Traveling With Mellon: Wisconsin Edition

I can't believe I forgot to tell you all about how much fun I had in Milwaukee. I never knew it was such a cool city. And oh my, but friendly! There was no shortage of kind words, unforced small talk and smiles for us everywhere we went. Midwesterners have earned their rep.

The city pretty much had me at hello when I noticed that the airport had a playroom for kids in the terminal. How helpful would that be? We stayed at the Iron Horse Hotel, and I just loved it. The interior decor is right up my alley--it even had  a library where you could sit and drink tea. Books and tea. Heaven. And the restaurant Smyth had the fluffiest omelet I've ever eaten. Here's a brief rundown of a few more key hotel details that put it in the Simply Must Visit Again column of my travel log.

The hotel room had a bench with hooks above it where you could hang your jacket and take off your shoes. This was much appreciated by a certain someone with extremely wide feet who gets blisters from every pair of shoes she ever wears. I found it to also be aesthetically pleasing. Twofer.

Hello in-room mini-Keurig! Real coffee cups would have made me even happier though. Still, beggars can't be choosers and with a 5:00AM wake up on our last morning, I was most definitely not in a position to be choosy about how the caffeine got into my system.

Double sinks in the bathroom are a must when you like to keep your area looking like this:

but your husband keeps his looking like this:

The only caveat I have is this: If you plan to bunk up with someone in a room, make sure you pick a person who you feel really comfortable around. Why you ask? Because here's the view from the bed:

Yep, that's the shower. And nope, it doesn't leave a whole lot to the imagination. Not that I minded, but if someone were sharing a room with, say, her Mother-in-Law that might get a bit awkward.  Don't say I didn't warn you.

After the race, we had a very lovely dinner at Rock Bottom.

Where I highly recommend the cheesy, pretzel appetizer.

After dinner, we took a little stroll along the river. In the spirit of romance, Drew showed a new-found willingness to snap photos of me.

Now, if he could just get a handle on his technique...