Would you take a kid/grandkid to Walking St at 9pm ?

[MrWorldwide]

I dont agree with some of the Russian-bashing on TV, but this is one area where they astound me. Sane thoughts most welcome.

[guzzi850m2]

No I would not take my 4 year old son there.

As a Pattaya resident I hardly ever go to walking street myself anymore, overpriced, violence is just under the surface especially in the morning when the tourist police have left and gone to bed.

It's like a human zoo, many other places to go to.

Why the tourists from Russia and China and other countries sometimes bring their kids there is beyond me, guess they can't leave their kids in the hotel room by themselves but that is no excuse.

[David48]

Couple of things ...

Can you connect the Headline ... Would you take a kid/grandkid to Walking St at 9pm ?

and the OP ... I dont agree with some of the Russian-bashing on TV, but this is one area where they astound me

Is there some media missing to connect the two?

.

Edited December 5, 2013 by David48

[PattayaPhom]

WS is as much an attraction as Buddha Mountain or the floating market. I wouldnt as I cant stand the place but whats the big deal if somebody does.

[MrWorldwide]

@david48, this is the Pattaya forum - I'll leave you to put 2+2 together. The other posters seem to have been able to work it out.

[MrWorldwide]

WS is as much an attraction as Buddha Mountain or the floating market. I wouldnt as I cant stand the place but whats the big deal if somebody does.

No big deal - I just wouldnt take a kid there any more than I would take a kid to the Vegas Strip or Sydney's Kings Cross - I guess its just me. I enjoy central Patts, unlike many on TV, but for me some parts of it simply aren't child friendly. A friend here in Dullsville told me she had to caution a parent re letting her kids wander through the gaming room at the local RSL - to me, its sad that someone has to tell parents kids aren't allowed in there.

I know Russia is a very different country to Australia - perhaps they simply dont believe in wrapping their kids in cotton wool ?

Edited December 5, 2013 by MrWorldwide

[David48]

Couple of things ...

Can you connect the Headline ... Would you take a kid/grandkid to Walking St at 9pm ?

and the OP ... I dont agree with some of the Russian-bashing on TV, but this is one area where they astound me

Is there some media missing to connect the two?

.

@david48, this is the Pattaya forum - I'll leave you to put 2+2 together. The other posters seem to have been able to work it out.

...

Hunsom man I am ... a mind-reader I'm not ...

.

[bender92]

WS is as much an attraction as Buddha Mountain or the floating market. I wouldnt as I cant stand the place but whats the big deal if somebody does.

No big deal - I just wouldnt take a kid there any more than I would take a kid to the Vegas Strip or Sydney's Kings Cross - I guess its just me. I enjoy central Patts, unlike many on TV, but for me some parts of it simply aren't child friendly. A friend here in Dullsville told me she had to caution a parent re letting her kids wander through the gaming room at the local RSL - to me, its sad that someone has to tell parents kids aren't allowed in there.

I know Russia is a very different country to Australia - perhaps they simply dont believe in wrapping their kids in cotton wool ?

Correction - the Vegas Strip is very kid friendly. They have pirate ship battles, fountain/light shows, Mardi Gras parades, all for free, for all ages. There aren't a lot of drunks and hookers and thugs hanging around. No go-go bars. It's very safe.

[topt]

9pm is not so bad - but I agree when I see them after 10.30pm and it's not just the eastern Europeans

[Langsuan Man]

Smaller kids who really don't know what is going on is OK for me, to them it is just glamor and glitz

But I did have a heated argument with an acquaintance who felt there was nothing wrong in taking his pre-teen step daughter to Walking Street at the height of the mayhem. He felt that since the family all knew what was going on there was no reason to hide it.......

I responded with the phrase Monkey see, monkey do

I heard later on that the kid got knocked up and was banished up to Issan to the grandmother's for the duration

[giddyup]

@david48, this is the Pattaya forum - I'll leave you to put 2+2 together. The other posters seem to have been able to work it out.

I don't get it either.

[NanLaew]

...

I heard later on that the kid got knocked up and was banished up to Issan to the grandmother's for the duration

And all because she was allowed to see Walking Street...

[gmac]

...

I heard later on that the kid got knocked up and was banished up to Issan to the grandmother's for the duration

And all because she was allowed to see Walking Street...

Quite possibly if she was a country girl and it was her first introduction to the bright lights.

[gazwa]

I owned and managed a bar on WS for years. All my 3 kids spent some time in and around the bar at some time. Birthday parties and such. They saw people having fun, dancing and playing bar games, which most people and kids enjoy. My 17 yo daughter is not yet pregnant nor does she aspire to working in a bar. Customers who brought their kids to the bar/s were made to feel welcome and a good time was had by all. The kids don't see what goes on in the customers hotel rooms, just the good times in the bar. Any bad times ie: fights etc are a good time to educate your kids about evils of drinking to excess and the world has bad people so be careful. I fail to see the downside to kids seeing life as we know it, as long as they are well supervised.

