MINNEAPOLIS, MINNEHAHA, MINNESOTA—THAT’S A LOT OF WATER!

Posted on September 14, 2017 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

“Minn” in the Dakota language means “water”, and there’s plenty of it in Minnesota—more than 10,000 lakes!

How did we end up in Minnesota, anyway? It all started from two separate paths that met up perfectly in Minneapolis. U.S. Masters Swimming Summer Nationals was scheduled for early August, 2017, and it’s a state we had never been to during our travels. I had also missed the National Senior Games when it was held previously at the very same pool, so I thought it would be a great opportunity.

Meanwhile, I had been telling Bruce over the past four years how great the American Steamboat Company’s “American Queen” was when I took my mom on a paddle wheel cruise down the Mississippi, from Memphis to New Orleans. It was an experience I thought he would like very much.

One day last year, Bruce greeted me at the door holding the new American Queen Steamboat Company brochure, exclaiming, “I found a cruise for us!” I figured he had finally decided he wanted to try one of their one-week cruises from Memphis. Instead, he picked out their 23-day re-positioning river cruise that paddles down the Mississippi from Red Wing, Minnesota to New Orleans!

It just so happened that cruise was scheduled for one week after Nationals, and he had a plan. (I sometimes wonder what’s rolling around in his head when he takes breaks from his glass work, kicks back on the bed, and stares at the ceiling…) “How about if you swim at Nationals, and then we’ll rent a car and do a road trip around northern Wisconsin? We can return the car back in Minneapolis, and then we’ll take the cruise?” he asked.

Adding up the days, this plan amounted to five weeks of travel—piece of cake for me, but not so much for Bruce. “Are you sure you want to be away for THAT long?” I asked. “We did a seven-week road trip two years ago, didn’t we?” Yeah, good point. “What about your Etsy business?” I asked. “We’ll take it with us!” he replied.

Fifteen minutes later, I was on the phone and the cruise was booked. (By booking immediately before the early-booking deadline, we saved $3,000 and were able to get one of the lowest-priced cabins that book up quickly.)

Fast forward to May of this year, the swimming part of the plan started to unravel (as you may have read in my July 8 post). Due to injuries, I didn’t know whether I would be able to compete at Nationals after all. The entry deadline was prior to my open water swim, and I wouldn’t have time to prepare for my usual competitive events. (There’s a big difference between swimming the 200 Meter Butterfly or Breaststroke in a Nationals competition and a 1K freestyle fun race in a lake. Others may argue with me on this point, but I’ll take the 1K as the easier-on-the-body-and-mind event.)

The deadline came, and I knew I wouldn’t be ready to compete at Nationals, so I let it pass. We decided to go anyway, see (and cheer on) our friends, and stick with our travel plans.

We arrived in Minnesota on August 1 and took their excellent Metro Transit train downtown to our hotel. The afternoon was spent taking a long walk down to the river and across the bridge for lunch, and then back downtown.

Here are some scenes from our first day in Minneapolis:

Downtown Minneapolis

Across the bridge from downtown Minneapolis

Minneapolis has a thriving foodie food truck scene!

Next up: The M’s have it! Minnehaha (Ha-ha!) Falls, Minneapolis, and Mall of America

Strolling the Decks of the American Queen

Posted on March 28, 2013 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Every time I walk the decks of this beautiful ship, I am in awe. The American Queen is the largest steamboat in the world, as well as the most maneuverable one, according to Jerry, our Riverlorian who conducted a tour of the pilot house for me and a small group of passengers.

“Riverlorian”? Yes! On board, Jerry is our river historian lecturer who is an expert at everything Mississippi River. Our “lecture” yesterday was not a lecture at all, though. Instead, Jerry told stories about the river and his experiences aboard steamboats over the years. What a hoot!

I had never traveled aboard a steamboat before, but it was love at first sight when we set sail on the Mississippi. I thoroughly enjoy strolling back and forth on the decks, exploring every detail; especially when I have my camera in hand. It is so picturesque and fun to explore photographically!

