Vino Volo: making airports worth being in

Last week I was on a business trip down to Florida. The flight I was taking included a layover in Philadelphia. I had about 2 hours of free time so I decided to look around and see what was available in the airport.

I ran across an assortment of clothing shops and various goods, all severely overpriced, as you might expect. In general I was a bit disappointed at the selection available to me there, and then I ran across Vino Volo.



What first struck me about the wine bar/restaurant was the clean and smooth look of the place. Then I was caught by the huge wine selection. My interest piqued I decided to walk in and see what it was all about.

In essence Vino Volo is a wine bar. The food, décor, and arrangement was very much like what you might expect in a mid-town Manhattan wine bar, or similar to many upscale bars throughout the nations larger cities. There was no music, nor other distractions. And the artwork on the walls was decidedly modern art, though not glaring or distasteful. And for all the modern styling, there was a very comfortable feel about the place.

I sat at the main bar, though there was plenty of seating inside for groups, and seating outside the bar where you could watch the passing traffic of people going to and from flights with ease.



I looked over the selection of wines. They varied in location, price, and style. There were several categories of the wines, each with 3 types of wine representing the group. The wines located on the left half of the menu are wines that are generally rotated with new selections every 2 - 3 months, those making it due to popularity on the right side of the menu are selections are more standard and only some are rotated off for new selections every 6 months or so.

I learned this about the selection of wines from Brian, the bartender on when I arrived. Brian was knowledgeable about the various wines and helpful in providing me clues about which wine he thought might be a good match for my tastes. He was also pleasant enough to discuss they young company, which started 3 years ago, and informed me that they were in 7 airports around the nation right now, including L.A. and New York.

Another great thing about the wines presented is the fact that you can get a taste of 3 separate wines to get an idea of their different flavors. Also aiding the patron, and providing you with a bit of information to purchase the favored wine for yourself in the future, was the charts provided with each wine. This provided the name of the winery, the grape used to make the wine, the wine and the year it was made. There even is a short description of the flavor of the wine as well.

In all I tried 5 wines, all reds. I prefer reds, so if you like white wine you will have to visit the location to taste them yourself. In order of my preference will list the wines, best at the top of the list

Top 5 red wines of Vino Volo:

• 2006 Mirrabooka Shiraz from Australia – on the 6 month rotation list
  
• 2006 Farnese Montepulciano d’Abruzzo – on the frequent change list
  
• 2005 Rivetto Nemes Piedmont – Tour of Italy - on the frequent change list
  
• 2007 Villa Pozzi Nero d’Avola from Sicily - on the frequent change list
  
• 2006 Castillo de Monseran Grenache from Spain - on the 6 month rotation list
  

I spent roughly $45 for the wine and food, not including tip. Overall I would say that the entire experience was pleasant and comfortable. The wines were of better than average quality and taste. The staff was easily capable of explaining the wines, mentioning their favorites, and in general good conversationalists. The establishment was clean, the presentation both of the food and the furniture crisp.

I recommend that any traveler in an airport that has a Vino Vello in it, and 15 minutes or more of time, go in and enjoy a bit of tranquility in what can easily be described as the suffering of airline travel these days.

Police overkill: not a movie, Philadelphia

On Monday night, WTXF news helicopter took video images of 15 police officers.



Those swarming individuals weren’t gang members, though at a glance you would assume they were.

What happened?

According to police they witnessed the car in question pull up and a man stepped out shooting at an individual. The man with the gun then ran away on foot. The car with 3 Black men seen in the video was followed and the video tells the rest of the story.

We have yet to hear the version of events from the African Americans that were in the car, though they all have been charged with attempted murder.

Facts so far?

Beyond the video there are none yet. There is nothing to back up the police allegation that there was a shooting. There is no information about a 4th man. There is no information about all the police involved chasing after the man that had the gun and was on foot. The 4th man is at large according to all news on the event so far.

Does all this sound familiar? The name you may be recalling is Sean Bell.

Like in the Sean Bell case we have police keeping surveillance of a crime area. Again an alleged 4th individual is supposed to have had a gun. Yet again the person with the gun is gone like mist in the sunlight. And again police officers (in this case a multitude of them) are incapable of capturing the most dangerous of the alleged criminals.

Like Rodney King, the men once pulled out of the car, are assaulted with extreme prejudice. Not one man in this video is shown resisting. As if they could considering the numbers involved.

Like Sean Bell the officers involved are in the process of being removed from duty on the street. Note that they are not being suspended, or fired, or not working. They just are being reassigned (which could mean that they are still on the streets, just in a different area).

Also, if this had not been caught on tape by a news helicopter, would any of this made the news? Would anyone have believed the men if there was no tape of the events? What is more believable, police officers or alleged murderers, without video?

How many students in San Diego were beaten by multiple officers when they were arrested? 0 out of 100. How many police abused the 2 blonde bank robbers in Atlanta? None, especially since they found the girls while they were casually getting their hair done and discussing the robbery. [The women got 1 yr probation; the Black men got 10 years in jail.] How many officers assaulted, en masse, a White alleged criminal – not putting up a fight – in numbers approaching 5-1, in the past year? 5 years? 10?

When I hear people say that this is not a Black and White issue I have to ask, How is it not? When I hear people say that law enforcement is fair, I have to ask Where are the Whites being treated in the same manner? When I hear people say this is not systemic I have to ask, What part of the nation has not had a similar type of event in the past year or 2?

I spoke about the problem that exists in America I said

“Black men assaulted by the police, with extreme and unjustifiable force, with officers that walked away from the incidents (crimes) without penalty. Nothing like the even hand of justice in America.”

And then I asked in another post

“What did we do after the Rodney King trial and riots? What did we do after Amidou Diallo was murdered. What have we done after the media circus that was the coverage of Wesley Snipes vs the IRS (which he basically won – though you probably never heard the major news media mention that part)? What has happened after the rape torture and kidnapping of Megan Williams? What have we done about Congress (Democrat and Republican led) and the Presidency’s inaction in Darfur?”

I still have the same insights, and the same questions. What will it take to change either thought I have?