I have been using Twitter for years and have noticed that the airlines have been fairly aggressive in using Twitter for airline travel deals.
Here are some recent examples:
US Airways – Flying through L.A., Tampa or Boston tomorrow? Relax in the US Airways Club for just $25! Stay tuned for our special. https://bit.ly/g3ecI0
Virgin America – Have you seen our airplane shaped snowflakes? Take advantage of these last min fares & fly through Jan 4. https://vgn.am/6011uLm3
SouthWest Air – Are you ready for your chance to win $1,000 Southwest Gift Card? We’re playing the #12daysofLUV read the rules here: https://cot.ag/h16orp
Now please understand, this is the holiday travel season and the deals are fairly sparse. But, mark my words, when Jan 2, 2011 get here – be prepared to see the Twitter airline deals rocket for the skies.
Pillsbury Wine Company ~ Cottonwood, Arizona – The Pillsbury Wine Company brought us our initiatory sampling of a 100% Arizona wine. Frankly, we were absolutely blown away.
In fact, if we hadn’t known better, we could have easily thought we were drinking a wine grown from a very famous wine-growing region.
Just look at some of the raving reviews that have come in for Sam Pillsbury’s wines:
I must confess, our 10:30 first stop felt a little early to begin wine tasting, but such is the life of The Roaming Boomers®. Somebody’s gotta do it, right?
After a round of introductions, Dana Borger (pictured below) began pouring our first sample of a wine grown with 100% Arizona grapes.
We began sampling WildChild White and WildChild Red as Dana proceeded to tell us that the grapes from these particular wines were from a neighboring abandoned vineyard (down in Chochise County) that possessed mysterious crop circles.
Mrs. Roaming Boomers, being a bit of a wild child herself, beamed with an approving smile as she enjoyed her first taste.
As we continued on to sample the Roan Red (A Rhone-style Blend), Diva, and a Pinot Gris, Sam worked his way behind the bar to share a bit of his story.
As it turns out, Sam Pillsbury is a New Zealand film director turned winemaker.
Sam flew into Arizona to shoot a pilot for Universal Pictures and fell in love with an Arizona girl and the Arizona landscape at the same time.
Growing up in New Zealand Sam witnessed the phenomenon of growing classical wine grapes in unusual places. Then on a camping trip in Arizona thought he could try the same thing here.
The location he picked was a high-altitude desert valley in Cochise County, 200 miles SE of Phoenix. This all came from a desire to get away from mass-produced ‘McDonalds’ wines and create a distinctive regional Boutique wine that was 100% Arizona and 100% original. He gambled that the high-altitude, endless sunshine, sandy loam and dry desert would make for a perfect Terroir, and in 2000 he planted 20 acres of Rhone varieties. It worked.
In the less than two years since he released his first wines under the Pillsbury label the wines got a 93 from Mark Tarbell in the AZ Republic, a ‘Best AZ Wine’ from the San Francisco Examiner, a rave from trendy Eateraz.com blog stating that these are the first wines from Arizona that we can say have a truly incredible taste, ‘Best Local Winemaker’ from Phoenix Magazine, and a Gold Medal at the 2009 AWGA Festival for the 2007 Diva.
James Molesworth of the Wine Spectator called him one of the ‘Rising Stars of the Southwest’ and rated the 2007 Roan Red and 2007 Diva an 88. He gave the 2007 Pillsbury Petite Sirah 89, the highest score for an AZ wine from this publication.
As you can see here, we had a wonderful visit to the Pillsbury Wine Company. The room was filled with laughter as it was immediately clear that Carol and Dana were cut from the same cloth. Sam and I were left to admire pure joyous laughter and enjoy his Rhone-style Red Blend.
In the winter months you can also find Sam at the new North Scottsdale Farmers Market located on the South East corner of 94th & Shea Blvd.
We are happy to have met Sam Pillbury and his team at the Pillsbury Wine Company. We feel we have found new friends and we have definitely found a new favorite wine for our table.
Tuzigoot National Monument, Arizona – We stopped at Tuzigoot National Monument on a chilly 42º November day as we made our way to spend a few nights in Sedona, Arizona.
Tuzigoot (Apache for “crooked water”) is the remnant of a Southern Sinagua village built between 1125 and 1400.
It crowns the summit of a long ridge that rises 120 feet above the Verde Valley. The original pueblo was two stories high in places, with 77 ground-floor rooms. There were few exterior doors; entry was by way of ladders through openings in the roofs.
The village began a a small cluster of rooms inhabited by about 50 persons for 100 years. In the 1200s the population doubled and then doubled again as refugee farmers, fleeing drought in outlying areas, settled here.
While Christopher Columbus was busily sailing the ocean blue, villages all over the southwest were deserted and whole people groups would mysteriously disappear from the face of the earth.
According to archaeologist’s best guess, it would seem that there was a very prolonged drought which forced ancient native peoples to displace in their quest for water.
As we explored the 900 year old Sinagua ruins, we were taken back by the thought that these structures are some of the oldest preserved dwellings that we have in North America.
While certainly not as elaborate as their contemporary European counterparts, there seemed to be an attraction to the simplicity of these peoples lives. Furthermore, it was readily apparent, as it has been down through the ages, that drought can have a significant impact on a population.
As I write this article, Arizona is currently just perhaps pulling out of a decade long drought. However, with our modern dams and reservoir systems, we are able to collect rains and snow-melt and distribute life-giving waters through hundreds of miles of aqueduct systems built all over the southwest.
Carol may look like she is whipping us up some mesquite flour tortillas, but don’t let her fool you – we have reservations for dinner at a nice Sedona restaurant later in the day.
