Celebrating Romance is Different This Year

 

Sanctuary at Camelback

I know it’s been a while. I think it’s pretty obvious that I haven’t been doing much traveling. Like everyone else in the world, I’ve mostly been sheltering in place.

I did manage to get in two short, socially distant trips over the past six months that I will be posting soon. In the meantime, I thought I’d do a roundup of some ideas for those looking to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Romance deserves more than one day a year. February is the month that you’ll see most of the deals for it. That’s not different in this crazy time. What is different is the options to do things from a distance – if you’d like.

Here are some ideas from places I have been to and enjoyed.

Stay healthy. Wear your masks. I hope we’ll all be hitting the road in the near future.

Marcia Frost

Heart-Shaped Chocolate Cake? Of course!

The chocolate cake at Portillo’s is one of my favorites ever. In honor of Valentine’s Day,, they always have a heart-shaped one available. This year, they are partnering with No Kid Hungry to donate $5 for every cake sold.

If you are in Illinois, you can pick up a cake at Portillo’s or have it delivered from one of your local services (i.e. Grubhub, Door Dash). You can also order from their website to be shipped anywhere in the country.

Free Concerts

Nickelback at Ravinia

Ravinia Festival is normally three months of concerts in a relaxing Chicagoland atmosphere. Like many other events, they’ve had to adapt die to the pandemic.

Chicagoland’s loss is the world’s gain as Ravinia Festival is broadcasting a concert series on WFMT.com. The shows will continue through March 11^th, on Thursday nights.

 

Don’t forget the donuts

Stan’s Donuts always gets creative with flavors for holidays and Valentine’s Day is mo different. My mouth is watering just thinking About how good their Peanut Butter Pocket is!

For February,  they are offering Beignet, Birthday Cake, and Lemon Pistachio. You can also order Stan’s Donuts for nationwide shipping through their website.

 

 

We Love Friends

On my last trip before Covid-19 hit the U.S, I was in Chicago. One of the things we did was to visit the Friends anniversary celebration at the AT&T store. It was a fun experience for any fan of the show, and we are.

The Friends Experience is coming back to Chicago, as well as New York. It will once again include displays with actual pieces from the sets, as well as interact opportunities. Visit the website for details.

A Romantic Inn

If you are ready to get away, Hotel Saugatuck in Michigan is a great place for romance. My stay was too short, but long enough to enjoy the spacious suite with jacuzzi, homemade dessert brought to our room in the evening, and delicious breakfast delivered in the morning.

If you are looking for the ultimate romantic getaway, check out the Hotel Saugatuck Proposal Package. It’s available through March 31^st. They have rooms at the inn as well as cottages. 

Head to Titletown

Lodge Kohler Lobby

Green Bay, Wisconsin, is not only home to the Packers, it’s the location of Titletown, an outdoor complex of fun. From ice skating to tubing (free February 18^th), you can bring your children or relive your childhood.

You can stay right there at Lodge Kohler, which has a full-service spa and  full-service spa and two great restaurants, Taverne in the Sky with its farm to table food and great views,  and the Leaps and Bounds Café (try the popovers).

 

Something Warmer

I’ve been to Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain in Arizona twice. The scenery is stunning and the spa is filled with unique and rejuvenating procedures. The resort also offers plenty of private casitas so you can easily socially distance.

With the warmer weather you can also find your own space at the pool, on the tennis court, or hiking. Check out all the specials they arecurrently running. 

Lodge Kohler Spa and Titletown Tour in Greenbay

My first trip to Titletown in Green Bay, Wisconsin, was winding down, but we still had a few things left to check out on the final day.

Rich and I had enjoyed breakfast at Lodge Kohler's Leaps & Bounds Café the day before and decided to go down and see what else we could try on the menu.

The thing I like most about Leaps & Bounds was that there were quite a few things that you rarely find on menus, certainly not on the menu of a hotel coffee shop.

For our Sunday morning, I chose the West Coast Wrap, with egg whites, avocado, spinach, tomato, inside a whole-grain wrap spread with a light herb cream cheese. It was delicious.

Rich had the Breakfast Sandwich. It has scrambled eggs, cheddar and arugula, with a bratwurst patty on a toasted English muffin, a combination he enjoyed.

We shared an order of the Classic Beignets, which had an unusual twist: they were served with a spiced chocolate sauce and an apricot-ginger jam. 

I thought both went very well against the sweetness of the powdered sugar beignet.

