California, Here I Come

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ThatDamnedPanda -> California, Here I Come (2/4/2009 6:55:03 PM)
Hey! I'm coming to California for a 3-week vacation, from February 5th through the 26th, and was wondering if any of the locals out there could offer some suggestions on places to go to get a better feel for the BDSM scene there. The trip is part vacation, part scouting expedition to see if I could be happy moving there, so it's important to me to find out as much as I can about the scene. I'll be mostly in the LA area (staying in Santa Monica the 5th through the 15th, and Malibu from the 19th until the 26th), with a short trip up the coast to Monterey and inland to Yosemite from the 15th to the 19th. Most of my kink-scene scouting will probably be in the LA area, because that's where I'll be spending most of my time. I'm already going to the Lair a few times (been there before), maybe Passive Arts (been there too), and it's been suggested I try to get to the Threshold (?), the Sanctuary, and Dragonsgate, so I'll look into those venues when I get out there. I'm not sure how interested I am in the clubs, though, to be honest with you. I prefer to meet people in smaller, quiter settings. I'm attending a private party on the 14th, and will try to hit a few smaller munches, but aside from that, does anyone out in that area have any suggestions on other interesting stuff to check out? Thanks in advance. I appreciate any advice.

GreedyTop -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/4/2009 7:00:41 PM)
oh sure.. go to Cal. and blow off the wedding of the century ;) Seriously, talk to Mercandbeth..

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/4/2009 7:43:43 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: GreedyTop oh sure.. go to Cal. and blow off the wedding of the century ;) Well, if everyone else is going to the wedding, someone needs to keep an eye on California while they're gone, right? I will volunteer!

GreedyTop -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/4/2009 7:47:25 PM)
snort

Vendaval -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/4/2009 8:48:50 PM)
Panda, Something important to remember if you are traveling North to South or vice versa in California during the winter is that Highway 1 right on the coast has mud and land slides and is usually closed between about San Simeon to Big Sur. If the rains are hard after fires like we had in the Santa Barbara area this year you can have the same problem along Highway 101. Highway 5 is in the Central Valley and not as scenic but at least you do not have many of those problems. My advice is to put this number on your cell phone, it is the Cal Trans hotline for updated highway conditions - (800) 523-7623 http://www.dot.ca.gov/dist05/ http://www.ucsc.edu/oncampus/currents/96-12-09/caltrans.htm

sub4hire -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 7:28:04 AM)
It really depends on what you're into. Other than the lifestyle of course. For someone like me...I'd be scaling up the side of rocks heading for the top of the falls if I were in California. So, what are you into?

Mercnbeth -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 8:09:03 AM)
Local BDSM events, munches, socials, parties, get-togethers and other leather resources in the Central/Southern California area are well documented here: Lady Badger's page and also here, if you go to the California Calender section of the page: Caryl's page you might want to kick off your vacation with a visit to the Lair this Saturday, Feb 7th. The Society of Monarchs is sponsoring a Dom Auction to benefit the RevMel show on TalkingSexRadio. more info here

Coldwarrior57 -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 9:09:32 AM)
la brea tar pits JPL griffith park park observatory. I lean to the nerdy side. for fun there is universal studios. yes I know its NOT bdsm stuff but they are cool.

Mercnbeth -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 10:16:42 AM)
btw...when you are doing that up the coast to Monterey thing, this slave HIGHLY recommends that you take the time to stop in the Santa Maria/Casmalia/Nipomo/Guadalupe area for Santa Maria Style BBQ. It is very unique and delicious!!! The absolute best: The Original Hitching Post second runner ups: Far Western Tavern Jocko's (no website for Jocko's, but the address and reviews are included in the above link) it is right off the 101 and not as scenic to get to as the other two.

Leathersandals -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 10:24:41 AM)
Not kink related but you HAVE to eat the Griddle on sunset. About 20 mins from Santa Monica. Amazing pancakes... amazing everything .. http://www.thegriddlecafe.com/

Mercnbeth -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 11:56:24 AM)
Speaking of Monarchs...you can catch the spectacle of 26,000 or so Monarch butterflies as they winter in the Oceano Dunes of Pismo Beach. their "season" is late October to late February: Butterfly Grove

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 9:03:10 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Vendaval Panda, Something important to remember if you are traveling North to South or vice versa in California during the winter is that Highway 1 right on the coast has mud and land slides and is usually closed between about San Simeon to Big Sur. If the rains are hard after fires like we had in the Santa Barbara area this year you can have the same problem along Highway 101. Highway 5 is in the Central Valley and not as scenic but at least you do not have many of those problems. Yikes! Landslides were never part of my plan! This is disturbing news, but very good information. I never would have thought of that - thanks! I plan on taking 5 back to the LA area after I've finished off Yosemite, so I suppose I could take it both ways if need be. But I really was counting on taking the coastal route for at least one leg of the trip. Do you suppose I could just go charging up the coast until I run into wherever the closure happens to be, and then cut east and improvise? I've got a Rand McNally Road Atlas, a AAA California map, a AAA California tour book, GPS, a compass, a knife, and a 1-pound bag of peanut M&Ms. I'm confident that I'm ready for anything.

