Heeling Report from San Francisco

[Steve63130]

Note: I'm posting this report in two posts, since I have more than 5 attachments and a lot to say.

My wife and I just got back from a week in San Francisco, where we had a great time. We were there with our friends Doug and his wife from Scotland, who wanted to tour SF. We've been there many times, so we were their tour guides. We went everywhere in the city, including all the tourist sites, plus north over the Golden Gate Bridge to Sausalito and Muir Woods (big redwood trees). We took cable cars, sightseeing buses, city buses, streetcars, and taxis, but mostly we walked. A LOT! And there are some serious hills in that city - whew!

Doug is a fellow heeler (and lurks on this forum frequently) but wears heels only in private. He's into hosiery, too, like me, and wore pantyhose with shorts a couple of days in public. Anyway, he and his wife are fun to be with and we enjoy traveling with them. We have done it every summer for the past 5 years.

Before we left Ohio for SF, Doug and I were chatting online one day, and I found a nice pair of bronze color sandals on Ebay (see attachments). Doug fell in love with them, so I bid on them and won, and had them shipped to the hotel we were staying at. They fit him snugly and he liked wearing them. In time they'll stretch just fine.

San Francisco is a great place for heeling, and has a reputation for unusual outfits, so a guy in heels would hardly be strange in that context. I took several pairs of shoes with me, the main ones for walking being the Calzuro rubber clogs (only a 2” heel). These are my go-everywhere shoes - they're waterproof, comfortable, they breathe well, and I like them better than sneakers because my feet stay cool and dry in them. They're especially comfortable with thin nylon hosiery.

I took along my trusty Clarks Octavia dress clogs, which I wore only one night to dinner but expected to wear more often. I love these clogs and have several pairs in various colors. They have a 3” stacked heels and I can wear them everywhere. Even though the heel is obviously not male, I've never been asked if I'm wearing women's shoes. My wife is fine with them, so I'm happy. I once went to a party wearing them, and a neighbor lady had on the same style in a lighter tan. We got a good laugh out of that, but she never questioned if I was wearing women's shoes. I guess she thought I was wearing the “men's version.”

We went shoe shopping several places in SF, and one day in DSW I found a pair of Eurosoft Dakota clogs that fit perfectly and felt wonderful from the very beginning. I wore them all the next day and walked a lot in them. I also wore them on the plane on the way home. Best of all, my wife liked them, too! I highly recommend this clog.

If you've read this far, keep reading - it gets even better!

Steve

[Steve63130]

Part 2.

The highlight of the trip was one day when I wore my new Aerosoles Platonic sandals. These fit just perfectly and I really enjoy walking in them. I wore black tights with them (as in my new avatar), and they were practically invisible. Neither Doug nor I nor our wives detected anybody noticing them. (Note: in the attached photo, I'm sitting and my jeans are pulled up to show the shoes to Doug's camera. When I stand, the long jeans fall to about 2 inches off the ground and cover more of the shoe and heel.) We walked a lot that day, too, so my feet were a bit tired, but they would have been tired in any shoes. I was amazed that my wife would let me wear shoes that femme in public, but she did, so I wore them! I bought them from Amazon, on sale for $30, right before we left on our trip. I didn't know if I'd prefer a size 11 or 12; they had both, so I ordered both, at my wife's urging, with the intention of returning the one that didn't fit as well. I wore both pairs a lot the week before we left, and couldn't make up my mind. She told me to keep them both, then, as my feet tend to swell a bit in hot summer weather and shrink in spring and fall. So I am. Is that great support from her or what?!

In the evenings, in the hotel room, drinking wine or liquor and talking about all sorts of things, Doug and I were usually dressed in our Aerosoles Take-A-Pow sandals. Doug and his wife each bought a pair of these in brown last year when we went to Boston with them. I decided not to buy them, and quickly regretted it when we got back to their hotel room that night. But the store had closed and we were flying home the next morning, so when I got home I went online and found a black pair in my size (11) which was $7 cheaper, but I had to pay shipping, so it was a wash. Anyway, I love them and recently bought a brown pair because they're discontinued and nearly sold out. They go by a couple of different names on various web sites. Sierra Trading Post calls them Waterspowt (yeah, spelled like that). I've actually slept in these shoes quite often, they're THAT comfortable! And in the airport on the way home, I spotted a woman in capri pants wearing a pair! I think they look very attractive and they are one of Aerosoles' best shoes ever. The heel is too thin for me to wear in public. I need to be thinner myself to look good in them, and after too much sourdough bread last week, that ain't happenin'.

