Showing posts with label hotel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hotel. Show all posts

Wednesday, February 1, 2023

Heading to the American Queen on the Mississippi


Like most of the world, I haven’t taken any big trips the last few years. Getting on an airplane or a cruise ship has not seemed like a good idea for someone who is immunocompromised. An opportunity came up that made me rethink this.

American Queen Voyages is not your usual cruise line. The majority of their cruises are wholly within the United States (a few stop in Canada). Their ships are all small and they have four riverboats with wide open areas so you are not ever waiting on lines for food or disembarking with thousands of people.

I was offered a cruise that was entirely in the Midwest, so if there were any health issues, I could be home within a few hours drive. I have to confess that it was also nice to not have to worry about tropical storms and rough waters as we would only be on the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers.

The ship I was heading to is the America Queen, christened by godmother Priscilla Presley in 1995, and refurbished 12 years later. It’s the largest of the AQV ships. Despite having only 213 staterooms, it’s considered the biggest steamboat built.

My cruise would take me from Red Wing, Minnesota, to Alton, Illinois, stopping in five different states. I asked my friend, Lynn, to accompany me. She is one of my favorite travel companions, whom I’ve known over 30 years. We have traveled together to four countries and throughout the U.S.


Lynn came to Champaign two days before the trip so we could get ready for our first adventure since before the pandemic. We were driving to St. Louis, leaving my van at the airport, and flying to Minneapolis the next day. We’d then head one way down the Mississippi on the boat.

American Queen Voyages includes an overnight hotel stay the night before the cruise to make sure everyone is there and not feeling rushed.


We were early arriving in St. Louis and decided to stop at a favorite barbecue spot for lunch. Pappy’s Smokehouse. This popular spot has been named “Best BBQ in Missouri” by Southern Living and “Best Ribs in America” by the Food Network. We didn’t have the ribs, but the brisket was as good as I remembered.


T he flight to Minneapolis was short and uneventful. It took us much longer to find the bus to the Radisson Blu Mall of America in nearby Bloomington. I had actually stayed here the last time I was in the area and looking forward to returning.

The hotel was as modern and comfortable as I remembered. Our room had everything we needed, including welcome snacks, but it had been many hours since that brisket sandwich and we were hungry.


Unfortunately, the hotel restaurant, Firelake Grill House,  having some staffing issues and we had a wait. The manager warned us the service that night was overwhelmed, but we found them to be polite and we didn’t wait long.

I knew right away what I wanted to start: Minnesota Wild Rice Soup. I had discovered it on one of my first trips to the state and made it a habit every time since. 

I ordered a large bowl and Firelake’s version was excellent, and it went perfectly with their warm out of the oven popovers — another treat I rarely get. I finished off my meal with tomatoes & burrata, while Lynn had the Mushroom Gnudi.

I also tried the hotel’s own tequila, which was smooth and semi-sweet. It was also all I needed to be ready for bed after a long day. We had another one coming, with a private behind the scenes tour of the Mall of America in the morning, and the beginning of our journey on the America Queen Steamboat in the afternoon.



#Hosted


Friday, October 11, 2019

24 Hour Girls’ Getaway in Chicago, Part 2

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 19th 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 some of my favorite classics, including Edward Hopper’s “Night Hawk” and Georgia O’Keefe’s “Cow’s Skull with Calico Roses.” We also saw a temporary exhibit dedicated to artist Jeanne Spring.

Before we left the museum, we stopped to take a look through the powerful display, “The AIDs Crisis Is Still Beginning.” It included newspaper clippings from around the world, showing the history of the crisis. George Bordowitz, I want to Be Well (after 1977 Ramones song) artist 30 years, spent half of his life with AIDS Professor at University of Chicago. Many pieces were from his own collection.


We checked out of the Hyatt Centric Loop. I wish we had been able to check out the Aire Rooftop Bar, but it had been closed before we got back the night before and hadn’t opened yet when we left. Next time!

We chose a very unusual place for lunch. Pinstripes in Chicago is a welcoming place for families or adults to have a lot of fun at, while enjoying good food. Think Chuck E Cheese for gourmets!