Vendaval -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 9:08:09 PM)
If you do some checking on Highway 1 you will find that once you hit a certain point you cannot turn east, only turn around. Mercnbeth have some great suggestions and I also recommend stopping for some Santa Maria style bar-b-que, the regional specialty dish is bar-b-qued tri-tip of beef with pinquito beans, salad and french bread.

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 9:12:40 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: sub4hire It really depends on what you're into. Other than the lifestyle of course. For someone like me...I'd be scaling up the side of rocks heading for the top of the falls if I were in California. So, what are you into? Something a lot like that, actually. FedEx will be delivering a 50-pound, 2x2x2 box to my hotel tomorrow, containing my rollerblades, my hiking gear, and my mountain biking stuff. I shipped it to myself on Monday. I plan on spending as much time as possible whacking around in whatever wilderness areas I can find. If it stops raining, it looks like I'll have an abundance of recreational opportunities right here in the Santa Monica/Malibu area, but I'm definitely open to any suggestions on more rugged activities. When that package gets here, I'll be all geared up for just about anything.

Vendaval -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 9:17:21 PM)
You could also add kayaking and sailing while you are here. Do take advantage of being able to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. You will need an entire day to see all the exhibits. http://www.mbayaq.org/

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 9:31:01 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Vendaval If you do some checking on Highway 1 you will find that once you hit a certain point you cannot turn east, only turn around. Mercnbeth have some great suggestions and I also recommend stopping for some Santa Maria style bar-b-que, the regional specialty dish is bar-b-qued tri-tip of beef with pinquito beans, salad and french bread. Yeah, that's the way it looks on the maps, too, but I was hoping there might be small roads that just weren't showing up on the map. The fact there's a mountain range separating the two roads strongly suggested that this was wishful thinking, though, and you just confirmed exactly what I suspected. I think I'll take a day trip up the coast to see Santa Barbara and try that barbecue, and then on the day that I make the trip all the way to Monterey, I'll check the road conditions and make my decision at San Luis Obispo on which road to take. Thanks for the advice, and the info line numbers. That's going to be an enormous help, and if it hadn't been for you, I would never have known this was even an issue. I can't thank you enough.

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 9:32:42 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Vendaval You could also add kayaking and sailing while you are here. Do take advantage of being able to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. You will need an entire day to see all the exhibits. http://www.mbayaq.org/ Yep, that's on my list. An old friend told me about it a few weeks ago, and you just confirmed what he said. Thanks! Looks like a solid 2 days in Monterey after all. Kayaking, eh? Where does this take place? Are you talking about sea kayaking?

Vendaval -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 9:33:42 PM)
When you hit SLO take Highway 101 North. You will save your time, money and nerves. People from other states that take Highway 1 all the way frequently have anxiety attacks. And most likely it will be blocked in some areas anyways.

ThatDamnedPanda -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 9:40:49 PM)
quote: ORIGINAL: Mercnbeth Local BDSM events, munches, socials, parties, get-togethers and other leather resources in the Central/Southern California area are well documented here: Lady Badger's page and also here, if you go to the California Calender section of the page: Caryl's page you might want to kick off your vacation with a visit to the Lair this Saturday, Feb 7th. The Society of Monarchs is sponsoring a Dom Auction to benefit the RevMel show on TalkingSexRadio. more info here Thanks, bud, I'm studying those first two pages now, and I'm already planning to hit the Lair on Saturday. I'm thinking Insight for sure, and probably Unfettered on Saturday night. I may just wind up staying there the wholoe day and night, or maybe just running out for a quick bite or whatever sometime in the evening. You guys going to be there, I take it? I'd love to meet you if the opportunity presents itself.

Vendaval -> RE: California, Here I Come (2/5/2009 9:44:05 PM)
Panda, on Mercnbeth's sharing the same account, if you see black lettering it is Merc and purple lettering is beth. She is the one giving you travel advice here.

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