The only shoes I didn't get a chance to wear were my Naturalizer Vitality pumps/booties. I got these last fall just before a trip to Washington, DC, in late October, and wore them all over the city. I just didn't have the opportunity to wear them in SF. Maybe next trip.

In summary, we had a wonderful time in SF. I enjoyed the opportunity to go heeling in public with my wife's approval and support, we had fun with our heeling friends, and we have lots of great memories of a great vacation.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my adventure!

Steve

[ubermick]

Wow. Since San Francisco is a relatively short drive from me, this is great motivation to go heeling in public without fear of "the stares and snickers". That said, my wife is still getting to grips with the concept of me in heels, so might be a while. Glad you had a great time though, and thanks for the report! (And don't you just love Aerosoles?! It's like they were made with guys in mind...)

[Jkrenzer]

Excellent week, amazing when you are comfortable then everyonearound is too and rarely do people notice or care what you are wearing.

[Steve63130]

Thanks for your comments. Mick, Aerosoles have become my favorite brand overnight (literally, since I often wear them to sleep in!). I had some so-so Aerosoles some years ago, and they weren't impressive, but the Take-A-Pow and especially the Platonic sandals (illustrated in my post above) fit so well, feel so comfortable, and are so walkable that they are my number one sandals now. I recently reported on going shoe shopping at DSW with Radiodave, and buying Aerosoles Rottery Ticket sandals (photo attached - don't you just love their creative names?), and wearing them to drive home. They are fantastic sandals also. We stopped in an Aerosoles store on Market Street in SF, and although I was wearing different shoes at the time, I wished I were wearing the Platonic sandals. I probably would have weirded out the sales staff and other customers there (maybe not - it IS SF after all), but it would have been interesting to see their reaction. There is another Aerosoles store on Sutter Street, near Union Square, but we didn't get there on the day I wore the Platonic sandals. Bad timing. Steve

[roniheels]

Congratulations on your SF venture, And it is really nice that your wife is so supportive of your and your enjoyment of heels. Sounds like everyone had a very nice time.

[HappyinHeels]

Steve63130, Thanks for the wonderful recap of your trip to SF with your wife and the Scottish couple! I think the shoes you wore were very innocuous and would not have attracted any attention at all but perhaps you went conseravtive because your wife and others were present. Either way it seems like you had great time and you obviously FEEL better after the experience which is exactly the point of any vacation, isn't it?? I went to SF a lot in 1981 and 1982 as I was studying in Monterey,CA at the time and really enjoyed my trips there. HappyinHeels

[Steve63130]

Thanks for the comments, Happy. I used to work for a company in the Bay area back then, too, and made frequent trips to their plant in Santa Clara. We would fly into SFO or better yet, San Jose when we could - smaller airport and more convenient, and just a stone's throw up Central Expressway to the plant. We always found great restauarants on El Camino in Sunnyvale or Mountain View. Usually once a trip we'd make the trek into SF and do Fisherman's Wharf. Sometimes we'd go down to Santa Cruz and take in the municipal wharf. I have always liked SF. It's a great place for being different - you blend right into the throng of weirdness and thus become invisible! This was my first time there in heels and it was great! And yes, I was thrilled that my wife was comfortable and accepting. Steve

[Tacchi Alti]

I was in SF a couple of years ago, and fell in love with it. I'm left wondering - how on earth do you deal with the mountainous inclines in the streets? Even 2-inch heels would prove a challenge in some of them! Lombard Street, here we come...

