Tales of the Stylish Traveler

The Places That I Have Visited

Below, was a new application on Facebook that I thought that I would try out. After doing so, I was very pleased to see that I had visited 20 countries and 135 cities. There really isn't much that impresses me but noticing how much I have actually traveled is, to me, pretty remarkable and something that I am very proud of. Hopefully, in the coming years, I can add to the country list. I really want to go to Istanbul, Greece and Morocco as well as do a little more exploring of South America. (BG)

1. Paris, France
2. Seville, Spain
3. Chiang Mai, Thailand
4. Ubud, Indonesia
5. Mexico City, Mexico
6. Milan, Italy
7. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
8. New York City, NY, USA
9. Florence, Italy
10. Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

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The 1st Annual Moveable Feast - an epic feat of gourmet eating and drinking

My husband and I recently embarked on the culinary journey provided by Yountville's Moveable Feast with high expectations and came away feeling relaxed, fabulous and perhaps a few pounds heavier.

I’m not sure exactly why it’s called moveable, other than that you can pick and choose your favorite aspects of the potential feast and make your move. Hotels such as the Bardessono, The Cottages of Napa Valley and Hotel Luca are involved and participating restaurants include Michael Chiarello’s Bottega Restaurant, Bouchon Bakery and Bistro Jeanty. The package deal is put together by the Yountville Chamber of Commerce as an incentive to visit during the off season, and while the weather isn’t quite as pleasant, it is definitely worthwhile because you are able to experience the town authentically, sans tons of tourists.

The beautiful Villagio Inn and Spa acted as our home base and is conveniently located in the darling center of Yountville where lights are strung from massive old trees and chain stores simply don’t exist – at least not on the main drag. Bottega, Bouchon and a plethora of other famous Napa Valley eateries are all within walking distance. The 3-course lunch at Bottega pleased my Italian-born husband; he marveled over the polenta starter and though I thought my belly couldn’t hold anything more; I made room for the outstanding chocolate lava cake that was my dessert. The ambiance in the restaurant also startled us, it’s beautiful, spacious and the open kitchen creates extra entertainment.

We also visited one client, Signorello Estate, which is located on the Silverado Trail. I had been raving about the Enoteca experience and wanted to share it with my husband. The Enoteca entails a sit-down wine and food pairing of gourmet bites and flights as well as a tour of the hilly property overlooking the valley. I’m particularly fond of the local rabbit salad, loaded with chanterelles and a few red grapes, not to mention the wine. The pairing starts off with a Semillon blend and finishes with the Padrone, a fitting tribute to the late Ray Signorello, Sr. and to the ability of the Napa Valley to create phenomenal Cabernet Sauvignon.

Though also not part of the package, we took the time to ride on the Napa Valley Wine Train. Sipping wine while gently swaying in rotating armchairs is a very pleasant way to pass the morning. We selected the afternoon lunch seating, as we had thoroughly enjoyed the Mimosa and Bloody Mary brunch provided by the Villagio Inn that morning. The Wine Train’s pork tenderloin on grilled yams in a peppercorn zinfandel sauce was perfect, as was the trip.

If you are looking for a weekend getaway this is the ideal opportunity. The package is available through the end of February, so get moving.

J.D. Was Never a Phony

J.D. Salinger's writing affected so many people. The Catcher in the Rye is an integral inclusion in most high school English classes; Salinger created a world to which teens and adults alike can still relate.  In a tribute to him, I'd like to share this great column written by Mary Schmich for the Chicago Tribune: 

For Holden, who never held his tongue

Something to Celebrate at Burditch Marketing Communications

(San Francisco, CA) - Burditch Marketing Communications (BMC), a leader in marketing communication for luxury brands, has been promoting lifestyle clients in the fields of hospitality, tourism, culinary arts and viticulture since its inception in 2000. The Company is preparing to celebrate 10 years in the business and has recently added new clients and personnel to its roster along with two new office locations in Northern and Southern California.

BMC San Francisco recently expanded its offices at a new address in the Upper Market district at 4111 18th Street, Suite 7 (San Francisco, 94114). President/CEO Paul Burditch and Senior Vice President/Partner Brian Garrido relocated from the BMC Los Angeles office in 2008 to open a BMC location at what is widely recognized as the epicenter of the viticultural and culinary movement in the United States. Current clients include The Stags Leap District Winegrowers Association (Napa Valley); Signorello Estate (Napa Valley); Ehlers Estate (St. Helena); Woodhouse Chocolates (St. Helena) and Cindy Pawlcyn's Napa Valley (Mustards Grill, GO FISH, a wood-fired grill and sushi bar, and Cindy's Backstreet Kitchen). BMC currently manages media relations for the recently opened Oregon wine country resort, The Allison Inn & Spa (Willamette Valley), and is handling media relations for the sale of Napa Valley's Silverado Resort.

