I was invited to spend a long weekend in Butler County, Ohio, just after they became Wheel The World certified for accessibility. The tourism board wanted me to write about how wheelchair accessible the region is. I hadn’t been there before, and it sounded like an interesting area, so I made plans to go. My trip to Butler County turned out to be one of my most unusual adventures, with new experiences, and a lot of donuts! I brought Teddy and my friend, Heather, along for the ride, about three and a half hours from home. We had a nice welcome basket waiting for us at the hotel. Our home base was the Marriott Cincinnati North in Westerville. I was happy at the start with a flat entrance and automatic doors. They didn’t have any accessible rooms, so we had two connecting rooms. Teddy loved going back and forth between the two rooms. Mine had plenty of space for me to wheel around, a well-equipped desk area I could reach, and a large bathroom with a shower chair. The handheld was...
Morning Joe is the complimentary coffee delivery provided to
each guest by Acme Hotel. We took advantage of this, along with their Knock and
Drop Bakery delivery.
The West Town Bakery is at the front entrance of the hotel.
It is open to guests and the public, but guests can request their room service
from a limited menu.
We decided to try some different things and all of them were
fresh and delicious: a chocolate croissant for me; a blueberry muffin for
Brittany; and the Breakfast Sammy (bacon, cream cheese and sliced tomato on a
bagel) for Scott and Amanda.
I wish we had longer to linger at the hotel. It’s not just
my opinion that the Acme Hotel Company is a fun and eclectic hotel, it was
voted the No. 1 Hotel in Chicago in the Reader’s Choice Awards by Conde Nast
Traveler.
We were off early to Ottawa, Illinois, in the Starved Rock
area. Brittany, Scott, and Amanda were going skydiving for the first time. I
think I was more nervous than they were!
Six years ago, Scott and I had actually had a discussion
about going skydiving. We never got around to it. It was definitely not
something I’d consider any more, with my back and joint issues.
We arrived at Sky Dive Chicago about a half hour before our
scheduled time.
I accompanied them as they went through the registration
process, which included a weigh-in to make sure they didn’t have to many people
in the plane.
After a short wait, they each met their partners for their
tandem ride. Each were well-trained.
There was a class a didn’t get to attend but was told they
were given instructions on what would happen and safety issues.
When they came back up, I watched them with their partners,
putting on their gear and getting last minute instructions.
There are different groups waiting so there aren’t a bunch
of planes in the air with people jumping all over.
The group for Brittany, Scott, and Amanda was called. They
actually looked pretty calm and I tried to stay that way while I wished them
good luck.
They boarded the plane and I watched them go up in the air. That
part was easy for me as I’ve been a frequent flier since I was a kid.
It was hard to see exactly who was jumping as they weren’t
the only ones in the plane. Once Brittany and Scott came down, I was told
Amanda was next, so I was able to watch and film her landing.
Sky Dive Chicago was generous in not only providing the dives,
but giving us photos and video. This one is from the plane:
For more information and gift certificates, visit the Skydive Chicago website, who provided
the three dives.
It was an experience none of us will forget. I have a
feeling my friends will be back when Skydive Chicago re-opens in 2020.
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