As with a number of our trips in 2014, we had a wedding to attend, and decided to head out a little early to experience something cool locally. For a wedding of Jen’s family friend in Napa, the choice was clear: wine tour! Along with her parents and 2 friends from LA, we booked a […]
Spirits
The perfect pairing makes all the difference for any Upgrated experience.
I Got 22 Bowen’s
If you’re looking for a great dinner in Newport, head to Bowen’s Wharf and get yourself a table at 22 Bowen’s. From the tender steaks to incredible fresh seafood, we’ve always left very happy (and very full). Our favorites: Cheese Plate – Are you really surprised? Steak Frites – Available Monday-Wednesday nights only, tender juicy steak and perfectly […]
Castle Hill Inn
The Bling Before the Brunch As a guy, it’s a funny thing when you start dating somebody whom you think you could marry one day. There are all of these stages I never would have expected. I guess I just figured one day you wake up knowing it, but it’s different. You kind of always […]
Zebras, Wine & Friends
Some people enjoy heading off to wine country, while others choose to brave a safari, but our group of six friends (John, Jen, Blake, Karis, Ethan, Erica) is unique because we couldn’t, no, we wouldn’t, settle for one or the other. It had to be both and, so led to our adventure at the Malibu […]
Wine-ing Down in Tuscany
We decided long before that our last day at Italy would be spent on a bus tour out to Tuscany, complete with wine and cheese tastings. It was kind of a no-brainer, and a beautiful way to end the trip. The tour was operated by City Wonders (formerly Dark Rome), and this was another great […]
Hofbräu Haus
There was no way I was leaving Munich (read more) without enjoying some traditional German fare at The Original Hofbräu Haus. I got just what I expected, a good time with great atmosphere and ok food. And they got just what they expected. A drunk tourist buying too much at the gift shop on the way […]
A Little Italy in Munich
Near the beginning of our time in Germany (read amore) we had the urge to get some Italian food. There was to be plenty of beer, sausage, and pretzel in our future, so we wanted a change of pace in advance. We also wanted something to compare to when we got to Italy in hopes we […]
High Tea with a Lady and her Gentleman
Knowing we only had a short window to get a lot done in London, we made the ambitious choice to book an Afternoon Tea hours after landing. This was a great decision. We attended the 5:30pm Afternoon Tea at the Anthenaum Hotel, at 116 Piccadilly right on Green Park. It was a beautiful London night […]