There's nothing worse than vacationing in the city, especially if you're a wilderness junkie like I am. Whenever I have to commute to New York City or Chicago on business, I'm always looking for alternative routes outside the hustle and bustle of concrete metropolis.
The trick is finding a way to extend your business junket so you can get out and see some daylight. In addition to your briefcase, laptop and notebook pad, be prepared to do some research so you can get to where you're going in little or no time. That means bringing some brochures, maps and printouts so you're prepared to leave the office and get down to business -- I mean, wilderness.
Chicago: Ridin' the Coast Line
In this city, the talk of the town -- at least for me -- is what lies outside the city limits. After spending a week amid crowded streets, the Navy Pier, and a smattering of jazz clubs, we decided to take an extra week off and see what the midwest had to offer. We bought a couple of maps and figured out a way to work our way up Wisconsin along the coast of Lake Michigan, ferry our car across the lake, then wind our way south along the Michigan coast back to Chicago.
We headed out 94 north and made our first stop in -- yet -- another city. But this was something we really wanted to see. We wanted to spend a couple of hours in Milwaukee, and see how the city compared to some others we'd visited in the past. Since we both grew up in Pittsburgh and Cleveland, we kind of had an expectation of what Milwaukee might offer, but we were actually quite impressed with how clean it was. I guess we thought it might feel a lot more grimier, given the way it looked on reruns of Laverne and Shirley. Alas, we found a quaint spot on the harbor, and decided to forgo the brewery tour for an ice cold mug and a Milwaukee brat outdoors. Once we finished our lunch, we hoped to stop at the Safehouse, but alas it was closed on Labor Day. As we looped around the park, the views of Lake Michigan were peaceful and the air surprisingly crisp for August.
Back on the highway, we continued north until we made it to our first stop, a quaint little town called Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Since we were fresh out of camping gear, we decided to bed and breakfast our way from point to point, or find cottages for our overnight stays. First up was a stay at The Washington House Inn, a beautiful Victorian B & B that's right in the heart of the quiet downtown. The inn was built in 1846 then rebuilt again in 1886, till it was converted to offices and apartments in the 1920s. In 1983, it was restored to its original flavor.
On the day we were there, it was still being considered for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. It was strikingly cozy and decorated with antique Victorian furniture and a marble trimmed fireplace. The special touches of down quilts, fresh-cut flowers, and wine and cheese in the afternoon made us feel glad to be out of the city and into the country.
Since we were only in town for a day, we decided to take a walk into downtown and look at some of the antique places. Cedarsburg offers a handful of quaint little shops, and a great place where you can buy homemade fudge and fresh cheese curds. If you've never savored a cheese curd on a cracker, it's the real thing - dry like cheese but shaped like a cheese doodle.
The next morning, we awoke to a wonderful homemade breakfast of fresh muffins, fruit, french toast and homemade goodies for the trip home. But before we left, we took a stroll down to the town winery to get a bottle of wine for the next stop in our journey. As we strolled past a small park near the end of the street, we walked across a 2-lane covered bridge surrounded by beautiful green grass and a small creek.
We left Cedarburg that morning to head north among the rolling hills and dairy farms of Wisconsin.
No doubt, Americana at its finest.
