Cakebread Cellars. Napa, CA.

Welcome to lovely Napa!
It was Wednesday morning and we were going through a typically hectic morning of planning where to go first and what to do.  We knew the vineyards opened around 11am and that we definitely wanted to stop by Mumm and Wm. Harrison vineyards.  My boyfriend is in love with Cakebread Chardonnay and since this is his first trip to Napa we decided to go there first.

After about an hour and a half of driving we finally arrived at Cakebread Cellars.  We were beginning to get worried as the sign on the front door stated that tastings and tours were by appointment only.  Probably due to the fact that it was one day before Thanksgiving there weren't a lot of people at the vineyard and we got to hop on a tour.

We chose to do the select wine tasting.  For $10 you get to taste three white and three red wines.  If you are a bigger fan of the red the other option is a very exclusive red wine tasting in the front room which is sectioned off.

Grabbing our first glass of wine we ran over and caught up with the tour.  Our tour guide, Lia, was very entertaining and informative.  For a group of about 10 it felt like we were on a private tour. There was no other tour ahead or behind us so all questions were answered and there was no rush.

After tasting our wines my boyfriend decided he had to get the biggest bottle of Chardonnay they had, the magnum!  He was going to bring it back home and wait for a special occasion.  You might think it was a stupid idea but Cakebread is not allowed to ship to the state of Massachusetts yet and the last time we were at the NH liquor store they said that it comes in very rarely.

We took our glasses as a memento and decided to drive on to the next vineyard and have a light lunch.  The weather could not have been more perfect on this November day!

So...let's review...
1. If you are visiting Northern California, you must go to Napa for a day.
2. If you are planning on visiting Cakebread Cellars, make sure to call ahead, you may not have the luck we had with walking in and going on a tour
3. I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving!

Until the next review!

Cardio Blitzed. Liberty Hotel, Boston, MA

Let me just start off by saying that I have never sweat this hard and for so long!
I was sitting and looking through the Improper Bostonian magazine as I waited for my Thursday classes to begin.  After finding some delicious holiday cookie recipes I looked at the upcoming events and saw that the Liberty Hotel was holding some fall fitness classes taught by Equinox trainers! There was one today, Cardio Blitz, that I decided I had to go to.
I e-mailed my friend Lara and told her we had an event to attend.  There are actually a number of complimentary events at the Liberty Hotel that one can attend.

We arrived at the hotel at around 9:30 and were greeted by Chrys, our trainer for the day.  The hotel was kind enough to provide everyone with some water and towels.

As more people showed up Chrys told us that we would start off the class with some laps around the top level of the hotel.  How exciting!

After about an hour of running, squatting and doing push ups I could not have been more energized for the day.  Chrys taught an excellent class and I found myself wishing that my local BSC gym had a similar class.  As we walked out we all got a free 3 day trial card to the Equinox gym!  So far, the two classes I've taken with the trainers from that gym I've been blown away by their level of expertise.

So...let's review...
1. If you are feeling the recession, look around, there are tons of great free events to par take in
2. If you are not feeling the recession, join the Equinox gym, I am convinced that the classes alone are worth the money.
3. Want to get in on the action?  Join me at the lululemon store at the Prudential tomorrow for a sport pilates class tomorrow at 9:30!

Until the next review! (It will be from California!)

A Taste of Italy. G'Vanni's, Boston (North End), MA.

It's starting to get colder again here in Boston so I decided it was time to put my gift certificate to G'Vanni's to good use.

I took the train in from Northeastern and walked through Government Center towards the North End.  There were tour groups enjoying the day and the sellers at Haymarket were setting up for tomorrow's crowds.  As soon as I crossed the new Fitzgerald Greenway it felt like the mood changed.  There were old men sitting outside restaurants, even on this chilly day, families enjoying a late lunch and the typical construction crews blocking off half of Hanover Street.  I walked past Mike's Pastry and realized that this is probably the only time that there aren't crowds all the way out to the street trying to get some fresh canoli's.  Maybe I'd have room for one after my lunch...

I took a turn onto Prince Street and saw the maroon awning.  The hostess seated me near the window so I could watch the crowds, there were two couples and me and the dining room was dimly lit to give that romantic feel.  I was going to get some wine but realized that if the food wasn't going to put me to sleep during class, the wine surely would.

I ordered a chicken parmigiana panini and some Caesar salad.  The waitress was nice enough to let me know that she can't give cash back form the gift certificate so I should just order extra food and take it with me, I settled on the Pizza Margarita.  As I sat and enjoyed my meal and older man walked in and sat down at the front table.  None of the waitresses bothered him and I found myself wondering what his name and story might be when the hostess walked by and said "Hey Tony, what's up?"  The man didn't answer her or the other two girls in the restaurant but I knew that nobody took any offense.

I finished my meal that came to roughly $21 dollars and walked out with a pizza in my hand.  As I walked back towards America I was glad that I got to spend at least a part of my afternoon in "Italy."  Unfortunately there was no room for canoli's this time.

So...let's review...
1. If you are looking for some fresh produce you should stop by Haymarket, which is right next to the Haymarket subway station, on Friday or Saturday between 9 and 5pm.  Towards the end of the day the farmers drop their prices.
2. Mike's Pastry is a must if you are in the North End!
3. G'Vanni's is an affordable and very quaint little restaurant off Prince street in the North End.  Sit back, relax, enjoy some Italian food and maybe you'll get to meet Tony as well.

