Boston

Salacious Sightseeing & Titillating Tourism

Kate Sloan

I’ve been lucky enough to travel quite a bit in my time. My parents did a lot of work-related travel when I was a kid (crisis management sojourns to foreign countries for my dad, press junkets in New York and Los Angeles for my mom), which instilled in me the sense that travel was freedom, adventure, excitement. They would always bring back presents from their far-flung visits – and now, when I travel, I sometimes bring back presents for them! Ah, the circle of (#jetsetter) life.

Today I want to talk about 5 sexy attractions or date spots I’ve been to in 5 excellent cities. There are more exotic sexual locales – you could, for example, visit the Red Light District in Amsterdam, get the best escorts for all tastes in Melbourne, or go hang out with horny moms on the Twilight tour in Italy – but these are some I’ve personally enjoyed. Check ’em out if you’re ever in the neighborhood!

Kink Shoppe (Philadelphia)

I secretly think most of the best sex shops have a heavy focus on kink. It’s not that “vanilla” sex toys aren’t important – they are – but I find that if a shop is run and frequented by kinksters, it tends to have a better and more thought-out selection of products, both kinky and not. After all, kinksters do love to be overanalytical and nerdy about their sex lives! Kink Shoppe in Philly is no exception: it has a wide array of toys ranging from mild (cute vibrators, colorful dildos) to wild (ball crushers, gas masks). My partner bought a pair of vampire gloves there and they have served us well! P.S. If you want dessert after your sex-shop date, walk a block west to the Franklin Fountain for ice cream. Yummm.

Drink (Boston)

This is supposedly the #1 cocktail bar in Boston and I believe it. The bartenders are brilliant and worth the wait. (There was about a 45-minute-long line when my partner and I went; we played Scrabble on my phone and people-watched while we waited.) They have no cocktail menu, so you just tell them what kinds of things you like and dislike in a drink and they’ll make you something great. And then, if you’re me, you go back to your hotel and do a watersports scene. *shrug*

Spartacus (Portland)

This is maybe the best sex shop I’ve ever been to, and I don’t say that lightly! I’d heard of the Spartacus brand of sex products before, but didn’t know they had an actual retail location – and OMG, it is amazing. You could easily spend a good 2-3 hours picking through the massive selection of stuff. My partner and I walked out with a bottle of Sliquid lube and a pair of scandalous fishnet underwear, but honestly, there were like 12 other things I could’ve bought. Plus the cashier didn’t unnecessarily gender us. Score.

Onoir (Montreal)

Some relationship psychology theorists say an easy way to “rekindle the spark” is to do something new and/or scary together. Roller coasters and horror movies are the commonly cited examples, but I don’t like jump-scares or loop-de-loops… Onoir served a similar function when my partner and I went there, though! It’s a fine dining experience in a completely dark room, where you’re led around and waited on by blind servers. It’ll certainly make you think differently about food, and maybe about your beau, too!

Museum of Sex (New York)

Periodically a friend of mine will go on vacation to New York and will message me to ask if I think the Museum of Sex is worth a visit. It really depends on what the current exhibitions are – I’ve seen some pretty good ones and some pretty boring ones – but for the most part, I’d say if you’re a sex nerd visiting NYC, you should check it out. The lobby is a sex shop stocked by someone who clearly knows what they’re doing, so you can cap off your visit by buying a luxury thruster, CBD lube, or a vintage copy of Playboy. Ideal.

 

What are your favorite sexy or date-y spots you’ve visited on your travels?

 

This post was sponsored. As always, all writing and opinions are my own.

Behind the Seams: Besotted in Boston

Kate Sloan

September 21st, 2018. I always get anxious about travel. It can be an anxiety-provoking thing for anyone, but it’s particularly become a trigger for me since I missed a flight a couple years ago due to a transit miscalculation. So when my Sir picked the outfit he wanted me to wear to the airport for my flight to meet him in Boston, he chose an ensemble he knew I’d feel comfy in: leggings, boots, and a shirt bearing the name of my favorite band, Hippo Campus. What a thoughtful sweetheart.