As you head to Jerome, Sedona, or the wineries in Arizona’s Verde Valley, take an hour to explore these ancient ruins and give some consideration to the luxury of our lives as compared to the simple lives of the ancient Sinagua.
Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa ~ Paradise Valley, Arizona – The Phoenix Valley is blessed with a fair number of remarkable resort properties. The award-winning boutique luxury hideaway Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa is certainly a member of that elite group.
The legendary history of Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain began in the early 1950s when Charlie Chaplin’s son (Sydney) and a group of prominent Hollywood investors and stars envisioned a prestigious racket club modeled after the elite Racquet Club in Palm Springs.
They hired Frank Lloyd Wright protégée Hiram Hudson Benedict to design the clubhouse, a prototype casita and the Paradise Valley Racquet Club was born.
The racquet club enjoyed great notoriety over the years and attracted the world’s rich and famous.
In 1992, the ownership of the resort changed hands and a hospitality management company was hired to consider the direction of this beautiful 53 acre property located on the north slope of Camelback Mountain overlooking Paradise Valley.
In May 2000, the property closed its doors for a complete renovation and transformation of the property and in March 2001 the highly lauded Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain rose like a phoenix from these historic roots.
Today the property features 81 luxury mountain casitas, 24 spa casitas, and 7 distinctive mountainside estates for their guests to enjoy. All enjoy remarkable views from their perch on the slope of Camelback mountain, offer world-class amenities, and have a very special designer’s “funk” added to the 1950s Frank Lloyd Wright style architecture.
Not to be overlooked is celebrity executive Chef Beau MacMillan in the Kitchen. Chef MacMillan is an “Iron Chef” winner, has cooked in the famous James Beard House, and is a frequent visitor to national shows like NBC’s Today Show.
Our Favorite Memories and Impressions
From our very first interaction with the valet staff we could tell that this was a hospitality team resolved to offer a world-class experience. And … they did!
Our mountainside Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired casita offered beautiful views of Paradise Valley. The interior décor was a complete blast and added great fun to the 1950s architecture.
Our casita offered all of the amenities that a discriminating luxury traveler would expect.
Our dining experience in the resort’s elements restaurant was sublime. The cuisine was remarkable, the service impeccable, and the valley’s city lights shimmering below added a distinctly romantic setting to the experience. Wow!
Although our schedule didn’t allow any time in the spa, our brief tour revealed a remarkable space all centered around views of the valley’s famous “praying monk” rock formation.
Drinks at edge, watching the sun set, and drinking concoctions from an award-winning mixologist was a special memory.
We absolutely loved our Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa experience. We look forward to becoming friends with the resort’s team, enjoying many more samplings of Chef Beau MacMillan’s cuisine, and have absolutely no hesitation in giving this resort four thumbs up and stretched to the sky!
Disclosure: this wonderful experience was provided by the really cool people at Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort & Spa. Thanks! A bunch!
The Air Transportation Authority (ATA) expects that over 43 million people will be flying the skies over the holidays.
With this massive onslaught of fliers and a lot of talk about the hassle of TSA screenings, here are five tips to get you to your destination with your sanity intact:
Arrive Early – Although this may sound like advice for a simpleton, there is nothing worse than arriving to the airport with kids and luggage in tow to only to find a massive pile-up at the security station. Better to enjoy a nice latte at the gate than stressing about missing your flight in the security line.
Print your Boarding Passes at Home – In November of 2010, the TSA has launched the Secure Flight Program which checks your name against a government watch list. This is all done in the booking process. If you have a boarding pass in hand then you are set to go. Furthermore, already having your boarding passes will save you time at the airport.
Plan for Carry-on Security Screening:
Don’t bring objects through carry-on screening unless it is essential that you do so. Many things, particularly fluids, are better left to your checked baggage.
If you do need to bring fluids, they are subject to the 3-1-1 carry-on rule. Each item can be no more than 3 fluid ounces, must be put inside a one-quart zip-lock bag, and only one zip-lock bag per person.
Wear slip-off shoes. Untying your sneakers in the security line will hold thing up and likely get you jeers from your fellow travelers. Shoes should be placed on the conveyor belt and not in a separate bin.
Computers and large electronic objects should be placed in a separate bin by themselves.
Coats, belts, and all metal objects need to come off your body. Plan ahead for this. Simply have all these things in your carry-on bag to be worn later. Again, don’t be pulling these things off while at the conveyor belt. You will get ugly looks from those around you. Be prepared!
Ship your holiday presents ahead of time. If you must bring presents on-board, don’t wrap them. Security may have to unwrap your present and then you are an unhappy traveler.
Holiday foods can also be a problem in the security process. A jar of home-made jelly isn’t going to make it through security.
Plan ahead for Body Scanning – everyone is going to have a body scan. It might be as simple as a walk-though metal detector, or it may be the new Advanced Imaging Technology (AIT) that everyone is talking about. The on-site TSA agent is going to determine which scan you will have. If you are chosen for the AIT scan, you can opt out, but then you will be subject to a thorough pat-down. See the video above for more details.
Family Screening Lines – most airports will have a separate line for families with small children, those with disabilities, or those with special medical situations. These lines will have far fewer people in them, but will also have far slower moving lines.
Listen dear readers, the whole key to a hassle-free trip through the airport’s TSA screening lines is to plan ahead.
For a LOT more information on TSA security screening, check out this special Helpful Hints for Holiday Travelers from the Travel Security Administration (TSA).
The Roaming Boomers
I have been using Twitter for years and have noticed that the airlines have been fairly aggressive in using Twitter for airline travel deals.
