Duluth, Minnesota is a city of surprises. One of the best was the beautiful Radisson Hotel Duluth Harborview—we’ve never stayed in a more comfortable hotel.

Radisson Hotel Duluth Harborview

The first thing that really appealed to us as travelers was how easy it is to get to the Radisson Hotel Duluth Harborview. One short turn off the Interstate and you’re there-—once around the block and you’re back on the Interstate. And, what makes it even easier to find is the incredible architecture. The Radisson Hotel Duluth Harborview is round!

Inside, the Radisson Hotel Duluth Harborview has that casual feel that makes everybody feel comfortable, right down to celebrities like Cher, who stayed there recently on tour. Our trip coincided (of course) with a snowmobile race, and it sure looked like racers and fans were right at home in the hotel. Of course there is a gym and pool in the hotel for working out the kinks for the racers who have been competing out at Spirit Mountain. Indeed, Duluth has been ranked in the top ten outdoor cities in the U.S.

Our room had everything from an Internet connection so we could check in at home, to a view that went on forever. The Radisson Hotel Duluth Harborview is conveniently connected by skywalks to many downtown Duluth businesses and attractions, including the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center. My next trip I plan to check out some of the great attractions after the race, including: the Great Lakes Aquarium, North Shore Scenic Railroad, and Glensheen Mansion.

Our room at the Radisson Hotel Duluth Harborview

After a hectic day at the track the Radisson Hotel Duluth Harborview beds were awesome! We were very comfortable with the Sleep Number®bed at this location.

It’s hard to believe there was even more to this getaway, but there was. The crowning glory–literally–was the revolving Top of the Harbor Restaurant. Situated sixteen stories over the harbor, the evening view of lights was spectacular. Supper was excellent too, especially since the menu and pricing fit a family plan. Since the restaurant is open for breakfast too, we were able to sample several options.

Enjoy your stay—we certainly did!

When you go:

Radisson Hotel Duluth Harborview
505 W. Superior Street, Duluth Minnesota 55802, USA
Reservations: (800) 333-3333 USA
Telephone: (218) 727-8981 Fax: (218) 727-0162
http://www.radisson.com/duluthmn

Saskatchewan harvest

Kindersley is situated in West Central Saskatchewan, near the Alberta border. The community is an endearing cross between city and small town country. More than a hundred miles from large cities in any direction, it has become the centre hub for a wide area, so has developed the facilities to serve all needs.

As I pulled into the parking lot for the Kindersley Inn, I gazed around thinking of the great times I’d had with friends during snowmobile races there during the eighties. The summer vacation we’d had a suite overlooking the pool, back when the kids were just into their teens, also popped into my mind. It almost felt like coming home.

The staff at the counter were as friendly as I remembered them. Before long I was settled into my room with all the comforts of home. Gazing longingly at the king sized bed, I pulled out the desk chair instead. With tons of space to spread out my briefcases and bags, I was soon hard at work.

Kindersley Inn

Getting organized for the next day I realized the suit jacket in the bottom of my suitcase was a little scrunched. No problem-friendly hotel staff delivered everything I needed to my room in minutes. The only thing easier would have been if someone else did the ironing!

Once that was out of the way I jumped into my bathing suit and set off down the hallway to the pool area. The hot tub was just what I needed to relax after the five hour drive! A young family was already in the pool room, with one child in the big pool with a parent and a smaller one in the kid-sized paddling pool where she was free to splash and really enjoy herself.

I set the timer on the hot tub and lowered myself into the water. Ah…there’s nothing like a great water massage to relax the muscles at the end of the day. With the temperature just right and the water feeling fine, I settled in for my standard twenty minutes of mindless pampering, thinking how great it would feel after pounding the snowmobile trails on a winter run.

Room at the Kindersley Inn

Breakfast was great in the East Side Café the next morning, and I was able to relax over several cups of decaffeinated while I finished getting organized for my training workshop. The menu was varied, but since I like light breakfasts I stuck to fresh fruit and whole wheat toast.

The conference room was just as well-set up and functional as everything else had been during my trip. With everything close at hand, including fresh pots of coffee and doughnuts for my students, we were soon deep in discussions of library maintenance and time management.

Kindersley Inn

Indeed, the time passed quickly for me during my stay at the Kindersley Inn. Whether it’s a working stay or a fun stop with your snowmobile to enjoy the trails maintained by the White Knucklers Snowmobile Club make the Kindersley Inn your stopping point in West Central Saskatchewan!

