undecided about the two cities; when I was in Palm Springs in April I met a guy who I really liked who invited me to come visit so I flew out this morning from BWI to spend a few days with him. While I was at Dallas Ft.Worth airport waiting for the connecting flight, I saw that one of the biggest & best men in gay porn was standing a few feet away waiting for the same flight. Man, Drew Sebastian is even better looking in person. He was nice, gracious, shook my hand. I told him the truth, that I am a huge fan.  Made my day ! 

3CB6E5FE-3E65-4546-AE4C-05D07BB89783.jpeg

See! That is a true, class act!  What a gentleman.  I know you would have preferred he not be a gentleman, but wow, I would save that picture to show my grandchildren - if I were to have any......did he sign an autograph?  Too bad you didn't have an old VCR cover for him to sign.  I am uber jealous, but happy for you!

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On 9/20/2021 at 6:14 PM, HairyBeardedPozMan said:

I lived in the Bay Area for most of my life but Fort Lauderdale has by far the worse traffic! It takes forever to get from one point to another and  Fort Lauderdale is not that big.  There’s two fun bathhouses and slammers and the beach is just beautiful not to mention the great restaurants. PS has CCBC and no traffic but no beach.  Because of the distance, COVID and the fact they have an asshole for governor not to mention the right wing politics I’m staying in Calif 

I agree with you and totally agree with you with that ASSHOLE Governor of Florida

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On 7/20/2022 at 2:00 AM, Bearpigps said:

I live in Palm Springs and so I’m probably prejudiced. Yes I’ve been to Fort Lauderdale and really enjoyed myself. But for me the heat/humidity is a killer. I’ve lived all my life in California and I’ve not really had to deal with heat/humidity too much in my life. If I go to Florida from late May to September I get miserable and all sorts of allergies. But living in the desert in the summer is no piece of cake either. it gets very hot with highs exceeding 100+ degrees for three months but it’s mostly a dry heat, except during the occasional monsoon. You often spend most of your day indoors and go out at night because that’s the fun time anyway.

Palm Springs is the western most City in the greater Coachella Valley;  the Valley has a population of about 450,000 people.  (See coachella and Stagecoach Music Festivals).  Actually Palm Springs is surrounded on the south and west by tall mountains; we have open desert to the north and the rest of the Coachella valley extending about 30 miles to the east. So it depends upon the direction you  are heading  when you meet the desert.

Yes, Ft Lauderdale has the Atlantic Ocean Beaches in its eastern edge and that’s a deciding point for many people.  In Palm Springs  your backyard ocean is your backyard pool, hopefully stocked with cool margaritas served by naked hunky pool boys. And the classic Pacific Ocean Beaches of Southern California are about two hours away.
 

 Palm Springs does have the advantage of being relatively close to the Los Angeles metropolitan area with all the city things to do there as well as San Diego. Both are about two hours away I can’t really compare the culture of the two places since I’ve not been in Ft Lauderdale or Wilton manors enough (but I do know that a former mayor or city manager?? of Wilton Manors lives in Palm Springs).

California has one big advantage over Florida: A third dimension. While Florida is a flat flat flatland. California has the highest and geologically youngest mountains in the 48 contiguous states creating some spectacular scenery. On a 75 degree Palm Springs winter morning, you can look up and see the snow covered peaks; and maybe go skiing in the afternoon. 


Now California is a blue state while Florida is a red state. Therefore, Californians are big into fucking while Floridians prefer fisting. Just kidding!

But seriously the political differences between the two states is symbolized by the following contrast. The State of Florida is today pushing to eliminate any State Medicaid funding for gender affirming care for transgendered persons,  while also today, the Mayor of Palm Springs is transgendered, and a highly respected member of the community. 

I totally agree with  Bearpigps,,I live in Palm Desert and love it out here

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 8/23/2022 at 3:32 PM, Pig4Fucking said:

 I’m still undecided about the two cities; when I was in Palm Springs in April I met a guy who I really liked who invited me to come visit so I flew out this morning from BWI to spend a few days with him. While I was at Dallas Ft.Worth airport waiting for the connecting flight, I saw that one of the biggest & best men in gay porn was standing a few feet away waiting for the same flight. Man, Drew Sebastian is even better looking in person. He was nice, gracious, shook my hand. I told him the truth, that I am a huge fan.  Made my day ! 

3CB6E5FE-3E65-4546-AE4C-05D07BB89783.jpeg

WOW, Drew is a hot and sexy beast of a man! Did you know he's also an accomplished chef with his own catering company? Truly a man of many talents!

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1 minute ago, Vancrawman said:

WOW, Drew is a hot and sexy beast of a man! Did you know he's also an accomplished chef with his own catering company? Truly a man of many talents!

Yes, I read a lot and mentioned that to him. He said he considers himself a nutritionist. Such a hot hunk of man. I wanted to say, “hey, let’s go into the men’s room and show these fuckers how it’s done, you can fuck me right at the sink !”

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  • 4 weeks later...

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