They came, they saw, they went to bed early.
Republicans failed to ignite the city’s sex and “adult entertainment” industries during the first two days of the convention, disappointing many party experts who had predicted a randy boon to the city’s seamier night life.
Tony Maraio, manager of Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club on 12th Avenue, said the Big Apple seemed all too quiet after the GOP’s opening salvos, and that attendance at the “gentlemen’s clubs” was underwhelming.
“Nothing over the top,” said Maraio, who said he was hopeful the partying would improve as conventioneers began to loosen up.
High-priced escorts and strippers said earlier they had been salivating for months over the expected Bush love-athon, with some agencies flying in extra call girls from around the globe to meet the demand from 5,000 delegates and some 45,000 others.
But insiders at strip joints such as the Hustler Club and Scores West Side said that while there were plenty of reservations for private rooms, business was disappointing overall.
One Midtown escort service was charging from $300 to upwards of $1,000 for an hour of companionship – but the Republican rush to instant karma did not appear to have materialized.
At the Times Square strip club Lace, a stripper named Deanna told The Post that hard-partying Bushies were noticeably absent.
“It’s dead,” she said. “Don’t ask.”