At 8:30pm on a Thursday night, I had to politely shove my unwieldy commuter bag through a dense crowd ranging from early 20s to mid-40s, dressed in everything from jeans and t-shirts, to business casual, to those outfitted for clubbing later on. I slowly circled the place, not a seat to be found at the tall cocktail tables on one side, low cushy couches on the other side, nor at the central U-Shaped bar.

An advantage to traveling alone, I found a tiny little opening at the bar and squeezed myself into a standing spot. Once at the wood-finished bar, with the crowd at my back, District seemed to open up and I was able to notice that it was a converted warehouse, given away by the high ceilings with wooden rafters and exposed brick walls. There was a flat-screen tv on one sidewall playing an old black and white movie.

One of the bartenders handed me a paper menu, featuring over 30 wines by the glass and 10 flights with an impressive global diversity. I turned over the menu to find a selection of Mediterranean-influenced samplings ranging from an artisanal cheese plate and charcuterie plate, to arancini, calamari, ahi tuna tartare, pizzetta, and main dishes like lamb lollipops and roasted organic chicken.

The prosciutto San Daniele and arugula hand rolls with goat cheese and balsamic fig jam caught my eye and I asked the bartender for a pairing recommendation. He seemed very familiar with their by-the-glass offerings and recommended Cold Heaven Viognier from Santa Rita Hills. I normally drink Sauvignon Blanc, but this particular wine was full-bodied enough to stand up to the rich flavors of fig, goat cheese, and prosciutto, notwithstanding a nice acidic, palate-cleansing finish. I happily stood and ate at the busy bar, enjoying the wine and chatting with a local woman next to me. She and her friend raved about the hangar steak from local Prather Ranch, sliced and served over white beans with a homemade salsa verde.

The menu only seemed slightly overpriced, but well worth the experience – and the location. I walked out the door and down the block to catch the Caltrain back to San Jose. District is also about a block away from AT&T Park. Open Monday through Friday from 4pm to 2am and open at 5pm on Saturdays, District is closed on Sundays. The full menu is served from 5:30-10:30pm and a limited late night menu is served from 10:30pm to midnight Thursday through Sunday. Not bad for a pit stop.

The Capital Fringe Festival, Washington D.C. July 10-27: The Capital Fringe Festival features more than 500 performing arts shows at several venues around the Penn Quarter of D.C. It is an annual festival that was established to exhibit new, risk-taking art, and non-traditional performances from theater to dance to music and more.

The Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Washington D.C. June 25-29 and July 2-6: Sponsored by the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage it is an annual event that focuses on celebrating cultural traditions from around the world. There is everything from music and dance, to cooking and crafts, to storytelling and discussions of cultural issues. This year the program will be featuring issues concerning Bhutan, NASA, and Texas.

Essence Festival Back Home In New Orleans: The Essence Festival celebrated its return in 2007 and is continuing the traditional this year. It will have more than 200,000 of the nations best African-American musical talent. In addition one can listen to some of the finest speakers in empowerment seminars. Usually held over the Forth of July weekend.

Taste of Chicago 2008, June 27 through July 6: Chicago’s biggest event started in 1980 as a small food festival, Taste of Chicago has become the world’s largest outdoor food festival. It is an extravaganza of more than 3 million people tasting the cuisine of over 70 of Chicago’s favorite restaurants.

Notting Hill Carnival, London: Since 1964 the Notting Hill Carnival has celebrated the cultural traditions of immigrant population from the Caribbean. In the 1950’s and 60’s the immigrant population faced harsh racism and after the race riots this small party was design to bring people together to remember their cultural roots. The party now has more the two million revelers and is held in August on Bank Holiday synonymous with the Caribbean Carnival.

The Carneros Inn, a small world class retreat with dramatic vineyard vistas. A perfect place to visit for a Bay Area Getaway. Located just inside the Napa County line off Highway 121, across from Tattinger Vineyards, a one hour drive from San Francisco.

Spacious accommodations in freestanding cottages with private furnished patios. Spectacular bathrooms with indoor/outdoor showers and heated slate floors. Beautiful Italian bed linens.

The Hilltop restaurant serves breakfast and lunch.The FARM is the signature dining room and for casual eating there is the Boon Fly Cafe. Two swimming pools, a whirlpool, gym, yoga studio, running trails and bocce courts. A wonderful spa with 15 treatment rooms.

