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| - My boyfriend and I live in Chicago, a dirty, stressful, expensive city that we're looking forward to getting out of. For a weekend getaway, we decided to visit Madison, a well-reputed place down here in the Windy City.
Being graduate students, you wouldn't expect us to choose a place like the Arbor House for our 2-night, 3-day visit to Madison. It's an environmentally conscious B&B that would typically be out of the reach of low-income students like us (and, in fact, the other folks staying there were all at least 20 years older than us and way more well-to-do). But recessions can really benefit people like us: in an attempt to lure visitors, the Arbor House has some great deals going on right now, which is why D. and I were able to afford a stay in the fancy John Nolen room, replete with a two-person hot tub.
The Arbor House serves a homemade breakfast every morning, which is stunning in flavor, variety, and creativity; an evening cocktail (margaritas and wine while we were there); and an after-8-pm "sweet treat" for all the guests to find in the fridge (oh god, delicious). Hospitality was good, though the staff are kind of scarce: we had trouble getting our ice-cold room to a decent temperature, but could never find anyone to ask for help because no one ever responded when the "Ring for innkeeper" button was pushed!
Still, freezing to death at night aside, a really lovely and worthwhile experience. Would return!
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