No, only that the pros in NYC have to go further to distinguish themselves
from the way the rest of the population dresses.

Jo

Sounds lovely :)  I'll keep that in mind for the summer :)))

Carole :)

Trust me that is a myth. The time does not start at 10 pm and although
prostitution is not illegal - it is illegal to practice it. Go figure
A quote on prostitution in Canada

***i trust your knowledge much more than i would the good ol' boys at
boeing.<smile>

"Despite the fact that prostitution is not illegal in Canada, activities
closely related to the profession are penalized (i.e. procuring, keeping a
bawdy-house, communicating). This results in the infamous "Catch 22"
situation, where prostitutes face a good news-bad news scenario:
prostitution is legal, but it is illegal to practice it.

***interesting.  kind of an ambivalent law, like the legislators both did
and didn't want to create a law about it.  (you should see some of the
absurd laws still on our books, some dating back over a hundred years, in
some regions of the country.)

The government's and the legal system's inability to clearly define where
prostitution can take place facilitates the further victimization of women
by forcing them to practice their chosen profession on the street under less
than optimal conditions. Moreover society as a whole is partly responsible
for young women choosing prostitution as a career. Also, the incompetence of
the law forces the police to be in a position were they have to make the
laws. :

***i'm uncertain about the validity of society, as a whole, being even
partly responsible for the choices of individuals.  prostitution is called
the oldest profession for a good reason.  i can't name any society,
currently nor historically, where it hasn't existed in some form, despite
legislation and enforcement against it in most societies.  and payment
doesn't have to be in coin; it can also be quid pro quo (also meaning there
are also a lot of people, both male and female, who don't necessarily
recognize they are prostituting themselves.).

Yes we have prostitutes that are rather noticable in Victoria at night - but
then that is when the tourists and the locals are out downtown.  In a lot of
cases these women are trying to make a living for drugs, for families (easy
money in a way for a single mom for example in a capital city where living
expenses are very high).  Unfortunately we have a fairly high percentage of
people in Victoria who are homeless, have mental illness problems, major
substance abuse problems - not just prostitution.  This is due to the high
amount of social service facilities downtown, a fairly good climate - very
little snow, very little cold compared to the northern areas or the prairies
or Eastern Canada.  Lots of convention trade, tourists etc as well - go
where your market is unfortunately and there is a market.

***historically, bad climate was never a deterrent to prostitution, just to
street-walking.  it seems as though all major cities seem to attract
prostitution and for all of the reasons you mentioned and more.

Some sad people - some ordinary people.  No easy solutions unfortunately.

***everywhere.

Of course most will visit Victoria and never see the seedy side of it.  And
if you ever come to Victoria I can pick you up at the Anacortes Ferry and
take you to buchart Gardens - a better tea in my opinion for a lessor price
now than the Empress - it is now overpriced in my opinion which is sad as it
used to be my favorite. the other tea I love is in Oak Bay at the Blethering
Place - an old English tea room.  Oak Bay is a place unto itself on the
outskirts of Victoria.

***may i take this opportunity to say, my comments were in no way intended
as an insult to canada's very beautiful victoria.  i love that city; it's
sophisticated, gorgeous and vibrant in every way.

prostitution exists in every major city, across the globe, and as you say,
most visitors to any major city rarely see its seedier sides.  in fact, many
locals don't even see it--born and raised in many major cities, i know i
never recognized what i was seeing in those cities in which i lived.  seeing
it in victoria, and being told what i was seeing, was my very first
firsthand awarness experience with it.  i tend to be somewhat overly
exhuberant about and relish any first/new experiences, as life's an
adventure to me.  no negative general judgment from me was intended to be
imposed upon your lovely city.

have you tried tea at the ann hathaway?--though i don't know if that lovely
place still exists (we happened upon it, during one of our many trips there,
back in the 1990s).

thank you for your very kind and generous invitation, kelly.  i don't do
much traveling alone these days.  heck, i barely put 2500 miles a year on my
car.  just getting around the house without breaking a bone has been a
challenge the past several years.  but, if i do have the opportunity to
revisit victoria, i'd love to take you up on it.

kate

Kelly