A few months ago I started working for a company located in Sygrou Av., Athens. For those who  don't
know, Sygrou Av. is a major avenue of Athens leading from the center of Athens south,  to  the  sea.
Eight lanes wide, it's lined in both sides with the usual grey monstrosities called  "buildings"  in
this city. The twenty-four hours per day traffic keeps them covered with a layer of  exhaust  smoke.
Connecting downtown Athens with the southern suburbs of the city, Sygrou  Av.  looks  like  a  dirty
river of cars, flowing north in the morning and south in the evening. A big bad wound in the body of
Athens (one of many), this avenue is designed for a world without pedestrians or cyclists. It  is  a
highway in the middle of the city and the only way to cross it is by using the underpasses,  located
every one kilometer or so.

This avenue has a bit of bad reputation. Banks, office buildings and five star hotels  coexist  with
sex shops and strip clubs. And a big church too. In the morning, I have to cycle downhill and as I'm
usually late for work I don't give much notice to the surroundings, trying to keep  a  decent  speed
(more than 30km/h) and to avoid cars, buses and taxis. But pedaling uphill in the afternoon,  i  use
the smaller side road or even the sidewalk, going much slower, and I have the time to look around.

As the winter came, the day became smaller, so I had to cycle back from work after  sunset.  It  was
then that I noticed a blinking blue neon sign with the word "STUDIO" in the east side of  the  road.
Some days later, I spotted another one in the other side of the road. Then another  one,  this  time
pink, steady and double. Now, given the reputation of the neibourhood, I  assumed  that  these  were
brothels, but I was a bit puzzled over the big neon signs. Then I stumbled upon  this  article  that
explained that these establishments are just a "modern" kind of brothel, with  a  more  professional
attitude.

Why I'm writing this post? Easy. I just wanted to have a "Sex" tag and this post is a nice excuse. I
can also use the tag "Cycling" in the same post, which is a nice touch.  Stay  tuned  for  the  next
article in the series: Patission St.