So, take a stroll along with me and explore the American Queen.

Aboard the American Queen

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Step aboard the American Queen and it feels like stepping back in time to the days of “Gone with the Wind”. Although it was built in 1995, no detail was left out and no shortcuts taken to make this feel like an 1800’s era steamboat. She’s a beauty.

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We were greeted by a friendly all-American staff, as we embarked and made our way to our cozy inside cabin; a much more affordable option than the outside cabins with a view. Since we don’t spend a lot of time in our cabin, the interior option is just fine with us.

Our cabin is small, but we found it quite well designed to accommodate us comfortably with all of our belongings. I still have spare space in my drawers and on the shelves, so it doesn’t feel cramped at all. Since the beds are on risers, the suitcases stow easily under our beds, which, by the way, are very comfy! Between the pillow-top mattress and deluxe linens, sleeping is a dream.

Check out our bathroom; much roomier than a cruise ship bathroom for sure! The shower is quite large and there is plenty of space for our toiletries. The toiletries American Queen provides are full-sized and quite nice, though, so we really didn’t even need to bring our own. And, the towels are plush!

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American Queen Steamboat Company really adds a lot of nice touches. Between the complimentary bottle of French champagne greeting us when we embarked and delicious Memphis chocolates left on our pillow each night, we feel spoiled. And, the complimentary wine served with dinner has been quite good.

At the “Front Porch”; the casual dining option located down the hall from our cabin, there are fresh baked cookies available 24/7, as well as a self-serve ice cream sundae bar, popcorn, and an espresso machine that has just about any hot drink you would like, including real hot chocolate; the type made with steamed milk, rather than hot water. They even have flavors available in pump bottles to add to your coffee drinks. If cold drinks are your preference, ice tea, lemonade and juices are always available. And, if you’re hungry, the breakfast, lunch and dinner buffets offer a delicious variety of food.

Enjoy your treats inside with terrific views of the river or wander out on deck to a table, swing or rocking chair. It’s a relaxing, casual option to the formal dining in the beautiful dining room.

Throughout the ship are beautiful orchid arrangements that looked so perfect, I had to touch them to be sure they were real. And, the furnishings are beautiful and comfortable. My favorites, though, are the stained glass lamps in the library, as well as the oval-shaped stained glass windows at surrounding the dining room, just below the ceiling.

The ambiance aboard ship is so different than home; just what I had hoped for during our 640 mile trip down the Mississippi. And, with the 50 mph winds we experienced during our first night aboard ship, it truly felt like we were Gone with the Wind.

Memphis, Birthplace of the Blues

Posted on March 26, 2013 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

Greetings from the American Queen steamboat! We have been to Helena, Arkansas and are about to depart Vicksburg, Mississippi, however, I haven’t yet had a chance to post about Memphis; our port of embarkation. The days have been full, but FUN! So, making time to write has been difficult… But, I will take you back to our time in Memphis, before boarding this beautiful steamboat.

Our vacation with American Queen Steamboat Company included one night at the Marriott Hotel, in Memphis, Tennessee, before boarding the American Queen. The hotel was located downtown, on the Main Street trolley line with one of the stops right outside of our hotel. We were given a trolley pass to use throughout our stay, so we decided to take advantage of it and ride the entire route of all three trolley lines and take in the sites. Given the weather conditions, it was the perfect way to go. It was cold and rainy on our date of arrival and extremely windy the following day, as the storm blew out. According to Weather Channel, the “feels like” temperature was 37 degrees! Considering the average high temperature in Memphis is 61 degrees, in March, this was a bit of a shock! So, we opted to spend most of the time huddled up in the heated trolley cars, rather than brave the cold.

We made our way on foot to see some of the highlights, though. After settling in at our hotel and hopping onto the Main St. trolley, we disembarked at Union St. and walked over to the beautiful historic Peabody Hotel. Built in 1925, the Peabody is known more for their interesting tradition than anything else: The Duck Parade. Each day, at 11:00 AM, the resident ducks are escorted from their “penthouse suite” to the elevator, for a ride down to the lobby. They parade down the red carpet and up the carpeted stairway that leads them into the lobby fountain, where they splash around until 5:00 PM. At precisely 5:00 PM, the Duck Master sets out the red carpet and stairway for their parade back to elevator and up to their suite.

