A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to be out on the West Coast for business. I haven’t been to California in years and I have long been lamenting the fact that I can’t shop at Good Vibrations, the friendliest sex boutique on the planet (see First Steps….). I live in Florida and we have lots of Adam & Eve shops at our disposal. While nice enough and well-stocked, they just aren’t the same. Good Vibrations is, however, a destination of choice simply because it is Good Vibrations. I was hoping that I might squeeze in the 100+ mile drive to San Francisco from my hotel in Monterey. Of course, any trip to Good Vibrations wouldn’t be complete without a stop at Stormy Leather as well. I was very excited when, on Thursday, it looked like I might be able to wrap things up on Friday and free up at least half of my afternoon.
By about 2:30, I was mapping out my route. It turns out, much to my chagrin; Stormy Leather is closed while they search for a new location. Apparently the search hasn’t been going so well. What I found out was that at the Valencia Street store they were participating in the Mission District Holiday Block Party. They would be serving wine and chocolate as well as offering a 15% discount on all purchases. It’s not as if I needed a lure to get me to the shop; this was just a nice extra bonus. At the Polk Street store they were having an art show and, unbeknownst to me at the time, a discussion panel on the DVD release of An Open Invitation: A Real Swinger’s Party in San Francisco. I decided to go to both stores. After all, it’s been a long, long time.
If you have never been to a Good Vibrations store, you should go. No caveats given. You should go. Make a point of it. Plan a vacation around it. Heck, plan a business trip around going to Good Vibrations. Put it on your bucket list, but get there before you are too old to enjoy it, and that can be a very ripe old age!
The two stores I visited are quite different even if they are less than 2.5 miles apart. The Valencia Street store, which I visited first, is a neighborhood store. It is unassuming, sex-positive and as comfortable as clam chowder in a sourdough bowl and an Anchor Steam. The Polk Street Store is a little higher end. Different neighborhood…different clientele, I guess. Plus, I hear, they get a few more tourists on Polk Street. Don’t get me wrong, Polk Street is everything Valencia Street is, except more polished.
When I got to the Valencia Street store I took my time wandering about. I had the rare pleasure of getting to pick up some toys that I have just been seeing online. One such toy was the Cobra Libre Stimulator for Men, something that once you do put your hands on it you are really going to want to play with it. The other great thing about Good Vibrations is that you can really explore your dildo selection. After judging size, length, girth and color, I settled on the First Mate Silicone Dildo. Of course, like the last time I was there, a very friendly, non-threatening and knowledgeable salesperson was there to answer any question I might have. And I had some chocolate, but no wine because I was driving.
When I got to the Polk Street store the ticketed panel discussion was going on in the room where the art exhibit was also being displayed. I decided to wait the 20 minutes until they were finished. It gave me more time to look around the store and explore the book selection. After the discussion let out people were moving in and out of the space in the back cleaning up and talking with one another. Because the gathering was ticketed, I felt awkward going in there until things settled down. However, after another 20 minutes I asked a salesperson if she thought it would be okay if I went back there. She said absolutely telling me there was no need to have waited as long as I did.
Once in the back, I was more interested in photographs of the early gay rights movement in San Francisco than the art show. I was, however, most interested in a person who was moving about. I had the pleasure of meeting Carol Queen and having the opportunity to thank her for all that she has done in the name of sex education, equality, and, in our case, introducing us to the Pegging Life. It was brief, but it really was a fantastic experience for me. I am very grateful for the few minutes of her time that she gave me. Forget meeting Mickey Mantle, I’ll take Carol Queen any day!! On my way out, I grabbed a set of Butterfly Nipple Clamps.
My trip to San Francisco, in spite of the nasty traffic on the way there and the downpour on the way back was well worth the effort. My only regret is that I had to go without Mrs. Peg. I got some great toys, I visited the best walk-in sex toy shops in the world, and I got to meet an icon in the world of sex play. If you ever have the opportunity, take it. If the opportunity doesn’t come up organically, create it. You will not regret a trip to Good Vibrations!
The First Mate Silicone Dildo is 7 inches long and 1.5 inches in diameter. Ours is jet black with a matte finish. It is absolutely gorgeous in our SpareParts Hardware Theo harness. The size of this cock is perfect for sucking and for pegging. It is big enough to say, “Wow, what a big cock you have!” but not so big that as to make you say, “Yikes! What a big cock you have!” It has a pronounced head and raised veins which 1) make it look very real and 2) make it feel absolutely fantastic during insertion and even better during thrusting.
The First Mate Dildo is made out of high quality silicone. This is, once again, our favorite material for pegging toys. While there are other non-porous toys out there, none of them can beat the flexibility and comfort of silicone while you are getting pegged. Having a steel or glass plug up your ass is one thing. But when there is thrusting involved, especially vigorous thrusting, having a material that gives a little is absolute essential for the comfort of the peggee. The First Mate has supplanted our other dildos as our First Choice!! I’d love to say I have seen An Open Invitation: A Real Swinger’s Party in San Francisco or played with the Cobra Libre Stimulator for Men, but I haven’t. No review yet, but maybe in the future. As for those Butterfly Nipple Clamps…..don’t let the name fool you. They should be called Eagle Talon Clips or HOLY SHIT! Nipple Clips. They have a VERY firm grip. I can wear them; Mrs. Peg cannot. I guess I am just a glutton for punishment at times…that, and my nipples are a lot smaller!
So here is the review: Good Vibrations is awesome and you should go. The First Mate Silicone Dildo is incredible and the perfect choice for a pegging dildo. The Cobra Libre Stimulator for Men looks like fun and I WANT TO PLAY WITH IT!! An Open Invitation: A Real Swinger’s Party in San Francisco looks like a good video. Given that many of the actors were at the panel discussion and I got to observe them interacting with each other, I would say there is, at the very least, a lot of chemistry in the film. Finally, the Butterfly Nipple Clamps are a good grab….I mean that literally. They will grab your nipples really, really well. The choice as to whether or not that is a good thing is yours. Our review of the SpareParts HardWare’sTheo is posted here.
Have fun, and start planning that next trip!!
*****WE BOUGHT THE FIRST MATE AND THE NIPPLE CLAMPS WITH COLD HARD CASH…OKAY…A CREDIT CARD BUT WE PAID OFF THE BALANCE SO…NO FTC DISCLAIMER!!!******
***Pegging is the sexual act of a woman using a strapon dildo to anally penetrate her male partner.***
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