Escape to the Country

Living in Chicago is an amazing experience. And not one that we are interested in being done with anytime soon. That being said, the city can be exhausting. It is 24/7/365 excitement. Work, parties, Chinatown, Little Italy, the sirens, the lights, the wind, the list goes on and on. These things considered, combined with the fact that I worked out of town for a week, had three days at home, and then was back on the road, Eric and I decided to take a weekend out of town last weekend. 

Our first stop was Milwaukee. If you're a Chicagoan like us, and you're looking for a great place to spend a day, or weekend, let us recommend Milwaukee. (Author's Note: We lived in Milwaukee {aka MKE} prior to our move to Chicago, so yes, we are biased.) When we lived there a lot of people wanted to compare MKE to Chicago, say "MKE is like the stunted little brother of Chicago." But no. That's not fair. Milwaukee is a charm of a little-big city (think Reno!). There is culture, small business, a city market, a lovely riverwalk, amazing theaters, an NBA team, and great event venues. If you're a reader, you absolutely must visit Downtown Books located right downtown on Wisconsin Ave. (Yes, I know when you click on the link it will say Milwaukee St.; it is on the corner.) Moving on. Milwaukee was merely a pit stop (to say hi to our MKE Besties!) on our way to Kohler, WI. 

Kohler is 50 miles north of MKE on 43, so the whole trip will take you about 2.5 hours from the City. (We live on the very southern edge-drive time may vary from other areas.) Kohler is also home to The American Club. We were refered to this particular hotel by a work acquantaince who warned us that it might be a bit pricey. It wasn't too bad (I'm guessing after being there that it is the down season, and we would never be able to have taken this trip from April - October). 

 

{The lovely resort.}

The American Club is running a package for about $300.00. This package included a king size bed suite, strawberries and champagne, and brunch at The Wisconsin Room on Sunday morning. Absolutely amazing! 

 

{So you've all seen a bottle of champagne, but look at those amazing strawberries!}

Because of the time of year, and the fact that it was dark most of the time we were there, we weren't able to capture for you the beauty of this place. The hotel was built to house the employees of the Kohler plant (you know, they make faucets!). It's old, and full of hallways and fireplaces and libraries. Outside are phenomenal gardens, full of swings, small tables, benches, trees, and what I imagine would be flowers (again, during April - October, so it's possible we will never know!). Saturday night Eric and I spent a large amount of time sitting in the gardens enjoying the sheer silence. Exactly what we were looking for in our 24 hour escape from the City.

 

And Off We Go...

“A journey is like marriage. The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.”
John Steinbeck

So, a new adventure to tell our readers about at the end of this very long, and surprisingly fast, weekend. For the first time since we have been in Chicago, Eric and I traveled! Now, we have done the quick trip up to Michigan since we've been here, but we were yet to tackle the real travel--getting to the airport, getting around the airport, and getting home from the airport. This weekend was a birthday party for Eric's grandmother, who turned 80 today! Here's a little bit about our weekend, and of course some tips about traveling in the city.

One of the things we love, and have written about, about Chicago is public transportation. We live close to a Blue Line Stop, and knowing that the Blue runs to O'Hare we quickly planned our attack. A 5:40 a.m. flight from O'Hare means arriving at the airport no later than 4:40 a.m. We, however, are flying standby and therefore should get there by 4:00 a.m. since we have to check in at the desk and that can take a while. Of course we use our trusty Google Maps to plan our trip, and discover that we need to plan an hour and twenty minutes to get from our building to the airport. Oh! And the last train that can get us there by 4:00 a.m. is leaving at 2:30. Working backwards.....Train at 2:30, need to shower, make coffee....Yup, guess we need to set an alarm for about 1:00 a.m.

Upon making this realization we debated if we should go to bed or just try to stay up all night, but we decided to lay on the couches and see if we dozed a bit, which we both did. We started our day at 1:00 a.m., about two hours after falling asleep, and if you know us you are not surprised that we found ourselves runnign a few minutes behind. At 2:15 we darted out the door and hoofed it to the train. Would you believe that at that point we learn that the train is not running? We had been on the Transit website just hours before and no update about a non-running Blue Line. The CTA employee who was posted at the stop told us if we just walked a few blocks we could grab a shuttle for free, so of course we were all about that! Walk a few blocks, stand around....no shuttle. Look north, south, east and west....We see no shuttle. What we do see is time ticking down, and a cab, so we jumped in and sped off to the airport.

O'Hare is a fine airport, but it might be important for you, if you are an early traveler, to know that the ticket counters do not open until about 4:30 a.m. So, if you have a 5:40 a.m. flight it is not worth getting there at 3:30 a.m. You will in fact be sitting on the cold, concrete floor because they only have about 10 chairs and we can assure you that you will not have been the only person to make this mistake. Apparently many will misjudge worse than you and be there even earlier. Also, there is no where for you to get so much as a sip of water (unless you can figure out how to get your mouth under the faucet in the bathroom, which is not an easy thing to do) prior to going through security. If you plan to arrive before the ticket counters and security open, you need to pack a bottle of water.

Security in O'Hare (for those considering travel, O'Hare is known in the flying world as ORD) was quick, though I should caution again that it was 4:30 a.m. The TSA workers were more friendly than TSA works in most airports I have been in. Once you're through security you will find limited options for food, but there are options. At 4:30 a.m. we could have had Starbucks, McDonalds, or Hot Dogs. I am not joking. And yes, we did see people eating chili dogs this early in the morning. We flew standby, and we were quickly cleared for our flight, and arrived Atlanta about 9:00 a.m. local time. All things considered travel through Chicago was a pretty easy. As always though, some tips for our future travelers!

• The cab from the South Loop to O'Hare at 4:30 a.m. cost $38.50. This was for two people (there is a surcharge for a second person), one suitcase (they charge for that too), and included the $0.50 fuel surcharge (this is a new charge, and I am not sure how long it will last, but you should be aware). Keep in mind that starting travel in a different part of the city or traveling during a time of day where there are cars on the road will cause your rate to change. I would plan on $45.00 including the tip.
• On the cab front, remember that the cab driver has to take your credit card. If you do not have cash, worry not. They are not allowed to turn it down. If they try to turn it down, ask them to call their base and run it from there.
• Again, if you fly in the a.m., do not arrive at O'Hare much before 4:00 a.m. The ticket counters and security are not open. This is especially true if you do not have checked luggage. Seriously. You will just sit there.
• We found more food options on our return flight, when we were in ORD at about noon. You'll find the best options right out of security, before you go to your gate. Do not order a beer. It is $8.50 for Bud Light. Who does that? Also, I know that there was a Cinnibon place because I saw the bags, but I did not ever actually see it. If you're like me, and a Cinnibon is the only thing that makes flying good, leave yourself enough time to go exploring!
  
• If you plan on using the CTA, leave yourself some extra time for unexpected line closures or stops. If you do take the CTA, you can use the Blue Line to get to/from O'Hare and the Orange Line to get to/from Midway.
• To use the CTA, you have to buy a transit card. This is a small, disposable card that is also reloadable for your trip here. You can buy them with cash at any station, and with credit card at some stations. This will allow you to ride the CTA trains & buses. It's $2.25 per person, per train ride (11.08.2009).
  
• Before coming to Chicago, check out the Transit website so that you can make the travel plans that fit the best with your destinations.