Top 6 Worst U.S. Airports:
Chicago O’Hare
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Dallas Fort Worth, Texas
JFK, New York
Newark, New Jersey
Charlotte, North Carolina

Top 3 Worst International Airports:
Paris Charles De Gaulle, France
London Heathrow, England
Moscow Sheremetyevo, Russia

If you find yourself having to travel through these destinations than here are some tips to make your travels go more smoothly:

• Book morning flights, later in the day and night flights are usually rush hours.
• Consider the size of the airport. Ask yourself how far the gates are from each other.
• Try to pack light! Carry-on is always a better option because now airlines have a policy that one must travel on the plane their bag is checked, making it impossible to change flights.
• Whenever possible always opt for the non-stop flights.
• Avoid tight connections.
• Bring snacks and entertainment to pass the time
• You can also track airline and airport records on bts.gov, for stats on the amount of delayed or canceled flights they have had over the pass year. Also visit avoiddelays.com, because the more informed you are the better your travels will be.

Elkep Evi, Cappadocia, Turkey: Ancient caves converted into a beautiful and unique hotel. The suites include private terraces that open to a spectacular view of the Goreme National Park.

Le Prince Noir, les Baux de Provence, France: This French Bed and Breakfast was Roman-area fortress carved out of mountainside. This exclusive lodging is located in one of the most fascinating villages in the south of France.

RainForest:

Safariland Treehouse Resort, India: This Resort consists of four three-houses built from local materials and bamboo all about five meters high. This resort is for the truly adventurous traveler looking for an eco-experience.

Canopy Tower Ecolodge, Panama City, Panama: Built to defend the Panama Canal by the US Air Force this tower is tucked away in the heart of the Soberan­a National Park. Find yourself looking above the tree canopy, great for bird watchers and nature lovers.

Ariau Amazon Towers Hotel, Manaus, Brazil: This hotel is made of four Kilometers of connecting walkways and lodges located deep the Amazon rainforest. Immerse yourself in the beauty of one of the most exceptional wildernesses of the world.

The Ceiba Del Mar Beach & Spa is giving a Mother & Daughter Spa Package. The package includes a five-day/four night stay in one of their luxury accommodations. A welcome cocktail on arrival, private transport from the airport, fresh fruit basket in room, in room complimentary coffee service, spa gift and rope. In addition access to the gym, kayaks, snorkeling equipment, and the resorts fitness program with yoga, Pilates and AuqaFit. The Spa Treatments will include: The Mayan Goddess Scrub 40 mins, Top Nik Te Massage 90 mins, Purification Facial 50 mins, Manicure 50 mins.

Four Seasons Palo Alto is offering Expecting & New Mother’s Luxury Wellness Escape. The weekend starts Friday at the Four Seasons spa in Silicon Valley where she’ll get a 60 minute treatment, a blissful sleep, and two wellness sessions and late check out. Then arrive at the Hotel relax by the pool and then a pre/postnatal yoga session in the ballroom. Saturday wake up to a poolside reception and breakfast with Stacy Denney (founder of Barefoot & Pregnant) and Shantell Herndon (childbirth adviser). They will be there to answer questions about childbirth and motherhood. Then a pre/postnatal water fitness, followed by spa Mama demo with Stacy Denney on how to pamper yourself at home. Finally ending the day with a spa treatment and complimentary late check out.

Bunch and Dinner:

Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay is offering three wonderful Mother’s Day meals that the whole family will enjoy. The Mother’s Day brunch in the Ballroom has the Trio performing and each mother receives a rose upon departure. The Mother’s Day brunch in Navio or The Mother’s Day Dinner in Navio a five course tasting menu a la carte and upon departure each mother will receive a rose.

Four Seasons Palm Beach is offering a third night complimentary along with a lavish Mother’s Day Champagne Brunch on Sunday. Executive Chef Darryl Moiles will prepare a delicious Mother’s Day Feast made of a combination of new and traditional favorites. If your willing to a little extra one can get the buffet with free-flowing mimosas or sparking wine.

The Kauai Marriott is offering a Mother’s Day Brunch in their Kuku’s Restaurant. From a deluxe omelet station to a you choice of bakery sweets and fresh fruit smoothies, mom will leave completely satisfied. To top of your mother’s day gift you can get her one of the resorts Escape Spa Packages leaving her feeling full and pampered.

Check these vendors in your local area to see their specials.

Spa Specials:

Fern Tree the Spa at Half Moon is offering a soothing day at the spa. Relax as the massage therapist gently kneads away stress and tension with an Ease Up Swedish Massages. The Package includes: 50 minute massage, a glass of Champagne, a fruit plate, and use of the lounge at Fern Tree Falls. Let her take in the beauty of the Caribbean Sea as she sits in her own private seaside gazebo.

Four Seasons Washington DC is offering a Mother-to-be package designed especially for expecting mothers. The package includes a relaxing bath followed by a prenatal massage and finishes with a custom facial, in total 125 minutes of pure bliss. Recommended for mothers in their second and third trimester.

