It was a fruitful excursion. Bartholomew Park, just outside of the town of Sonoma, continues to produce a luscious Merlot.  One that will make you forget the snide comments in Sideways. The Zin is smooth and rich.  This historic property is always worth  a visit.

A pleasant surprise was finding that Hawkes has established a tasting room just off the Sonoma plaza as well. I am generally not a fan of in-town tasting rooms as I like to see the vineyards. However this saved me me a drive to the Alexander Valley. The tasting was unhurried and the staff friendly and knowledgeable.  Hawkes is known for its Cabs and they are wonderful. They are elegant and restrained, not overly aggressive fruit bombs. Imagine Grace Kelly, not Kim Kardashian. Best of all, the wine club comes with free shipping.

My next stop to LynMar — home to some wonderful Pinot Noirs — in the Russian River Valley. I wanted to drive a bit to ensure that the wine didn’t overtake me. The wine was delightful and the tasting room was elegant. The tasting experience, however,  felt more like Napa than Sonoma: a bit of attitude hung in the air and the tasting fee was not waived even after an $80 purchase on what they acknowledged was a slow day.

I decided to return to the town of Sonoma for one last taste prior to returning to San Francisco. Having had a good experience at Hawkes’ tasting room and with a few spots open in the case I would take home, I decided to try Adobe Road. The Cab, Syrah, and Petite Syrah were all full and supple. Amanda, overseeing the tasting room, was friendly and expansive with details on the wines even though it was nigh upon closing time.

The ride back to San Francisco was a bit laborious as the Infineon Raceway was letting out. Watch the schedule when you visit.

On your next business trip to to the Bay area, be sure to make time for an excursion north. Rewarding wines are only an hour away.

Read the original Saturday Night Stayover post on Sonoma here.

So here’s the good, bad, and the ugly from one business traveler’s perspective.

The trip started out quite well. Virgin’s outpost in Terminal B at BOS is a bit removed from its bigger rivals and so it has its own security line. It was the first time since the creation of the TSA that I have had absolutely no queue to get through security. It was a breeze!

Food service was limited but adequate in the Virgin nook: just one vendor offering the usual array of food and beverages. If you want something special (or hot), get it before security. The staff at the gate was quite pleasant.

At SFO, Virgin is in a new terminal with a wide array of food and shopping options, an XpresSpa (my new travel treat), and lots and lots of outlets for charging one’s devices.

Now my first beef. That didn’t take long, did it? When I checked in online all that showed as available without a surcharge were middle seats (note: I am flying coach in both directions). Upon boarding, I discovered that the window seat next to me was one of several empty seats on the flight. On the return, no seats appeared available save for three that carried a $129 surcharge. I checked in at the gate and am now sitting in an exit row with two empty seats. According to the flight attendant, there are about 10 empty seats in coach on this flight. Hiding available standard seats seems a rather cheeky way to try to extract an upgrade fee. It is becoming increasingly common on air carriers and I think, frankly, that it is disrespectful to travelers. Virgin claims to hold itself to a higher standard. Well, not high enough.

Both planes (A319s with a 3-3 configuration for those of you who follow such things), were new and clean. The seating in coach was comfortable and I appreciated both the white seat backs and trays (they reflect light and brighten the cabin) and seat back pockets that are actually designed to hold something besides the safety card. The mesh front pocket made it easy to see if I had forgotten anything I had stowed there.

Inflight wi-fi was available via GoGo on both flights though I found the $17.95 cost (each way) to be excessive. If I didn’t need it for business, I would have passed it up.

I tried the on-demand food ordering system each way. On the outbound flight the food arrived in a minute or two; on the return flight it took half-an-hour. As best I can tell this is because I ordered after the beverage service on the first flight and before it on the second. All of the requested food was delivered as they wheeled the beverage cart along. I did Tweet a complaint and received a quick inquiry from the social media team at Virgin America although there was nothing they could do directly. The food selection was good and  the quality was what I have come to expect of airline food: keep the expectations modest and there is less chance of disappointment. Although I did not opt for wine on either flight (don’t look so surprised — these were morning flights and I had business to do) but the options looked like a step above the generic red and white offered by most carriers). The Artisan Cheese box came with odd wooden implement that was awkward to use with the brie but that’s a quibble. The food itself was just fine.

There is a $25 per bag fee for any checked baggage that is waived for one bag if you spring for the coach upgrade or all bags if you are in Upper Class. My checked “bag” was actually a case of wine I’d put together in Sonoma — and it arrived intact.

Will I return? I am back to SFO in a few weeks and haven’t yet booked my flight. It isn’t a slam dunk. Let’s just say that I’ve lost my Virginity but am still weighing monogamy.

