Four Seasons Spa Chicago

On March 13, 2017 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Illinois, US Travel2 Comments

Last year, my dear friend Amber and I started a tradition of enjoying a spa day in the bleak winter months. This year, it took a little extra planning but we finally made it happen. We found a great Groupon for a massage and exfoliation at the Four Seasons Spa in Chicago that we couldn’t pass up, so that’s where we ended up this past Thursday evening.

We met after work and ran into some bad rush hour traffic, which means we didn’t have a ton of time to relax prior to our massages. However, as soon as we walked off the elevator into the spa, we were instantly calm. We rushed into our cozy robes and slippers and quickly utilized the steam room and showers. The locker rooms, as you’d expect from a five-star hotel, had every amenity we could possibly need.

After only a few minutes in their small but peaceful relaxation lounge, my massage therapist, Leslee, picked me up for the massage. After a quick consultation, I chose the lavender oil (please, help me relax!!) and the massage began. My wonderful massage therapist sought out every knot in my back and worked them out. I felt like a new woman afterwards.

I met Amber back in the relaxation lounge, where we sipped the fruit infused water and melted into the couches. Once we could finally move again, we made our way to the locker rooms to change and then on to the pool area. Let me just say, the pool at the Four Seasons is absolutely gorgeous.

There’s a large hot tub nestled into one end of the pool, lounge chairs all around the perimeter, and a view of Michigan Avenue through the windows. The pool area was mostly empty, save for a family of three and us. It was a beautiful setting to sit and catch up. We wanted to order dinner by the pool and were provided with the “Spa Menu”, which included much healthier options than the cheeseburgers we were craving.

Even though we were forced to eat healthier than we wanted, we were still happy to be able to eat poolside. The food was just alright, the setting made the dinner much more enjoyable. We ended the evening after polishing off our meals, and wandering serenely back through the hotel lobby. It was a perfect spa night, and a great antidote to a long week of work.

How do you treat yourself? Have you ever been to the Four Seasons Spa?

Cindy's Rooftop Bar, Chicago Athletic Association, RebeccaWanderlusting

Girls’ Weekend at The Chicago Athletic Association

On February 27, 2017 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Chicago, Illinois, Uncategorized, US Travel5 Comments

This past weekend, a group of friends and I enjoyed a marvelous staycation at the historic Chicago Athletic Association. We, Jennifer, Jessica, Adrienne and I, were there to celebrate our beautiful friend, Sarah’s birthday with her. I have to say, it was by far one of the best hotel experiences I’ve had in a long time. I checked in first, as the room was under my name, and as soon I walked in I was lost.

The building is full of nooks and crannies and staircases leading to somewhere you’re not quite sure you’re supposed to be. I had to ask where the check in desk was, because it was not immediately apparent to me, at the information desk on the first floor, which also housed a Shake Shack, a gift shop through a labyrinth of hallways and a long, long line up to the famed Cindy’s Rooftop (more on that later).

Upon check-in, I received five tokens (one for each of us) for champagne in one of the six restaurants/bars at the Chicago Athletic Association, the Cherry Circle Room. After I got lost once again trying to find the elevators up to the guest rooms, I dropped off my bags in our double-bedded room and went back downstairs to get take some photos of the beautiful property.

Lo and behold, I was lost again and ran smack dab into one of my roommates for the evening, Adrienne. Gleefully, we made our way back up to the room together to set up for an evening of champagne and relaxation in our Wes Anderson meets your hip rich uncle’s spare bedroom room. We had snacks and booze and spa supplies and cards, all of which make for a perfect evening.

However, we did not get to much of what we planned in the room, as the Athletic Association had other plans for us. Once everyone had arrived, we left the room to get our free champagne and plan our evening in the Cherry Circle Room, which is adjacent to the Game Room, a bar with bocce ball and foosball and shuffleboard, on the second floor.

The Cherry Circle Room was fully committed for the evening which was fair, seeing how it was a beautiful, wood-paneled dream of a restaurant. They accommodated us in the small lounge just outside it’s doors, where they served us champagne in pretty flutes. We sipped and schemed; all of us agreed that we needed to see their ballroom before we did anything else.

