[Editor’s note: This is the first in a series of articles about Munich and covers museums and music. Virtual tours of both Munich and the BMW Museum are at the bottom of the page.]
The letter “B” is not found in “Munich” but it might as well be.  The letter B is everywhere in the city, whether it’s on the street (BMW), in a restaurant (Bier), or in a political discussion (Bayern, or Bavaria).  It’s probably the most important letter in the city as a result.
Munich is one of four …

The challenge: fly 6000 kilometers, pick up two cars, drive almost 4000 kilometers, stay at seven different hotels, attend two all-day events, nine meetings, and five dinner meetings, and fly back.
The beginning of article comes to you from Brugge, Belgium, at least that’s where I think I am.
On October 15, I found myself on Lufthansa Flight 411 to Munich, arriving in time for the October 17 opening of the new BMW Welt (see BMW’s Brave New World), BMW’s new €500 million “experience and delivery center.”  Just a year ago, …

I’m writing this from Hamburg, at least I think that’s where I am.  Sometimes trips can be just plain boring.  This one was most decidedly not.  In a 16 day whirlwind tour I would stay in seven hotels and would span 9 cities to cover, however briefly: Munich, Vienna, Munich (again), Hamburg, Flensburg, Sønderborg, Brugge, Düsseldorf, Bremen, and Bremerhaven.  Countries: Denmark, Germany, Austria, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany.
Normally my trips last four to five days.  With meetings and events spread out across half a month, this trip would be more than …

Visitors to Munich have always thought of the city as a kind of BMW world.  Not only is the automaker headquartered there, but the cars themselves are as ubiquitous as the beer and are even used as police cars and taxis.
As a company, BMW has always presented a distinctive image, from its logo, a stylized spinning propeller against a blue sky, to its buildings, which include the Vierzylinder (Four Cylinder) headquarters designed by Karl Schwanzer, which reopened last summer after being closed for a top-to-bottom reconstruction for over two years …

FOR FORTY YEARS, AMERICAN BMW BUYERS HAVE BEEN TAKING THEIR BRAND-NEW CARS ON A FINE VACATION
Since the 1960s, several thousand Americans each year have taken a trip to Munich, Germany with one goal in mind.  Unlike the other American tourists, they are not there for the beer, the Schnitzel, the museums and art galleries, and the Gemütlichkeit alone.  The real reason for the trip: to pick up a new BMW at BMW’s factory delivery center.
For years, BMW has been among a handful of European automakers that offer Americans the option …

Wednesday, 9 November 2005, New York City
I start writing this column in Lufthansa’s Senator lounge.  I’m about to depart on a flight from New York (JFK) to Munich (MUC).  First things first: Lufthansa has the best beer; perhaps I shouldn’t mention this, but they have Spaten Oktoberfest on tap.
But I digress.
I’m going to Munich for several reasons, including client meetings and to participate in BMW’s European Delivery program.  The trip also presents an opportunity for me to finally test the Lufthansa FlyNet service (powered by Connexion by Boeing).  Earlier this …