After I finished my latte, it was time to return to the Spa at Lodge Kohler.

This spa is the only co-ed spa I have been to in the Midwest. While it’s not unusual to have relaxation rooms that are co-ed, Kohler offers much more for you to share.

The water experience at Lodge Kohler, included with your services or available for a slight cost on its own, includes a very large hot tub that has a walkway to massage you, a cold plunge pool, a steam room, and a sauna.

Once we were warm and relaxed, it was time to bundle up and head out to check out Titletown.

From many of the windows in the hotel, we could see the tubing slide, but in front of it we could actually hear the shouts of joy as people came down in their inner tubes.

We also went by the rink, where everyone was having fun ice skating. 

(I was a bit jealous, ice skating used to be one of my favorite past times before ankle problems.)

Carol Kedzior of Titletown met as for lunch at 46 Below to tell us more about the plans for the future of Titletown in Green Bay.

The area will have more fun activities, such as outdoor concerts and movies in the spring, summer, and fall. They will also be building condos here.

While there we had an amazing Tomato Bisque with grilled cheese croutons and a grilled cheese sandwich. (Rich had the ham sandwich, but I don’t think there can ever be too much grilled cheese!)

I could have definitely stayed at Titletown longer, but it was time to head to the airport.  

I had no idea that my flight would get cancelled, but it worked out. (Thanks, Dosh, for making it easy, while saving money).

I’m looking forward to returning to Green Bay and seeing the beach side in the warmer months.

Check for the best prices at Lodge Kohler now at TripAdvisor. 


Start the story with Day One in Green Bay. 

Home of the Legendary Green Bay Packers

My introduction to Titletown was a good one (especially the spa treatment at Lodge Kohler) and I was ready to enjoy day two with my friend, Rich.

We started with breakfast at the hotel’s Leaps and Bounds cafe. It’s far from a hotel coffee shop and has a very unique menu.

Everything sounded great, but I had to go for the eggs with popovers. It reminded me of a restaurant I worked at while in high school, called 1890 Dining Car. They were known for their popovers and I haven’t had very many since.

They were as eggy, light, and scrumptious as I remembered. Rich shared them and also had a frittata with sausage and mushrooms.

After breakfast, we took advantage of the free, local car service Lodge Kohler offers to go to the other side of Lambeau Field, where our tour of the stadium was to begin.

The Green Bay Packers offer many levels of the Lambeau Field Tours. If you have the time (2-3 hours), take the Legendary Tour we did. It includes some extras, and entrance into the Hall of Fame.

Our tour was led by two men who knew everything there was to know about the Packers and the stadium. Our group of about two dozen was in good hands.

It started with some basic information about the team, which I confess I did not know (I don’t follow much NFL):

 “The tiny town of Green Bay, Wisconsin, 104,000 citizens strong, has their own professional football game… The little town that could. Thirteen National Titles…”

We then walked to just about every major spot in the stadium. We saw the suites and many photos from the start of the team.

We also went into the Champions Club and took a look at memorabilia, including Super Bowl rings the Green Bay Packers have earned.

It was also fun to be able to see the stadium from many angles from the top, including from the press room.

Since the season was just over, we were able to go into the Visiting Team Locker Room and walk through the tunnel and on to the field.

After the tour, we headed into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame.

This museum has even more memorabilia and a detailed history about the team, and its most famous members, including Coach Vince Lombardi and Brett Favre.

We then went back to Lodge Kohler to crash for a while before dinner at the hotel’s Taverne in the Sky Restaurant.

During season, it’s a great place to watch the game (and even see the flyovers since the hotel is so close).

When there aren’t games, you’ll still find a great atmosphere, and the bar area frequently has live music on the weekends.

We sat in the main dining room for a dinner by candlelight, overlook Lambeau Field (how often can you say that?).

The waitress recommended some of the specialties, and we started with the Artichoke Fritters, which were delicious.

We both next enjoyed a cup of the chicken wild rice soup before our entrees came.

I had ordered the house specialty, rotisserie chicken, which probably wasn’t the best choice for me, as I prefer something with a sauce.

It was tender, but a little dry for me. I really loved the potatoes and vegetables accompanying it.

Rich was thrilled with his Poached Sturgeon, another house specialty.

We were pretty full, but, of course, couldn’t pass up dessert once we saw the menu.

We didn’t indulge in the milkshakes, which could include an addition of the Kohler Dark Chocolate Brandy.