After finishing the gratis bubbly, we took the elevator to the eighth floor and barged in on the set up of the evening’s event. As the staff graciously guided us back towards the elevator, we snuck peaks of the beautiful White City Ballroom. The gentleman who was ushering us good-naturedly back to approved areas overheard us talking about going up to Cindy’s and stopped what he was doing to personally escort us up via the back elevator, effectively saving us a good thirty minutes waiting in line on the ground floor.

That was the start of our good luck. Once in the bar, we ran into one of my old friends from work and the rest is a haze of champagne and charcuterie. We took the requisite photos on the terrace and marveled over the view from the top. We sipped champagne and cocktails and got a light dinner to share. It was amazing, and it was said more than once how unbelievable the service and libations were.

After having more than our fair share of expertly mixed cocktails, we made our way back to the room to continue the evening. After face masks (by Crude), nail polish, more champagne, Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates, and drunk snacks, we all fell asleep in our cozy hotel robes.

The next morning, we awoke early to headaches and the need to see the sunrise from the ballroom we only got a small glimpse of the night before. The trip was a secret mission through the employee entrance but it was successful. The pink sky from the east facing windows was too pretty for words; it shined over the glass front buildings and the bean, with the turquoise lake in the background.

The ballroom was just stunning; a perfect mix of modern touches and classic architecture. We also peeped into the Madison Ballroom, which featured city views and grand chandeliers. When we got back to the room, we fell back asleep for a morning nap, then took turns enjoying the luxurious shower.

After pampering just a little bit more, we worked our way down to the Milk Room for a satisfying breakfast of toast, bacon, and the best hash brown cakes I’ve ever had. They were crispy on the outside and creamy with sliced green onions on the inside. The Milk Room was located in the hotel lobby, and was a warm collection of wood, mismatched chairs and colorful pillows.

The food, along with the restaurant’s amazing coffee, brought us back to life enough to pack up he room and check out. I think we all needed this weekend, it was perfectly restorative and fun and we enjoyed every minute of it.

Have you stayed at the Chicago Athletic Association? Which restaurant was your favorite?

Neighborhood Spotlight: Chinatown

On January 17, 2017 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Chicago, Illinois, Uncategorized, US Travel1 Comment

This past weekend, Mike and I hitched a ride over to Chinatown to get a little color in this dreary Chicago January. We took an Uber there, but it is also easily accessible by the Red Line Cermak-Chinatown stop. Both of us hadn’t visited this area since college, so it’s been quite a few years.

Though the sky was cloudy, it wasn’t too cold out and there were plenty of other people milling about, so we were in good company. We walked down towards the main drag and under the telltale red and green gate. The street beyond it is lined with shops and restaurants, bakeries and grocery stores.

Some of the shops had already started decorating for Chinese New Year which is in a couple of weeks; the red lanterns were in bright contrast to the grey sky. We popped into a few stores, especially liking the candy stores. When I was in Shanghai a few years ago, I fell in love with a taffy like candy called White Rabbit, which they had in abundance in each of the stores. Also in abundance was all kinds of seafood and vegetables in each of the grocery stores we passed.

We also visited Chiu Quon, a bakery and dim sum joint, for a couple of fried red bean paste cakes. The bakery had lots of other sweet treats, including moon cakes and fortune cookies by the bag, and of course a wide selection of dim sum and dumplings.

We also visited the Buddhism Friendship Association, which has beautiful statues inside and a gift shop with jade jewelry and prayer beads and Buddha statues. When we were passing through, they were starting to put out food on a long table in the middle of the temple, so, not wanting to disturb them, we moved on.

We decided to go to the Phoenix Restaurant for dim sum, and wound up having to wait thirty minutes for a table. The waiting area was crowded with people, and more kept coming through to put their name in for a table, which we took as a good sign. The food was worth well worth the wait though, and we ordered plenty. As soon as we sat down, we were served a delicious green tea and presented with a large menu complete with pictures.

We ordered the xiao long bao, barbeque pork buns and turnovers, fried rice, shrimp and chive dumplings, spring rolls and red bean dumplings. They brought the food out a few dishes at a time, serving them with a chili sauce and another reduced soy sauce. The women pushing the carts full of food presented the dishes with a flourish and crossed each item off our receipt as they came. I loved the xiao long baos and the steamed barbecue pork buns.

