December 10th, 2009 › American Express › gCampbell › no comments ›
American Express recently approached me to be part of their “Enthusiast” program–which basically involves linking up with bloggers whose existing interests (mine would be food, travel, and biking) relate to specific charge card rewards and benefits. I already had a Platinum Card, which has a hefty annual fee, but which had paid for itself in rewards within the first month of signing up (I used the Platinum Travel Service when booking my honeymoon trip to Buenos Aires and was able to score an upgraded room, free daily breakfast, late checkout, and a 50-minute massage at the Park Hyatt). American Express gave me 50,000 Membership Rewards points to play with (25,000 of which I used to purchase a plane ticket to New York) and invited me to come to the company’s headquarters in New York to learn more about making the most of my card and my points.
In return, American Express asked me to share my experiences–positive and negative–through my posts and tweets. In relationship to this partnership, I’ve agreed to the following guidelines: Be transparent and disclose my relationship and anything I’ve received as a result of my relationship with American Express. Be honest about my opinions. Offer suggestions and concerns. Clearly articulate when I am being compensated – by cash or in any other way – for consulting or other duties I may perform. Share this policy openly and publicly.
So, stay tuned for periodic posts about how I’ve used my Platinum Card during my adventures in biking and eating.
Tags: American Express, amex
November 29th, 2009 › News Flash › gCampbell › no comments ›
Perusing the most recent issue of Travel & Leisure this morning, I discovered a wine country getaway at the Farmhouse Inn: Two nights, three-course dinner for two, plus breakfast, a bottle of wine, and coupons for local wine tastings for $512. As if I needed reason to start plotting our next trip to California. Go here for more deals.
November 25th, 2009 › News Flash › gCampbell › no comments ›
According to this article in the New York Times, several carriers are attempting to make travel during the holidays (delays, crowds, screaming children) a bit easier to bear–by offering free wifi. I’m hoping free wireless becomes the norm, although 30,000 feet in the air is one of the few places where I can actually claim to be unavailable these days.
November 22nd, 2009 › Where I'm Coming From › gCampbell › no comments ›
Super sporty red Mini Cooper
Today we (my husband and I) were supposed to drive to Napa in a sporty Mini Cooper from Zipcar. Instead, we rented a Mustang coupe from National. Mostly, it was my fault. Before we flew out west, I signed up for a Zipcar membership. It was something that had always appealed to me, but had never been practical (since I own a car and don’t live in a city where Zipcars are available). It still wasn’t the cheapest or easiest way to go about getting a car for our two day jaunt to Napa, but it was definitely the most stylish. For roughly the same price as a Nissan Versa from Hertz, I could get a Mini Cooper from Zipcar.
Sold!
But, then, snafu! At dinner on Friday, my cousin informed me that I would need my Zipcar card to get into my car. And–obviously–I had forgotten to bring that necessary item. As the only Zipcar offices are on the east coast and there wasn’t time to have a new card sent to me in San Francisco, I reluctantly canceled my reservation and found a decent rate on a Nissan Maxima at National’s Folsom Street location.
Only there was no Maxima and the process (during which I discovered my husband had my driver’s license and also that I did, in fact, remember to bring my Zipcar card) was lengthy. Nearly two hours after I had left the hotel to pick up the car, we were finally on our way, engine revving, music blaring, speed limit set to two miles above the speed limit. Rebel rebel.
As a fairly ardent, though not very active, proponent of public transportation and non-car travel (walking, biking, scooting), I’m pretty excited about the Zipcar phenomenon. (There’s also Connect by Hertz and some other local car share programs out there). After all, there are times when you really need a car–like when you need to get to Napa from San Francisco–and I love the idea of sharing a car with like-minded individuals.
November 22nd, 2009 › Where I'm Coming From › gCampbell › no comments ›
Back in the Bay area for a few days. Here, a map of my exploits (which obviously involved a lot of eating).
View 48 Hours in San Francisco in a larger map
September 20th, 2009 › News Flash › gCampbell › no comments ›
Earlier this week, I received an email from US Airways letting me know that Preferred status could be easier than I thought: Instead of 25,000 miles, I only need to accumulate 7,500 miles by the end of the year. What’s more, if I already had status, those 7,500 miles would get me to the next level. Unfortunately, I never fly US Airways. But if I did, I’d be scheming of ways to get in a flight or two before the end of the year.
Another email, this one from Delta, let me know that I could transfer points to miles and get a 20% boost through the end of the month. This was just icing on the cake, as I’m already rather pleased with Delta for my 10,000 MQM boost.
Lastly, British Airways sent me a note saying I could book travel to Europe for $221 each way. This offer expires in just a few days, so I probably won’t take advantage of it, but still, I love the fact that the weak economy means travel is cheaper than ever.