Photo credit: The Sky Steward

I appreciated receiving a pre-arrival email from the assistant manager. It had some neighborhood info that would have been helpful had I had more time. More important, I had a direct contact with whom I could reconfirm my late arrival. He responded right away which was great. They were ready for me at check in and had me on a high floor as I prefer.

The hotel itself feels like a “let’s do the best we can until corporate funds a renovation” affair. The lobby furniture had a bit of an insubstantial Ikea feel to it; the painted surfaces were in need of a refresh. The room was large and clean but oddly configured: There was a 4x4ish room-let within the room that would have made a great walk-in closet but there were no rods or shelves. Just a little windowless space. Perhaps a sensory deprivation chamber? The actual “closet” was just a curtain hung in front of a rod at the end of the room.

Everything worked…except…the minibar key. Kimpton InTouch members (their loyalty program) get a $10 minibar credit with each stay. Great benefit but I couldn’t avail myself of it and it was too late to call the front desk. I took consolation in that I saved myself 300 calories or so.

Oh, and the clock. It was flashing 12:00. Here is my simple plea to all hoteliers everywhere: buy the simplest clock available and teach your staff how to set it. I was in no mood to figure it out at that hour and rely on my phone for alarm. An incorrect or unset clock, however, is an annoyance. It also shows an inattention to details that I don’t expect from Kimpton.

One last quibble — and sorry for having my cranky pants on — and that is with the shower amenities. They were bolted onto the wall in pump dispensers. I have come to accept them as it creates less waste all around. I have given up collecting little Aveda bottles. However, for those of us who wear glasses –  an increasing number as the population ages — please label them in an obnoxiously obvious way. How about a big S for shampoo, C for conditioner, and G for bath gel?

The staff was friendly, the wifi (free for InTouch members) hummed right along, and the Helix met my basic needs at a low price. It wouldn’t be my first choice for a longer stay but it is certainly adequate if what you need is just a place to lay your head for a night.

The Horasis meeting was held at the Radisson Blu at the airport — convenient but not very interesting. I stayed in town at the sleek and modern Hotel Greulich and saved enough money on the room to more than make up for the train trips back and forth. The staff was friendly and helpful. The room was spacious if a bit odd in layout — the TV couldn’t be seen from the bed. Bottled water was included as was free wifi.

Staying in town also gave me the chance to explore the city a bit. I was about 12 minutes from the train station and the main retail district along the Bahnhoffstrasse.

The Bahnhoffstrasse offers all of the shopping one could ever want — including an English language bookshop, chocolate shops, and the usual collection of international fashion houses. A bit more original were the shops near the hotel. I was particularly fond of Weisbrod, a  maker of fine silk accessories for men and women. A new purple and grey pocket square was soon mine!

The most memorable meal of the trip was at Caduff’s Wine Loft just around the corner from the Greulich. The restaurant works with fresh, local ingredients — whatever the market has to offer that day — and offers more than 2,000 wines.  I had a simple winter salad followed by an Irish fillet of beef with long beans and spaetzle. There were two amuse bouche: one a corn chowder of sorts and the other a bite of veal with fresh peas. I accompanied this with a hearty Bordeaux. Everything was delicious, well prepared, and served with a smile. It would be a lovely spot for dinner with a business associate although be warned that the menu is only in German (although the staff speaks English pretty well).

Zurich is a business city but it has retained a good bit of charm. Its streets are pleasant for walking and there is ample public transportation. One can get to meetings and still have time to take in a bit of culture and history. We’ve added a new Zurich page to give you all of the tips you need for a great business trip.

I was also a guest of a client at Bourbon Steak at the Westin St. Francis hotel. I am generally not a fan of steak houses as the portions are ginormous with prices to match. The same was true here though I was being treated (that took care of the price) and I was able to get a reasonably sized filet mignon that was tender, tasty, and well prepared. The meat is all from sustainable, organic farms. The side of frites was delicious. We washed it all down with a delightful 2007 Elizabeth Spencer Cabernet from Napa.

I don’t have hotel news to report as I was able to stay at the elegant Olympic Club courtesy of a friend. I had business meetings at The Clift which was, in the Morgans Hotel Group tradition, as self-consciously hip and dimly lit as ever. The Redwood Room remains an lovely spot for a cocktail.

Not as thorough as my usual report, I know. What treats have you found while on business in San Francisco lately? For me, it’s off to Atlanta next week…

Our traveler was unable to get a seat at the time she booked the American flight. She was told to do that closer to the date of the flight. She called prior to her outbound flight and was told she had to wait until she checked in for the return flight. About 24 hours before that flight she logged on to check in. The only seats available were premium seats which carried an extra charge. Concerned, she called American and was told that a non-premium seat would be assigned at the kiosk at the airport. Not to worry, she was told, there was plenty of room on the flight.

