Travel

The Spring Green area has no shortage of places to stay, whether you're in the market for a family friendly resort, quaint B&B or quirky hotel that's a throwback to the 1970s.

I stayed at the latter, the eccentric Don Q Inn. It's in Dodgeville, which is close to Spring Green. You can't miss it because there's a huge airplane parked outside. I told you it was quirky. Inside, the lounge is full of barber chairs. I guarantee you this place is not your typical hotel. But it does have some typical rooms (as well as plenty of atypical rooms). Standard rooms are basic and cheap. And then there's the FantaSuites. Pretend you're James Bond in the Casino Royal suite. Robin Hood in Sherwood Forest. An eskimo in the Northern Lights suite, complete with faux igloo. You get the picture. And the naughty folks out there might like Mid-Evil or the Swinger. Themed suites start at $125 and go up to $224. A lot of the suites allow smoking, though, so be prepared for that cigarette smell. No kids allowed in the suites, either. Call 800-666-7848.

The Brewery Creek Inn in Mineral Point is really cute. Better yet: there's a microbrewery and pub right on site. Has a very Cornish feel, as does all of Mineral Point. Call 608-987-3298 or check out brewerycreek.com. Mineral Point has several cute B&Bs; the only downside is it's a little farther away from Spring Green's American Players Theatre, Taliesin, etc. But it's still doable...

The House on the Rock has two options: the Inn and the Resort, which also includes a 27-hole golf course. The Inn is a good place for families, as is the resort. Call 888-935-3960 for reservations at the inn, and 800-822-7774 for the resort. If you're going to visit the nearby House on the Rock attraction, be sure to ask about room rates that include the price of admission to the House on the Rock.

If you know of a great place to stay in this area of Wisconsin, let me know...

Posted by Lori Rackl at 04:48 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

A reader named Ed needs your help. He's in his 70's and he's looking to sign up for a tour of Spain, Greece or South America.

He wants to find a tour company where the groups are small (around 15 people), not exclusively made up of couples or youngsters, and not super active. He's looking for something a little more leisurely, like sightseeing in the morning and some free time in the afternoon.

And he'd appreciate keeping the cost down, so no ultra-luxury tour groups for him.

Anyone had an experience traveling with a company that fits Ed's bill? If so, I'd love to hear about it. And so would Ed.....

Posted by Lori Rackl at 04:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

In case you don't want to wait for Grenada to become a tourism hot spot, there are several great places you can stay at right now.

I stayed at Spice Island Beach Resort right on the beautiful Grand Anse Beach. It's a four-diamond property with spacious rooms just steps away from the beach. My only complaint is that the rooms lacked a little Grenada character. They were beautiful, but they could've been anywhere.

The rooms at Spice Island don't come cheap, especially if you're on the all-inclusive plan. But the food is terrific, so if you have deep pockets, go for it. Spicebeachresort.com.

An even more remote getaway that's perfect for honeymooning couples is La Luna. It's owned by a former fashion consultant to Armani and Prada, and it shows. Set on a beautiful bay, each cottage has a private veranda and a plunge pool. Bathrooms are partially open to the sky. The restaurant serves Italian food with some Caribbean flavors mixed in. Overall: sexy and fun. And very discreet. laluna.com.

The always popular Aquarium restaurant has seven cute villas with fully equipped kitchens and private hot tubs. Makes it convenient to get home after having 12 creamy pina coladas at the Aquarium. Macabana.com.

Posted by Lori Rackl at 04:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

If anyone ends up taking my advice and heads to Cincinnati at the end of the month for the Cubs game, I'd love to get your feedback -- especially on chili parlors.

Let me know what you think...

Posted by Lori Rackl at 06:58 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

The American Medical Association House of Delegates recently had their annual meeting in Chicago, and a surprising topic came up on the agenda: dirty hotel glasses.

UPI reporter Ed Susman covered the issue in the story below. Let me know if you think the flap is legit or an over-reaction:

ED SUSMAN
CHICAGO, June 25 (UPI) -- The cleanliness of drinking glasses in hotel rooms grabbed the attention of the American Medical Association House of Delegates as it debated whether the organization needs to take action to ensure clean cups.

Even as the delegates met at Chicago's grand Hilton Hoteland Towers, the Illinois delegation said that its observations of the sanitization of drinking glasses in "upscale" hotels in the state left something to be desired.

"We brought this forward because we were thinking of the health of delegates," said Jane Jackman, a Springfield, Ill., family practitioner.

In their resolution, discussed before a special pubic health committee of the AMA policy-making House of Delegates, several speakers decried bringing up the topic because it wasn't the type of issue that the AMA should be spending time discussing -- and there was virtually nothing that could be done about it.

"This type of sanitation problem is beyond what we can do in public health," said Mary Gayle Armstrong, a family practice doctor in Madison, Miss.

The resolution claimed that in some unnamed hotels, cleaning crews collect cups and glasses, place them in the bathroom sink and let the hot water run while the housekeeper performs other duties. After the bathroom sink hot water treatment, the items are dried with a towel from the room even before fresh towels are brought in.

"This practice does not meet public health standards of washing, sanitizing and drying used drinking glasses and cups before making them available for reuse," the resolution claimed. "When contacted regarding this practice, the state and certain county public health departments in Illinois have not taken any further action on their part. This practice constitutes a genuine and potentially serious public health problem."

The resolution would require AMA "to contact the public health departments of each state and express the concern of physicians for the risks associated with failure to properly clean and sanitize glasses and cups in hotel rooms to the health of the public."

"When I was a public health inspector, that type of activity did come under my purview," said Mario Motta, a cardiologist in Salem, Mass. "That was 20 years ago, but inspectors have that type of authority."

"We can say, 'That's disgusting. That shouldn't happen. I don't want it happening,'" said Dave Cundiff of Olympia, Wash., who is secretary of the American Association of Public Health Physicians.

The public health committee, headed by Elizabeth Kanof, a Raleigh, N.C., dermatologist, will deliberate over the testimony and issue a recommendation to the entire House of Delegates. Kanof and her fellow doctors could agree to accept the resolution, could decide not to recommend it or could refer it to committee for further study.

Posted by Lori Rackl at 04:27 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Do you think our state capital is the “real” Springfield in “The Simpsons?” Springfields across the country are competing for the honor, and the lucky winner will host one of the premieres for the upcoming Simpsons’ movie.

Check out the mini videos from each of the country's 14 Springfields, as they try to convince viewers they're the real Simpsons hometown.

You have until July 9 to vote for Springfield, Ill., here.

Posted by Lori Rackl at 11:46 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)