A timely tale of the totally true way that you, yes YOU, can jump the kill-me-now airport security lines with your very own Clear Pass!

It’s easy to apply online, and once the TSA clears ya (Clear Pass takes care of all that beaurocratic nonsense), you’ll get a Clear card that clearly says, “Fudge You!” to the system, The Man, the years-off-your-life stripping hassles of hangin’ with the masses…

**Tango Diva Deal Alert **Members receive 1 bonus month with a 1 Year application! Read on for details!

I signed up yesterday - cannot wait to fly by all the losers in line and step up to the Clear Station! This will give me plenty of time to catch a mani/pedi at the XpresSpa at SFO with my discount certificate!

It’s time to countdown to the biggest bash of the year: our eighth annual Best of the Bay Area Party. Join San Francisco magazine and Tango Diva as we toast the best people, places, and things that make the Bay Area the very best place to live, work, and play.

Enjoy endless entertainment for every obsession: eats, drinks, treats, drinks, and beats. Celebrate the best of the best with more than 55 restaurants including SPQR, Waterbar, supperclub, EOS, Prana, Le Bistro, Kara’s cupcake,; free flowing bars with signature cocktails, Trumer Pils beer, and the Sonoma Valley wine lounge; and dancing to the hottest sounds in the city, featuring Kid Beyond. Best of all, the party, benefits Family House.

Thursday, June 26
VIP 6-11 p.m., Main Event 7-11 p.m.
Concourse Exhibition Center
Buy tickets at www.sanfranmag.com before June 12th and save!

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BE THE FIRST TO GET YOUR TICKETS TO THE BIGGEST BASH OF THE YEAR!

Buy Tickets at www.sanfranmag.com

VIP $175 advance / $200 at the door
MAIN EVENT $100 advance / $125 at the door
YOU PAY ONLY $90 (PROMO CODE: TANGODIVA)

BUY EARLY! Tickets sold out in 2007 days before the event. Your tickets must be purchased before June 12th to get this discount and are based on availability. This offer will not be extended or offered again.

San Francisco magazine’s Best of the Bay Area 2008 benefits Family House and is presented in partnership with Wells Fargo, Cadillac I Hummer I Saab, Shreve & Co., Crunch Fitness, The Infinity, Trumer Pils, and Sonoma Valley Vintners and Growers Alliance. Produced by Dominic Phillips Event Marketing. Venue partner: SFDC.

Divas - Can you imagine running on the streets of LA?
Put on Your Shades, and Get Going With Off ‘N Running Tours

Off ‘N Running Tours introduces their latest tour, “Running from the Paparazzi”.

An exciting 4-mile run from Wilshire Boulevard to glamorous Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, through Hollywood and past eclectic shops on Robertson Boulevard.

Grace the streets of Beverly Hills in record time, doing some quick window-shopping and Celeb watching, while avoiding the forever-flashing paparazzi! This popular tour is becoming famous, so book your time and date. Don’t be left out of the headlines!

Check out www.offnrunningtours.com to sign up for our next run.

Additionally, OFF ‘N RUNNING TOURS has other running tours in Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and West Los Angeles - designed for runners of all levels.

They offer a GREAT alternative to working out in your Hotel.

The atmosphere and energy will get you motivated and you’ll make new friends while having fun. The cost for this 4-mile adventure is $60 per person, which includes an exclusively designed Running from the Paparazzi T-Shirt, bottled water, fresh fruit, and ends with a rewarding frosted cupcake! Only a celebrity would do that!

Tours run daily, 1.5 hours per tour, through December 31, 2009.

For those planning upcoming nuptials on 8-8-08, enjoy a complimentary golf and spa package for booking your wedding party!!

The number 8 is considered one of the luckiest in the Chinese culture, representing sudden fortune and prosperity. The wedding team at JW Marriott Las Vegas celebrates this special numerological day by offering a complimentary golf and spa package for weddings of 50 people or more held on August 8, 2008.

