Dubuque Getaway ... A Moderately Priced Binge

 Today's entry finds me in Dubuque, Iowa, a medium-priced binge. I am at my fave place, the Hotel Julien, where I procured a room for $85 for the night, $99 with taxes. The normal website price on the room is $147. I booked through a website called hoteltonight.com, saving me $48. The site works best on a smart phone and, of course, there's an app.


I mostly use hoteltonight for spur of the moment getaways to Dubuque and LaCrosse, but it would be a great app if you're just vagabonding your way across the state or the country and don't want to be confined by pre-arranged lodging reservations (I know that's redundant, but you know what I mean).

I have to say that little spontaneous "retreats" like this are often just the ticket for curing the blahs and rejuvenating the mind/body/soul. My friend, Mario, says that I don't need retreats because my whole life is one big retreat. But I do need to get away from time to time, especially to reward myself for a big project finished, or just for a change of scenery to clear my head.

Dubuque may not seem a likely place for a retreat, but it has a lot going for it. Yes, it's still very industrial, with long trains lumbering through town day and night blaring their horns. But the central downtown has been undergoing a rebirth, including a $30 million renovation of this hotel.



I find the Mississippi River a calming salve to my soul. There are several good restaurants here, as well as the lure of two casinos, with the Diamond Jo being my favorite. And being a boutique hotel, the Julien has a stately beauty to it and is not particularly kid-friendly, so chances are better that the little fockers aren't running up and down the hallways all night. They're all at the Holiday Inn, where they belong.

There is no "free" breakfast here at the Julien, but the best breakfast in town is about 2 blocks up the street, the Sunshine Cafe, where for less than 10 bucks you can get a hearty breakfast and a friendly smile from your server. Solid diner food here, folks, no egg white omelets or tofu sausage.

So today, I left Janesville about 12:30 p.m. Normally, cat Abby is fine on her own for an overnight like this, but this time around she has (sister) Dawn to keep her company and pump her full of treats. I made a quick stop at Aldi in Monroe for some diet Coke and a few treats for the room. This is another money saving strategy I use to avoid the vending machines and hotel snack boutiques. A pint bottle of Jim Beam accompanies me for a nightcap, avoiding an $8 charge in the room's minibar.

I traveled today in some of the most bizarre weather I've ever encountered, driving through four separate downpours. Finally arrived in Dubuque, cloudy and drizzling. First order of business was to hit the hot tub to soak an aching foot, the right foot to be exact, where I think I have a case of the gout. Yes, that's right ... gout, which reared its ugly head a couple of days ago. Apparently, I've been "binging" a little too much lately and now have an inflamed big toe and joint on my right foot. I haven't had an official diagnosis yet, but I'm pretty sure this is what it is. I can't help but think of those old images I've seen of of kings and dukes and earls sitting on chairs with their foot on a pillow and a big old poultice wrapped around their big toe because all they consumed was meat and wine!



I plan on going to urgent care this week for verification, but it looks like I'll be eating more fruits and veggies and less beef and bacon, which is probably a good thing anyway.

After my soak, I went to a restaurant inside the Diamond Jo called "Filament," which is a brew pub, and not very gout-friendly. I had the fish 'n chips, and substituted a salad and cabbage slaw for the fries. The cod was delicious. Yes, deep fried, but they didn't have anything on the menu that was broiled. Total with tax and tip: $19.39.

From there, into the casino where I won $25 at the blackjack table and decided to cash out after that. Not bad for a half hour's work.

I'm back in my room now, typing out this blog entry. I've had a couple of energy bars from Aldi for "dessert," and a cup of coffee from the hotel room's Keurig coffee maker. Looking forward to a good night's sleep on a mattress so thick, I have to jump up to get in. Thermostat set at 68 degrees. Ah.

Tomorrow morning, a long hot shower and shave, followed by breakfast at the Sunshine. I'll skip the bacon and sausage and go with ham.

I should arrive back in Janesville refreshed and ready to tackle the next project. With meals and gas, I I should bring this binge in at around $125, counting the $25 I won in the casino.

Worth it.

Bruce

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