When our Nomad arrived at the kiosk she was told that seats could only be assigned at the gate. Now frustrated, angry, and concerned, our traveler went to the gate where she was told that the flight was “horribly overbooked.” The gate agent was also frustrated and commiserated that she, too, thought that the system was stupid. The Nomad managed to get on the flight but had to go through the same exasperating experience when she transferred in Dallas for the second leg of her flight home — but just by the hair of her chinny chin chin: she got the last seat on the plane.

Once on the flight — both legs — there was no food available although “food for sale” was supposed to be on offer. Our Nomad had to get by with a cup of water on each leg.

There are several ways to look at what happened here. One would be that American is simply inept. As an airline that has been in business for decades that should neither be the reason nor the excuse. Another would be that they are doing everything possible to get people to opt for premium seats — after all, airlines are now fee machines and it seems to be the only way they can make money. That doesn’t, however, explain how they failed to load food which should be a profit center. A third would be that American simply doesn’t care a whit about passengers who don’t have some elevated frequent flier status. Our Nomad is not a regular American flier and so was traveling as one of the great unwashed mass of plain old customers.

A fourth view, of course, is “all of the above” and that’s the one I am betting on. I think that they have lost clarity around their purpose, their values, and their business model. I think that any convenience — even a seat — is now up for grabs unless you pay an upcharge. And finally, I think that they have resigned themselves to providing a commodity product with minimal service. Together this is a recipe to disengage both customers and employees. It is a corporate death spiral.

I remember when the slogan used to be, “We’re American Airlines. Something special in the air.” I guess they define “special” a little differently than the rest of us.

What have your experiences on American been like lately?

Cary Grant once phoned hotel mogul Conrad Hilton in Istanbul, Turkey, to find out why his breakfast order at the Plaza Hotel, which called for muffins, came with only one and a half English muffins instead of two. When Grant insisted that the explanation (a hotel efficiency report had found that most people ate only three of the four halves brought to them) still resulted in being cheated out of a half, the Plaza Hotel changed its policy and began serving two complete muffins with breakfast. From then on, Grant often spoke of forming an English Muffin-Lovers Society, members of which would be required to report any hotel or restaurant that listed muffins on the menu and then served fewer than two.

I think that this is a society in which all Nomads should be active. There’s a restaurant in Boston’s Kenmore Square called Eastern Standard. Lovely place and most active in the evenings where it has a lively bar scene. However it is open for breakfast as it is attached to the Hotel Commonwealth. It is a quiet, refined place to start the day — but they only serve one slice of toast. Drives me mad.

It’s good to know that Cary and I have something important in common.

I can choose room service and get a few extra minutes of e-mail, descend to the restaurant, or head off-property. Here’s how I make my choices; I’d love to hear about you make the call.

Room service is rarely an option I choose. Something inevitably arrives cold or incorrect and fixing it becomes a major time sink. Too much thought has to go into when to call (or when to schedule the arrival) and then waiting for the tray to show up. In the end, I wind up paying $25+ for tepid toast, a few berries, and coffee.

I can enjoy some time in the dining room as it gives me a chance to scan the newspaper before I start the day. Call me old-fashioned but I feel a bit odd propping the iPad on the table a restaurant so I’m happy to have the original app: ink on paper. I wish, however, that there was an easy way to control the flow of the meal. I find that hotels tend to pace breakfast as if it were dinner: decidedly slow. And the posher the hotel, the more gently paced the service. This is morning, folks! Up and at ‘em! Unless it is a breakfast meeting when you might want to linger. I wish that there were little disks or some device through which one could easily signal whether service should be fast, medium, or slow.  Speaking with the waiter has only met with limited success for me; the kitchen seems to dictate food flow.

Cost can still be an issue. I applaud Henrietta’s Table at the Charles Hotel in Cambridge, MA for providing a healthy, reasonably priced breakfast. I can get out of there for less than $20. That isn’t as cheap as heading to the diner but compared to other hotels, it is downright thrifty.

I often head off property. I scout the neighborhood as I arrive and frequently take a late evening walk before I head to bed. One of my tasks is to size up the services in the immediate area. I scout out independents where I can and The Corner Bakery is a chain that offers great oatmeal for a price that will make your finance folks smile plus free wifi. I particularly like London where there are many options for fresh, low-cost, high health value food such as Pret a Manger and its competitors. When last I stayed at Brown’s, there were four choices within a short walk. Pret also has locations in New York. New York, of course, still has a wide array of greasy spoons with food that can warm the heart (if also boosting your cholesterol).

