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Travelers: Miscellaneous Tips

Do you use your baggage tags as lint removers?

You don’t need to bring shaving cream. Use the hair conditioner provided in your hotel.

Drinking straws have many uses. Keep your necklaces or chains from getting tangled. Wrap some duct tape around a straw instead of bringing a whole roll.

Dental floss can be used as thread.

Baby shampoo can also be used as laundry detergent, to de-fog your swim or dive goggles, or for a quick wash of clothes in a sink.

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Expedited Security

Immigration lines seem to be getting longer and the wait seems to be mirroring the length of the lines.

There are some programs you can join to help you stand in fewer lines. You may want to investigate these, especially if you travel frequently outside the US.

The Trusted Traveler Program requires that you apply, submit a fee, have an interview at an enrollment center, have at least two forms of ID, and have a permanent address and valid driver’s license.

Global Entry expedites customs and immigration clearance at airports for trusted travelers returning to the US from a foreign country.

Nexus US and Canada expedites two way clearance at land, sea, and airport border stations for trusted travelers.

Flux for US and The Netherlands expedites two way clearance at US and Netherlands airports for trusted travelers.

Smart Entry Service for US and South Korea expedites entry through Korean airport customs and immigration systems for trusted travelers.

Sentri for US and Mexico expedites two way border crossing between the US and Mexico for trusted travelers.

TSA Pre Checks expedites the security screening process at major US airports.

Clear: The Private Approach expedites the security screening process at seven US airports.

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Travelers: Getting Ready to Go

Last time I talked about what to do when you arrive back home. Let’s talk about some pre-planning tips before you leave on your next trip.

You may already do these things, but if not…ask yourself these questions.

Do you have a house or cat or dog sitter you need to contact in advance? I don’t mean the day before, either.

Do you stop your mail and paper or does your house sitter take care collecting those?

Do you have your first day of your trip planned? By this I mean, do you know how you are getting from the airline terminal to the rental car place or the hotel or the train station?

Do you have enough money or do you need to stop at an ATM?

Do you know how you’re getting to the airport?

Do you need to call your cell phone carrier?

Have you called your bank and credit card companies?

Have you checked the weather?

Have you planned your last day of your trip? By this I mean, do you know how you’re getting to the airport, do you have to check out of your hotel or is it automatic, do you know where your keys are, if you drove to your home airport do you remember where you parked, do you have money to pay for that parking?

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Jessup Celler’s Dress to the Vines weekend