The Lucky 8 Package provides the bride and her court with a Wine Down Manicure and Pedicure Party for four ladies. This delicious 100-minute vino-infused package includes two glasses of wine each and a deluxe selection of cheeses while enjoying decadent treatments for the fingers and toes. Red grape skin, which contains a powerful anti-oxidant and anti-carcinogen called resveratrol, makes up the foundation for this treatment. This package treats guests to an almond-biscotti milk soak; a sugar scrub with Italian red wine reduction, crushed grape seeds, and grape seed oil; a masque with red wine reduction; and an almond biscotti moisturizer application and color choice as the pièce de résistance.

For the gentlemen, a foursome of golf is offered at the world-class TPC Las Vegas, perfect for the groom and his pals. As the resort’s preferred course, TPC Las Vegas offers a stunning and compelling test of golf set against the backdrop of Red Rock Canyon. Part of the PGA TOUR’s acclaimed TPC Network of premier private and resort golf clubs, TPC Las Vegas’ award-winning service and array of upscale amenities make this a “must-play” desert golf oasis and a perfect venue to work off a few of those pre-wedding jitters.

For more information on the Lucky 8 Package, please call the JW Marriott Las Vegas’s wedding department at 702-869-7034.

JW Marriott Las Vegas Resort & Spa features 548 oversized guestrooms set amid 54 acres of lush gardens. Located in Summerlin, 20 minutes northwest of the famous Las Vegas Strip, the resort is close enough to indulge in the city’s amenities, but far enough away to enjoy golfing on one of the courses surrounding the resort or explore beautiful Red Rock Canyon. Indulge yourself at JW Marriott’s luxurious Aquae Sulis Spa or lounge by the grass-edged pool. Plus, the resort features a wide selection of dining and entertainment options, from casual to elegant. All services and amenities synonymous with JW Marriott are at your fingertips when you visit.

JW MARRIOTT LAS VEGAS RESORT & SPA: 221 N. Rampart Blvd., Toll Free: 877-869-8777

I met Don Mixon of Madrone Mountain Vineyard. His wines are delicious!! He is a boutique producer of artisanal dessert wines in the Applegate Valley of Southern Oregon. Near the California-Oregon border, they make very limited quantities of hand-crafted fortified red and late harvest white wines -and though they do not have a tasting room per say - you can make an appointment and sit down with Don for a tasting at the vineyard. Give him a call if you are passing thru.

Coming this September 2008 he will have a tasting room nestled in Central Point between Rogue Creamery and a chocolate store I did not catch the name of. Can you imagine tasting blue cheese, sweet wine and rich chocolate all within feet of each other? Heaven.

I enjoyed all of these wines immensely- but will let his words tell the story:

The Special Select Late Harvest Gewürztraminer 2005
Tasting notes:
Beeswax, honeysuckle and lychee bouquet. Full, round mouth feel with ripe mango, stone fruits and melon. Bright, fresh acids on the mid-palate balance the substantial sweetness. Rose petal notes on the back palate confirm the varietal character. Finish is long and full of spice – hints of nutmeg, white pepper and the bite of honey.

The Starthistle Cuvee 2007
Tasting Notes
A nose of cream, mint, linden flower and ripe pineapple is followed by classic Riesling flavors of lime, peach and wet stones. The mid-palate hints of something tropical — I think of mango, guava, coconut — while the finish, bright and clean, rolls languidly into leafy notes – black currant bud, fresh-cut hay and thyme. Ethereal and deeply complex, this wine should live long, long. Who will let it?

Mundo Novo 2005, Portuguese for “New World,” is a red dessert wine
Tasting Notes
Inky black, the wine is almost impenetrable to light; some dark purple at the rim; stains on the
glass as the wine swirls; great extraction. On the nose, deeps notes of red and black currant
blend with blueberry and violet, followed by more savage smells – truffle, cedar, thyme and
leather – all wrapped in sweet vanilla

Do our readers realize the importance/value of using a travel agent?
Besides the fact that they may be able to save money in the long run?

The last American Airline fiasco points that out.

