Stay Lusty, Lady Love

In a sad piece of news for sex junkies in the fair city of Seattle this week, the Lusty Lady peep show on First Avenue announced that, after twenty-seven years of continuous operation, (That’s twenty four hours a day, three hundred and sixty five days a year) they would be closing their doors forever.

This hallowed hall of sexual delight was best known for the slogans it placed on its marquee. Phrases such as, “Happy Nude Year,” “Porn on the Fourth of July,” “Merry XXXMas,” and “Happy Spanksgiving,” adorned the frontispiece of the building for years, annoying prudes and amusing perverts, businessmen and tourists alike.

The ailing economy, local construction and, of course, the internet, were all factors that led to a steep decline in business for the Lady.

I visited this fine establishment once, in 1995, while a junior at the University of Oregon. The selection of performers ranged from fairly attractive to downright skanky, and were very comparable to the quality of girls featured at the San Francisco location. But with a pocketful of quarters and a bottle of booze swishing around in my gut, I enjoyed my experience thoroughly, escaping, for a brief moment, the worries of my undergraduate existence.

Lady, you will not be forgotten.