BMC Los Angeles relocated from its longtime La Brea Avenue address in August and now operates at 6240 Primrose Avenue (Los Angeles, 90068) – the new fax number is (323) 933-9271 and the phone number remains the same. Vice President Dan Howard, former director of tourism for both Napa Valley and Beverly Hills, has returned to Southern California to become Managing Director of BMC Los Angeles. Current clients include the wine project KOZ Wines from Whole Foods and six-time Grammy Award-nominated saxophonist Dave Koz, and the country's premium producer of American wagyu beef, Snake River Farms (Boise, Idaho), which recently began consumer distribution through exclusive collaboration with Bristol Farms. BMC was most recently selected for the national launch of Italy's largest and most important producer of traditional balsamic, Acetaia Malpighi, which will introduce its exceptionally refined vinegars and associated products in 2010 under the luxury brand name House of Balsamic.

The company also is doing work for some of the world's leading hotel properties located outside of the United States including all of the Starwood Hotels (St. Regis, Westin, W, Sheraton, Luxury Collection) in Italy and the Central Mediterranean. BMC also is the agency of record for Santosha Resort & Residences, the first luxury development located in Costa Rica's Southern Zone, the most pristine, private and tropical of Costa Rica’s west coast. Earlier this year, BMC hosted media events for Tourism British Columbia in advance of the Vancouver Winter Olympic Games next year.

With annual billings of over $500,000, BMC currently ranks among the top 25 public relations/marketing firms in both San Francisco and Los Angeles. Burditch Marketing Communications (BMC) is a West Coast-based award-winning public relations and marketing agency with international reach. BMC has gained a well-earned reputation around the globe as a respected, integrated communications office representing luxury travel, tourism, hospitality, real estate and design. Combining media relations, promotions, strategic alliance development, direct mail marketing, executive media tours and event production, Burditch Marketing Communications creates campaigns that exceed client expectations. Creative campaigns are conceived with a client’s short and long term sales and marketing objectives so that public relations programs dovetail with client monetary goals and increase bottom lines.

Moving, traveling, and life

Sometimes, being a "stylish traveler" takes its toll on you. We recently moved offices and our home. Difficult but necessary and certainly amazing. Now, we are based in the historic Castro, pretty much a safe haven for the LGBT community but also for considered to be a safe haven for people who might consider themselves disenfranchised.

Additionally, we have been to Portland, Oregon, Los Angeles, Paso Robles, Santa Barbara, and Seattle. Quite a lot of traveling during this period of time and I apologize to our readers for not posting a bit more often and more focused to your needs.

With that said, we are coming out of our shell, again and our daily reader will see new posts about our travels and lives.

With that said a couple of images of the historic Castro, new home to BMC.

Moving

To all of our faithful, I wanted to let you know that we are moving our offices from Corona Heights to the historic Castro. Mind you, it wasn't something that we were happy to do but the owners of our house/office have decided to put it on the market for $2,000,000. As much as I would like to say that I have that amount in my back pocket, I do not.

However, what I am getting in exchange for the new place is a parking spot, fireplaces, and a grand view of the rainbow flag, plus for Lola, a dog park across the street.

This also will explain a bit of the erratic posting. It's been stressful for all of us with this second SF move and it was BMC's intention to post to this blog everyday. We will now have a new office space not far from Harvey Milk's camera store.

I am excited about this for all of us at BMC, both SF and LA.

In March, we will endeavor to bring more to Tales of The Stylish Traveler with more dedication to our readers.

Welcome to Tales of The Stylish Traveler

First to our friends, clients, potential clients and family, welcome to the blog for Burditch Marketing Communications.

On this new site, we hope to accomplish several items which include talking about our clients as well as showcasing what we as a company do for fun both individually and collectively on a daily basis. It is our intention to talk about our clients but also to editorially showcase our travel locations, hotels we visit, restaurants we dine in, people we meet and inspire us, books we read, and everything else about traveling stylishly. Additionally, we will feature foods we like, wines we drink and recipes that we make often.

We also hope to have guest bloggers from outside our office that would like to be a part of this as well. These individuals will be from the world of food, wine and travel as well as design which will incorporate fashion, architecture, furniture and interior design. There will be links to sites that will be informative as well as showcasing websites and blogs that we believe set the standard for travel, food, wine and design

We want people to come back often and to see our recommendations. It is our hope that Tales of The Stylish Traveler become part of your daily reading. Please visit his website at www.randydunbar.com.

We also want to give a big thank you to Randy Dunbar, a Los Angeles based graphic designer, who will be assisting us in designing TOTST.

Safe and happy travels, the team at BMC