The people who had used travel agents for their tickets were immediately assisted.
One call to the agent and the options opened up.
Those that did not may have lost out in money and time trying to salvage their flights.

Last year I found myself at LAX with no one to turn to. I had bought my ticket to Lima online via AMEX with LAN Peru. I had also bought by flight to LAX with United - independent of the Lima leg.

So when the United flight was delayed by low fog at SFO - I missed my connection.
And do you know United could not help me. They had delivered me to LA as promised - just late. They did offer me a hotel discount and that was of comfort.

But at LAX the international airlines actually rent the check-in desks for several hours at a time. By the time I arrived at check-in - the LAN Peru desks were closed for all intensive purposes. There was no one. Nada. I ended up on my cell phone for 90 minutes and still no help.

Eventually I was helped by American Airlines - the most helpful guy Eric- and only because I remembered they were a partner of Lan Peru. I did not even have a ticket with AA - but Eric helped me.

So after 4 hours of traversing the entire airport with my luggage, I continued on to Lima a full 24 hours later.

BUT - if I had worked with a travel agent - one call and all would have been in the competent hands of an individual with all resources at their command and the responsibility.

Share your agent support or agent-less experience!

Hey Divas - its that time of year again! We have been profiling MEN from all over the world!

An annual tantalizing tradition where we throw off the she shackles and look at the world from a manly perspective. We aren’t afraid to belly up to the bar of beaus and ask the men of the world where they like to eat, play and just hang out.

It’s one of our most popular issues!

Do you know a man or two who would love to be interviewed? Let us know by replying to this post!

Check out last years candidates:

Outdoor Adventurers
Charming Sophisticates
Partying Playboys
Ultimate Insiders

Not just for singles - any guy who is in the know and has something to share!

Hey Diva community! I am heading to Austin this weekend - just before the SXSW explosion. Any advice on what to do is welcome.
I have gotten many emails that I will share here. I have everything booked!
Flying 2 for 1 price with American Airlines using my American Express Free Companion Program for the first time. Yea baby!
Staying at the beautiful Barton Creek Resort - a 2 nite package that I bid on at a Make a Wish fundraiser last year.
Renting a car off of Priceline for $11 a day (should I have bid $9-10?).
Going with a good friend and fellow DIVA who exudes positivity!
And inviting all Austin Divas to come join us on Saturday at the resort -for drinks and sharing travel stories!

Hey Divas! We want to know! Where are you going? Are you going solo? Share here in the blog - or even better - add your planned destinations to your MY TANGO MAP. Your world travels map is just one of the benefits you receive when you join. Its the best way to connect to over 7,000 traveling DIVAS who can share insights on your future destinations.

So just where are you going to go?

Happy New Year! 

Patti 

An 8.0 earthquke has struck the south coast of Peru Wednesday night. For those of you who know my connection with Peru and VIDA, you will be thinking "what can I do to help". VIDA is working quickly with the US Government, Peruvian government and Americares to air drop medical relief supplies into Pisco, 90 miles south of Lima.

As the death toll mounts, the injured is threefold, and both hospitals in Pisco were destroyed. The images you see on UNIVISION are heartbreaking. VIDA - based in Emeryville is taking donations of medcal supplies, medical equipment, blankets, sheets and tents. NO clothes. Materials will go directly to stricken areas where doctors/nurses are setting up makeshift emergency rooms.

Financial support is needed to transport the 40′ containers. VIDA is accepting checks and online donations. Any amount will help. I have been volunteering with VIDA for 12 years with many wonderful trips to Peru. The people need your help now. $25 as a gift is invalueable.

VIDA is a non-profit organization that provides a dual service to both Latin America and the San Francisco Bay Area by collecting surplus medical supplies and equipment from Bay Area health institutions, diverting them from environment-polluting landfills and shipping them to Latin American hospitals and clinics that rely on such donations for the provision of basic health care.

VIDA delivers swift relief to victims of natural disasters, facilitates medical training and assistance and creates projects that improve health standards in impoverished communities in Latin America.