September 20th, 2009 › Beauty Spot › gCampbell › no comments ›
It's cheap and it'll last forever
For the past decade, my hair has varied in length between about an inch and maybe three. To my mother’s chagrin, I chopped it all off upon graduating from high school and never looked back. Or, said another way, I never had the willpower to last through all the awkward phases involved in growing one’s hair out from very very short to even moderately short. It’s tricky: I have a lot of very fine hair and it likes to curl in unflattering directions. Clips and barrettes have never really quite worked for me (too girly, somehow) and so, when faced with countless months of awkward hair, I’ve always capitulated and just gone back to my super-short do.
Last year, however, I got married. And I was forced to grow my hair out because I needed a certain critical mass in order to get my veil to stay in place. After the wedding, for whatever reason, I decided that I would keep growing it out. I think it may have something to do with the fact that most days, the transition from bed to office involves washing my face, brushing my teeth, and brewing a cup of coffee. If my hair looks awful, well, the only one seeing it is my dog Charlie.
The next addition to my beauty arsenal?
This last week I had a crisis. I had recently gotten a trim in Vancouver, but three weeks later, my hair seemed overgrown and out of control. I eyeballed Michelle Williams gamine do on the cover of Vogue and booked an appointment at Pierre Michel, a swank salon in midtown Manhattan. I told Moulay Yacoubi of my hair woes and he assured me that all I needed was to thin it out, given it a bit more texture, and voila! I would have fantastic hair.
As he snipped, we talked about having hair (it’s been a long time since I’ve owned a brush) and what kind of tools, goos, and such I really needed in my arsenal. It turns out, not much: In addition to shampoo and conditioner, Moulay recommended a leave-in conditioning treatment, some sort of defrizzing agent, and a wax (he likes the Japense Remino Soft Wax, which I found online for $18). He also said that a comb would suffice (no expensive brushes needed) and that a flattening iron would go far in edging things out a little bit when I was going for more of a styled look. I’m not sure about that last one (I only recently started using a blow dryer), but I loved Moulay’s no-fuss approach to hair. And, vanity aside, it must be said that my new hair cut is fabulous.
September 12th, 2009 › News Flash › gCampbell › no comments ›
China's $300 billion train project
My husband has a habit of leaving interesting articles ear-marked for me on my desk. It’s something I really appreciate as, all too often, I get so absorbed in whatever project I’m working on that I sometimes get a wee bit out of touch with the world. Take, for example, the fact that I didn’t know Michael Jackson died until a few days later when I stopped to get coffee at the airport and I saw the front cover of the paper. “Holy shit!” I said, “Michael Jackson died?” “Two days ago,” informed the Starbucks barista. Sometimes it takes me a while to get around to the accumulating stack of articles–and it’s a favorite weekend activity of mine (especially when the boys–Charlie and David–are taking their late afternoon nap) to take the time to sit down (often with a glass of red wine) and read through them. Today, I’m reading an article from Fortune about China’s new high-speed train system, which will encompass some 16,000 miles and consume some 117 million tons of concrete when it’s all said and done (circa 2020). The project will also help stimulate the economy–a public works project that involves trains. I obviously love it.
September 11th, 2009 › Obsessions › gCampbell › 1 comment ›
They’re not actually called toe shoes, but rather Vibram Five Fingers–but toe shoes is what I’m calling them… and they’re pretty neat. I first heard of them from a trainer in New York and then forgot about them in the whirlwind that is my life. I was recently reminded of them in Vancouver, though, and ordered a pair. They’re kind of funny looking and they definitely don’t offer a lot of support, but that’s the idea: It’s basically like you’re running barefoot. I went out for my first run today, an easy 3 miler (or maybe not even) just to test things out. The verdict–I liked the way they felt on the pavement, felt a little unstable in the grass, and got some debris caught between my toes when i tried to go “off-road” (okay, it was an empty lot in my subdivision). We’ll see how my legs feel tomorrow.
September 10th, 2009 › Obsessions › gCampbell › no comments ›
Yumm.
Target is funny: They actually switch up their inventory with some frequency. So, for a while, I could find organic chicken. But now I can only find “natural” chicken (which I assume is the same in concept, but just not certified organic). And just about every week since I’ve moved here, I’ve been buying McCann’s Irish Oatmeal. Until a couple days ago, when the oatmeal section was full of instant Quaker oats. No McCann’s to be found. Most of the changes have been ones I’ve bemoaned (organic chicken and McCann’s oatmeal, case in point), but I recently found Niman Ranch bacon in Target’s pork section. Hooray for organic, hormone-free pork products! I made some tonight to put in my German-style potato salad, but I had to sneak a piece and it was fatty, smokey deliciousness.
