A few months ago I dragged a friend with me to see Carrie
Fisher in “Wishful Drinking” at the Hippodrome. No Star Wars fan, closeted
though some of us may be, could resist. In all fairness though, I love her mostly
for her writing. Princess Leia got me to read her first book, but I read the
rest because Carrie made me laugh.
With glittering eye shadow and a slightly evil smile, she
induced an audience member to humiliate himself on stage and for his trouble
she gifted him with a sex toy. Complimenting Baltimore on its surprising
selection of sex shops, Fisher confessed she’d never been to a city that
boasted as many in one small area. Has she never been to Vegas?
Well, I’ll admit my exposure to Baltimore’s adult toy stores
was limited to Canton’s Lovecraft. Not that I’m a prude but hey, I did grow up
in the Midwest! You know what they say. The first step is admitting you have a
problem.
So if Princess Leia could venture fearlessly and without
embarrassment into Baltimore’s red-light district so could I.
And venture I did. Or rather, stepped gingerly.
Just a few blocks down from the city’s police headquarters
and a few over from the touristy Inner Harbor where families frolic, a whole
other type of fun and games take place. For a good two square blocks, Baltimore
offers for your viewing pleasure an array of clubs and shops promising to
tickle your fantasy bone….and maybe something else. And yes, they actually have booth peep shows.
I was tempted to head into Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club for a
drink, but alas, unescorted women are not allowed.