After eating far too much, we walked around to work off the dumplings. Across the street from the restaurant is a beautiful square flanked by foo dogs and filled with Chinese zodiac statues. Many people were lined up to take photos with the rooster statue, as this coming Chinese New Year celebrates the year of the rooster.

The sidewalk just past the square was lined with yet more restaurants and stores (especially candy stores!), and we wandered through admiring the sights and smells. A lot of the storefronts on the top level were closed down, but the ground floor was still bustling. Once we got our fill, we walked back to the red line, first stopping to take pictures of the amazing street art just outside of it. All in all, it was a wonderful afternoon, and I’m so happy that we got the chance to explore a different neighborhood in our city.

Have you been to your nearest Chinatown? How about Chinatown Chicago?

Luminaria at Lamberson Guest House, Galena, RebeccaWanderlusting

A Weekend in Galena – Part 2

On December 18, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Illinois, US Travel4 Comments

Our first full day in Galena was jam-packed with activities, all leading up to the Night of the Luminaria. We met Rose, of Visit Galena, and the last additions to our group, Max and Natalie, that morning at the Lamberson Guest House before Rose drove us all to Victory Cafe for breakfast. It was a perfectly cozy, small-town diner kind of place, with things like plate-sized pancakes and biscuits and gravy (my favorite) on the menu.

We all sat at a large round table in the window, having at least three different conversations at once at any given time. Though we were still all strangers, it felt comfortable to be sitting at a diner sharing a meal. After breakfast, we piled back into the van and took tours of both the Chestnut Mountain Resort and the Eagle Ridge Resort, which were both bustling due to the snow.

Both properties were gorgeous and catered to their own kind of clientele; Chestnut Mountain being more of a ski resort and Eagle ridge speaking more to the golf/spa/luxury crowd. In the summer, Chestnut Mountain has a unique zip line experience that I would absolutely love to come back and try.

After the resort tours, we moved on to Galena Cellars for a tour and a tasting. Our tour guide was a feisty, knowledgeable woman, who, once we were about to go outside, casually threw on a fur coat the size of a small car. She walked us through the vineyard, despite the snow and empty vines, and gave us some history on the winery and it’s owners.

We also got to see where the wine is fermented and barreled, and the bottling room. Once we were back inside the tasting room/store, she taught us her 5 S’s of wine tasting: see, swirl, sniff, sip and slurp. We were tasting their Seyval Blanc, which I would be happy to take more than one sip of!

From the winery, we moved on to lunch at Fried Green Tomatoes, an Italian Restaurant, which was in a building that used to house Ulysses S. Grant’s family’s leather shop. They sat us at a table in the middle of their main dining room, beneath a beautiful chandelier.

We could see the snow really starting to come down outside, making the street, in all it’s holiday cheer, look like scene from a postcard. They started us out with some wine and bread with olive oil and I knew we were in the right place. Mike and I shared the prime rib wrap and the Tuscan Mac and Cheese, and both options were fantastic.

After lunch, we had a few hours to ourselves before the Night of the Luminaria began. We browsed through the other half of the Helluva Half Mile, stopping into most of the shops and doing some Christmas shopping. On this side of Main Street, the stores we liked the most were Peace of the Past North, Stamp and Ink, and the Galena Garlic Company.

We ran back up to the Lamberson Guest House to drop off our bags, and ended up falling asleep for an hour which caused us to miss wine and cheese hour this time, much to my disappointment. We rushed out to see the living windows displays and all the candles, which lit up the town.

There were candles in their white bags lining every surface in town, and that coupled with the snow made everything look so beautiful. We walked across the pedestrian bridge to Grant Park to admire the statues and canons in the candlelight.

The park was a perfect winter wonderland with a beautiful view of downtown across the river. We walked back to Main Street and met the group at the DeSoto House, first for a drink in their Green Street Tavern and then for dinner downstairs in the General’s Restaurant.

Desoto House was built in 1855 and is the state’s oldest operating hotel. The restaurant was downstairs from the lobby and through an open courtyard with a beautiful Christmas tree in the center. In the restaurant, we sat down to order, starting with a couple bottles of wine for the table. I ordered the scallops for dinner, and they were so good that I forgot to take a picture until I was about half way through (whoops!).