You can start here with the activity, food, or drinks. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the time for the fun, but we did get to watch other people.

Pinstripes has bowling, even offering shoes for rent. There’s also bocce ball.

As for the food, we loved everything we had. The Stuffed Mushrooms were served warm and gooey, just out of the oven, and were stuffed with goat cheese, spinach, and zucchini.

For the main course, the wood fired oven, which is visible to guests, looked to good to pass up and we ordered pizzas.

I had the Eggplant Flatbread, which had pistachio sprinkled on top for extra flavor, and Joan went for the Margherita. We had plenty left to take home.

Joan agreed with the popular opinion that the Strawberry Shortcake, served in a jar, was fantastic.

Pinstripes Chicago has a full bar that includes many local beers, a selection of wine, and handcrafted cocktails. I sipped a Riesling while Joan thought the Limoncello Martini was great.

Thursday, October 3, 2019

24 Hour Girls’ Getaway in Chicago, Part 1


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 guacamole, Joan loved the tamales, which were a bit spicy for me, but the Flautitas were amazing. They went especially well with the Passion Fruit Mojito.


Finally, a basket of warm Churros came out, with chocolate and mango sauces, as the perfect finish to our meal. We washed them down with Cantina Laredo’s house-blend coffee, a must try.


I had arranged for us to spend the night at the HyattCentric Loop in Chicago.  We checked in to our large modern room. I enjoyed the large soaking tub and their soft robes before a nap.

Refreshed for the evening, Joan and I headed to City Winery. I had never been there before and was excited to check out this all-inclusive location (winery, restaurant, and concert hall) that’s perfect for dates night or a girls’ getaway.


I had actually heard about City Winery from the representative of AJ Croce. The son of Jim Croce was performing there that night.

The building itself is large and well-appointed, with unique and modern artwork everywhere. The wine is made right here (the only winery in the city of Chicago) for sale and tasting at this location as well as the riverfront venue.

Equally fantastic is the food at City Winery, led by Chef Mark Mendez. Mendez, who previously worked at Carnivale and Vera, put his twists on some standard favorites that we really enjoyed.

I couldn’t say enough about the burrata and the shells and cheese. Joan, who is more of a steak eater than I, raved about the ribeye which was served with gorgonzola butter.

I was impressed with their selection of wine, which included reds, whites, and my favorite, the Riverwalk Rose.

The AJ Croce show, which was opened by the talented Adam Ezra, had the audience singing and laughing. We sipped wine and vowed to check out this newly discovered venue again soon, but that was it for the first half of our getaway, with ore to come in the morning.

For more on the concert and City Winery, read my story on Beat.  

Monday, July 31, 2017

Easy Cash in Your Bank Account

Honestly, there is no shortage of apps out there to help you earn cash. Some of them have been around for years and, yes, you can get money from them.

The problem is that “earn” is the key word. Most of them make you work hard to get a little money back. There are rebate forms to fill out, receipts to worry about, codes to remember, or cookies to clog up on your computer.  Dosh is different.

While you can definitely get some great deals on shopping, vacations, restaurants, and activities by clicking through on one of the fantastic offers on the Dosh app, you don’t have to work to earn money with this app.

You can receive cash back with Dosh by just living your life, spending money on things you always do.

With Dosh, you simply and safely link your credit and debit cards to the application. Then, every time you use it at a place that works with Dosh, money is automatically deposited in your account! No need to remember which places give you money and which don’t. The Dosh app does it all for you.

After the money accumulates in your Dosh account (you can see how much you’ve made as soon as you log in), you can request to have your easy cash sent right to your bank account or PayPal. There are no hassles, no waiting until the quarter is over, or until a check comes in the mail.

Once you start using Dosh and see the great offers, you’ll probably want to actually look at the app more often. New deals are added all the time. At this moment, for example, you can receive 3% cash at the Gap, 4.5% money back at Nike, and 5.2% of your purchase from Speedo.

