Slow start

I got off to a slow start this morning. I'd thought I'd leave by 9, but it was after 10 when I left. My stomach was a little upset (NOT NERVES!) and I couldn't decide if I wanted to go out for breakfast of just have tea and toast.  So, I puttered around, made sure Chloe wouldn't get locked in any rooms while I decided.

I decided that maybe pancakes would be a good idea. I started to go to Ram's Horn. (I wasn't actually out of town yet, after all. :P) But, when I pulled in, it felt very much like an old people's place, seeing as all the spaces in front were reserved for handicapped drivers, and the only way into the restaurant was by ramp. So, I pulled out of there & went to Sunrise Cafe. Also a chain (albeit mostly defunct), but I'd never actually gone there, so I figured it was ok. I ordered 1/2 order of pancakes and only ate half of that. Then, I was on my way.

It's not the most beautiful time for a road trip. It's very gray out, and WINDY. My poor little (still unnamed because I can't remember the name that was suggested that I finally liked) car really felt the effects of the wind, being pushed a bit, especially around curves & near trucks.  But, my GPS did an excellent job of getting me where I needed to be.

Turns out, I'm not actually IN Grand Rapids -- I'm about 6 miles away, in Cascade. The hotel's right off a main road & freeway. But, given the elephants who live above me, I don't think it'll bother me.I got here earlier than I'd planned, but I decided to stop at the hotel anyhow & let them know I was here. Well, when I walked in, they said that I'm the Guest of the Day! I asked what that meant. The woman at the reception desk said it means that I'm upgraded to a suite, they'll bring breakfast to me, and then she gave me a bag of M&Ms (to go with the ones I got at the Honda dealer last week. Lol.) The room is very nice. The bedroom has a king size bed, 2 nightstands, a tv, a full bathroom & a kitchenette. (A little fridge and microwave. The sitting room has a love seat, chair & ottoman, end tables, coffee table desk, another tv & another full size bathroom! Quite nice accommodations for the first night. There is indeed a pool & hot tub, which I may check out later.

After I checked in & brought my stuff in, I decided to go to the Grand Rapids Public Museum. I'd totally forgotten about how big cities charge for parking, which, as most people know, is a pet peeve of mine. I found the structure across from the museum (I didn't have any change, so I didn't even bother looking at the meters) & figured that vacation money is different than real money & swallowed hard at the $1/30 minute charge.

The museum had a little bit of everything. For an extra charge, there was a Titanic exhibit, but I didn't feel like seeing that. But there was plenty in the rest of the museum -- although it's LOTS of reading, which I got tired of pretty fast. They had exhibits about how electricity works, a very interesting one about a local American Indian tribe, an Old Town (which was rather lame, seeing as you couldn't go into any of the shop replicas), some fossils, a skeleton of a whale, another of a dinosaur, and those stuffed wild animals that I was never fond of. There were also some exhibits & history about money, stamps and games. (Sad that games I played with as a kid have made it to museum status.)

(My spirograph had a red tray. Lol.)

I got pretty tired at the museum so I decided to come back to the hotel. Trying to decide what to do for dinner. (I skipped lunch, which is likely why I'm so tired.) I saw them setting up a little buffet-like thing of hot dogs & so forth, but I don't think I want that. But the popcorn smelled good. Lol. There seem to be lots of chains -- a Macaroni Grill is right across the street, and a Brann's (which I've heard of but never been to) is right next door. Deciding if that breaks the rules or not. But, maybe the Italian restaurant that I saw a comment card about will fit the bill.

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I went to a restaurant called Pietro's for dinner. It's entirely possible that it was a chain, but it was not one of the 4  Italian chains (and many, many other chains of other nationalities) in the 4 or so mile drive there. It was quite good, but way too much food, and it killed me not to be able to take the leftovers. (I did bring an insulated bag for "road trip food souvenirs", but leftover dinner doesn't really count. I'm thinking more specialties of the area, i.e., baked goods, should I run into any.) This being the first night of Passover, I was an extremely bad Jew and got a dish that was like chicken fettucine with chicken, spinach, mushrooms...and prosciutto. 

Unfortunately, near the end of the meal, I started getting another sinus headache, so I stopped at the Target to get some generic Tylenol sinus to take in the morning. Although, after I bought it, it occurred to me that I do have the loratadine with me.

I was thinking of going to the pool, but i looked in, and it seems to be kids' hour. so, maybe later. or not. But I love the idea of it...and the adjacent hot tub.

On the docket for tomorrow (after my breakfast is DELIVERED): Frederick Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. Then, Saugatuck or Holland, depending on which is first. (I'm close to both & want to do both.)