Brown Estate Tasting Room, located in downtown Napa, is a branch of the black-owned vineyard and winery of the same name.

The vineyard itself was established in 1980 with a wine-making component following in 1996. It is a brand that has been growing steadily in popularity in recent years through word of mouth and social media.

Black Stallion Estate Winery in Napa Valley was the first stop in Napa Valley on a cool, crisp overcast morning in October 2021. We visited the former equestrian center after enduring a lengthy Lyft ride from Silicon Valley, and it was worth it!

In downtown Napa Valley among the handsome boutique shops and various wine tasting rooms resides the Compline Restaurant and Wine Bar.

Among the tech giants of the world and adjacent to Stanford University in the Palo Alto wilds resides Evvia Estiatorio, a Greek restaurant whos food flavors capture even the most discerning palate.

For those of you who have already booked an interview for Global Entry but are going an international trip before said interview, consider utilizing the Enrollment on Arrival Program.

I committed a cardinal sin of the international travel lifestyle — I let my Global Entry membership lapse during the pandemic. Understandable with most travel restricted, but not paying attention to the expiration date created quite a shock for me on two fronts:

• My TSA Pre-Check benefit (which is included with Global Entry membership) stopped.
• Not having it on a recent international trip caused me to have to wait in the customs line for almost an hour upon re-entry into the US. Unacceptable.