It’s also not too late to wear that Speedo bathing suit on your summer vacation. 

Among the Dosh travel deals are hotels in New York City with up to 40% cash back and a Chicago Explorer Pass that offers $4.73 back in your wallet.  Or, how about getting $7.88 cash for taking a Viator VIP tour in Washington, DC. 

We usually come back from vacation facing bills, wouldn’t it be much better to come back and find out you have some surprise cash coming?

Whether or not you are traveling, we all need to eat and shop, so download the free Dosh app and get started receiving your cash back.


This is a sponsored post. 

Friday, August 12, 2016

Road Trip to Memphis

I had been to Memphis, Tennessee, once before for a brief trip. I didn’t get to see much. When I had the opportunity to go back and spend four days, I couldn’t wait.

It’s only about a five-hour drive to Memphis from here.  I left early with my friends Angela, Kylie, and Brittany for jam-packed girls getaway. They hadn’t spent much time in Memphis either and we were all anxious to arrive.

The one thing that became abundantly clear to me when looking at the itinerary is the vast difference between Memphis and Nashville, though the two cities are not that far apart. The difference is in the music that was started: country for Nashville; rock, soul, and blues in Memphis!.

We would be dividing our stay between two hotels and our first was the Madison Hotel.

The Madison Memphis is a beautiful modern hotel that we enjoyed exploring, but the definite highlight for us at the Madison were the elevators. We had fun during the rides checking out all the album covers of great musicians. We found new ones on each ride.

After we settled in and freshened up, we took an Uber (readily available and inexpensive in Memphis) to Celtic Crossing restaurant. It’s an Irish Pub in the Cooper-Young district.

They had live music out on the patio and lots of corned beef (my favorite meat) in various forms.

We started with some delicious cocktails. The Irish Redhead was a mixture of Absolute Vodka, raspberry liqueur and cranberry juice, with a splash of soda. It was very refreshing on a hot night.

My next cocktail was a bit sweeter, though equally good. The Jamison Jewel is made at Celtic Crossing with Jameson Whiskey, Peach Schnapps, Pineapple Juice, and Blue Curacao.

While Angela and I were sipping cocktails, we were also all nibbling on the Corned Beef Bites, a Reuben in the round, coated and fried, and the Irish Nachos.

These were probably the best Irish Nachos I’ve ever had, made with hand-cut fries and topped with melted cheese, corned beef, and tomatoes.

It was more corned beef for most of us for dinner, with Kylie and Angela getting the dinner and me with the Celtic Corned Beef sandwich. Brittany decided on the Salmon and was not disappointed.

The dessert menu at Celtic Crossing was nothing short of spectacular and we could resist ordering a little bit of everything: Slainte Pie, an icebox pie covered in caramel, pecans, and coconut; Dublin Brownstone (the favorite), a fudgy brownie topped with cream cheese ice cream and cherry sauce; and raspberry cheesecake.

After dinner, we headed back to the hotel. We finished the night with a cocktail and great view at the Twilight Sky Terrace at the Madison Hotel. Then it was off to bed. Our second day in Memphis was going to be a full one, complete with museums and Graceland.


Sunday, June 12, 2016

Exploring Goldmoor Inn and the Grant Home

It was the last day in Galena for my friend Courtney and I. We filled the day with more exploration of the lovely inn we were staying in, as well as a look back into history.

We were down to the dining room at The Goldmoor Inn for another delicious breakfast.

Breakfast is part of the stay for all guests and the chef does it right, with a special feast each morning. For our last day, that meant yogurt with peaches, warm scones, and freshly made waffles with blueberries.

The meal was delicious and we walked it off with a tour of the property with Birgit Radin, who owns The Goldmoor with her husband, Slovo.

Within the beautifully manicured 23 acres is a spa, log cabins, two cottages (one English, one French), and walking trails.

The main house, which reminds me of a European castle, has 13 suites, including the Chef’s, where you can have a private meal prepared and enjoy views of both the sunrise and the sunset.

After the tour, we bid our hosts goodbye and headed to Grants Home, a national historic site.

