You ask a lot of questions.  Reminds me of some of my ex's !

Casinos are just one of the things that have had all the fun sucked out of them. I haven't been to a casino since COVID and with the current restrictions I just don't see myself going again until they let the fun back into going. I don't see gambling becoming a thing of the past, but I am foregoing casino gambling until they allow the fun back into it, and I have quit watching/gambling on sports until they take the politics out of it. I still plan on drilling oil wells, so I suppose that's all the gambling I really need in my life. lol

 
I also miss jumping on a plane and going to another country, just for the fun of it. This entire year I've been on only two trips, one to Vegas pre COVID and another trip to Michigan to go fishing. It wasn't all that long ago that I was in an airport once a week or more. I don't see myself leaving the country to go "play" until I can not only get on a plane and get there, but until I can actually have any fun in the country I end up in. Right now most of my "playgrounds" are locked down tighter than we are right here at home, so I don't see any international travel in my immediate future.

 
I do believe that "some" of the changes we have been forced to accept are permanent, but others are temporary just because much of human nature is hard wired too deeply in our DNA and even a year or too of getting used to lockdowns won't change the fact that humans are basically social animals and we have been gathering in groups ever since the very first campfire. I see a lot of pressure to change our behavior, but in the long run I doubt (hopefully) that those efforts to take the human race and put it almost totally "online" are going to fail. I just don't see a real life version of the MATRIX happening, not in my lifetime at least.

Some behaviors are legacy because there is a cost to switch even if the switch would result in greater efficiency.  These are the sorts of things that an emergency can force paying the switching cost. Once paid it is natural to continue on in the new mode.
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But a lot of things are simply deferred for a while and will revert back to what they were.  
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In many places around the world, people are rebelling against lock downs.  I expect a lot of these rules enforced against public gatherings will be revoked ... except in the most authoritarian liberal enclaves.

once there is a vaccine that works and has no serious side effects.

By "work" a vaccine should give you protection for at least one year. Vaccine trials need to go on for at least a year to determine if the antibody response remains sufficient to protect you from the virus, or if it become less effective over time.

If it only lasts a year then they will probably combine it with the annual flu vaccine and you will a jab once a year.

The problem is that Covid24 or Covid29 may cause similar disruption as Covid19 unless we start planning for future outbreaks now. There will be new emerging viruses as us humans further encroach into the jungles of South America, Africa and Asia. And there is the melting of the tundra in Siberia and other arctic regions that might release viruses that have been frozen fr thousands of years.

On the other hand there is no need to buy your own BSL-4 suit now.

I miss many things during the pandemic and sometimes it feels like we will never get back to "normal."

I guess the thing I miss most is just the general sense of safety and mobility pre-COVID.  Now the simplest errand feels like a suicide mission behind enemy lines and requires preparation.  Do you have your mask, hand sanitizer etc?  I miss the days when you could just jump in the car because you needed a dozen eggs and bread and going to the store didn't feel like you were risking contagion.  

My fear is that 5 years from now we will still be wearing masks and social distancing.  I have a terrible vision of a man calling into a zoom call with his grandchildren.  They ask him what life was like when he was growing up and he speaks of a time without masks, with gathering of friends and family, sports and concerts.  After he tells them about it, they just stare in wonder.

Well, SA has changed alot. Pre-FOSTA/SESTA the profiles were alot clearer as to what the young offered. You could message and flat out say, "How about 400 for P4P". Now you have really very little ideal what her deal is, and if you message her, big brother is watching and any misleading innuendo about P4P and then WHAM...You're banned. So that kinda sucked. So yes, I'm banned...lol
Now as for Vegas, I was suppose to be there today. But the trip got canceled because one of the boys contracted Covid and he's bedded up. But on my last visit in July, it was tough with the Covid rules. Yes the casinos aren't the same, the vibe is missing. Sitting at the pool in 100 degree weather with a mask on is tough. The BJ tables don't have that "Feel". Smiling at a CG is gone, had to resort to a "WINK".
But are we fucked? Nah..I tend to look at the positive and think, in time we'll be ok...what are or can you do?

Things haven't changed a whole lot for me. Hunting for girlfriends is basically done on new platforms. As for Covid, I  took a few precautions, but still managed to get out and see my girlfriends, especially with the extra stimulus and unemployment money. There is the possibility that the rising tide of censorship against free speech could make things difficult, but I'm learning to use the dark web, so if things get bad enough, I will still have options.

Been wearing my mask all the time.....but  I am still indulging with hot beautiful hookers whenever the whim strikes.  Have not slowed down a bit......just staying away from the low hanging fruit you find on less desirable hooker sites.

The gloom and anxiety we are all going through is natural. This year sucks - and the end is not yet in sight. But I have no doubt that we will get our normal lives back in time. We've just got to tough it out. The government is not exercising new powers over us. The police power of the states is enshrined in the 10th amendment. The government has had  these powers since the founding of America. It is far from a radical departure., Of course the government can restrict some freedoms to protect us from perceived dangers during emergencies. If not, why have laws at all? Government can impose curfews during times of civil disturbances. Government can impose speed limits to protect us from chaos on the roads. In 1905 the Supreme  Court upheld mandatory smallpox vaccinations. Eventually we'll get a vaccination for the Covid virus - restaurants and bars will reopen and we'll start smiling and hugging one another again. Have faith.

When I first got started, if course things were simpler, this is the CL days where you could literally contact and meet up with the hour.  City whatever was great too, BP was awesome, save for the occasional bait and switch, wasn't really into TER much circa 2007 or so.  FOSTA/SESTA sucks, no pun intended.  After the decline of CL, BP was the go to, of course that went away, not we have STG for local ladies, it sucks ass.  TER was poppin for a minute...pre anti-TER, which i don't understand.  I'm optimistic things will return to normal, but I doubt in the near future.  Yes I think this is the new normal.  

Been thinking about this.

Predicting the future is nothing but a crap shoot - but it is fun.

(Speaking of shooting craps - no reason to think that gambling isn't coming back. No one's ever made any money betting against Vegas. It'll come back - Vegas always does).

But ... a lot men and women are getting used to working and shopping from home. A lot of businesses have had to figure out how to administer their operations with a remote, digital workforce. Many of them will undoubtedly opt to continue that model; because it is cheaper when they don't have to maintain large physical office spaces. At the same time, a lot of families are relearning the arts of cooking at home and rediscovering the financial and psychological benefits of siting around the table with one another at dinnertime.

This means that downtowns will likely see some hollowing out. Commercial real estate values will decline. Restaurants will have a tough time because people will eat out less often. Retail stores - already struggling - are in a death spiral. I know I will miss them.

And with husbands and wives working and eating at home, the escorting business will fall off some, because there will simply be less opportunity for many married folks to play.

But ... the sex business isn't going away. No one's ever made any money betting on that either. It's not the world's oldest profession for nothing.

Or maybe not.

Interesting post Courtney. Thanks.