We shared the Triple Chocolate Cake, topped with three of my favorite words, “Dark Chocolate Ganache.”

Equally satisfying was the Vanilla Bean Cheesecake, covered in a Door County cherry compote.

It was the perfect day, learning about Green Bay and there was one more to come in Titletown.


Continue the story with Day Three in Green Bay. 

Discovering Green Bay, Wisconsin

I am not a big football fan, so it seemed odd to many that I would be so anxious to explore the Packers’ Titletown, but when I had the opportunity to spend the weekend checking out this new section of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and stay at a new Kohler hotel, I was ready, willing, and able.

Titletown just opened last summer and will continue to add venues, all directly across the street from Lambeau Field. The idea is to give visitors something beyond the game to enjoy when coming to this area of town.

I took an early morning flight to Green Bay and arrived just three hours later, even with my plane change in Chicago.

My first stop was my home for the weekend and the anchor of Titletown: AAA Four Diamond Lodge Kohler.

I’ve stayed at The American Club at Kohler, Wisconsin, so I knew how luxurious this brand was, but I wasn’t quite sure until I arrived how they fit that in the football phenomenon of the Green Bay Packers.

Since my friend, Rich, wasn’t joining me wasn’t arriving until evening, I had plenty of time to find out.

I checked into my Lambeau Suite.

It was everything I expected from Kohler – spacious, well-appointed, and with a spectacular shower system.

It was also directly overlooking the famous stadium.

After freshening up, I went downstairs for a tour of the property.

I saw how they incorporated the team across the street, through color combinations, official photographs, and even memorabilia from the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in the lobby.

From the lobby you can also access a patio, where tailgating for hotel guests is encouraged on game day.

This is true throughout the hotel, including at the bar of Taverne in the Sky Restaurant, and in the larger suites, which have impressive patios overlooking Lambeau Field, which even include barbecues.

I also had a quick look at the spa I would be going to later in the day, as well as the fitness center, indoor pool, and restaurant spaces.

After the tour, I walked right next door to Hinterland Brewery, also part of Titletown.

While this brewery is not new to the area, this Titletown location includes both an expanded brewery and a farm-to-table restaurant.

The menu was tough to choose from, but I made the right decision in the Luna Stout BBQ Pork, which was flavorful and tender.

It came with a tasty kale-apple slaw and house made potato chips.

I didn’t finish the large portion because I had glanced and the dessert menu and knew I had to try something there.

I was again faced with a tough decision, I took the waitress’s recommendation and ordered the Luna Stout Peanut Butter Brownie, served with sea salt caramel ice cream.

It too was a big portion and I put half the brownie aside to take back to the hotel.

Before I left Hinterland, I took a tour of their impressive brewery. It’s quite a setup, with computerized equipment and a state-of-the-art tap system.

I saw where the beer is kegged, canned, and bottled, and some of it even barreled. (Tours are available to the public on Saturdays.)

When I arrived back to the hotel it was time for my spa treatment.

I had chosen Lavender Rain, one of the signature treatments of Lodge Kohler Spa.

It started with a lavender scrub, followed by a Vichy shower, then a scalp and facial massage, and, finally, a body oil rub.

After the treatment, I was also treated to a pedicure, before I went into the Deep Relaxation Room to rest while my toes dried.

I felt heavenly when I got back to the room and it was good that I had some time to rest before dinner.

Lodge Kohler provides complimentary local transportation, so we had them take us to the other side of Lambeau Field, where we were having dinner at 1919 Kitchen & Tap on this blustery evening.

This oversized sports bar has an impressive menu and I again asked for the server’s advice, although we knew we wanted to start with the Parmesan-Breaded Cheese Curds, which came with a buttermilk parsley dressing.

Those were fantastic, as was my Hickory Smoked Ribs, which came with beans, cornbread, coleslaw, and mac and cheese, none of which I could finish.

Rich loved the 1919 Steak Plate, choosing the center cut sirloin, with potatoes, beans, and a Chevre cheese butter.

Of course, we couldn’t leave without dessert, and decided to share two: Brandy Cheesecake and Apple Crisp. The cheesecake was good, but very sweet.

The Apple Crisp was just fantastic, with a cheese streusel and pumpkin ice cream, covered in a pumpkin caramel sauce.

After dinner we headed back to Lodge Kohler. We had much more ahead in our Titletown weekend.


Continue the story with Day Two in Green Bay.