Everything was cooked so perfectly and it was so good. I’m pretty sure everyone in the group was a member of the clean plate club, despite all the other meals we had that day. Everyone was in good spirits and talking animatedly. This was my first trip of this kind, and I am very grateful that I was enjoying it with such a fun group. After dinner, the group dispersed, with most of them heading back to Lamberson, and Mike and I going out to a bar called Gobbie’s for karaoke.

The heavy snow made it a slow night at the bar, but the karaoke was still going, and it was quite the sight to behold. The drinks there were good and decently priced. Rose met us for a drink before heading back home, and it was really nice to get to know her better, especially because we are both apart of the Bey Hive. After our drinks, we headed back to our respective homes (or temporary homes).

The Lamberson Guest House has a good library of DVDs to borrow, so Mike and I headed up to our room for some Captain American and a game of rummy and called it a night. The next morning, we awoke to the sounds of breakfast being made and came downstairs to find that our hosts had made us a three course meal for breakfast. From scratch. The menu included, a homemade gingerbread muffin with whipped cream cheese butter, a fruit salad with lemon poppy seed dressing (atop which sat a kiwi in the shape of a pine tree), and an omelet torte (which I was assured there was only eggs in the bottom and I could eat the top of).

The food was so good, and Brian and Michelle were very attentive while serving it. I was so tempted to stuff a few of those delicious muffins in my purse and run. I need to get the recipe. I don’t know how Michelle had time to prepare such a feast, but I hope she knows that it was the best breakfast we’ve had in a while! After we finished, Chris from Visit Galena showed up and had to roll us out to the van, one by one.

We drove over to the Ulysses S. Grant House for a tour. It was still snowing, and the big brick house looked so pretty. The inside of the house is filled with items that once belonged to the former president, or were replicas of things he had once owned. Our tour guide was sweet and had her presentation down to a science.

My favorite part of the house was the carpet/wallpaper combo, and the statue of Julia Dent Grant out front. Mike and I ran through the deepening snow to take pictures of it, and consequently, got the best view of Galena from where she stands.

After the tour, we decided to head back to Chicago because of the weather. We made the very snowy drive home at a snail’s pace, giving us more time to gush over our time in Galena. Who knew that this little city just three hour’s drive from Chicago would make for such an amazing trip.

Thank you to Visit Galena and the Lamberson Guest House for giving us such a wonderful, relaxing weekend!!

A Weekend in Galena, Illinois, RebeccaWanderlusting

A Weekend in Galena – Part 1

On December 17, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Illinois, US Travel2 Comments

The drive to Galena is relatively short, three hours, and pretty typical up until about the last half hour or so. That’s when the road (route 20) starts curving up and down the hills that make this part of Illinois unique. We had been this exact same way before, on our way to Dubuque, which is just across the Mississippi from Galena, so we knew what to expect. Even so, the view still amazed us.

Our accommodation for the weekend was the Lamberson Guest House, which was perched at the top of a hill in the historic district, overlooking the city. We were invited to stay as their very first guests with a group of other travel writers from around the Midwest. The house was beautifully renovated and is run by a wonderful couple, Brian and Michelle.

The B&B has four suites, each with its own color scheme and décor. We had the Mary Room, at the top back corner. It was a cute, private nook with its own walk-in closet and bathroom. Our hosts graciously gave us a tour of the house, and we loved all the thoughtful touches throughout. I especially loved the homemade shower bombs (lavender scented, and later when Michelle found out I was getting sick, eucalyptus) and makeup remover wipes in the bathroom.

We wanted to go out and explore, so they gave us a brief explanation of the layout of Main Street and reminded us to be back at 5pm for wine and cheese hour. The guest house is in a perfect location because downtown is literally just down the stairs from where the house is, the catch is that there are 220 stairs to go down.

The “Helluva Half Mile” is chockfull of cute boutiques, antique stores and restaurants. We decided to explore the south half of the half mile, saving the other half for the next day. We popped in and out of the cute stores, admiring the window displays and Christmas decorations along the way.

