Bell Wine Cellars in Yountville, CA

Bell Wine Cellars
http://www.bellwine.com/
6200 Washington Street
Yountville, CA 94599
Phone (707) 944-1673

Bell’s Wine Cellars is located in Yountville, CA, a 15-minute drive from Napa. The owner, Anthony Bell, a native South African, produces a varied selection of wines, such as the award-winning 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon (Clone 6, Rutherford), Sonnette, Claret, Syrah, Merlot, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and my favorite, a delightful 2006 South African Sauvignon Blanc. Tastings range from $15-$250 per person and the tasting room is open by appointment seven days a week from 10:30 am until 4:00 pm.

DL/NW 3499 MCI-DTW-PVD 24 June 2009 by VPP

Delta Airlines Trip Details….on Northwest Metal
————————————————————
Wednesday, June 24, 2009:
DL 3499 CRJ900 departing MCI at 10:45 a.m. arriving PVD at 5:09 p.m. 3D to MSP, 3C to PVD

With a stop in MSP
————————————————————
Total Trip Cost: $183.20, Non Refundable
Actual Airfare: $157.21
Actual Miles Flown: 1,510
Yield: $0.104 per mile (Upgraded to First Class)
Taxes & Fees: $25.99, 14.2% of ticket price

So, I relayed a great story about Delta Customer Service…and now, a truly remarkable story about how VASTLY improved the product is!

I had to take a quick spin to Kansas City and needed to get home as efficiently as possible. And actually, DL made the most sense…with a good schedule and price. So our travel manager booked me on Delta….and then she told me, “CRJ900!” I, by my own admission, winced, “Satan’s Chariot?!? A CRJ900?” I thought….and yes, a CRJ900….in Coach.

So, the trip was booked in Coach as the numbers reference. Have to admit, and I don’t believe in “flying for status,” but the way I wrote this one off in my mind was, “well, I’d like to maintain some sort of status on a Sky Team carrier, so this will work.”

I was notified I was upgraded, about 12 hours prior to departure, certainly not within the window. And as a side note, I’m fine with that. I paid Coach and was prepared to ride in Coach. But I was upgraded.

Got to the airport where NW and DL operations are combined…and still a little confusing…but I checked my bag and got on with my day.

Once on the airplane, I settled into my seat, amazed at the pen marks all over the seats, and relaxed. “Comfortable” I thought. We took off shortly and in the air, the service was excellent…the Flight Attendant, Judy, made herself known and was extremely professional and accommodating. She came by a number of times with the Delta Snack Basket as well as drinks and more drinks.

For the record, the ONE thing US Airways did have on many airlines was “the best snack basket” in F….no longer, Delta now owns that position, by a long shot.

Delta (NW Metal) CRJ900s are nice in F…there is adequate, dare I say “plenty” of seat pitch and size…and the seats are comfortable.

We arrived in MSP early and I hopped off the airplane to go get an e-mail download at the NW Club.

Went back to get on…new crew…and this time, I was in seat 3C with no seat mate. We took off and out came the cart…drinks and the snack basket. I had my usual, Club Soda with a lime and got to work. 5 minutes later, the F/A came back, “sir, for lunch today, I have either a smoked turkey sandwich with chipotle mayonnaise or a chef’s salad, which would you prefer?”

OK, STOP THE TAPE!!! Let me get this straight….I’m on a freakin’ Regional Jet?!! A Canadair?!? I’m in row 3 of 4 rows….AND I GET A CHOICE?!?!?

NO FREAKIN’ WAY!!! I HAVE to be dreaming!!!

So, I pinch myself, nope, not dreaming….and ask for the turkey sandwich. Is served with chips, fruit and a chocolate brownie. I look at it and notice it’s (a.) not insignificant in terms of size and (b.) it actually looks tasty. And so it was, tasty, bordering on really good, significant, filling, very satisfying.

I again, in my mind, think, Let me get this straight….I’m on a freakin’ Regional Jet?!! A Canadair?!?

I finish lunch, quite satisfying…and shocking…and before I can barely put my napkin down, the F/A is picking my tray up and I get to work. The gentleman in front of me reclines…and I still have room to manage my laptop and to get out if I need to. Nice!

In any case, I was impressed. And I have taken a ride on a NW CRJ900 in Y and thought it was a decent ride…certainly not like a CRJ100 or 200. My only beef would be this for the CRJ900 in First Class. I’m 6’3” and 260…and I don’t fit in the bathroom….I have to REALLY be a sort of contortionist in order to get into that bathroom.

What a great flight though! I got plenty of work done, was comfortable with space and had a tasty, satisfying lunch. Not only that, but in the future, if my routing to the west coast takes me on one of these to MSP or somewhere again, I would pay the F fare to ride in the seat.