Thus attired, I trekked down to Toronto Island to catch my flight from Billy Bishop airport, read The Magicians on the plane, then dragged my luggage onto a Boston city bus and walked a few blocks to the Godfrey Hotel, where Sir met me in the lobby. He looked – as ever – heart-stoppingly handsome, and highly excited to see me.

We checked in and took the elevator up to our 6th-floor room, where, at first, we just cuddled and kissed and held each other. (Reunions in long-distance relationships are often like this.) But, before too long, we were having loud and messy sex involving a lot of toys, biting, punching, and slapping, because we’re us.

Later that night I changed into a slinky black and silver dress for a night out on the town: dinner at Bistro du Midi and an Alina Baraz concert. We danced and swayed and giggled and he bit my shoulder hard enough to leave a bruise. It was all very romantic.

What I’m wearing:
• Yellow unisex Hippo Campus T-shirt – bought at their merch table at a show in Brooklyn back in February
• Black leather Danier jacket with pins from Kinktionary, L’Amour-Propre, and MaxFun
• Black leggings – H&M probably
• Black leather Frye harness boots
• No makeup, because it was all packed!

September 22nd, 2018. While we mostly just wanted to spend the weekend kissing and fucking and hanging out (#LongDistanceLyfe), we each had some touristy things we wanted to do in Boston, so we decided to do ’em on our wide-open Saturday.

Sir chose this dress for me in the morning – it’s one of his faves – and then we went to Tatte for brunch, which was delicious and beautiful. From there, we took a Lyft to Harvard Square, stopped into Good Vibes to look at sex toys, and wandered onto the Harvard campus. We found a little nook in which to make out for a minute or two, because it seemed important that we kiss at Harvard, or just that we kiss in general. Then we sat on the steps in front of Widener Library and peoplewatched for a bit. (People dress great at Harvard.) We stopped by Amanda Palmer’s favorite haunt, Café Pamplona, for drinks before deciding on our next move.

Sir wanted to check out the Boston Public Library, which was beautiful. We walked around looking at statues and art, and then sat in the courtyard and did an impromptu hypno scene in that serene little space. I felt so safe and happy. We strolled back to our hotel through the Boston Common. Later that night, we got dressed up for steak at a jazz club, cocktails at Drink, and, uh, a watersports scene.

What I’m wearing:
• Blue and white floral-print dress – H&M
• Black leather Danier jacket with pins from Kinktionary, L’Amour-Propre, and MaxFun
• Hot pink Kate Spade New Bond Street Florence satchel
• Black leather Frye harness boots
• Navy suede collar – L’Amour-Propre

September 23rd, 2018. We made use of our last remaining hours in our beautiful hotel room by having sleepy morning sex and testing out a new lipstick for blowjob purposes (more on that coming to a blog near you in a while!). We left our bags with the concierge and strolled over to The Gallows for brunch; I had fried chicken and pancakes that were memorably yummy.

On our way back, we stopped in the park to peoplewatch, giggle, and kiss. Sir provided a running commentary on some folks who were doing strange airborne couples’ yoga a ways away from us, making me laugh so hard I couldn’t breathe.

We checked out Newbury Street, stopping into a café and a clothing store. Sir bought us chocolate truffles at a fine chocolatier, which we ate on a park bench, talking about how much we were going to miss each other.

Sir had a hankering for oysters (and, as they say, when in New England…) so we went to the Island Creek Oyster Bar. We worked our way through 12 oysters and a few drinks while doing our traditional end-of-date debrief: discussing our favorite parts of the weekend, what we hoped to try more of, and when we’d see each other next.

He took me back to the hotel to grab our bags, then kissed me goodbye and stepped into a car to the train station. I watched him drive away, feeling very in love and only a little bit sad.

What I’m wearing:
• Turquoise and pink floral-print dress – CowCow
• Black leather Danier jacket with pins from Kinktionary, L’Amour-Propre, and MaxFun
• Hot pink Kate Spade New Bond Street Florence satchel
• Black leather Frye harness boots
• Navy suede collar – L’Amour-Propre