24 Hour Reservations Line
Call Toll Free 1 (877) 260-6555
Local Calling (306) 463-6555
601 11th Ave E
Kindersley, SK
S0L 1S1
Email kindersleyinn@sasktel.net

I like to stay in hotels that have history and character–so Winnipeg’s Ramada Marlborough was a great choice! The Marlborough is situated on the edge of The Exchange district, which is a 30 block area of downtown Winnipeg, located North of the famous corner of Portage and Main. While I’d driven through Winnipeg numerous times, I was astounded to discover this fascinating area.

Ramada Marlborough Hotel

Early development across the prairies relied on rail lines, so with 24 lines coming into Winnipeg by 1910 it’s easy to see how swift the growth would have been. Today this district is the location of 62 of Winnipeg’s 86 heritage structures.

I’ll be the first to admit that my favorite part of the hotel turned out to the Regal Beagle — the comfortable English-style pub. With its authentic dark woodwork and sculptured metal ceiling, it maintained much of the hotel’s original charm. Staff was friendly, so we learned lots about the area.

When supper time rolled around I didn’t feel like dressing for the elegant historical dining room, so inquired about their menu. It had a great selection, and the food arrived quickly. Before I tasted it I knew I’d made the right choice, as it smelled delicious. David and I both enjoyed our meals–and the prices were just as great as the taste.

Eagle Beagle

Saturday night we enjoyed the easy listening music of the duo, Guilty Pleasures — two young women with an entertaining style and good choice of music. I must admit the beer and hot wings added just the right touch as well!

Rated by AAA with a 3 diamond rating, the hotel rooms are all completely modern. They were small and cozy, in line with the era they’d been built in.

With older hotels I always wonder about the predictability of the heating systems since I’ve been alternatively baked and frozen, but the Marlborough renovations guaranteed perfect individual temperature control. We were able to dry out our damp snowmobile clothes and then cool the room down for a restful sleep.

Visit the Ramada Marlborough online at: http://www.themarlborough.ca/

by Linda Aksomitis

Kids with the Bonhomme in the hotel

The Hilton Quebec has one of the world’s best known and most-loved ambassadors as its greeter–the Carnaval de Quebec Bonhomme. And it’s no wonder, since the Hilton Quebec is right downtown in Quebec City near the Plains of Abraham, which is the location of the world’s largest winter carnival.

My grandson, Jon, and I, checked into the Hilton Quebec immediately upon our arrival, anxious to get settled before the beginning of Carnival.

I’d been drawn to the hotel because of the convenient location–we could easily walk to all of the Carnival events–and just in case one of us ran out of energy–return for a quick nap during the festivities. It also had all the features I look for in a hotel, from a pool to dining rooms to Internet access for guests.

Parliament Hill view from Hilton Quebec Hotel

What we hadn’t counted on though, was the view from our 20th floor window down on the city of Quebec. Ahead was Parliament Hill (Quebec City is the capital of Quebec), while almost under us, we could see the spectacular lights glowing through the famed ice walls of Bonhomme’s winter palace. The drapes, we decided, could stay open for our visit, so we could enjoy the view for the whole time.

Hilton Quebec Hotel room

Our room was spacious, so there was lots of room for Jon and I to unpack and settle right in. We tossed for the beds–Jon won and got the one closest to the window, so he could keep an eye on what was happening.

I unpacked and stashed our array of winter clothes in the closets and dressers, taking advantage of the iron and ironing board to give some last minute touches to my presumably “wrinkle-free” outfit. Jon, meanwhile, found the cartoon channel in English, and pleaded for an hour of video games.

It wasn’t long though, before we both decided to slide between the sheets and get to sleep! The beds were perfect, so we were soon dreaming about all the coming adventures at Carnival.

Room service at Hilton Quebec Hotel

Indeed, our next day was packed, so packed we decided to treat ourselves to room service at supper time, instead of joining friends. The food was delicious, even though dining room staff were busier than usual with the demands of Carnival.

For Jon, room service at the Hilton Quebec Hotel was one of the trip’s highlights, as he was able to stretch out on the bed, watch t.v., and slowly make his way through the kid’s choice of chicken fingers and fruit cup.

Hotel staff couldn’t have been friendlier or more helpful than at the Hilton Quebec, and certainly helped make our trip to Carnaval de Quebec a memorable experience.

If you go:

Visit the Carnaval de Quebec web site at:  http://www.carnaval.qc.ca/
Hilton Quebec Hotel
1100 Rene Levesque East, Quebec, Canada G1R 4P3
Tel: 1-418-647-2411   Fax: 1-418-647-6488

Hilton Quebec Hotel – http://www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/hotel/YQBHIHH-Hilton-Quebec-Quebec/index.do

Copyright 2007, Linda Aksomitis (Pub date – Jan 16/07).  All Rights Reserved.

