Well I booked the last room this old hotel has for the evening – $40 and sharing a bathroom – but figured worth a try and more interesting certainly than our other dirt cheap options for one night (i.e. the howard Johnson’s in La Crosse which sounds grim.) This hotel at least has character, is right on the Mississippi and isn’t that far from where we need to be the next day (about 40 minutes from Sparta.) It’s “Catfish Days” in the tiny town of Trempealeau so going to be lively, we’re told. We pick up the key at the bar!
Category Archives: THE MIDWEST
Off to bike/canoe in southwest Wisconsin!
We’re finally leaving tomorrow for three days in southwest Wisconsin around La Crosse, spending one day riding the famous Sparta-Elroy trail and the next maybe canoeing on the Kickapoo River or driving north on the Mississippi to re-visit towns like Trempealeau and Pepin that we went to some 20 years ago. In Sparta, we’re staying for two nights at Justin Trails B&B Inn which comes well-recommended by a friend here. (We were tempted to stay one night at the old Trempealeau Hotel – for much less than the Inn but figure it’s best to stay put. Not sure where we’ll stay tomorrow night en route or, i hope, in La Crosse.Planning to bring picnic stuff since restaurant options are reportedly limited.
Filed under bike trails, biking, Wisconsin
More on “cool” Omaha
This time it’s the NYTimes travel section adding it’s voice to the “Omaha is cool” chorus. In last Sundays “surfacing” feature, the paper recommended The Slowdown (the indie rock club, much-lauded of late), The Ruth Sokolof Theater (an art film house), Birdhouse Collectible (1111 N. 13th street) a showroom/gallery, Blue Line Coffee 749 N. 14th Street.; Goodnights Pizza Bar and Piano. (1302 Mike Fahey Street. All are in the “north downtown/NoDo” neighborhood” which I do believe is en route to the airport.
Filed under Omaha
The scoop on shuttle service for the Elroy-Sparta trail in Wisconsin
Word has it that there is shuttle service – so you can ride the 32-mile trail one way by being dropped off at one spotted and then having your car delivered to the other. One guidebook I read suggested it’s best to ride north from Elroy to Sparta. So maybe that’s what we’ll do in July.
The Ambassadors at the Sparta Chamber of Commerce shuttle people from Sparta to Elroy or any town on the trail and return your car
to the Depot in Sparta. Call 608-269-4123 to get a specific phone number and make a reservation for the shuttle.
Also Speeds Bike Shop offers shuttle service 608-269-2315.
There’s also shuttle service available at the Kendall Depot, which will drop you off in Sparta and return your vehicle to Kendall (so you’re riding south – and to the absolute end of the trail.). The cost is $22 and a reservation is recommended.
Filed under bike trails, biking, Uncategorized, Wisconsin
Where to stay in southwest Wisconsin.
I probably shouldn’t be sharing this since it may mean there’s no room at the inn for us. But anyway, my friend Denise highly recommends this lodging when we go biking this summer in southwest Wisconsin.
It’s Justin Trails http://justintrails.com. They stayed in the Garden Suite on the 1st floor of the main house, which has a separate entrance and porch, which was nice. She’d rather stay in any of the cabins – they’re really cool! The other 2 suites are upstairs in the main house. There is great hiking on the property & it’s close to bike trails, but I think you’d have to drive to a trailhead.
Midwestern hotels to check out
Also from a recent issue of Midwest Living:
– Chicago – Elysian, Ritz-Carlton, Hotel Palomar (rat pack-esque doormen!)
– Columbus, Indiana, Inn at Irwin Gardens
– Novi, MI, Baronette Renaissance
– Shell Knob, Missouri, (wherever that is), Stonewater Cove
– Dubuque, Hotel Julien
– Kohler, Wisc., The American Club
– Custer, S.D., Custer State Park Reunion Cabin
Filed under Chicago, Illinois, Indianapolis, LODGING, Michigan, Missouri, South Dakota, Wisconsin
restaurants to check out all over the Midwest
Found a copy of the Jan/Feb 2011 issue of Midwest Living on the library’s sale rack – so scooped it up since there’s always good recommendations on things to do in this neck of the woods. Here’s some restaurant recommendations:
– In Indianapolis, Recess (soup!)