One of our first stops was to pick up some delicious coffee to go from Kaladi’s Coffee Bar to keep us caffeinated while we shopped. We particularly liked the Celebrity Hat Shop, Gustafson & Grey (for their beautiful antique jewelry), and Peace of the Past antique store (for their stacks and stacks of used books). What was so great about this main drag was that each of the stores were so unique, which was a fun departure from the strings of chain stores on other main streets we’ve explored.

After a while of wandering, we headed back up the stairs to the guest house to freshen up for dinner. We came down from our room for wine and cheese at 5pm on the dot and found a beautiful spread of cheese, crackers and dip. Brian and Michelle served us glasses of wine and we met another couple in our group, Denny and Tracy.

Soon after meeting them, we knew we would be in good company for the duration of our trip. As we chatted and enjoyed the cheese, our guide for the evening, Chris (the CEO of Visit Galena) joined us for introductions and then ushered us into a huge Mercedes van to head to dinner. Our destination was the Log Cabin Steakhouse back on Main Street, a Galena staple and the oldest operating restaurant in the city.

The restaurant had supper club vibes with dim lighting and wood paneling on the walls; I felt right at home. Log Cabin is a Greek steakhouse, so of course we started out with saganaki (and onion rings), which came to the table in a blaze of glory. It was delicious.

While we were deliberating over the menu, two more joined our group, Michelle (different from the B&B owner) and her husband, Robert; they blended into our conversation seamlessly. Our meals came with soup or salad and a “relish tray”, which consisted of fresh vegetables and homemade beer cheese that was amazing. Though Chris had warned us that the steaks were huge, it was still a shock to have a plate-sized T-bone placed in front of me.

The food was so good and so filling. After we finished, we all just had to sit for a minute. Once we could move without groans of pain, most of the group went back to the guest house, and Mike and I headed to Miss Kitty’s Grape Escape. This wine bar is located just down the street from the steakhouse, which can be said about almost every other place on the half mile, making it easy to navigate. The bar was so cozy, especially with all the Christmas decorations. There was live music provided by the Aaron Kelly Band.

The music was great! During their break, Mike and I went to say hello to the band and found out that he and the lead singer have some friends in common. Small world, huh? We continued our little bar crawl at the Galena Brewing Company, and had a beer at the bar. There was more live music here, a gentleman with a twelve-string guitar. The beer was fantastic.

I had the Miner’s Treasure, their Amber Ale, and we liked it so much that we got a small growler of it to bring back to the B&B. The bar was very laid back, with friendly bartenders and a jovial crowd. It was a nice place to end the night. I will say, climbing back up those stairs after a huge steak and a couple of drinks is no small feat. We made it to the top and collapsed into bed, looking forward to another great day.

To be continued…

Mystic Blue Cruises, Chicago, RebeccaWanderlusting

Boats & Blogs

On August 19, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Illinois, US Travel1 Comment

This past Tuesday, I was lucky enough to take part in a Lake Michigan Cruise with Mystic Blue Cruises. This event, which was put on by The Windy City Blogger Collective, was attended by some amazing Chicago Bloggers. I was so happy to take part in it for a multitude of reasons, but the top two reasons were: 1.) I was able to chit chat and network with some bloggers I admire, and 2.) this was one of the items on my 26 in 26 list (and I gleefully check marked it as soon as I got home).

I rushed to Navy Pier after work, afraid I was going to quite literally miss the boat, but I just made it. The boat departed at 6:30pm, pulling away from the pier and headed out into the lake. It was an absolutely gorgeous evening, a gracious departure from the gloomy clouds that hung over the city in the morning.

The wonderful Mystic Blue staff provided us with delicious snacks and libations, which were enjoyed on the upper deck of the massive boat. The cruise moved south first, towards the Museum Campus. We cruised along, unhurriedly, parallel to the skyline.

As we moved, the sun set behind the buildings, and the sky changed colors in a slow, beautiful transition. Once we reached the area around the Museum Campus, the Mystic Blue boat turned around and headed back the way we came.

The views were stunning, and, being the bloggers that we are, every single person on the boat had their cameras and phones trained towards the skyline or out towards the lake.

Once we passed Navy Pier on our way towards North Avenue Beach, the sun had almost fully set. The group was enjoying the snacks and drinks, playing giant jenga and mingling.

