Here’s the fabulous travel news… I’m off to San Francisco with some of my best friends! Including the sakura-queen Yukiro (above), First Mate Naomi, travel film team extraordinaire Melissa and Eric… And we want you to join our adventure.

Come to our event, “Pussycat Night: Chained but not Tamed,” at the San Fran BDSM cafe Wicked Grounds! Hang out with us and watch us perform, on Fri May 23rd from 7-9pm.

I’m hosting the festivities, and Naomi will draw a “thing”… you’ll have to show up to see what it is. (The above flyer is her fabulous handiwork; more art is on her Naomiyaki site.)

But the star of the show is Yukiro’s Gothic drag queen persona, Die Schwarze Frau. The bloody lady just performed to a crowd of 20,000 at Tokyo Pride, and this will be her international debut. For a preview of the evil, check out the DSF Ameblo.

WHEN: Friday May 23, 2014
WHERE: Wicked Grounds (BDSM cafe), 289 8th St, San Francisco, CA 94103
TIME: 7-9pm
All ages! No cover, just order a drink or snacks.

I’ve visited San Francisco at least four times, but haven’t been here in recent years. Can’t wait to re-discover the alternative scene, including Goth-fetish club nights, Trannyshack, Japantown, vintage fashion, and more. If you have travel tips for us, please let us know in the comments.

Fortunately, Die Schwarze Frau will only be causing mischief at the show. The rest of the time, I’ll be with Yukiro, who you’ll remember from my Wave Gotik Treffen, Berlin, Japan, LA and NY Fashion Week travels.

You can keep up with Yukiro’s photoshoots, events and more on his WordPress blog and Yurara modeling site (focusing on the fem side, with a graceful high fashion feeling).

These photos of Yukiro are by Japanese photographer Naoko Tachibana, who runs the site Cross Dress Japan.

She was a cosplay model for many years, and became close to people in the Tokyo LGBT scene. Naoko specializes in cross-dressing images like these; her works have been published in two books, and she had a solo exhibition in Taipei, along with features in galleries internationally.

I’m in awe at the mood and light that she captures. If you want to work with Naoko in Tokyo, or simply see more of her images, contact her photo studio.

I leave you with some snaps of another top model: my Scottish Fold, Basil Farrow.

For many more round-faced images, peek at his cat blog.

Can’t wait to explore the subcultures of San Fran! Do you have any suggestions for places to visit? Let me know in the comments, or Tweet me @lacarmina.

And please let your SF friends know about our Pussycat Night at Wicked Grounds (May 23, 7-9pm, full details above). Hope to see you there!