MrAndrewBradley

It started off on Wednesday night with tasty food at Siena and Tarla in Downtown Napa , then on Thursday I had the amazing opportunity to work with a really cool photographer, Rex Gelert . Rex specializes in hotels and resorts and it truly showed as we were taking pictures in The Meritage Resort and Spa's 22,000 square foot Estate Cave , specifically Spa Terra . Spa Terra is beautiful in person, but with no natural light (it's underground after all) and dim lighting to set a relaxed atmosphere for guests it presents unique challenges for photographs. Rex was a pro though, using the rooms lights and some that he brought to capture the setting and the mood perfectly in each of the areas we photographed including the Serenity Lounge, Couples Treatment Room, Locker Room and Reception Area. For our last shot we headed to the brand new Carneros Ballroom to take a picture of the first set table in the room. I cannot wait for the 7,300 square foot ballroom and the rest of the expa...

I have now been to all four of a single family's weddings. It started many year's ago when their oldest son was married. Then the oldest sister, then the younger brother and now, one of my good friends, the youngest sister, is married. All weddings have unique qualities that make them special and memorable, this one was no different. From the beautiful backdrop offered by St. Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco for the ceremony to the waves crashing outside the Cliff House where the reception was held. Congratulations Sherry and Andrew!

After an amazing stay at Trump Chicago over St. Patrick's Day weekend I headed to The Meritage Resort and Spa in Napa for a client meeting and event. They always treat me well, but this time I was given a room with a balcony overlooking the pool, vineyards, grape crusher statue and Estate Cave . It was beautiful and made for an excellent view at breakfast. The Napa Expo was a fun event and a great opportunity to see many of the community members and media that I work with regularly, while talking about the expansion that will be opening in just about a month! Dinner at Siena capped off a week of me not cooking, I enjoyed the grilled lamb chops and a glass of wine before heading to The Meritage Bar to see my favorite bartender and have some yummy dessert. After working for about an hour in the room, I headed back to the bar for a quick goodnight beverage, Bailey's . I'm looking forward to being back next week for a photo shoot and then the expansion grand opening i...

A few months ago I won a trip to Chicago from Smashburger for eating their "Windy City Burger." Knowing that St. Patrick's Day is one of the best times to visit Chicago, I decided to book the trip for March, knowing it would be cold, but it would be fun. It was fun, but at 80 degrees it wasn't cold by any means. I left on Thursday from Sacramento with Stephanie , a friend that I met through social media almost a year ago, and landed in Chicago on Thursday evening. We took the eL to our hotel and decided to find some food. Our goal, something quick and not too expensive ... we ended up at one of the nicest restaurants in city, Joe's . It was great food and helped give us the energy we would need for the rest of the trip. The mac & cheese and stone crab were huge highlights. Friday we both had to work for a little while in the morning, then ate breakfast at our hotel and headed to our next hotel, Trump Chicago . After leaving our bags with the bell...

Over the last few weeks my schedule has been packed. I'm on at least six boards/committees (not complaining, it just makes for lots of meetings), I've been trying to attend more networking events to see all my "social media" friends on a regular basis and then there are times when I just need to be with friends, eat appetizers and have a beer. From learning about life in Kenya (including trying some tasty food), figuring out where the Roseville Amtrak Station was, happy hour at Chili's (twice in two days) and hanging out at The Place in Downtown Roseville there have been plenty of memories made, drinks consumed and conversations spoken. For all that and for all that is to come, I am truly thankful for friends, colleagues and everyone else in my life. Next week I'm off to Chicago , staying at The Trump , compliments of Smashburger .

"Goodie Bag" | fresh&easy The night before the first fresh&easy stores opened in the Sacramento area I was invited along with other community members, politicians and bloggers to attend a gala at the California Museum . The evening was a good introduction to the retailer's products, a chance to meet some of the staff, including the individual that runs their social media program, and get free merchandise. The stores concept is good and the fact that many stores are located in areas not served by traditional grocery stores is great too. Their main goal is to provide fresh and healthy foods that can be prepared quickly by almost anyone at home or in a microwave before you even leave the store. For people always on the go, like me, this concept could come in handy at least a few times a week. I'm looking forward to going to the new store in Lincoln soon and might frequent their store in Rocklin when it opens. The above statements are my own opinions, I...

The 131,300 square foot expansion of The Meritage Resort and Spa is almost complete! It has been fun to watch the construction take place over the last 15 months and in just two months it will all be ready for guests. 165 new guestrooms, including amazing suites (one has an upstairs), Crush Ultra Lounge, a sports themed entertainment space with a pool table and bowling lanes, Blend cafe and a huge fitness center will all open in May! There will also be new spaces for groups to meet, weddings to be held and memories to be made. Once I got back home my roommate had a tasty selection of appetizers prepared for us to dine on with a friend.