As we made our final turnaround to return to Navy Pier, it was full dark and the city lights were on and welcoming. We returned to the pier and went on our own ways. It was a wonderful event and such a beautiful evening. Thank you to Mystic Blue Cruises and Windy City Blog Collective for hosting!

If you’re interested in booking this cruise, head to Mystic Blue Cruises’ Website.

Have you ever been on a Lake Michigan cruise? Which one did you choose?

Chicago Bucket List

On August 13, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Illinois, US Travel6 Comments

I have lived in Chicago for eight years now and have experienced a good chunk of the city. However, one of the best things about this city is that there is always something new to find. Whether it’s a neighborhood I’ve never visited, an undiscovered gem of a restaurant, a park, a shop, or a bar, there are always new things to enjoy. There are also a good number of popular attractions in Chicago that I’ve known about for years but have yet to try. For example, I’ve never been to the top of the Sears Tower (yes, I’m one of those people who refuse to call it Willis Tower), I’ve never been ice skating in Millennium Park, I’ve never been to the Green Mill, and I’ve never done the Architectural Boat Tour, which is something I have always wanted to do, but just haven’t made the time for.

It is crazy to think that a travel blogger living in such an amazing and entertaining city has not experienced some of its biggest attractions; especially when said blogger is such a big supporter of exploring one’s own city. It’s that very thought that drove me to create a list of Chicago Attractions that it is high time for me to check out. So, without further ado, here is my Chicago Bucket List:

Adler After Dark – I have always wanted to go to this! It’s every third Thursday evening at the Adler Planetarium and includes full access to the planetarium, alcoholic beverages and live entertainment. One of these nights Mike and I will make a date night out of it.
Sears Tower Sky Deck – This is a Chicago tourism staple and I have no idea why I haven’t done it yet. The view from the top looks amazing and certainly worth conquering my fear of heights for.
Kayak the Chicago River – I love kayaking and the Chicago River is lined with some of the most beautiful architecture in the world. It’s a perfect pairing. Urban Kayak offers tours and rentals if group activities aren’t your thing.
Wrigley Roof Top Experience – Go Cubs! I’ve been to plenty of games at Wrigley Field but have never experienced it from one of the rooftops in Wrigleyville. The packages usually include all you can eat and drink, which sounds pretty good to me!
Logan Square Farmer’s Market – This lovely Farmer’s Market runs from every Sunday from May until October (the indoor market runs in the winter months) and includes many local vendors and Midwest Farmers.
Chicago Food Tour – Chicago is such an amazing city for foodies and the range of food tours available reflects the range of this city’s culinary skills. I’d love to dine my way through a new neighborhood.
Green Mill Jazz Club – Located in the Uptown Neighborhood, this historic jazz bar has been on my list for years. I would love to get dressed up and go there for a night of cocktails and live music.
Visit the 606 – While it’s a relatively new addition to Chicago tourism, the 606 park is has quickly become one of the more popular parks in the city. It would be a wonderful way to spend a weekend afternoon outdoors in the city.

Have you visited any of these attractions? What is on your Chicago Bucket List?

KOA Campground in Utica, IL

On August 6, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Illinois, US TravelLeave a comment

After a beautiful hike at Matthiessen State Park, our day outdoors continued on as we made our way to the LaSalle/Peru KOA Campground. It was about a ten minute drive from the park, past the highway and down a long road lined with cornfields. The front of the campground was filled with campers and RVs. We checked in at the general store/information desk, where we also purchased s’mores ingredients and one of those handy extendable forks with which to make them. The wonderful staff at the information desk gave me a map of the grounds and pointed out how it was divvied up between RVs, cabins, the campsites with water and electric, and the primitive sites without, which was where we were going. We were told we could pick any open site we wanted past the creek, so we went on our way.

A lot of the sites were already taken, so we drove a ways before we settled on one towards the back and parked on the grass next to it. Just as we had pulled out the tent and tarps from the car, it started to rain again. This, coupled with the fact that we set the tent up incorrectly the first time, made the experience a little bit frustrating. Once we had the tent set up the right way, we realized that the rain had made our selected campsite very muddy, particularly the area we chose for our tent. Luckily we hadn’t secured it to the ground yet, so we dragged it by the tarp underneath to a grassier spot.

