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Downton Abbey Wine
What pairs well with an upper crusty dinner party at fabulous Downton Abbey? Chateau Coutet wine, of course. That was on the table for the big bash thrown by the Granthams in Episode 2, Season 4, and...
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Euro Shop: Getting your tax rebate with Global Blue
Louis Vuitton flagship on Champs Elysees, aka Heaven. /Photo Michelle Locke Let’s face it, as fabulous as sightseeing can be, there are times when you want to look at something a little more portable....
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Happy New Year of the (Wine) Horse
SF Chinatown decorations /Photo Michelle Locke Gung Hay Fat Choy! Which is to say Happy New Year of the Lunar Calendar, which begins Jan. 31, the Year of the Horse. And what better way to celebrate...
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Brewdog’s Olympic anti-Putin Beer
Just in time for the Sochi Olympics, Scottish beer maker BrewDog is introducing a craft beer protesting the recent Russian law banning ”homosexual propaganda.” The beer is called “Hello My Name is...
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Snowpocalypse, Southern Style
Sometimes travel doesn’t work out just the way you’d like, which is why I found myself stranded in Raleigh, North Carolina recently. An unusually fierce winter storm hit, dumping a few inches of snow...
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Traveling with Global Entry and TSA Precheck
Even though I am British by birth, I am not found of queues, aka standing in line. So when I heard about Global Entry, the preclearance program that sends you to the front of the U.S. Customs line when...
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Adventures in Clam Chowder Judging
A booth at the Santa Cruz 2014 Clam Chowder Cookoff /Photo Michelle Locke “We’ve got the amateur table, so I’ll give you some advice: Take small sips. If it’s green avoid it. But don’t worry, it’s...
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United Airlines crackdown on oversize carry-ons
Here’s something that I heartily endorse. United Airlines is cracking down on carry-on size. There’s no change in the policy, just stricter enforcement of the old one which is that you can have one bag...
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Remembering Donna Scala
The last time I saw Donna Scala, coowner with husband Giovanni of Napa’s popular Bistro Don Giovanni, she was full of plans to renovate the restaurant. Which is notable mainly because she’d been...
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Auction Napa Valley 2014
Had a great time at Auction Napa Valley over the weekend. Lots of money raised for local charities, a record-setting $18.7 million to be exact. Lots of parties and not a few glasses of wine. Here’s a...
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