In 2010 I ... road tripped to Winona

My college roommate and surname-sharing non-relative, Sheila, is moving to Boston. From Minneapolis, it might as well be Guam. We've been mourning the loss of Sheils for awhile now, but felt a few send-off celebrations were in order, starting with a road trip to the alma mater, Winona Sate. So Lisa, Em, Sheils and I hopped in the car for an epic weekend of nostalgia ...

L & S with recovery Jamba Juice on the drive

The goal was pretty simple - cram everything we love about Winona into a 36-hour visit. This included lunch at Acoustic Cafe,


with an immediate follow-up for ice cream at The Penguin Zesto.

L & E at The Penguin Zesto

S & Me with a delicious flurry

For old times' sake, we also drove past everywhere any of us ever lived. And because it's Winona, that took approximately 8 minutes.

My first Winona home, and the prettiest dorm on campus

Although once we got to campus, S did make us walk inside our old dorm. I was honestly afraid. It's amazing how memory can blur how we actually lived. The rooms seemed minuscule, and I had absolutely no recollection of how wretched the bathrooms were. (Apparently I can actually repress an entire year's living situation ... all the more reason for this blog!)

After all this rehashing and running around, we spent two luxurious, relaxing hours in the AmericInn hot tub. (Note: this is probably one of the nicest hotel in Winona, second only to the former Holiday Inn.)


This was critical prep for our full Winona bar crawl, with pit stops at every old favorite:

L & Me at Mulligan's

The whole gang at Gabby's

$8 round at Bullseye (or whatever it is they call it these days)

L & S getting down at Brother's

Rockin' out at Schyde's

After-bar food fiesta at Erbs & Gerbs

A historic night. (Plus S & L stayed awake past 1 a.m.!) The trip wrapped up with a reminiscent breakfast stop at Perkins and a trip up Garvin Heights.

View of campus from the bluffs

We had amazing weather the entire trip, and it really ended up being the perfect way to start Sheila's send-off. The only downfall is the part where she actually leaves.