Downtown Hotel in Dawson City, Yukon

by Sourtoe Linda (Aksomitis)
That’s right–I’ve got the right to call myself a Sourtoe–even have a piece of paper issued by the Yukon Order of the Sourtoe Club to prove it. The Sourtoe Club was started in 1973, and my certificate, dated March 3, 2006, is numbered 20874, so I’m far from the first–or last–sourtoe!

Exactly how do you get to be a Sourtoe? Well, it’s not for the squeamish or weak of spirit (spirits however,  consumed in great quantities, do make the whole process easier to take). My liquor of choice was peppermint schnapps, a strong enough flavor to hide whatever taste the pickled toe in the shooter glass might have. Indeed, the sourtoe is a REAL human toe, complete with a brown-stained, cracked toenail and a few hairs.

The process is simple. Your ounce of alcohol is poured into a shot glass over the sourtoe. You, the inductee, need to down all the fluid while being carefully observed to make sure that the toe comes in contact with your lips as you drink. There is, of course, a chant and ceremony, as spectators all watch to confirm (or deny) the drinker’s claim to have touched the sourtoe.

This notorious Yukon Order of the Sourtoe Club was founded by Captain Dick Stevenson. Why? In response to a dare of course–what other reason could there be?

Legend has it that Stevenson discovered the petrified remains of a human toe under the floorboards of an old miner’s cabin on the Sixtymile River. The toe made the rounds of local saloons, until someone dared Stevenson to stop flapping his lips and use them to prove himself by putting them to a drink with the sourtoe in and swallow it instead. As chance would have it, a newspaper reporter happened to be present, and the legend was born.

Captain Dick, owner of the Downtown Hotel, carries on the tradition. The toes, which only a few brave (crazy) souls have swallowed, are donated by people, mostly Yukoners, who lose a toe to some calamity, such as frostbite. The Sourtoe induction ceremony takes place in the Downtown Hotel’s lower level, in the Sourdough Saloon.

During Trek Over the Top sleds fill the streets in front of the Downtown Hotel

The Downtown Hotel, as you might imagine with the Sourdough Saloon, is a happening place in Dawson City. During the 2006 Trek Over the Top, when I visited Dawson, it was our central location, where we knew we could sit down for an hour and always find either a friendly local Yukoner, or visiting Trekker, to talk with.

As well as activities that might not suit the faint-of-heart, the Downtown Hotel also provides a classy dining room that rivals any hotel. In the Jack London Diner, on the hotel’s main floor, you can expect to fine white linen and candles, along with some great food. I had the Arctic Char, a local favorite, and highly recommend it.

Jack London, who the dining room is named for, was a writer who brought the spirit of the Yukon to the World. His most well known book is Call of the Wild, although he wrote over 50 novels and stories. London, an adventurer born in 1876 in San Francisco, landed in the Yukon in the winter of 1897 and found his own kind of gold in the Klondike Gold Rush, when he began publishing.

Along with bringing the wild to life, London also was an activist somewhat ahead of his times. One of the most publicized figures of his day, he supported socialism, women’s suffrage, and eventually, prohibition. He was among the first writers to work with the movie industry, and his novel The Sea-Wolf became the basis for the first full-length American movie. He was also one of the first celebrities to use his endorsement for commercial products in advertising, including dress suits and grape juice.
Downtown Hotel in Dawson City

The Downtown Hotel is a great place for fun!

The name, Jack London Diner, seemed to fit right into the Downtown Hotel!

Of course, one of the key things people look for in a hotel is a comfortable place to sleep. We weren’t disappointed on that point either! Our room was one of the 34 in the main part of the Downtown Hotel, which was renovated in 2002. Although we didn’t visit the Annex, which has an additional 25 rooms, glass roof atrium, courtyard, and jacuzzi, we certainly heard about the fun other Trek Over the Top participants had!

During other parts of the year, when visitors don’t seem to be just on snowmobiles, the Downtown Hotel offers a limousine service to the airport and transportation around Dawson City. Mind you it’s only a block or two to some of Dawson City’s other attractions, including Diamond Tooth Gertie’s gambling hall.

So, when you check in to the Downtown Hotel, tell them Sour Toe Linda sent you!

For More Info:

Make a reservation at the Downtown Hotel: http://www.downtownhotel.ca/

Find out more about Trek Over the Top at: http://www.trekoverthetop.com/

Find out more about Jack London:  http://london.sonoma.edu/

Copyright September 2006 by Linda Aksomitis