One of my resolutions for 2016 : Go on more adventures with Richard and the boys. Usually when I’m bored at work , wondering what I’m doing living a #CubeLife, I try to remind myself that we only get ONE shot at living – so LIVE! Putting that into practice can be challenging… Even with some of the freedoms we have compared to others our age (that’s a polite way of saying we are childless), it’s easy to get into a routine every weekend where we end up doing the same old shit. That same old shit is wonderful, but it’s nice to switch things up every now and then, so I made the resolution for us to actively try and have new adventures together.
Back in January when my resolution was fresh and exciting, I came across a deal on Travelzoo for one night’s stay at The Prince of Wales Hotel in Niagara-On-The-Lake. For $140 USD we’d get a Superior Room (hello, King bed!), bottle of local wine, vouchers for wineries in the area, and breakfast. The Niagara area holds a special place for us because we got engaged in Niagara Falls way back in 2007.
My original plan was to whisk my husband away for a birthday surprise to the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, enjoy a fancy evening in Niagara, then head back to Michigan on Sunday. Richard currently volunteers are a local aviation museum so I was so happy that I could take him to a place that would interest him.
Unfortunately, I didn’t do enough research and the warplane museum was hosting a boat show the entire weekend! Oops. I had already bought the Travelzoo deal and booked the hotel. Double oops. Pontoons don’t have the same appeal as WWII era bombers so I had to do something drastic to redeem myself- I ordered an artisanal cheese plate for us to share! For $20 (CANADIAN!) the hotel said they’d have a cheese plate ready for us when we checked in… Weekend, consider yourself saved!
We had a nice, if not completely devastating, drive to NOTL. I cannot advise listening to depressing podcasts (I’m talking to you This American Life’s “Anatomy of Doubt”episode) while you drive to your vacation destination. Nothing says “have fun this weekend!” like listening to a rape survivor tell her heartbreaking story. We pressed on even though we were sad because a cheese plate and a bottle of wine waited for us.
After a quick 5 hour jaunt, we made it to the hotel…. and our cheeseplate.
We had so much fun in NOTL. We walked around the little historic district, ate a cheese plate (have I mentioned we had a cheese plate?), enjoyed drinks at The Old Angel Inn, one of the oldest and most rustic bars I’ve ever been in, had a satisfying meal to celebrate Richard’s 31st birthday, listened to music in the hotel bar, hunted for ghosts… It was really memorable for a quick 30 hr jaunt in my motherland.
I hope writing this has inspired some of you to visit a new place you’ve never been. You don’t need a haunted hotel or fancy dinners to have fun adventures. You need a partner in crime who is willing to go wherever so long as you’re the one who drives. And a cheese plate doesn’t hurt either.
I’m glad you guys had fun despite not being able to check out the war museum! Just means you’ll need to go on another weekend getaway and surprise him :)