Brunch and Spa Time in Indianapolis

I was up in time to catch the view from my balcony at the Omni Severin before Morgan from Indianapolis Tourism met us in the lobby. We walked the few blocks (I love that everything in Indy is so walkable, it's going to be a great place for Super Bowl 2012) to Cafe Patachou for breakfast.

Morgan had been talking about this place and its owner, who had turned the successful restaurants into her own little chain in the city. It was bright and modern, with an interesting menu. Morgan had their famous Cinnamon Toast, which I agreed was delicious. Lisa went for the "Broken Yolk" Sandwich, a massive and gooey plate that she couldn't finish, and I decided to keep it simple with French Toast covered with fresh blueberries.

It's all about using local produce and food as much as possible here, and I'm told that extends to Indianapolis Airport, where the restaurants use products from the area. One thing that can't be grown in Indiana is the coffee. Cafe Patachou has an interesting selection of self-service brews. The coffees selection is worldwide and all seemed a bit strong for me, but both Morgan and Lisa raved about them.

We left the cafe and headed to the Conrad Hotel, where we had appointments at the brand new Evan Todd Spa. It is a beautiful place with all the facilities you could want, including an indoor pool, where we lounged with herb tea before our appointments started.

The facials -- which included some light massage, aromatherapy and acupressure -- were wonderful. I was I pressed with the time the estheticians took with each of us, using completely different treatments on each of us after asking questions and examining our skin to determine that we had different skin types, rather than making you pick your type of facial before you arrive.

We were feeling relaxed and refreshed when we headed over for our pedicures on the other side of the spa. It's one of those things I never find the time for at home and it's great to be at a spa that does it all.

When the treatments were over, we headed back to the Omni Hotel to pick up the car and get on the road. It was a four hour drive to the Hocking Hills area of Ohio. I had never seen this part of the state and it looked beautiful. We climbed a bit from the flatter land of the Midwest, remarking at the signs of fall already noticeable in the leaves on the trees.

The drive was a long one (which, thankfully, Lisa drove most of), but it was all worth it when we arrived at the Inn at Cedar Falls to our secluded cabin. "Redbud" is a log cabin with two bedrooms, a living room, dining room, kitchen and two baths. It was missing a few things, though -- phone service, internet and television, but I had brought along a bottle of DeBortoli's new Emeri Sparkling Sauvignon Blanc to try and we figured we could make it without technology for two nights.

It was going to be an interesting adventure.