A Day at Baldi Hot Springs

When my plans fell through (again) to go to the beach in Costa Rica, I decided I wanted to see a volcano. Since Paos Volcano was still erupting, I decided to take a tour to Arenal Volcano and Baldi Hot Springs. It sounded like it would be a fun tour.

We first stopped in Sochi to see the World’s Biggest Ox Cart but due to some parade, we couldn’t get there and ended up spending way too much time in a Costa Rican souvenir gift shop than I would have liked. That’s how these things go sometimes.

Lunch was at Rancho Perla in La Fortuna which is the town at the base of the volcano. We had a choice of the usual chicken, beef, seafood or a hamburger. I went with the chicken which was fantastic and the beef looked even better. Dessert was orange dreamsicle ice cream – vanilla ice cream with orange sherbet.

While we waited for everyone to finish eating, I explored the grounds around the restaurant. I saw another bird and a mini alligator. I’m sure they have proper names but I apparently forgot to take a course in Costa Rican wildlife during college.

After lunch we headed to Arenal Volcano. It was a short trail to an observation area -- and they even provided walking sticks…probably for the longer hikes through the lava fields but It was still fun to use one. It was a very cloudy day and Arenal was shrouded in clouds. I didn’t even get to see the famous volcano.

Then it was time for the hot springs. Baldi Hot Springs is a resort that features several different hot springs fed from water from the volcano.  It is actually the world’s largest hot springs. There are waterfalls in just about each of the pools. Some pools have water slides while others feature a swim up bar.

I spent most of my time up at the highest hot springs which feature a lounging surfaces in the pool and as well as a waterfall. Some would find this one to be too hot but I liked it.

Even though I spent most of my time in the higher hot springs, I did go in all of the others except for the children’s area and the Hot tubs. I wish I had more than about 2 hours to truly enjoy the place – or people I actually knew to hang out with.  

I also went down 2 of 3 water slides… I refused to go down the 3^rd… People told me it is an adventure. Mandy saw people come shooting out of and skip across the water like stones on a pond. Even Mandy, who will do just about anything, had to have a few drinks in her before she would go down.

Because I was with a group strangers I latched on a trio of older people. One of them liked to hike and explore. We explored one of the paths around the hot springs. It wasn’t a very long path but it did let us see the foliage and some cool plants.

Overall it was a fun but tiring day. I am disappointed that I did not get to see Arenal Volcano but that’s what happens when you go to Costa Rica in the rainy season – you never know what you’re going to be able to see. I would love to go back and try one of the other tours in Arenal – ziplining tubing, or even ATV’ing. The area offers so much to do and I barely scratched the surface.  I would highly recommend seeing Arenal when you’re in Costa Rica because I heard it’s amazing. 

Wine Tasting at Simon Creek

When my cousins said they were going to be in Door County, I rearranged my schedule to meet them up there. We decided to meet at Simon Creek Winery for some wine tasting and catching up.

Simon Creek is an "adult" winery -- meaning their wines are for a more developed palates. My palate is still developing. I like fruity wines that aren't too dry. I prefer blushes to white or red.

I had to break out of my wine comfort zone and try things with names I couldn't pronounce -- Sauvignon.... Gewurztraminer... Tempranillo. Can't we give them some fun names like Spicy German or Tropical Blanco??

We each sampled 4 wines. I believe I tried the Sauvignon Blanc, Untouchable White, Door County Cherry, and Light Sweet Muscat. I really wasn't a fan of any of them enough to buy a bottle... or maybe it was the price tag on the wine. I'm a $10 a bottle kind of girl... I really didn't want to pay $15+ for a wine I wasn't crazy for. Yup... still a wine novice.

Once we sampled our wine, my cousin bought each of us a glass and we headed out to the patio to catch up, enjoy the views, and enjoy our wine. I did have the Muscat which is good just not good enough for me to pay $16 a bottle.

I liked that the wine tasting was free and you can enjoy a glass afterwards outside. It is a nice way to spend an hour or two.