Check out this wonderful event…hope to see you there.
Jessup Cellars’ Dress to the Vines Weekend 2014 Expands Throughout Yountville, Opens Fashion is Art II Exhibition & Invites K-Nine Friends to Primp & Stroll
Celebration Includes Fundraising & Accessory Drive for Dress for Success San Francisco
(Yountville, CA, May 20th2014)  Jessup CellarsDress to the Vines weekend has moved earlier in the summer to June 26th through 28th, expanded activities beyond its Yountville Tasting Gallery, and invited its canine friends to join the celebration in 2014. Yountville, renowned for great wine and food, luxury resorts, and being pedestrian and dog friendly, naturally attracts residents and visitors alike with a flair for style. Dress to the Vines takes all of these elements of style and taste and wraps them into one, delicious weekend. A portion of the weekend proceeds, as well as an accessory drive, benefits Dress for Success San Francisco, a non-profit that promotes the economic independence of disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, network support, and career development.
“Our vision from year one was to expand Dress to the Vines throughout Yountville,” explains Judd Wallenbrock, General Manager at Jessup Cellars. “We’re honored to partner with our local business friends to create fresh looks and experiences with each event. The addition of Dress for Success San Francisco as our charitable partner puts the finishing touch on our three-day celebration.”
Featured guests and partners include Bardessono Hotel & Spa, Lucy Restaurant & Bar, V Marketplace, CellarPass TV, Sisters Boutique, Wine Fashionista Mary Orlin, Sarah Horowitz Parfums, Mia Marcelle Swimwear, Kahoy Kollection eyewear, artist Cynthia Carey, ArtyChockers, Blue Poppy Jewels, Vintage Trunk, Cake Plate, Bespoke Fashion & Styling, Amelia Claire and Sole Provider.
The weekend kicks-off poolside on Thursday, June 26th with Bardessono Hotel & Spa’s Dive Bar Fashion Party2. On Friday, June 27th it’s the TasteMaker: Wine, Dine & Design Dinner at Lucy Restaurant & Bar. Saturday, June 28th begins with the Dress to the K-nines Stroll and Sister’s Boutique Sip ‘n’ Shop at V-Marketplace. Saturday wraps the weekend with the opening celebration of Jessup Cellars’ resident artist and curator Cynthia Carey’s Art is Fashion II exhibition and a Summer Look Fashion Mixer with Napa Valley’s top boutiques.
In partnership with CellarPass.com, complete information about the weekend’s celebrations and tickets are at www.CellarPass.com/Jessup-Cellars. An overview of the Dress to the Vinesweekend of activities and partners follows below. Media passes, high-resolution photographs, and interviews are available upon request for selected events.
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DRESS TO THE VINES 2014 SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, JUNE 26
6pm to 8pm
Bardessono’s Dive Bar Fashion Party2
Jessup Cellars Wines | Fragrance Pairings | Swimwear Show
Join Jessup Cellars at Bardessono’s Dive Bar Fashion Party2 featuring Jessup Cellars wines paired with Sarah Horowitz Parfums by Mary Orlin, Huffington Post’s wine, food, fashion and fragrance blogger. The Spa at Bardessono will make a splash with a swimwear show, featuring designer Mia Marcelle, with eyewear by Kahoy Kollection. Lucy’s Bartender Brady Wilkens will serve up exclusive cocktails created with Tito’s Vodkaand Maestro Dobel Tequila, while Chef Victor Scargle offers up delicious bites.
No Cover | Fine Wine & Cocktail Specials
Space Limited ~ Admittance is First-Come, First-Served & Not Guaranteed
FRIDAY, JUNE 27
6pm to 9pm
TasteMaker Dinner: Wine, Dine & Design
The evening begins with sips of Jessup Cellars just released 2013 Sauvignon Blanc in the private dining room and intimate patio at Lucy. Special guest fashion designer and stylist Marta Kappl of Bespoke Fashion & Styling in St. Helena will share her story of how she uses the finest, most exclusive cotton available to create her custom, cotton shirt line. As she explains, “Cotton is a luxury fiber that has its own terroir, much like wine.” Marta will also explore the health aspects of wearing natural, organic cottons. Over dinner, Jessup Cellars will present its flagship wines and how the winery approaches designing its signature blends, while executive chef Victor Scargle of Lucy will demonstrate how to achieve the “look” of presentation with each dinner course, including to-die-for dessert.
Seating is very limited.
General $175 | Members $150
SATURDAY, JUNE 28
10:00am to 11:00am
Dress to the K-Nines Stroll
A Casual Walk & Best Dressed Contest
The town of Yountville is famous for many things, including being pedestrian and dog friendly, so Jessup Cellars has merged this distinction with Dress to the Vines. Dog lovers and their best friends will meet at 10am to gather for a photo shoot at Jessup Cellars, and then stroll south through town, past The French Laundry gardens, and finish at V-Market Place for an informal Best Dressed Contest. ArtyChokers, creators of designer, interchangeable dog collars, will be on hand with a pop-up for consultation and shopping to outfit humankind’s best friends.
11:00am to 3:00pm
Sun Kissed Sip & Shop with Sisters Boutique
Beauty Tips | Designer Jewelry Pop Ups | Summer Wines
Right on the heels of our Dress to the K-Nines stroll, the day’s wine country fashion celebration heads upstairs to Sisters Boutique in V-Marketplace. Sisters’ team of expert style consultants will share quick tips on how to achieve that “Sun Kissed” look for summer, while Jessup Cellars shares tastes of its refreshingly delicious 2012 Chardonnay and just released 2013 Sauvignon Blanc. To put the final touch on the afternoon, Blue Poppy Jewels by designer Susan Nelson is hosting a truck show featuring its brilliant gems and quality metals fused with Susan’s design esthetic of simple elegance.
2pm to 5pm
Make It Up & Blow It Out with Sisters Boutique
Get Styled for the “Art is Fashion II” Opening Exhibition & Summer Look Fashion Mixer
Guests attending the night’s opening of Jessup Cellars Art is Fashion II Exhibition by resident artist and curator Cynthia Careyand Summer Look Fashion Mixer may book special makeup and blow out appointments. These are limited and come with special surprises!
Call Sisters at 707.944.8400 for an Appointment
7pm to 10pm
Fashion is Art II Exhibition Opening & Summer Look Fashion Mixer
TasteMakers | Designers | Artists | Boutiques | Signature Wines
This is the night to gather with friends, celebrate wine country fashion, and Dress to the Vines! DJ Durojaiye Versatile will set the tone as resident artist and curator Cynthia Carey opens her Fashion is Art II exhibition at the Jessup Cellars Tasting Gallery with delicious wine, exceptional bites, and special treats. Created in multiple mediums, the beauty of fashion inspires each of these original pieces. The evening’s fashion mixer will be Webcast live by CellarPass TVand showcase Napa Valley’s top boutiques, including Cake Plate, Amelia Claire, Sole Provider, Sisters Boutique and Vintage Trunk, all sharing their favorite looks for summer in wine country.
General $35 | Members $25