It was such an ordeal that all we could really do was laugh about it, especially because it finally stopped raining once we had everything set. Mike got the fire going while I set up the rest our paltry camp with our two chairs, collapsible table, and dinner supplies. While Mike ran back to the general store to pick up some more firewood, I wrapped sweet corn in tin foil and threw them in the fire to cook and set the picnic table with a waterproof tablecloth.

We had hot dogs and corn and chips for dinner and it was actually pretty delicious. It was wonderful to be able to sit outside and enjoy it next to the fire and take in our surroundings. Our fellow campers were also enjoying their dinner and that amazing summer barbecue smell filled the air and the view from our picnic table was beautiful. Our campsite was across the makeshift gravel/grass road from a gorgeous green field that was separated from the grounds with a barbed wire fence.

After dinner, we started a game of rummy that we played intermittently throughout the evening, continuing by lamplight after it got dark. It turned out to be a beautiful night after the rain. Mike and I both really enjoyed being off the grid and having a conversation without any distractions. We drank wine and made our s’mores after dark; the fire was still going strong thanks to my boy scout boyfriend.

After a while, we retired to the tent, tuckered out from the day of hiking and setting up camp. All the wine I drank hit me around 2:00am, and I walked down a ways to the facilities. Because we were so far back from the main building, the closest bathrooms were porta potties. They weren’t so bad. You haven’t lived until you’ve used a porta potty by lamplight.

It was definitely an interesting experience, but the stars that night made it completely worth it. You don’t get to see that many in Chicago, and it was a stunning sight. We woke up bright and early the next morning to clean up and head to breakfast. We broke everything down way quicker than it took us to set it all up. Next time we will have to camp for longer so we have more time to enjoy the hard work.

Once everything was packed into the car, we drove back to Utica to Joy and Ed’s Supper Club for breakfast. I am typically pretty easy to please when it comes to breakfast places, but this one was just bad. The coffee was way watered down and the food was not great; we felt generally unwelcome while we were there. Luckily, while we paid our bill, Mike was secretly googling another place to go and took me directly to Nonie’s Bakery when we left.

This lovely little café more than made up for our first breakfast attempt and cheered me up completely. Nonie’s is cozy and cute with mismatched mugs for coffee and mouth-watering baked goods. I had one of their sprinkled doughnuts and it was amazing. It was the perfect end to a wonderful outdoorsy trip.

Where is your favorite campground?

Matthiessen State Park, Hiking, RebeccaWanderlusting

Hiking in Matthiessen State Park

On August 2, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Illinois, US Travel4 Comments

Located in the town of Oglesby, IL, Matthiessen State Park is about an hour and a half drive from Chicago. We arrived in the very cute town of Utica at just around lunch time. We stopped in their tiny but picturesque downtown area to have lunch at Canal Port, a restaurant/bar with a great beer and whiskey selection. We both ordered sandwiches, which served as excellent pre-hike fuel.

We also stopped at Mill Street Market to pick up some ice and firewood for our campsite. The store had general grocery items and all the last minute camping supplies you could want/didn’t know you needed, like extendable forks for cooking over the fire. From there, we drove to the park, which is just past Starved Rock State Park. We had to park in the overflow parking lot in the Delta Area of the park, so we went into our hike knowing that it might be a little crowded. And it was, near the entrance to the trail and at the base of the waterfalls, but along the trails, we didn’t pass very many people.

As we walked up to the trails, we passed the “fort”, a log cabin building that was currently hosting a graduation party, and walked down a flight of stairs and across a bridge to a fork in the road. We chose to hike the Upper Dells trail first, a path that took us up past one canyon and down into another. The stairs led down into the moss-covered rock canyons, the walls rippling upwards, pockmarked with small caves. The creek running through the canyon was shallow and clear.

We followed the creek towards a small waterfall that we had to cross rocks and 2x4s to get too, only to realize that there was another, larger waterfall beyond it. To get the larger waterfall, we stripped off our shoes and socks and walked through the creek. We zigzagged across to each side until we got up to the bottom of the waterfall, the view was absolutely stunning. At the moment we reached the waterfall, it started to rain, and it didn’t fully stop for the rest of our time in the state park.