[Steve63130]

Walking uphill is no problem of course. It's going downhill that's a challenge. I managed to cope with steep hills in 3 inch heels though; it wasn't as bad as I expected. Anything higher would have been impossible, I think! FYI, we went down Lombard Street, but took the steps on the north side. No problem at all. For those who don't know, Lombard Street is known as the third crookedest street in the world (after Wall Street and Pennsylvania Avenue). It has a series of 8 switchbacks to allow cars to cope with the treacherous slope. It's quite a tourist attraction. The attached photo, taken from the bottom of the crooked part, shows the stairs on the right, and the cars coming down. Steve

[ubermick]

Thanks for your comments.

Mick, Aerosoles have become my favorite brand overnight (literally, since I often wear them to sleep in!). I had some so-so Aerosoles some years ago, and they weren't impressive, but the Take-A-Pow and especially the Platonic sandals (illustrated in my post above) fit so well, feel so comfortable, and are so walkable that they are my number one sandals now.

I recently reported on going shoe shopping at DSW with Radiodave, and buying Aerosoles Rottery Ticket sandals (photo attached - don't you just love their creative names?), and wearing them to drive home. They are fantastic sandals also.

We stopped in an Aerosoles store on Market Street in SF, and although I was wearing different shoes at the time, I wished I were wearing the Platonic sandals. I probably would have weirded out the sales staff and other customers there (maybe not - it IS SF after all), but it would have been interesting to see their reaction. There is another Aerosoles store on Sutter Street, near Union Square, but we didn't get there on the day I wore the Platonic sandals. Bad timing.

Steve

Steve, SF is a pretty forgiving place, but there's still plenty of idiots. That said, I've only ever been to Aerosoles twice, and both experiences were tremendous.

I've been to the Aerosoles outlet just outside of Washington DC several years back, and I was like a kid in a candy store. This was before I met my wife, and had my own place, so had a pretty decent collection of heels back then. Bought a pair of Benefit pumps, although as usual I didn't try them on and chickened out when asked by the assistants if I needed any help. At some point I'll take my thumb out of my backside and realize I have nothing to be ashamed of, but...

A few weeks ago, I went to the Aerosoles store in Emeryville, just across the Bay Bridge from SF. There were two young ladies working there, and when I was asked if I needed any help, I said "I'm looking for a pair of red Benefit pumps in 10W." They told me they don't carry the wide sizes in that store, and asked if there were any other options, at which point I trotted out my usual "I'm doing a charity walk where we have to wear heels" excuse. One of the girls couldn't have been friendlier and wanted me to try on some options (she kept showing me sandals, which I didn't want), while the other one just disappeared into the back. Alas, I was in a serious rush, and wasn't able to take advantage of being able to try things on.

I'm kinda intrigued by DSW. One is opening soon at a shopping center in the North Bay, where I live, and that same shopping center also contains a Marshalls (with a "mega shoe outlet") and a Ross, so am thinking there's gonna be a shopping trip in my future...

[Steve63130]

Mick, We found the Aerosoles store on Market Street was small but the staff were nice enough. They were busy at the time we were there. My wife tried on a pair of sandals but they didn't fit well, so we left. We never made it to the store on Sutter Street up by Union Square. I would have liked to have gone into their store wearing Aerolsoles sandals just for the grins and giggles! The DSW on Powell south of Union Square was nice enough, and I'm glad we went there; that's where I found the Eurosoft Dakota clogs I've fallen in love with. But don't overlook the Macy's on Union Square. The women's shoe section is the biggest I've ever seen! Next time we're in the area, maybe in 2012, we'll have to arrange to get together. Steve

[mtnsofheels]

Thanks for sharing Steve63130, I spent a couple of years in bay area, loved it. You can be who want there, being mindful. It is awesome place to heel and just see the sights. Hopeful of a return soon. Great place for heel meet! Mtnsofheels

[loveheel]

Steve Thanks for sharing your great story with us. I have heeled in SF dozens of times with my gf and can assure you that it is a very accepting city. I have worn 4 in sandals with nail polish, a nice handbag, and nobody seems to blink. Hope you get to come more often ! Nice to see that your friends are also into heels.

[iloveboots]

Great to hear you had such a wonderful time in San Francisco Steve One of our favourite heeling cities as well. David & Cathy

[Guest]

well David, you need to be careful when your walking on those very steep HILLS in San Francisco with those good looking boots you & the Mrs. wear!!