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

I was enjoying my time in the UP of Michigan and it got even better when my friend, Lynn, joined me. We have known each other for 30 years and have done many trips together in the last 10. We woke up at the Alger Falls Motel in Munising and got ready to hit the road. Our final stop was one of my favorite places in the world, Mackinac Island. Along the way, we veered off to a few places that had scenic overlooks. I couldn’t get enough of the beauty of the lake and the landscapes, which includes waterfalls everywhere. We stopped for lunch in Grand Marais, once again overlooking the water. It’s a quaint town, home of the Pickle Barrell Museum, I’d like to visit again someday. From there we drove to Ferry from St. Ignace to take the ferry to Mackinac Island . This was my second trip to the Island I had so greatly loved a few years ago. It’s hard to describe Mackinac Island to someone who hasn’t been, though you can get a good idea by watching the Christopher Reeve movie Somewhere i

It didn’t take me long to feel relaxed and comfortable at the Inn at Bay Harbor, a hotel in the Marriott Bonvoy Autograph Collection.  My suite was perfect, and I had slept well. I was ready to take the relaxation to another level. My day was wide open with the exception of the start of it -- at The Spa. I arrived a few minutes before my appointment for the Ginger Glow treatment.  I changed into my luxurious robe and sat down with a cup of tea in the quiet waiting area. The Ginger Glow is one of the signature offerings at the Inn at Bay Harbor, and I can certainly understand why its so popular. I could easily rename it “Heaven on Earth.” It began with a scrub made of ginger, with a hint of eucalyptus, to get rid of the dead cells on my skin.  After that was rinsed off, I had a full body massaged with a ginger oil and hot stones. The next part was probably my favorite as arthritis always has me seeking warmth: my whole body was wrapped in a warm r

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 en