Hobby History: For Road Warriors Before The Web

[DownForWhatever]

How many here remember hobbying pre-internet...especially on the road?

...checking out the Yellow Pages to survey the local offerings?

...and how many times had a fellow monger already torn out the page?

[playerplano]

OMG a blast from the past lol. Then there was the backpage rag that was free on every corner.

[2on1Lover]

Yeah, thanks for the memories. Never new what you were going to get with the yellow pages. I can remember using the Dallas Observer personal section. So desperate sounding, but it was the only thing available other than word of mouth. Things are much better now and makes the hobby much easier and more fun. Good post.

[PhoK]

Yes! Hotel checkin. Unpack. Yellow Pages for massage... and sometimes other mongers would asterisk the good ones, or worse yet. . .the page as torn out - lol.

[Jimmie]

That and the classifieds in the back of the daily paper

[azngrllvr]

There was also a weekly rag that was mailed to me. I had to use a PO Box.
But had many yellow pages adventures.

[TexTushHog]

The gold mine back in those days was a up to date yellowpages book where other hobbyists had made marginalia notes about the various agencies. Seems like the one in Dallas that I settled in as the best was Abigails. I traveled to Dallas often enough I kind if got to know the telephone girl. She’d send me her best. And some were quite,quite good.

[dallaswill]

Dallas Observer had lots of ads in the back for escorts. I even answered an ad from a lady in SF and we met up in Vegas. Also there were the trailers on 121. I met several RW ladies in FunEd classes. Best of all was the massage class. Intro classes were with swimsuits. Next level classes were totally nude. Any chick that stayed in those classes was after guys as much as we were after them. After massage class we would go to the Tub Club where Central Market is at Lovers and Greenville. We would not come out for 2-3 hours.

[DownForWhatever]

Originally Posted by Jimmie

That and the classifieds in the back of the daily paper

Oh yeah...I'd always pick up the local paper and study the classifieds. Most cities had a "Personals" section.

[TinMan]

I hated the hotels that charged for local calls, particularly after they were able to post the number on the bill at check out. Hard to explain to the boss when trying to get reimbursed for expenses.

[rexdutchman]

Back of sports page also had listings

[Admiral Giggle]

Originally Posted by dallaswill

...... I met several RW ladies in FunEd classes.

OMG, I forgot all about FunEd. The group trips to different locations in Texas or Mexico were just one big orgy on the bus, hotel, and resort. A traveling "Sandals"

[winn dixie]

Yep yellow pages and some of the local "back pages". But also the early phone dating sites were pure gold!

[Sir Lancehernot]

Originally Posted by TinMan

I hated the hotels that charged for local calls, particularly after they were able to post the number on the bill at check out. Hard to explain to the boss when trying to get reimbursed for expenses.

I once had to process expense reports for an owner who routinely had pay-per-view hotel charges averaging about seven minutes.