[MrWorldwide]

Each to their own gazwa, and it may well be that the nanny state has warped my thinking, but I'd prefer it if small children were nowhere in the vicinity when a fight spills onto the street - I guess that's just me. I'm not talking about 16 and 17-year olds - I'm talking about families with very small children.

[JSixpack]

I owned and managed a bar on WS for years. All my 3 kids spent some time in and around the bar at some time. Birthday parties and such. They saw people having fun, dancing and playing bar games, which most people and kids enjoy. My 17 yo daughter is not yet pregnant nor does she aspire to working in a bar. Customers who brought their kids to the bar/s were made to feel welcome and a good time was had by all. The kids don't see what goes on in the customers hotel rooms, just the good times in the bar. Any bad times ie: fights etc are a good time to educate your kids about evils of drinking to excess and the world has bad people so be careful. I fail to see the downside to kids seeing life as we know it, as long as they are well supervised.

+1. A little kid, now, loves the excitement of Walking St. I once went w/ a gf and her cute 4-year old, carried him on my shoulders and introduced him to lots of beautiful ladies who fawned over him. He was so delighted. He loved looking at all the fish in the seafood restaurants, the street performers, the lights & sense of excitement. Had a wonderful time!

[harrry]

Cannot see anything wrong up till about 9pm but after that they should be home. And I would be more worried about the examples of the drunk foreigners than I would about the presence of working girls.

Edited December 5, 2013 by harrry

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Cannot see anything wrong up till about 9pm but after that they should be home. And I would be more worried about the examples of the drunk foreigners than I would about the presence of working girls.

Yes, me too.

I do visit Pattaya with the kids, but we don't visit any nightlife areas.

It's funny because when we get back home the kids tell everyone about the great time they had at the beaches, dolphin shows and other stuff in Pattaya. This puzzles less clued in Farang people (i.e. most of them) who think Pattaya is only one big whorehouse.

[MrWorldwide]

Cannot see anything wrong up till about 9pm but after that they should be home. And I would be more worried about the examples of the drunk foreigners than I would about the presence of working girls.

Yes, me too.

I do visit Pattaya with the kids, but we don't visit any nightlife areas.

It's funny because when we get back home the kids tell everyone about the great time they had at the beaches, dolphin shows and other stuff in Pattaya. This puzzles less clued in Farang people (i.e. most of them) who think Pattaya is only one big whorehouse.

Right, but we're not talking about 'dolphin shows and other stuff', are we ? We're talking about Walking St after dark, and the last time I checked that WAS 'one big whorehouse'. People tell me Patts is changing - perhaps I just didnt get the newsletter on that particular change - but neither of the Beach Rd entrances to Walking St is what I'd call 'kid friendly'. In typical Thai fashion, they've narrowed the footpaths so that you are almost on the road with the endless stream of traffic, crossing the road is like playing Russian Roulette (probably the sole upside to the gridlock on Beach Rd) and it only gets worse out the front of the Bamboo Bar where you find yourself dodging every available freelancer in Patts by 11pm.

This thread isnt about Pattaya as a holiday destination - its not even about the sex industry. It's about the fact that most Farang wont take their kids to the epicentre of in-your-face nightlife in Pattaya. I've bolded the section of your post that indicates you feel exactly the same way.

[JSixpack]

neither of the Beach Rd entrances to Walking St is what I'd call 'kid friendly'. In typical Thai fashion, they've narrowed the footpaths so that you are almost on the road with the endless stream of traffic, crossing the road is like playing Russian Roulette (probably the sole upside to the gridlock on Beach Rd) and it only gets worse out the front of the Bamboo Bar where you find yourself dodging every available freelancer in Patts by 11pm.

Oh, well, if this is the real issue, then just walk up to the 2nd Rd intersection (or get off the baht bus after it's turned the corner) and cross at the light. You can then walk down to the Beach Rd. entrance, checking out the freelancers along the way by 11 pm) or to the nearby 2nd Rd. soi leading down to WS. Yet anyone wishing to insulate himself from freelancers will not only need to avoid WS at all times but as well Beach Rd and other large areas of PTY.

Sarasota, Florida, USA, would be the paradise in which so many of our posters would find happiness. I don't know why it's completely overlooked.

Sorted. Next.

[Swiss1960]

If you are parent with a small kid and no nanny to look after your kid in the evening, you will take it with you when you want to see Walking Street. Pattaya without having seen walking street is not having been in Pattaya. Since visiting Walking Street automatically means going there in the evening when it is dark (otherwise you don't see what Walking Street is about), it will be dark and whether it is 8pm or 9pm does not really matter, at that time, WS is still pretty tourist friendly.