I know that our hotelier readers will be wondering how to get more of this business. After all, every overnight guest starts the morning on property. Think like restauranteurs (Kimpton restaurants operate separately from the hotel, for example — though I recently had extraordinarily bad service at one of their DC properties). There is no one in the food biz I’ve met who has ever said, “Let’s open a breakfast joint with premium prices and leisurely service.” Only your supposedly captive audience makes you think that it works. If you think about what will bring the most guests into your restaurant as the sun rises, your prices will come down, service will speed up, and you’ll be more in sync with the business traveler. If I can get out with a decent breakfast in about 20 minutes for under $20 you have a reasonable shot at getting my business.

I have a friend who is an accomplished painter. He tries never to spend more than 20 minutes on a canvas because more than that ruins it (sounds crazy, but it is true). When I travel, it’s a philosophy I share when it comes to a plate of eggs.

How do you handle breakfast on the road?

Heaven?

Apparently not if you live in Meadowview in southwestern Virginia. That’s where Steven Hopp is trying to run such a restaurant: Harvest Table. Yet the locals — the very people he is working to benefit — would rather eat at Pizza Hut. Even the farmers are not enthusiastic because they’d apparently rather grow tobacco or monoculture crops for large buyers.

I find the model inspiring. There is a commitment to the local economy and celebrating what the nearby land can produce. They even source all of their wine from Virginia. Hopp told the New York Times that he wants the business to benefit as many local people as possible. And this is no charity — though the restaurant has not yet turned a profit yet the plan is to do so. The service is apparently wonderful. I want a restaurant like this in my neighborhood and am lucky that Boston offers several (though all at higher price points).

What is so depressing is that the local community chooses mass produced, mediocre fare — food that offers fewer nutritional benefits (I’ll leave taste to the palette of the beholder though I know I’d be happier at Hopp’s Harvest Table – Pizza Hut doesn’t even make vey good pizza) served by establishments that will contribute a lower percentage of their profits to the local economy: chains typically do as most profits go back to headquarters. Perhaps the local population are in a sugar-MSG induced coma. Perhaps they are relatives of the folks in West Virginia who fought so hard against Jamie Oliver when he tried to introduce healthier food to their schools. Perhaps they need to wake up and smell the kale.

Let me simply say that I am profoundly grateful to have multiple farmers’ markets that I can visit and many restaurants that support local food producers. And to Mr. Hopp, keep the faith.

I’d like to share three lesser-known attractions with you. The first is a trip to the Boston Harbor Islands. This off-shore national recreation area is easily reached by ferry and offers a great escape from the hustle-and-bustle of downtown. Head out for a hike and picnic and take in both nature and history while you are at it. It is a perfect half-day excursion.

The second is a walking tour of Cambridge, just across the Charles River from Boston. Take the Red Line from the Boston side and you’ll be there in under 10 minutes. I suggest a walk in the Brattle Street neighborhood just outside of Harvard Square for a 60-90 minute urban hike rich in beautiful architecture and historic sites. The houses, now some of the most valuable real estate in the country, includes several that date back to the Revolutionary War period.

To trace one of my favorite routes, start in Harvard Square and head west on Brattle Street. Either side of the street offers much to see so take one side on the way out and the other for your return. Continue on Brattle until you reach your first traffic light at Fayerweather Street. Turn right on Fayerweather and walk until you see Reservoir Street. Take a right again. Take your next right on Highland Street. Go one block until you hit Appleton Street. Take a right. Now take your next left on Brewster Street. Just across from the intersection of Brewster Street and Riedesel Avenue you’ll see Robert Frost’s former house. Take a right on Riedesel and this will bring you back to Brattle. Take a left on Brattle and walk back to Harvard Square.  There are many potential variations to this route so explore to your heart’s content.

If you are starting or ending around mealtime, stop by Casablanca in Harvard Square for a juicy burger or some of their north African inspried cuisine.

The third destination requires a train or car ride north to Salem. There you will find the Peabody Essex Museum, an outstanding museum that is often overlooked by those who stay in town. The Peabody Essex has an outstanding collection of artifacts relating to the China Trade and New England’s seafaring roots. The collection comprises more than one million objects. A must-see is the “Chinese House” that was brought from China and painstakingly rebuilt by hand at the museum. However the Peabody Essex also hosts contemporary exhibits including photography, fashion, and much more.  

On your next business trip to the Hub, find a way to spend an extra night and explore some of the many interesting and unusual sights that make Boston a favorite city for many. See our Boston page for hotel and restaurant recommendations.