Wine and Spirits Travel

It’s not easy to sleep in a room with three kids, but the rooms at Grand Harbor Resort in Dubuque, Iowa, was a nice size and we were all pretty exhausted from the previous night. In the morning, we stayed at the hotel for breakfast thanks to the Dubuque Convention and Visitor’s Bureau .  They set us up at the  Tony Roma’s  in the hotel and I found out they do breakfast as well as they do ribs. I had the Banana Nut Pancakes and the kids also enjoyed pancakes with chocolate chips, while friend Amy went the low carb way and ordered a loaded omelet. We were all full when we left the restaurant. While Amy and the kids stayed at the waterpark at Grand Harbor Resort , I headed over to check out Betty Jane Candies. When I had mentioned on Twitter that I was heading to Dubuque , I got a few different messages about stopping at Betty Jane’s. I have to say that some of my best places have come from Twitter recommendations so I had to follow up. Walking into Bett

I’ve loved living in the Midwest because I can get to so many different states within a few hours. One of the (very) few things I don’t love about Champaign, though, is the lack of good Italian food.  Coming from Long Island, you could find a pizzeria with great Italian on every corner. I have yet to find one place within two hours of Champaign that I can compare to those. On a recent trip to Dubuque, Iowa , I was happy to discover a new city and a restaurant that makes pasta like my aunts used to. I felt comfortable as soon as I walked into Vinny Vanucchi’s in downtown Dubuque.  The checkered tablecloths and family photos were very welcoming and I knew instantly it was a great family place.  That was what I was looking for as I had brought along my friend Amy, her two kids, and a third child. Amy was driving, but I tried one of their martinis from the cocktail menu. The Chuck Berry was simple and perfect, with vodka and raspberry liqueur. We got a pi