Luckily, the foliage above provided great coverage for most of the trails. After slipping our shoes back on, we climbed up a set of stairs that led out of the canyon and over a bridge that stood directly above the falls. On the other side of this bridge, there is a dirt, illegitimate path that takes you up to the side of the waterfall and provides a gorgeous view, too good to miss. The actual path from the bridge leads through the woods back to the fort again, in a roundabout way.

We took the other path next, to the Lower Dells. The path brought us directly to yet another set of stairs, leading down to another bridge. We crossed, went down another set of stairs, and that’s when it really started to rain. The bottom of this canyon was 100% mud, and the rain made it one big mess.

After a pep talk from Michael, we went through it towards the next waterfall anyways, despite the obstacle. It really is a miracle that neither of us didn’t fall face first into the muck. We picked our way carefully across the well trampled path, and splashed through the streams to rinse off our shoes. The last waterfall seemed to be the most beautiful because it was the hardest to get to.

It had the largest pool at the bottom of it, people were swimming, kids were sliding down the rocks and everyone seemed determined to ignore the rain. The caves around the cave were climbable and fun to explore. We crawled through them, dodging ankle-twisting holes and daddy long legs.

The way back to the head of the trail was just as slippery and treacherous, but we made it! Those stairs were a little bit harder on the way up then down, and by the time we made it back to the fort, we were exhausted. We headed back to the car, ready to start the second leg of our adventure, camping at KOA campground.

Have you ever been to Matthiessen State Park? Which trail was your favorite?

Spa Day Chicago

On January 27, 2016 By rebeccawanderlustingIn Chicago, Illinois, US Travel5 Comments

I don’t often get to treat myself, but I fully understand the importance to do so (and you should too!). Today I treated myself to a Spa Day. My very good friend, Amber (you may know her as the mom of adorable Manny the Frenchie), and I made appointments to get pampered at the Mario Tricoci Spa on Michigan Avenue a few weeks ago and today was the day. I had been so looking forward to this! Amber picked me up bright and early this morning and we drove over to the Gold Coast, specifically, the 900 North Michigan Building. We checked in at the Front Desk twenty minutes early for our appointments
and were shown into the cozy locker room. We changed into the provided robes and slippers and waited in the lounge for our massage therapists. I was greeted by Judith, and she was absolutely amazing. The massage was wonderful and so relaxing; she really fixed all of my aches and pains (computer neck is an actual thing that happens, apparently). Afterwards, I met Amber in the “Quiet Room” where there was comfy couches and mood lighting.

I tried to soak it in but soon it was time for me to rinse off, change, and head to the nail suite for my pedicure. The Spa is fairly large, so I had to stop at the desk to ask where exactly I was supposed to be. A very friendly guest service agent showed me up to the nail suite where I was greeted by my pedicurist, Gwen. She very sweetly brought me a cup of green tea and got to work on my feet. I have to say, I don’t typically have very pretty feet but after this pedicure, they looked pretty dang good. I chose a handsome purple polish by the name of Bahama Mama.

Afterwards, I had some time to relax and read (“American Gods” by Neil Gaiman”) while I waited for Amber to finish her second appointment. I waited in the lounge where there were apples, hot tea and lemon water. In hindsight, I should have booked more time between my massage and pedicure so I could have enjoyed the quiet room a little more. I should have known better though, because I used to work in a spa, so I know a thing or two about spa etiquette. Here are a few tips to ensure your own spa day goes off without a hitch:

Always, always book your appointments in this order: massage, facial, nails. Do you want to put your facial fresh face in a face cradle? No you do not. Do you want to worry about wet nails while you’re enjoying a facial? Nope!
Arrive early for your appointments and enjoy the amenities in the spa, especially the steam room.
Typically, if you’re doing a shorter massage (50-60 minutes) the massage therapist will be pressed for time to do a whole body massage. Let them know what areas, if any, are hurting so they can make sure they work on them
Try to tip your massage therapists, estheticians, and nail technicians with cash if you can

Once Amber was finished, we settled up at the front desk and went to Frankie’s Scaloppine on the fifth floor. There, we had some dynamic pizza and good conversation, both agreeing that we need to do this more often. It was a perfect day.

Where do you go for your perfect Spa Day? What do you like to do to pamper yourself?