President coming to Napa, Ritz-Carlton not far behind

It’s been one of those weeks here for us–busy at work and a sick little guy to take care of, so apologies for the somewhat infrequent postings. Here are a couple quick items that caught our eye.

Presidential visit
There’s been lots of buzz around these parts about a planned visit today by the President of the United States. While everyone is being quite tight-lipped about when and where George W. Bush will grace us with his presence, we do know that he’s expected sometime in the late afternoon/early evening. Apparently locals in Yountville and St. Helena have received automated calls warning of traffic delays between 4pm - 8pm. Here’s what the Weekly Calistogan predicts:

According to various sources, likely Upvalley stops for the presidential visit include lunch at Harlan Estate Winery along the Oakville Grade, a landing at the Sutter Home Winery helipad on Main Street in St. Helena, and a reception at Frank Family Vineyards on Larkmead Lane.

Should be an interesting day…

Ritz-Carlton gets thumbs up from Napa City Council
In a somewhat astonishing development–particularly for those of us who’ve lived in the valley for some 30 years–the Napa City Council approved plans last night to develop a Ritz-Carlton resort near downtown Napa.

Here’s how the Napa Register describes the project:

The Ritz will be a “village-like” complex of a dozen buildings from one to four stories, with a contemporary Craftsman design, the developer said. Grounds will be lushly landscaped with mostly native plants, with an “art walk” open to the community.

The development, which is planned for Napa’s “five corners” area, is expected to cost about $300 million and will apparently get going sometime this fall. Additional details here.

TechTags Plugin [ Napa | Napa Valley | wine | winery | president bush | president bush in Napa | Napa Ritz | Napa Ritz-Carlton ]

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