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Travelers: Coming Home

You’ve had a great trip and now you’re home. What do you need to do besides empty your suitcase and start the laundry?

The obvious, of course, are to deal with your mail, restart your paper, pay your house or cat sitter, and read the emails you didn’t while on vacation.

Do you also do these things?

Check your credit card statements to make sure they match with what you charged while on vacation.

Check your bank statements, especially if you used a debit card or bank card.

Remember to turn off any international packages on your cell phones.

Download your photos and sort through them.

Check your airline miles, hotel programs, rental car loyalty programs, etc. that you may have used. Make sure to get credit for all your accounts.

And, my favorite…start planning your next trip.

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Travelers: Socks

Those socks airlines give you on overseas flights come in handy for more than just keeping your feet warm on the flight.

You probably won’t wear them once you get home as most are impossible to fit into any shoes. However, they work great for protecting anything you don’t want to get scratched or chipped in your luggage.

They also work as a glasses holder in case you forgot yours or to keep items separated in your bag.

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Travelers: Your Bag

Do you have a luggage tag on your bag? Good.

Do you have a tag or business card or some other form of address on the inside of your bag? I hope so.

The outside one can get torn or ripped off your bag. Yes, even the sturdy looking tags can get caught on something and ripped right off.

If you need to identify your bag or if your bag gets lost…having your contact information on the inside will be a big help in getting your bag back.

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Travelers: Packing Mistake

You already know that most hotels have the amenities you want or need. How about things like hairdryers or irons?

If you need a hairdryer, an iron, or any other item it would be a good idea to check to see if the hotel has it.

I always check for hairdryers. Many times the hotel website has listed what their room amenities are…but not always. If I can’t find it listed, I call the hotel directly. No sense packing bulky items if I don’t need to.

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Travelers: Irish Coffee

 

When in San Francisco, head to The Buena Vista Cafe for a tasty Irish Coffee. Although the cafe opened in 1916, this Irish Coffee wasn’t introduced until 1952. The owner at that time combined his efforts with a travel writer to recreate the cocktail that was first invented in Ireland in 1943.

Today, The Buena Vista Cafe fills 2,000 to 3,500 glasses every day of this wonderful mixture of warm coffee laced with Irish Whiskey. You’ll find a white coated bartender lining up tulip shaped glasses, placing two white sugar cubes in each, filling them with hot coffee in a continuous stream, adding Irish Whiskey delivered in a dramatic pour, and finishing off each glass with lightly whipped cream. Even the cream is aged.

It’s quite the site to witness and a wonderful way to end…or start…your day.