As you probably already know, I travel about every 6-8 weeks. Victoria and I have decided this cadence is appropriate for our busy schedules. We both give each other a weekend of our own. Victoria usually gets a hotel and just takes the weekend to herself. I use my weekend to travel.
In this case, I decided to follow Victoria's example. Instead of pushing myself with traveling, I would take it easy. I would also take the time to reflect and think about things. I wanted to figure out more long-term plans for traveling and this blog. I also just wanted to mess with AI and not be interrupted.
While the weekend was reserved, I decided to shoot for a Monday and Tuesday. The Wisconsin and Alabama game was in town, so hotel rooms in this general area were super expensive. Also, I could do my weekend routine and take some time away from work.
I wanted to stay somewhere close so I wouldn't spend a lot of time driving. The Clarion by the Alliant Energy Center had reasonable prices, so I booked a room there. Since I had taken all of Monday and Tuesday off, I would need to wait until check-in time on Monday.
I first got breakfast from Casey's.
I then hung around the house. For a late lunch, I stopped at Cousin's.
I didn't want to leave the hotel room if I didn't have to, so I needed food. I stopped by Metro Market.
I was soon at the Clarion, checking in with the few things I decided to bring.
The check-in process was super efficient. I usually stay at Wyndham Hotels, but Choice Hotels are more efficient in this regard. Even the key packet was super organized.
The room had everything I needed to be productive and also relax.
I was also impressed they had a recycling bin. Many hotels will greenwash and say they care for the environment, but this is my test if they actually care.
I set up my computer and got to work.
They got good internet, so that helped.
I bought a lot of junk food. This was time to relax, so a healthy diet wasn't the biggest concern.
There wasn't much of a view, but sitting on the couch and looking outside was still nice.
I did leave the hotel room for a short walk, but otherwise, I just hung out in the room.
On Wednesday morning, I ate the hotel breakfast. It was sparser than a La Quinta, but I still got the basics and a full belly.
Overall, I'm glad I deferred traveling to take a weekend to relax. I was able to think deeply and make bigger plans. I also got to play with AI, which will help with implementing these plans.
The Clarion was the perfect place to do this. I may have to do this again on a future weekend. I'll probably do some more traveling on my next upcoming weekends. On the other hand, I could go for another relaxing weekend sometime in the future.