Until the next review!

Early Bird Get's to Enjoy a Yoga Class. Lululemon, Boston, MA.

As I mentioned in last weeks review, lululemon at the Prudential Center is holding weekend classes at their wonderful store.  The location itself is pretty exquisite, in the new wing of the Prudential, right across from Legal Seafoods, and right above Gucci.  Can it get any better? 

When I walked in this morning around 9am there were already some people set up with their mats for the Vinyasa yoga class being taught by Sarah Sturges from the Equinox gym.  As I walked around, I didn't feel like I was in a typical gym or yoga store.  There was a map where people had pinned where they were from, a lovely filtered water fountain for the customers to enjoy and an extremely comfortable leather chair for those who needed to take a little break. 

The walls were adorned with mannequins modeling the different work out pants which were organized in an extremely neat manner down below.  There was even a big flip book on the wall of nearby yoga studios, restaurants promoting healthy eating as well as some snapshots of celebrities practicing a healthy lifestyle.  You could also learn a little bit more about the founders of lululemon and the people working at the Prudential store.  There were so many great clothes that I would love to own that I was glad that I had not brought any money with me because the cozy sweat pants for apres ski lounging were really calling my name.

As the store filled up with over 30 early birds ready for the Vinyasa yoga class Sarah explained that while going though the movements we should focus on one thing that we'd like to attain once we leave the class.  It did not need to be something with a goal attached to it, just something we can work towards.

As the class began I found myself wondering if yoga was really for me.  I couldn't detach myself from my thoughts about several trips I would be taking in the next few weeks, all of the work I had to get done and on it went...I found myself just watching a woman next to me, as I have never been to a yoga class before, and went through the movements.  As the time ticked away I did catch myself not really thinking about anything, which is really rather pleasant.  We did several vinyasas and as the class came to an end I was still unsure of whether this really is for me...  I walked to my car which was parked in front of the Lenox Hotel and found myself really at peace.  People were walking through Boston, enjoying some brunch and perhaps one of our last warm weekends.

Yoga may not be something I do on a regular basis but I do think that it would certainly calm anyone after a stressful day or allow you to start your day on a more positive note.

So...let's review...

1. if you are looking for some great yoga apparel lululemon should be on your list of places to check out

2. yoga may not be for everyone but everyone could benefit from some stress release in their lives

3. be sure to check out the lululemon website to see if there are any upcoming classes you would be interested in

And before we end this review, Janice Thompson, the director of institutional advancement at the Athenaeum was kind enough to offer some correction to last weeks review.

I just wanted to clarify a few facts for your readers:


You are absolutely right; you do not need to know anyone within the Library to join. Membership fees are: $115 for an individual under the age of 41, $175 for a family membership for those under the age of 41; $230 for regular individuals and $275 for regular families. If anyone is interested, please contact Karen Beach at 617-720-7641 for more information about membership.


The First Mondays orientations and the biweekly teas -- as well as a whole slate of other programming -- are only available for members of the Library. However, the public may take docent-led art and architecture tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3 pm. Call 617-227-0270, extension 279, to register.

Thank you very much, Janice!

Until the next review!

A Night at the Athenaeum. Boston, MA

If you are like me, you've been intrigued by this exclusive library behind the Fox 25 studios and next to the State House.  As the Boston Athenaeum Library's website states:

"The Boston Athenæum is one of the oldest and most distinguished independent libraries and cultural institutions in the United States. It was founded in 1807. It grew out of a slightly earlier organization known as the Anthology Society which had been formed in 1805 by a group of Bostonians with the primary purpose of producing a magazine that they called The Monthly Anthology and Boston Review. In now creating the Boston Athenæum, their purpose was to form "an establishment similar to that of the Athenæum and Lyceum of Liverpool in Great Britain...The new Athenaeum flourished in culture-starved Boston and, as it voraciously acquired books, art, and artifacts, it grew rapidly...For nearly half a century the Athenæum was the unchallenged center of intellectual life in Boston, and by 1851 had become one of the largest libraries in the United States."

This past Friday, thanks to Suffolk University's Dean Reception, I got to spend some time on the first floor of the library.  After talking briefly to Paula, the director of the library, I found out that you do not need to be a part of a special group to join...you just have to pay a $150 yearly fee.  If I was residing in Boston, and frequented the library, and who are we kidding, had money, I think I would actually consider joining.

The first floor was a perfect location for a gathering like ours.  There was a wonderful feeling of being in an old mansion or in the foyer of somebody's home.  There were magnificent statues and books along the walls.  While everyone else mingled I decided to walk around and check out the rooms.  There were some great photographs in one room and a painting of John Singleton Copley in another.

By around 7pm I found a book about Latvia and tourism and decided to sit in one of the red leather chairs and get swept up into feeling like I was back home.

So...let's review..
1. If you are interested in at least taking a walk through the library, you can take a tour the first Monday of every month from 6pm-7pm.  There is no fee and you should register a week before.
2. If you are simply looking for a unique experience, you can also register for afternoon tea, twice a month on Wednesdays. It does seem like you do need to know a member in order to participate in this activity however.
3. On to a new topic...next time I plan on reviewing the lululemon store in Copley...they are holding free yoga sessions every Sunday this November.

Until the next review...