In the right company, I'll go back enjoy some adult wine, develop my palate some more, and who knows pick up a bottle of that Muscat.

Exploring Michigan Ave

When Andrea and I decided to go to National Convention, we exchanged many emails with a list of things we want to do and eventually came up with a color coded plan for each day to help us accomplish as many as things as possible. Because we were staying on Michigan Ave, most of our list focused on things to do around Michigan Ave. Our adventure was spread across 5 days.

This was our plan.. we didn't follow it to a T

We actually started our adventure off of Michigan Ave by heading down State Street. I wanted to see the Chicago Theater and find an old department store. Heading down State Street at Rush Hour was probably not the brightest idea as there were a million people around. I managed to get a couple of selfies with the Chicago Theater.

Then we kept walk to find Marshall Fields since I had to find an old department store. A frat song in college went "I used to work in Chicago at an old department store..". Since we were in town for our sorority convention it was only fitting to take a picture of an old department store in Chicago.

I used to work in Chicago...

The next time we ventured out on Michigan Ave, we didn't have much time for exploring. We only had time to visit Garret's Popcorn.. another must stop in Chicago. I wanted to go to Garret's since it's a Chicago favorite. The line was nearly out the door but it moved quickly. Since I'm a traditionalist and don't like my popcorn flavors to mix, I did not want the Garrett Mix -- a mix of Caramal Crisp and cheese corn. Even though cheese popcorn is good, it is messy. I opted for butter and Caramel Crisp. We really should have gotten our popcorn on the last day as it doesn't last more than couple of days and the Caramel Crisp gets really sticky after a few days.

On Friday, we had some serious time for exploring. We started by heading north on Michigan Ave towards the water tower. The Chicago Water tower was the only building to survive the Chicago Fire. We actually got to go in the water tower which is a small art gallery of Chicago Prints.

Then we walked across the street to Water Tower Place. The Water Tower Place is a 7 story mall. It's tall and narrow.

We spent some time checking out the Dr. Seuss Store

and playing in the Lego Store.

Throwing what we know (backwards) with some new (Lego) Friends

We talked about coming back another day for lunch at Harry Carey's but that never happened... a bit out of the way.

Our next stop was next store at the Hancock building.  We wanted to have drinks in the Signature Lounge and get an bird's eye view of the city. A drink was much cheaper than doing the Observatory and you were actually a floor or 2 above the viewing deck. Surprisingly we both had non-alcoholic beverages. I had a raspberry spritzer which wasn't bad. The best view in the entire place is in the women's bathroom which of course I had to check out.

After our drinks, we hailed an Uber and headed to Taste of Chicago. Not only did we get to sample some really good food, we managed to cross off a few more items off our Chicago to do list:

Buckingham Fountain

The Bean

I insisted on walking back to the hotel after Taste of Chicago. This actually proved to be a good idea. We got to see the Tribune Building, NBC 7 Building, and the WGN Building not to mention the Daley Statue. Andrea really liked seeing the Trib building as she was a Comm major in collage. I liked the WGN Hall of Fame in the Sidewalk if front of the Trib building. Next time I want to check out the lobby.

By walking back we also got to stop at Dylan's candy bar. It is a crazy candy store with a variety of sweet treats. The decor is colorful and fun. It also sells Butterbeer by the bottle.

On our last day in Chicago, we headed back towards the Water Tower to get some cupcakes from the Cupcake ATM at Sprinkles Cupcakes. The Cupcake ATM was out of order so we went inside and ordered. They were slightly pricy ($4/cupcake) but were totally worth it. I still want to use the Cupcake ATM but this is a definitely must stop regardless.

We had a lot of fun in Chicago. I got a few things crossed of my bucket list. There is a ton of things to do in Chicago. This by no means a Must See List but it does include many of the must see places especially if you are short on time. This entire list could be done in a day if that's all the time you have. My only advice is figure out what you have to see and plan around those.