Mini-Vacation

We are such suckers for getting away. Even if it's just for a night, we love nothing more than to pile in the van and take off for a day or two.

A few months ago we planned a night away to Chicago for the car show and good pizza and downtown exploration, but thanks to the weather and the fact that we found out that it would cost us $50 (FIFTY DOLLARS!) just to park our car at the hotel downtown, we decided to save Chicago for another year.

So instead, we returned to a family favorite: The Radisson in Newport, Kentucky, overlooking The Queen City and river. Some of our fondest memories are made in Cincinnati, and the fact that it's only an hours drive away is definitely a bonus. Jeremy manged to get us a room on the 17th floor (there's only 18, and the 18th floor is a revolving restaurant) so the view was stunning.

We checked in at about 5 o'clock and spent about 3 hours swimming before dinner, then returned to the pool in the morning for a couple more hours of swim time. Henry had an absolute blast swimming and splashing around. Our trip didn't consist of much more...well, except food. Some of our absolute favorite restaurants are located in the Cincinnati area and so we don't get to visit them often (not to mention they're not exactly great for someone on a diet).

Our first stop was at Blue Ash Chili where they are famous not only for their Cincinnati chili (which is to die for, by the way) but their delicious double-decker sandwiches. I got chicken salad and bacon (a favorite of mine), Jeremy got corned beef and roast beef, and then we got a side of chili-cheese fries to share. And yes, the sandwiches really look like this - and they're just as good as they look.

We also ate at Tom + Chee. I'm not sure how many franchises there are now of this place, but I sure do wish they'd move up the interstate a bit and find a home closer to Troy. They were on shark-tank (and Amazing Eats, and Man vs Food), a bit ago and I think their business has boomed since then. None-the-less, their first home was right here. 

I had their original Tom + Chee sandwich, which had two types of cheese, diced tomatoes, and seasonings to boot. It was really to die for. I also had a cup of their orginal tomato soup which was so, so good - and perfect for dipping. Jeremy had some sort of 'spicy' sandwich which had jalapeno chips and meats on it. We also got a grilled cheese doughnut to share (because you just have to). It was very good as well...although, very interesting.

On our way home we stopped and paid the man that own the condo that we rent in Florida which means vacation is finally completely planned and paid for! We also got stuck in snow and it took us almost THREE hours to get home in the stuff. It was a very slow trip, but when we got home, we all felt refreshed and happy to have had a night away.

We have Sunday off to spend together as well, so it's back to clean-eating, and back to the usual. But that's okay!

Have a great Monday!