The tour was quite informative. We learned all about Ulysses S. Grant, who was originally from Iowa, lived for a while in Georgetown and West Point, before serving as a General.

Grant then moved to St. Louis for a while before his family requested he move to Galena, Illinois, and help with their fur trade business.

Galena was where General Grant, his wife Julia Dent Grant, and their four children created this beautiful home.

The home is completely recreated, with mostly authentic pieces, to match what the Grants lived in until he was elected President of the United States (1868). 

In fact, the green chair from which he announced he had won the election is in the house, though he did take it with him to the White House during his term.

Cortney and I also learned about the children and Julia Grant, who was the first First Lady to be given that title, and the first President’s wife to have her own press secretary. 

She was involved in her husband’s life, and a friend to Susan B. Anthony.

After the tour, we had lunch at Otto’s Place, a popular spot by the railroad track in Galena.

It was Sunday afternoon and the place was packed with locals. After we tasted the food it was easy to see why. In addition to the “down home” atmosphere, everything was delicious.

I had the quiche with potatoes and their special coffee cake. Cortney went for eggs over easy, potatoes, fruit, and a piece of ham. It was more food than we could possibly finish.

After lunch it was time to depart for home. It had been a wonderful first trip to Galena, a place I will definitely return to. 

Monday, February 29, 2016

Denver Beer and Connecting with Friends

It was day two of my press trip with SpringHill Suites Downtown Denver and Infinite Monkey Theorem Wine.


We had tasted and paired the wine on day one, and now it was time to check out some more food and beer.

Our schedule didn’t start until 9:30 a.m. so we got to sleep in a bit, which was much needed after the late night.





We got started by all meeting for breakfast. The SpringHill Suites offers a nice hot breakfast to begin with, and the chef from the Degree restaurant next door brought us some scones and treats to go with it.


After breakfast, we all piled back into our limousine to hit some of the breweries of Denver in the nearby LoDo and RiNo Art District.

Even though I don’t drink beer, the tours were fun and informative as we went through Wynkoop Brewery, Falling Rock Tap House, and Epic Brewing.

We then went back to the SpringHill Suites to say goodbye. Most of the group was heading home, but I decided to stay another day.




Since I was finished with the press group, I was able to make more plans for my last day in Denver.

The first was with Jesse Davis, Director of Public Relations for the Denver Convention and Visitors Bureau.

We had a nice talk about all the improvements coming to the city, including a train directly from the airport.

After Jesse left, I headed to Avanti Food and Beverage to meet up with Chris Moose Koons, whom I had met during a trip to Colorado. He does marketing for Peach Street Distillers, a favorite artisan distillery of mine.







We had kept in touch over the years and I was glad to hear the company was doing well. We toasted to it with the Peach Street Gin.

He took me around Avanti Food and Beverage, a very interesting concept.

They had all types of food booths as well as a bar, set up with general seating in between. The seating ranged from tables and chairs to couches and loveseats.

Avanti also has a great rooftop with terrific Denver views.
We left together and he dropped me off at Amato’s Ale House.



I’d known my dinner partners for more than half their lives, but hadn’t seen them in a few years and not together in more than five.

Catrina and Christian Thompson, and Christian’s boyfriend Stephen Bass, had all played junior tennis while I was covering it and then later on played for (and graduated from) Notre Dame.

Catrina had ended up back at Notre Dame as an assistant coach while Christian was now the Head Coach of the University of Denver. As luck would have it, Catrina was visiting Denver with her boyfriend Matt the weekend I was there.

I had a glass of wine at the Ale House while I was waiting for my friends. It was so great to see them and catch up. Although most of my writing now is travel and not tennis, I am grateful for the relationships like these I’ve made and kept.

I also have to give a shout out to the Ale House’s Four Cheese Penne.

Christian and Stephen brought me back to the SpringHill Suites.  

I went straight to sleep when I got back. I had an early flight to head home.


The trip ended as good as it began, with my second straight upgrade on American Airlines and looking forward to visiting Denver again sometime soon.