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I lived on North Ave in Chicago through the 2000s, and only occasionally saw street walkers near the Chicago River. It was apparently much more active a few decades earlier, and extending west into Wicker Park. There are still strip clubs in the area, but today Kingsbury St is better known for the giant Whole Foods Market.
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Originally Posted by rnc2mbfl
I don't know that there's a street in Raleigh that's particularly known for this activity
Raleigh was too small of a town to have established anything like this in the pre-VCR era; I think Fayetteville was where I'd hear about vice raids in the 1990s. Surprised there isn't an adult book store on this street, though.
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Originally Posted by Borntoolate85
Washington, DC's was 14th St. NW between New York Ave. and K Streets in the heart of downtown
Note to those from outside the area: this is a good mile or so east of that other stretch of K St, from Franklin Square past Farragut Square, which is also renowned for a different sort of prostitution.
Back in the late 1800s/early 1900s my neighborhood had the highest number of brothels and prostitutes per capita in the US. 31 brothels downtown in a city of 19,000 and 1 madam for every three males. Last brothel closed in 1964. Now it's just a bunch of hipsters, empty nesters, and weird LU religious types. An antique store three blocks from my condo bears the name of the old red light district, The Buzzards Roost, as a homage. My how the times have changed.
Used to be Tonnele Ave in Jersey City. I think the internet largely ended the phenomenon of street corner solicitation. Really don’t see it out on the street anywhere anymore, assume it’s online/in the motels.
I feel like in every city there is a street that is associated with the seedier vices in life. Ill start with Houston and everyone can chime in with what street in their city's have this reputation.
In Houston, Bissonett is synonymous with street walking prostitution. Its actually only one section of the street. Other parts of Bissonett go through some of the nicest parts of Houston (Bellaire and West University), but the section between Beltway 8 and 69 is notorious for prostitution, drugs, and crime.
Also in Houston, Richmond is the street associated with large numbers of strip clubs.
In Cleveland, back in the 70s and 80s, the street for prostitution was the aptly named Prospect Ave., just on the skirts of downtown - pardon the pun. Not so much today, it has been somewhat gentrified. I guess (not knowing) that social media has replaced the classic streetwalker.
That was before my time, but definitely heard about Prospect growing up. But yeah, I imagine it's hard to find spots that have hookers lined up and down the street in the age of the internet. The last true "red-light district" in Cleveland I remember may have been Detroit from W. 65 to the W. 80s back in the late 90s/early 2000s. You would still see hookers posted up then. W. 65th/Detroit is almost completely gentrified at this point, though the 80s are still on the rough side. ... though I'm sure Euclid Avenue out on the Cleveland-Euclid border where there were/are a bunch of really low-end hotels was/is another hotspot on the eastside.
Now, it's probably Brook Park. You still have all the seedy strip clubs along Brookpark Road and a bunch of low-end "airport" hotels on Brookpark/Snow roads. You won't see hookers on the street, but those hotels are probably 50 percent prostitutes and then 50 percent out of towners who fly in who are too cheap to stay downtown, or even down the road in Middleburg or Strongsville.
Pacific Avenue in Atlantic City for sex workers and drug dealers. The former also hang out around the entrances to the casinos, regardless of where the entrances are, though the security guards usually chase them away. That said, there are strip clubs and adult stores and theaters scattered throughout, including on Atlantic Ave (which is the main street). There even used to be a swinger's club before it closed down. There's also a stretch of highway leading into town filled with cheap motels where a lot of drug dealers and sex workers work and sometimes live. That said, before Atlantic City changed its tagline to "Do AC", which imo is still pretty provocative, it was "America's Favorite Playground". I think Las Vegas is probably more accurate for that, but -- similar draws, even if not the same in size, scale, or climate.
Used to be Tonnele Ave in Jersey City. I think the internet largely ended the phenomenon of street corner solicitation. Really don’t see it out on the street anywhere anymore, assume it’s online/in the motels.
Tonnelle was wild back in the day. Still a few short stay motels littered along it but you are correct, those days are long gone.
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