My Favorite Small Town
Galena is one of my very favorite small towns. It's rich in history and is just as cute as a button. There's something about it that's very wholesome and relaxing.
The first time I visited the town, it was a decade ago with one of my good friends over Valentine's Day weekend. We were both on a "break" from our boyfriends and decided we needed to get away. We stayed at Longhollow Point Inn, which is no longer around from what I'm told, and had a cold but enjoyable introduction to the town.
Subsequent trips were with friends for extra-long weekends (which occasionally ran even longer, depending on how much fun we were having), where we usually stayed at Stony Creek Inn. During those years, several of my friends who grew up in that area had moved back and were working in town, so these visits included lots of house parties with the locals. They're good people and can throw a mean after-party.
After 10 years of visits, this time around I stayed at Eagle Ridge and had only one friend in town whose schedule completely clashed with my own. Oh, times have changed.
Not only is the town a bit more...updated (gone are half of the antique shops and in their place are some cute specialty shops and a much-needed variety of restaurants), but I stayed at the "good" resort; the place everyone associates with Galena. And I have to say, though the inn lobby is cozy and the grounds are gorgeous, my room left much to be desired right down to the outdoor entry, the dated decor, and the endless supply of big ugly spiders, swarms of mosquitos and biting flies in the room. I hear the rooms in the inn were nice, though. I wish I could've had one of those.
A highlight of the trip (aside from noting how much the town has changed in the past few years) was meeting Jamie, the sassy owner of the Wine Studio. Her tastings are one of a kind and she has the best international goods stateside. Seriously good stuff. Visit her if you're ever in town.
Though the main purpose of the trip was business, I couldn't help but carve out time to visit my favorite stores (and bars) and acquaint myself with the new offerings (including bars). It was a successful trip from all angles.
The first time I visited the town, it was a decade ago with one of my good friends over Valentine's Day weekend. We were both on a "break" from our boyfriends and decided we needed to get away. We stayed at Longhollow Point Inn, which is no longer around from what I'm told, and had a cold but enjoyable introduction to the town.
Subsequent trips were with friends for extra-long weekends (which occasionally ran even longer, depending on how much fun we were having), where we usually stayed at Stony Creek Inn. During those years, several of my friends who grew up in that area had moved back and were working in town, so these visits included lots of house parties with the locals. They're good people and can throw a mean after-party.
After 10 years of visits, this time around I stayed at Eagle Ridge and had only one friend in town whose schedule completely clashed with my own. Oh, times have changed.
Not only is the town a bit more...updated (gone are half of the antique shops and in their place are some cute specialty shops and a much-needed variety of restaurants), but I stayed at the "good" resort; the place everyone associates with Galena. And I have to say, though the inn lobby is cozy and the grounds are gorgeous, my room left much to be desired right down to the outdoor entry, the dated decor, and the endless supply of big ugly spiders, swarms of mosquitos and biting flies in the room. I hear the rooms in the inn were nice, though. I wish I could've had one of those.
A highlight of the trip (aside from noting how much the town has changed in the past few years) was meeting Jamie, the sassy owner of the Wine Studio. Her tastings are one of a kind and she has the best international goods stateside. Seriously good stuff. Visit her if you're ever in town.
Though the main purpose of the trip was business, I couldn't help but carve out time to visit my favorite stores (and bars) and acquaint myself with the new offerings (including bars). It was a successful trip from all angles.
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