Published on: July 29, 2011
The
Boston Globe reports that JetBlue Airways, looking to build traffic among business customers, has come up with a new pricing program designed to appeal to its Boston-based frequent fliers.
According to the story, “From Aug. 22 to Nov. 22, passengers can take an unlimited number of flights from Logan International Airport to any JetBlue city - 55 in all - for a flat rate of $1,999. For $1,499, Boston pass holders can fly to 13 nonstop destinations, mainly on the East Coast.” The
Globe notes that there is limited availability: “The BluePass went on sale yesterday and will be available until Sunday, or until the passes sell out.”
I’m always intrigued by unconventional business decisions, and this would certainly seem to fall in that category. If you want to attract new customers, sometimes you have to shake things up and do something that is attention-getting.
I’ve just upgraded my laptop operating system to Mac’s OS X Lion, which came out this week. In addition to all sorts of cool changes that make the laptop trackpad act more like my iPad and iPhone, there also is another interesting change - no software disk. For the time being, at least, Lion is available only as a download - it takes a bit of time, and a good broadband connection necessary. But when you think about it, there’s really no reason for a disk...
Apparently, next month Apple will be making Lion available via a USB flash drive for $69, which is more than twice as expensive as the downloadable version. Some may want the security of having as physical copy, but that strikes me as 20th century thinking; the accoutrements of the past are being cast away, and we might as well get used to it.
Had a chance the other day to have a wonderful lunch of blackened red snapper at Lulu’s at Homeport Marina, right on the Intracoastal Waterway in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Lulu’s is owned and operated by Lucy Buffett, sister to MNB’s favorite troubadour, and it is quite an operation - I was expecting a little seafood restaurant on the water, and instead found a restaurant on the scale of the largest Margaritavilles.
It was interesting, though. I was sitting at the bar, sipping on a beer and trying to decide on lunch, and the bartender gave me a short course on the transparency and sustainability efforts that have been made to ensure that the red snapper is entirely traceable. Which was impressive. Almost as impressive as the basket of fish, which also included delicious jalapeno hushpuppies. Yummm...
Mrs. Content Guy thought I was crazy to drive more than two hours for lunch ... but I wasn’t done with my visit to Lulu’s. After I went there, I swung by Pensacola Beach and stopped by the Margaritaville Beach Hotel - which I found to be as isolated and unassuming as I expected Lulu’s to be. Especially Land Shark Landing, a little beach bar next door that had cold beer, warm breezes and a beautiful view of the pristine Gulf beach.
The temperature may have been hot and the humidity may have been high, but it was totally cool.
Got an email last week asking if I could recommend a couple of good craft beers for summer. Which I am pleased to do.
We’ve been enjoying Brooklyn Summer Ale in our house, especially on hot evenings, which goes down cold and smooth and with a little more body than one might expect from a summer beer. Just great.
And my son Brian, who is learning the beer and wine retail business, has become a total fan of Victory Whirlwind Witbier, which he says is totally worth the effort it sometimes takes to find it.
So there you go.
As for wine...
The heat and humidity has meant that we’ve been enjoying cold white wines this summer, and here are two that I can recommend wholeheartedly: the 2010 Catamayor Sauvignon Blanc, and the 2008 Paradise Ridge Chardonnay. I like them really, really cold, and they both have a nice complexity - one a little sweeter than the other - that can stand up to a few hours in the fridge.
BTW...the Catamayor is one of the MNB wine club selections, available from Nicholas Roberts Ltd., which powers our club. The July wine club selections are still available for limited time, and to get more information, about this new MNB offering CLICK HERE.One other thing...Brian’s education in the wine business means that he brings home some incredibly interesting wines - and this week he was kind enough to share with us a 2003 Chateau Quinault Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, which was an amazingly smooth red wine perfect with grilled steak. Or juicy hamburgers. Or just sipping. It was amazing. Not cheap, but amazing. (I’m also amazed that my son not only brings this stuff home, but is learning to appreciate it. Wow.)
On other thing. I got a couple of emails this week asking why I had not mentioned the death of singer Amy Winehouse, especially since I love to reference pop culture whenever I can.
The reason was simple. Self-destruction annoys me.
That’s it for this week. Have a great weekend, and I’ll see you Monday.
Fins Up!