Just to update people on how this went... (and how it's going now) ... I've been in San Francisco for 2 weeks now and have 2 more weeks here before returning to the UK...
1) I booked a girl that was advertising on Backpage.com ... it started out ok - she looked nice, talk was good (ie. she wasn't a crackhead) so I gave her the cash .. soon after that, though, it started to go downhill... French Kissing was off the menu, no "DATY" (reverse oral) and on OWO/CIM... leaving me wondering how I was going to get a hard-on since I normally need at least one of those to get there... anyway, I managed it, we had sex ... and then she got up to leave, saying "are we ok?" ... I'd paid for a 2 hour punt ($300) and so was none too impressed...
External Link/Members Only2) I then took the advice of the above poster and used MyRedBook and another review site ... I scanned over many profiles and eventually decided on a BDSM parlour called "The Gates"... this was outside San Francisco downtown but I got there using the underground ($7 return) and a taxi ($7 each way for the remaining journey)... I chose Evelyn as the girl I'd see. I was very, very impressed with The Gates. I don't often try BDSM, I've done very mild BDSM with Rosina of Newcastle, but I wanted to go for something a little more in an actual dungeon ... so both the receptionist and Evelyn understood what I wanted. "No roleplay," I told them - I'd hated the whole "Yes Mistress, No Mistress" part of my session with Rosina so I wanted to avoid this... Evelyn and I had a lot of fun together - the dungeon was extremely well stocked. A condom was worn while she paddled me, whipped me and used a strapon on me, just in case I fired my cannon too soon, but it wasn't necessary. There was no kissing, oral or sex - all I got to do for Evelyn was suck and bite on her nipples... but the experience of someone hitting your penis and balls while you're blindfolded, and fucks you as you're tied over a bench, is pretty nice - although no actual sex was had, I actually enjoyed this much more than the booking with Amber! So, yeah, if anyone's adventurous, I would definitely recommend this...
External Link/Members Only3) finally, I returned to my hotel. The hotel was one of the more expensive ones in San Fran so I thought I'd head along to the bar for a few drinks. Within about 5 minutes of sitting, a lady had sat in the chair next to me and, realising that I wasn't going to introduce myself, she started to ask lots of questions. The bar was really packed, actually, so I didn't fancy asking any complicated questions ... she was a gorgeous girl, lovely voice, very soft hands (we shook hands during our introduction), and I'm sure we would have had a great time together ... what put me off was really that I didn't want the embarrassment of having to say "sorry, that's too expensive for me" and possibly ending up haggling with her over price .............. if it was more discrete in the bar I might've done that... I may head back to the bar later on to see if she or others are still there ... very interesting that this happens, though, this is definitely a method of punting that I've never tried before...