Wine and Spirits Travel

  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, t

Brittany and I woke up pretty early at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco Chicago .  We had a pretty full day and I didn’t want to overdo. We had breakfast downstairs at Fisk & Co. as we planned our day. Our first outing was to the Christkindlmarkt .  I had never been to one in Chicago before, but had a good time at the Carmel one last year (and really loved the ones in Europe ).  The Christmas Market is a great place to get handmade souvenirs and German treats.  I picked up a few Christmas tree ornaments and warmed with hot chocolate, while bringing home some potato pancakes and a pretzel. I didn’t want to eat anything at the market because we had a brunch plan—and it turned out to be a big one. After a nap, we took an Uber to the restaurant. River Roast   turned out to be an excellent choice for brunch. The location was scenic along the river and there was live jazz music in the background. We put in an order for the freshly baked ci

I was back in Chicago right before the holidays with Brittany and my scooter. We had a few more things to discover before I took some time off for more back surgery.  We checked into the Kimpton Hotel Monaco , which has a perfect location downtown. I had never been to a Kimpton before. It was unfortunate that we didn’t get a chance to take advantage of their wine in the evening.  What we did get to see was one of the best rooms I’ve ever had in Chicago. The one-bedroom suite is reasonably priced (compared to most of the suites in the Windy City) and very big.  I loved the separate bedroom, with large window seats. We were in a corner, so they provided a beautiful view and also had cushions large enough for kids to sleep on. I’d definitely recommend this room as comfortable for a family of four, or even six.  The original plan was to check out some outdoor activities, such as the Lincoln Park Zoo lights or the Christmas tree at Millennium Park. The weather wa