– In Chicago, Gilt Bar and Restaurant on Magnificent Mile.
– Woodbury, Minnesota (where we have friends!), Apertif (rotisserie chicken) and in neighboring St. Paul, Heartland (clever meat and potatoes) and Clearwater, Minn., Nelson Bros. Restaurant (yes, at a restaurant on I-94; fritter french toast w/wild rice sausage)
– Omaha, Hiro 88 (sushi and more in the Old Market district)
– Madison, Wisc. L’Etoile (longstanding haute green cuisine in new location)
– Kansas City, Glace Artisan Ice Cream (peanut butter ice cream with swirl of strawberry jam…) and Succotash
– Traverse City, MI, Soul Hole (southern food in Old Town)
– Iowa City, Blue Bird Diner (Sunday brunch)
Filed under Chicago, DINING, Illinois, Indianapolis, Iowa, Iowa City, Kansas City, Michigan, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, Omaha
Bike adventures near Iowa
It’s March first and even though it’s foolish to believe this suddenly warm Spring-like weather will last, it has got me daydreaming about spring – and even summer. With that in mind, here’s a few bike rides I hope to do when the weather warms – and maybe you will too:
– In Wisconsin: The Great River State Trail, the La Cross River State Trail, the “400” State Trail and the most famous of them all, the Elroy-Sparta Trail (which reportedly includes long railroad tunnels that require travelers to use flashlights.)
– In Missouri: The 225-mile Katy Trail (good for inn-to-inn biking, which reminds me of my trips as a kid with my family with Vermont Bicycle Touring). It goes past bluffs and tourist-friendly towns (according to the DM Register) along the Missouri River between Clinton and St. Charles (near St. Louis.)
Filed under bike trails, Missouri, Wisconsin
Romantic getaways in Iowa-area
The DMRegister today has some ideas for romantic get-aways in Iowa and beyond. Some I know about (Honey Creek Resort in Moravia, Ia. and Suites of 800 Locust in DM). Here are some I didn’t know much about for future reference.
Greenfield, Ia: The Brass lantern at Windcrest Farm. //mysite.verizon.net/res18ndl/ which has the added bonus of a heated indoor poor. (Things to do nearby: Henry A. Wallace Country LIfe Center and Prairie Preserve in Orient; ken Sidey nature area, south of Greenfield; John Wayne Museum in Winterset – and the Bridges (of Madison County) of course.
Red Wing, Minn: The Golden Lantern Inn (things to do: get your fill of famous Red Wing Pottery at the museum and mall of th same name.
Kansas City, Mo.: Hotel Phillips
Galena, Ill: The Inn at Irish Hollow
Filed under Illinois, Iowa, Kansas City, LODGING, Minnesota
From Wright,Ks. back to Des Moines
No weather problems this time – and smooth sailing the entire nine hours, for which we were grateful, especially given what friends and family are dealing with on the East Coast. We stopped in the slowly reviving town of Greensburg – which was devastated by a tornado several years ago – at a hip looking coffee shop, then onto Wichita where we opted for our favorite Vietnamese restaurant, Saigon, which was packed and has the world’s fastest service, and pleasant service, and mighty good Bun (all around us people seemed to be ordering what N and I ordered #45 Bun – noodles, shredded lettuce – with char-broiled pork and a fried spring roll. We stopped at N&J, our favorite middle eastern place, to pick up some humus and homemade chips and one, just one, piece of baklava, to bring home. In Kansas City, we dropped by Gates to pick up ribs to take home for dinner. Yes, it’s all about the food. Good to be back here, although it’s at least 20 degrees colder and a lot snowier than Kansas.
Filed under DINING, Dodge City, Kansas City, Kansas misc, Wichita
TakeBetsywithyou 