Nice experience…one I will do again!

The New Delta Airlines, They Love To Fly And It Shows by VPP

The New Delta Airlines, They Love To Fly And It Shows!

Okay…when I relay this story and this trip report, it’s going to sound like we’re talking about Nordstrom’s….I’m not. I’m talking about a story that was Delta Air Lines. And I’m still in a bit of shock and disbelief myself over it. It’s such a good story…and it’s an airline…so I thought I should take a moment and share it with you, the readers.

For a few weeks, I had been working to get meetings set up for my team in Charleston, SC and Roanoke, VA to introduce our new East Coast Manager to them. Our East Coast Manager is flying Delta, mostly because of her schedule and the fact it fits her timing well. So, we booked her on Delta, LGA-CHS on one PNR, CHS-ROA, both of us, on another PNR and then ROA-LGA on yet another PNR.

The date came, June 16, and we were to fly to CHS. Now, we all know, late spring, early summer, the weather in the south and Midwest is one, big, potential thunderstorm in the afternoon and evening. So, getting where you are going in the a.m. is critical. We did just that, scheduled our manager our of LGA (which I affectionately refer to as “LaGarbage”) first thing, non-stop on DL 6553. As my flight was leaving EWR on CO, our manager texted me and said, “delayed.” I took off, landed in CHS….and she was further “delayed.”

To make a long story short, she never made it to CHS…and it took 5 hours before DL fessed up and said, “The flight is cancelled, mechanical.” The story doesn’t end there….

Our manager FINALLY found someone to help her and re-booked her the next morning…by passing CHS and heading straight to ROA. The idea being, “okay, we missed that meeting, let’s not miss again.” So, back to LGA went our manager…and she boarded a flight to ATL, in first class, and arrived exactly nine minutes late…at the T gates. The connecting gate, where I was, was D32….and if you know ATL, even with a very efficient train system, that’s a haul. But make that trek she did…only to get to gate D32, both doors open, the gate and the airplane, and was denied boarding, “Sorry, it’s 10 minutes before departure, we won’t put you on, FAA regulation.”

Now that is just OBSCENE! And wrong…and a lie. It’s NOT an FAA regulation!

Be that as it may, we took off, without my sidekick, and went on….we never made it to ROA…but that too is another story, which ended well, by the way, courtesy of some GREAT UA Express customer service.

Meanwhile, our manager had to get back to LGA and for the week, never made it anywhere.

In any case, I was livid…and I made sure our professional travel manager knew about it. She promptly wrote DL and relayed the story…and was given….$400 in vouchers and an apology. When our travel manager asked for my thoughts, I said, “UNACCEPTABLE! The product did not perform, no one got where they were going, we lost money on hotels, cab rides and not to mention, lost time, doing nothing, getting NOWHERE!!”

I was truly outraged.

So, our travel manager (who owns this blog for the record) wrote back….and lo and behold! Delta agreed! And refunded our money!

Now, forgetting for a moment we had to write back, this is just outstanding and, in my world, unprecedented. Truly, unprecedented!

Long story short….I’ll book Delta with confidence…for myself and our traveling team. They clearly love to fly, and it shows!

My first experience flying non-revenue

16JUN US 2570 TRI-CLT 544A 630A CRJ-200 Seat 8F Exit
16JUN US 3921 CLT-CHS 735A 827A CRJ-200 Seat 7D

17JUN US 1818 CHS-CLT 715A 819A ERJ-190 Row 26 all to myself
17JUN US 4141 CLT-TRI 924A 1021A Dash 8-300 Row 12 all to myself

When I first decided to try my hand at non-revenue flying, I thought it might turn out to be an adventure of sorts, flying space available only, perhaps being denied along the way due to full flights.  I had also heard that treatment of non-revenue passengers could be negative.

However, I am happy to report that this little adventure of mine turned out to be truly a non-adventure.  All of my flights departed early or on time and all arrived early.  Each time I approached the gate agent to let him/her politely know I was a non-revenue standby, I was greeted with a smile and immediately given a seat assignment.  On my first flight, I was given the exit row, on the second, my preference of aisle or window.  On my third flight I had the last row all to myself, and on the fourth flight, I was given a window seat beside someone, but there were empty rows in the back of the plane, so I just moved back and enjoyed the space of an empty row.

The service on all of my flights, which were all US Airways Express except for US 1818, was by request only due to the short duration.  If I had been a paying customer, I might have taken advantage of the request, but as a non-revenue passenger, I was just happy and relieved to have any seat.

