Wine and Spirits Travel

Brittany and I were heading to Chicago for a quick getaway. We had an early morning adventure with the team at Shedd Aquarium so decided to stay over the night before. I had never stayed at the Fairmont Chicago before and was excited when they decided to host me. It is a luxurious hotel in an ideal location, overlooking Millennium Park and Lake Michigan. As someone with allergies, I also loved the idea of their “Pure Room,” which are hypoallergenic, using sanitizing technologies to improve the air quality. Our room was great, and we enjoyed dinner and cocktails at The Bar, the hotel’s lounge. In the morning, we headed to the Kayak Chicago location. It was a beautiful day for a trip on the Chicago River and I was a bit jealous that I was not longer able to do anything like that. I did get to watch and photograph, as Brittany learned about the Kayak for Conservation program through the Shedd Aquarium. This was just introduced in 2018 and is rapidly exp

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

After a big, complimentary breakfast at the Holiday Inn & Suites in Hannibal, Missouri , Brittany, Amanda, and I got ready for a jam-packed day. There was quite a bit to do in the city made famous by Mark Twain , who was known in his hometown under his real name, Samuel Clemens. We had seen some of Mark Twain’s Boyhood Home & Museum the previous day and went back to visit some of the buildings we missed. It was interesting to see Becky Thatcher’s House, the Huckleberry Finn House, and J.M. Clemens Justice of the Peace Office.  Becky and Huck Finn were popular characters in the Mark Twain series , but J.M. Clemens was the actual name of Samuel Clemens father. One of my favorite exhibits within the Boyhood Home buildings was something I’d love for every child to see. It was called “Growing Up to Fast.” Using the examples of Becky, Tom, Huck, and Jim, all growing up in different levels of income, it example

Thank you to my loyal readers for your patience. Health issues have been plaguing me the last few years and I’m only working part time. I’m catching up very slowly. I urge you to forget the dates here (they don’t correspond at this point), and enjoy the stories as I catch up! Subscribe so you don’t miss anything. Just enter your email and you will receive notice every time a new one is up. Marcia