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New Year's in San Francisco A few New Year's Eves are fun memories, and the one in San Francisco is at the top of the list. A few years ago I had the good fortune to be in San Francisco for New Year’s Eve. First of all, I love San Francisco. It is one of my favorite places in the world. Growing up on California’s Central Valley, we often went to San Francisco. In fact, a girl friend and I took our “graduation” trip (alone, without parents) to San Francisco in the ‘60’s. It was the first time I took an “adult” trip there alone. However, my last trip was the truly “adult” trip. Growing up I had only a vague knowledge of the San Francisco life. My parents were some of those who shook their heads and clicked their tongues at the free sexual attitudes that prevailed in San Francisco. Little did they know that we had ventured into the Haight Ashbury district on that trip so long ago. This time I actually spent time in the “adult” districts of the city. This time I spent some time in The Haight. In a little side-street bookstore is where I found one of my favorite books: Kinky. It’s a book of poems I have previously reviewed about Barbie. I love that book and it is one I have kept with me on all my moves across the country. There are also some great little places to have a meal in The Haight. In fact, I returned to one several times. The Haight is different from what it was in the '60s, but it is still an interesting, free-spirited area of San Francisco. I also walked the Golden Gate Bridge. Did you know that there is a stand of incredible redwoods on the Marin side of the bridge where monarch butterflies winter?
On this trip I also spent a lot of time in the Castro District. For those of you who don’t know that is the gay district of San Francisco. The atmosphere was free and open. The people are friendly and it is refreshing to see the openness that lives in that area. It was there I was able to find a few gifts for my “kids.” I think they still have the Gay Pride banner I got for them. The restaurants were welcoming in the Castro. I remember seeing a family there: it was obviously a couple of lovers and the parents of one of them. They were evidently having a good time together for the holiday. This was also the first time I visited Stormy Leather. They are the place to go to get information on the bdsm scene in the City. To this day I still have the “souvenir” that a friend calls “California art.” And it was here I found directions to the highlight of the trip: Bondage-A-Go-Go, (now at the Glas Kat Supper Club) which has the longest running fetish party night in the country every Wednesday night…and New Year’s Eve was on Wednesday. Of course, I went. There was a long line waiting to get into the club. The line waiting was almost as interesting as it was once I got into Bondage-A-Go-Go. There were a lot of people dressed “normally” for New Year’s Eve. But there were a lot in fetish gear for the night. I watched as one mistress led her slave through the crowd. She was dressed in a full-length leather dress with the corset built into the bodice. But her slave was a sight to behold: his arms were bound behind him in long black leather arm binders. He was dressed in a leather harness and long leather pants. But he also had on a hood that completely covered his head and the eyes were covered, as was his mouth. I have no doubt a gag under the hood silenced him. Around his neck was a black studded collar by which his mistress led him through the crowd. It was obvious these were serious d/s players. He trusted his mistress to lead him carefully and that kind of trust is what it’s all about. Once inside it was even more interesting. In one of the cages on the stage there was a “baby” complete with diaper and bottle. Every once in a while his “nanny” would check on him and make sure his bottle remained full. In another of the cages on the stage was a female in a leather thong and bra. She was tethered with a leash about 6 feet long attached to both her collar and the bars of the cage and she was dancing to the music of the on-stage band. Every half hour or so the dancer was replaced with another “slave” dancer. Of course, there were a lot of fetish wannabes. You could tell who they were. The women were embarrassed and yet exhibitionist in their very tight corsets that pushed up their breasts to heights they had never known before. These were the ones who were not comfortable in their collars; you could see them constantly adjusting them. They were there for the New Year’s fun. For them it was a costume party. But for many, it was an expression of the bdsm lifestyle. If you are ever in San Francisco on a Wednesday or on New Year’s Eve in a couple of years, check out the scene and see what’s going on. This is one of the New Year’s memories I will always enjoy. From the web site, it appears Bondage-A-Go-Go has taken on a more Goth and Industrial bdsm look, but there is a dungeon upstairs which can be tried by the devotee.
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