Same if you did have dinner in one of the many restaurants, maybe towards Bali Hai pier and are walking back to your hotel on beach road, you will walk along WS with your kid.

So personally, I don't see any wrong in walking up and down WS at 9pm with your small kid. Neither will your kid become a bar girl later in her life nor will it have a permanent shock, as it does not know what WS can also be about later in night.

I agree with you OP, your nanny state back home might have had some strange influence on you.

P.S.: I have been walking down Vegas Strip with my kids years ago and they both did not become gambling addicts either...

Edited December 5, 2013 by Swiss1960

[WinnieTheKhwai]

Cannot see anything wrong up till about 9pm but after that they should be home. And I would be more worried about the examples of the drunk foreigners than I would about the presence of working girls.

Yes, me too.

I do visit Pattaya with the kids, but we don't visit any nightlife areas.

It's funny because when we get back home the kids tell everyone about the great time they had at the beaches, dolphin shows and other stuff in Pattaya. This puzzles less clued in Farang people (i.e. most of them) who think Pattaya is only one big whorehouse.

Right, but we're not talking about 'dolphin shows and other stuff', are we ? We're talking about Walking St after dark, and the last time I checked that WAS 'one big whorehouse'. People tell me Patts is changing - perhaps I just didnt get the newsletter on that particular change - but neither of the Beach Rd entrances to Walking St is what I'd call 'kid friendly'.

This thread isnt about Pattaya as a holiday destination - its not even about the sex industry. It's about the fact that most Farang wont take their kids to the epicentre of in-your-face nightlife in Pattaya. I've bolded the section of your post that indicates you feel exactly the same way.

Indeed I do.

Your original post stated "Sane thoughts most welcome.".

I believe I gave you one, in stating that I don't visit any nightlife areas. (I included the dolphin stuff for the benefit of any posters who then wonder why I take kids to Pattaya at all. )

[MrWorldwide]

@JSixpack, I only go to Walking St to watch a house band at Hot Tuna - I spend the majority of my time in Pattaya somewhere between Soi Bukhao and Soi 6. That's my idea of 'paradise'.

[uptheos]

Each to their own gazwa, and it may well be that the nanny state has warped my thinking, but I'd prefer it if small children were nowhere in the vicinity when a fight spills onto the street - I guess that's just me. I'm not talking about 16 and 17-year olds - I'm talking about families with very small children.

Geez Mr.W, that would preclude kids from all City centres in the UK!

[MrWorldwide]

Fair point, uptheos, and perhaps its exactly the sort of preparation they need as we draw ever closer to the zombie apocalypse.

I guess it comes down to my old school view of Pattaya as an adult playground and others willing to accept that it is changing. Selfish or no, I like the idea that there is a playground exclusively for adults, but I can see the appeal of all that neon for those with no real interest in the nightlife.

[smooth expat]

Yes, I've seen them. And I have seen muslim women with full burqas on Walking St. YES. Walking St!! WHAT are they thinking???

Edited December 5, 2013 by smooth expat

[JSixpack]

@JSixpack, I only go to Walking St to watch a house band at Hot Tuna - I spend the majority of my time in Pattaya somewhere between Soi Bukhao and Soi 6. That's my idea of 'paradise'.

Then your issue must be, "Would you take a kid/grandkid somewhere between Soi Bukhao and Soi 6?"

Lots of freelancers there. Maybe start a new thread.

Seems most have answered the question positively with regard to the place where you merely watch a house band at Hot Tuna.

And yes, I'd also take a kid/grandkid somewhere between Soi Bukhao and Soi 6 too.

[MrWorldwide]

When I see you with a kid on Soi 6, I'll know its time to get on a plane to Cambo

As I said in an earlier post, this is more about my dinosaur view of Pattaya than anything else - I just want Pattaya to be the adult playground it once was. Clearly, I'm in the minority and I'm prepared to cop it on the chin.

[harrry]

When I see you with a kid on Soi 6, I'll know its time to get on a plane to Cambo

As I said in an earlier post, this is more about my dinosaur view of Pattaya than anything else - I just want Pattaya to be the adult playground it once was. Clearly, I'm in the minority and I'm prepared to cop it on the chin.

Pattaya was never an adult playground.

When all the big hotels were built in the 70s they all catered to families and had many pools and facilities specially designed for children. I remember Holiday Inn were even promoting specials that all children ate free. Maybe you have to open your eyes a little.

[Gone]

Why would you care what time people bring their kids out and without mentioning ages etc.?

Every culture are different and Thai children are out at all hours. 9:00pm is not bad and if the kids are like babies or up to 5 why would it matter?

I think they are lucky to experience different cultures and life at a very young age. Like one person said "It is all just glitter to them".

How do you know they were Russian children? Did you talk with them?