Giselle and I vacationed to the San Francisco Bay area for a long weekend in August, escaping the summer heat of Washington, DC. We stayed at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel on Union Square. We loved the upstairs Starlight Room, where the host gave us excellent service and welcomed us with open arms. On Friday, we went out to dinner with friends at Seven Hills Restaurant, where I wore my custom polka dot corset from The Fitting Room in Seattle paired with a skirt, petticoat, and shoes from Tatyana’s Boutique in San Francisco. Not shown but present nonetheless: my garter belt from Dark Garden in San Francisco. Yes, we loved shopping at the San Francisco boutiques. On Saturday, we took a day trip to wineries in Green Valley in Russian River Valley including Merry Edwards and Dutton Goldfield. Then we drove to the town of Jenner for dinner at River’s End, where we watched the sun set and the fog roll in. The next day we were exhausted from the packed weekend and happy to fly home to DC.

Giselle dressed for much of the trip, and we were treated with dignity and respect everywhere we went. Thank you, Giselle, for a wonderful vacation.

Giselle and I enjoy Schramsberg Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine at the Starlight Room in San Francisco.

This is the outfit I wore to the Starlight Room with Giselle. After drinks, we went to Seven Hill Restaurant in San Francisco with friends.

My custom corset is from The Fitting Room in Seattle. The rest of the outfit I found in San Francisco at Tatyana’s Boutique and Dark Garden Corsetry.

Giselle relaxes in the courtyard at Merry Edwards Winery. We also visited Dutton Goldfield Winery just up the road and loved the wines and the personalized service.

Giselle and I ate dinner in Jenner, CA, where the Russian River meets the Pacific Ocean. The wrap-around porch made for excellent views and photos.

Giselle looks out over the Pacific Ocean on our last day of our California vacation to San Francisco and wine country.

I feel the cool breezes of the Pacific Ocean.

I admire the Russian River meeting the sea. The land changed dramatically from vineyards to kayakers to cow pastures as the Russian River approached the coast.