What I learned from this experience was that as an elite frequent flier who often receives special treatment and perks, I usually set the bar very high for product and service.  In other words, I can be very picky.  However, this humbling experience reminded me to be truly grateful for the transportation itself, and that what is most important is the destination, not the ride.

Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen, St. Helena, California

Cindy’s Backsteet Kitchen
http://www.cindysbackstreetkitchen.com/
Menu: http://www.cindysbackstreetkitchen.com/eats.php
1327 Railroad Ave
St. Helena, CA
Phone (707) 963-1200
Fax (707) 963-1207

Hours:
November 1st – April 30th
Sunday – Thursday 11:30 am – 9:00 pm
Friday & Saturday 11:30 am – 9:30 pm

May 1st – October 31st
Open 7 days a week; 11:30 am – 9:30 pm

During a recent trip to Napa, my fiancé and I had lunch at Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen after a nearby wine tasting.  The restaurant offers a wide range of menu items, including “small plates,” salads, “large plates,” “from our wood burning oven,” and sandwiches.  Both reservations and walk-ins are welcome.

My fiancé and I both ordered the Backstreet Fry (with calamari, red onions, fennel, okra, and lemon aioli) and the Chinatown Duck Burger with shiitake mushroom ketchup and French fries.  It was one of the most unique and incredibly delicious meals we’ve ever had.

According to the website, “Cindy’s Backstreet Kitchen combines a classy supper club with the flair of a speakeasy to create the perfect upscale eatery and neighborhood hang-out.”  What a perfect description of this casual and friendly restaurant opened by Cindy Pawlcyn, James Beard Award-winning cookbook author and chef/owner of Napa’s Mustards Grill.

LGA-ATL-TRI on Delta 1 June 2009

DL 1777 ATL-LGA 9:55 am – 12:40 pm 757-200 Seat 2C Aisle
DL 5086 ATL-TRI 4:15 pm – 5:19 pm CRJ-200 Seat 8B Exit Aisle, changed to Seat 4B Aisle

My fiancé had to be at work at 7:30 am, so he dropped me off early at LaGuardia.  I passed rather quickly through the Clear security line, but it was not as efficient as previous experiences.  It was the “morning rush” and Clear apparently only had two employees working, one to verify identity and one to lead passengers to the shortest line.  Because of this, the service was slightly less personalized and I found I had to wait a little longer than before.  However, it was still quicker than the elite or regular lines.

I spent the next hour and a half in the LGA Sky Club.  There were not many snacks, but I was not hungry.  I just wanted a quiet place to work that had complimentary Internet, so the club worked.  A quiet place to work that has complimentary Internet is primary reason I have the membership.

My flight from LGA boarded on time and we pushed back about three minutes early, at 9:52 am.  However, we had to wait to take off (surprise, not!) and finally departed at 10:32 am, 37 minutes past scheduled departure.

The pre-flight and in-flight service was as expected.  Our seats were prepared for our arrival with ear buds, a blanket, and a bottle of mini-Dasani.  We received a full, pre-departure beverage service.  In-flight service consisted of Delta On Air short programming and a lunch and beverage service.  This time lunch was either a turkey sandwich or a Greek-like salad with cold grilled chicken, romaine lettuce, yellow and red pepper, cucumber, olives, and feta cheese.  Sides included the usual fresh fruit plate, breadsticks, and molasses cookie.  We also received the snack basket service as well, with the choices being Twix®, Biscoffs®, Pretzel Crisps®, apples, or peanuts.

We made up time in the air and landed at ATL early at 12:14 pm.  I made my way to the ATL C36 Sky Club, the location closest to my connecting gate.  There I enjoyed the quiet, the work, and an Atlanta Sweetwater Pale Ale.

I was scheduled to meet a friend who was flying through ATL.  He landed on time, but his aircraft took a delay waiting on a gate and during the deplaning process.  So when he arrived the Sky Club, he literally stopped in, had a brief look around, then departed!  The visit was maybe one minute long!

After he ran in and out, I packed up and went to my gate, one gate away from the club.  When I arrived, the agent was seeking one volunteer to take the next flight to TRI, so I volunteered.  However, there were a couple of misconnects, so she ended up not needing me.  However, in the process, I lost my exit row aisle seat and ended up in 4B.

We departed the gate at 4:14 pm, but had to wait to depart.  ATL’s afternoon rush hour must have reared its ugly head.  We sat in line with no air conditioning, which was really uncomfortable.  We finally departed at 4:47 pm, 32 minutes past scheduled departure.  The flight attendant, sensing how warm we must have all been, offered all of us a cup of ice water en route, atlhough no in-flight service was scheduled.  We arrived TRI at 5:23 pm, only four minutes past scheduled arrival.