This has been a tradition since 1944. And, the lobby is packed up to an hour ahead with people vying for the best view of the 10 minute ceremony. We arrived too late for a front row view, so we headed up to the balcony to look down on the spectacle. Photos from up there weren’t possible, so I waited until the following day to return and catch some shots of the ducks frolicking about in the fountain. What a hoot!

Following the duck parade, we walked over to Beale St. and had dinner at Blues City Café, a funky bar-b-que joint that happens to also be known for their “World Famous Tamales”. Mom had the ribs (tasty!) and I enjoyed the best gumbo and tamales that lived up to their great reputation.

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The remainder of the evening was spent strolling the famous section of Beale St., home of the blues. Memphis is a pilgrimage for those wanting to visit the birthplace of the blues, of soul and of rock ‘n’ roll. On Beale Street, W.C. Handy put down on paper the first written blues music. Joni Mitchell sings about Handy in “Furry Sings the Blues”. Check it out here: http://youtu.be/ybCwd1yBP88 .

For those who love the Blues, Beale St. is the place to be. Walk down the street and you can hear the sounds of blues at every bar doorway you pass.

The following day, we spent the blustery cold morning riding the trolley lines to get our last glimpses of Memphis life before boarding the American Queen. And, we took one last stroll on Beale St. to pay our respects to W.C. Handy.

Onward to the American Queen!

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All Aboard…

Posted on March 20, 2013 by Elaine-iaK's Travels

… as the American Queen sets sail along the southernmost area of the Mississippi River. My mom and I will be aboard the 432 passenger paddlewheel, on March 24, after spending one night in Memphis, Tennessee.

Longer than a football field and six decks high, The American Queen is the largest riverboat in the world. She is a beauty, complete with gingerbread trim, fluted stacks, and a giant red paddlewheel giving her an old-fashioned appeal, even though she was built in 1995 and refurbished last year.

As a (former) California girl who feels right at home in the northwest or northeast areas of our country, living aboard the American Queen for one week will be as foreign to me as I felt observing a Balinese cremation ceremony and walking the old city streets of Casablanca. I live in a house with rattan furniture, handicrafts from my world travels, and fused art glass. The American Queen, in contrast, will be like stepping back in time to “Gone with the Wind”.

This is precisely the motivation for booking passage aboard the American Queen steamboat: Experiencing something completely different and not expecting it to be like home. There is nothing more frustrating to me when I travel than hearing other Americans whine and complain about how, “At home, in the U.S.A., the food is (fill in the blank), and the hotels are (fill in the blank), and the service is (fill in the blank).” BLAH, BLAH, BLAH! What I wish to tell those people, at that point is, “Well, then, you should have stayed home!”

Traveling, to me, is all about stepping outside of my comfort zone and trying new things. Not that an American Queen cruise is exactly roughing it. But, to me, the Deep South is like being in a foreign country; not unlike the experience of living in Texas, when we lived there for four years. Culturally, the people of Texas and Griffin, Georgia, where we have lived for the past four years, are more culturally different from Californians than many of the foreign countries I spent a lot of time in, including Australia and New Zealand.

It’s all good! I absolutely love the experience of living and traveling in new and different places. Ever since I spent one year traveling the South Pacific, solo, with my backpack, I have craved new adventures. Whether it be trying exotic foods, traveling to experience different cultures or moving from the 7^th largest city to a town of 23,000; I have been up for it all.

So, on Saturday, I leave my casually and comfortably furnished home (and healthy food… and swim training…) for an ornately decorated steamboat and good ol’ southern cooking.

All aboard!

Elaine-iaK's Travels: A Traveler's Tales of People, Places, Photos, Pools… and CHOCOLATE!

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