Wine and Spirits Travel

It was a very comfortable night at the Hyatt Centric the Loop in Chicago . We were able to take our time in the morning and I was excited to find out my friend and fellow writer, Kristine Hansen, was in town. We met for breakfast at Cochon Valent Brasserie, just downstairs from the hotel. Their blueberry pancakes were loaded with fruit and as delicious as everything always is there. My Joan picked something up to eat and relaxed in the room. and we met up to head over to the Art Institute of Chicago . I have been to the Art Institute many times. I try to check out all of their special exhibits as well as some of the smaller ones. The exhibition that brought me here this time was Manet and Modern Beauty.  Edouard Manet was a late 19 th century painter known for what was a modern style at the time. He especially flourished when painting women. The collection, the first of its kind in 50 years, was well worth a trip, but we decided to spend some time looking around. I stopped at

No matter how many times I go to Chicago, the minute I see the skyline there is an excitement that runs through my veins. I know I’ll always have a fun time in the Windy City. This trip was for a 24-hour getaway with my friend Joan. We had the perfect mixture of food, activity, and chill time. We started with lunch at Cantina Laredo . It had been years since I had been there and it was even more welcoming than I remembered, with our seats in front of a gas fireplace. The waiter brought us tortilla chips and immediately suggested some of their famous margaritas with the current month’s guacamole. It was as delicious as it sounded, with cotija cheese and tomato, for a combination of sweet and a bit spicy. I sipped one of their fruitful Pineapple Infused Ritas, a mixture of pineapple infused Avion Reposado Tequila and Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur. Joan had the current margarita special, which was Jalapeno. Although we were starting to get full from devouring every bit of the gua

When I planned my trip to Rockford , I heard from quite a few people that I must have breakfast at The Stockholm. I was a bit disappointed when it wasn’t on our (very full) schedule, but a twist of fate brought us there anyway.  The first stop of the day on the Rockford itinerary for Brittany, Amanda, and I was the Anderson Japanese Gardens. We were to have brunch there and then explore.  Since they were also having an event that day, there was no brunch. That opened up our chance to go to The Stockholm. This restaurant is on the Cheap Trick Trail because of the Rick Nielsen connection. He’s a part-owner and full lover of this restaurant.  The menu is huge, reminding me of a New York diner, but Swedish specialties where you would see Greek ones. Due to the breakfast mix-up, we were starving by the time we sat down. I ordered a Swedish Coffee Cake for us to share while we waited.  It was as scrumptious as it looked and certainly whet our appetite for the rest. I alwa

Hannibal, Missouri , turned out to be one of those destinations with endless things to do. Although I’m sure we didn’t hit it all, we did squeeze a lot more into the last day. After a delicious complimentary breakfast at the Holiday Inn Express & Suites , I was still feeling pretty fatigued, so I sent Brittany and Amanda to check out a few places that required walking through. They were mesmerized by Big River Train Town and Karlocks Kars and Pop Culture . Both places had families having fun and plenty of picture moments. There were also lots more photographs for them to take at Rockcliffe Mansion , an American castle that overlooks the Mississippi River. At the turn of the 20 th century, Mark Twain himself spoke from the staircase that covers the three floors of this perfectly decorated historic building. They told me the pictures only showed some of its beauty. We checked out of the Holiday Inn Express & Suites and stoppe

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