Elizabeth Arden Spas are offering three great packages that are sure to leave mom feeling beautiful and relax. Make it a half-day or a full day of indulgence and each package comes with a beautiful gift box.

• The Gentle Touch Package includes: a signature massage or signature facial, warm cream manicure, warm cream pedicure, and makeup refresher. The gift box includes a spa robe.

• The Peace and Quiet Package includes: signature massage, signature facial, signature manicure, makeup refresher, and spa lunch. The gift box includes a spa robe and illume candle.

• The Ultimate Embrace Package includes: signature massage, ultimate Arden facial, signature manicure, signature pedicure, makeup application, and spa lunch. The gift box includes a spa robe, illume candle, and aromatic diffuser.

Post comments if you have any ideas or suggestions for gifts and getaways? Mothers what would be your ultimate mother’s day gift?

Casto has a number of activities planned for it’s employees on Earth Day, one being to help them eliminate junk mail by paying the postage for them to opt-out of various marketing, credit and insurance direct mail services. There was an excellent article posted to the HubSpot blog regarding our alarming junk mail statistics.

The best part of it is that for each link to their article before April 30, 2008, HubSpot will make a donation to the Arbor Day Foundation to plant a tree, up to a total of $5,000. For example, if 500 people link to the article, they’ll give enough money to plant 500 trees. We commend the donation and provide their post below. You can also visit us online for more information about Casto’s Green Initiative.

Shocking Junk Mail Statistics & Environmental Damage

1. Junk Mail Kills 2.6 Million Trees Every Year. I assumed each piece of “standard mail” was junk mail (this is only about 50% of the total volume of US Mail) and assumed that junk mail uses 2 sheets of paper (1 envelope and 1 letter), found the number of sheets of paper per tree, and did some math. Of course some junk mail is only a postcard, but some is a catalog. And some does use recycled paper. But I did not factor in any of the damage caused by all those trucks burning gas to deliver all the mail either.
2. Every US Household Gets 6 Pieces of Junk Mail Each Day. I took the total volume of junk mail and divided by the number of households and the number of mail delivery days and got the answer, which is 6.3.
3. In 5 Days We Produce Enough Junk Mail to Reach the Moon. I took the width of a business envelope (8-7/8 inches) and multiplied by the number of junk mail pieces and divided by the number of inches to the moon, and saw that we could reach the moon 61 times per year with our junk mail. If you divide the number of mail delivery days by 61, you get 5, which means every 5 days we could reach the moon again with our junk mail.
4. Junk Mail Produces 1 Billion Pounds of Landfill Each Year. If you take the 2.6 million trees killed each year and convert that into pounds of paper, you get roughly 2 billion pounds. Even if you assume half of that is recycled (I saw an estimate of 45% on Wikipedia) you still have 1 billion pounds of paper going into landfills.
5. Junk Mail Weighs Almost Double the US Military’s Tanks. Our junk mail weighs nearly twice as much as all the US tanks in the world, combined. If you take the average US tank at a weight of 67 tons (a ton is 2,000 pounds) and divide the total weight of paper from junk mail by that number, you find that junk mail produced each year weighs the same as over 15,000 tanks. According to Wikipedia, the US military has about 8,000 tanks. By the way, a tank weighs about 40 times more than a standard car.

   

Underwater Hotels:
Jules Undersea Lounge, Key Largo, Florida: The original undersea hotel where experienced divers swim 21 feet below the surface and enter into a most amazing undersea experience.

Utter Inn, Vasteras, Sweden: A floating/underwater hotel where your room is submerged three meters below the surface of Lake Mälaren. You’ll sleep in your own private underwater aquarium.

Floating Hotels:
Lifeboat Hotel, Harlingen, Netherlands: The Lilla Marras lifeboat was in service during the 1950’s through the 1970’s. But now it has been converted into luxury accommodations. Anchored in Harlingen it features cozy rooms and modern amenities.

King Pacific Lodge, Vancouver, Canada: Only accessible by floatplane this luxury lodge is set in the heart of the Canadian wilderness; for people who are looking for the peace found when surrounded by nature.

Ice Hotels:
Ice Hotel Quebec-Canada, SAINTE-CATHERINE-DE-LA-JACQUES-CARTIER, Quebec, Canada: You’ll be staying in one of the most skillfully crafted hotels made entirely out of ice and snow. It is truly a winter wonderland.

Iglu-Dorf, Switzerland & Germary: Each hotel is a collection of Igloos. There is everything for bars to jacuzzis all made out of ice and snow.

Aurora Ice Museum, Alaska: The Ice Museum allows guests year round access to rooms built out of ice carved by champion ice sculptor Steve Brice. And it is one of the only places in the world to see the Northern lights (Aurora borealis).