Staying at the St. James

 

   This year I wanted to do something special for C's birthday. We rarely do anything outside of a nice dinner somewhere. Sometimes I had to work on his birthday. Once I got laid off the day before his birthday. I really felt that he deserves something more.

    Every time we go to Red Wing, we pass by the St. James Hotel. We've been inside a couple of times to look at exhibits that were there after Thanksgiving. We once had lunch on the patio of a restaurant inside the hotel. We always wondered what it would be like to stay there.

    As a birthday present to C, I asked if he'd want to celebrate his birthday by staying at the St. James.  I had most of a week off work so it would be the perfect time. We made the reservation for a room with a whirlpool.

    When the time came we packed our bag and headed to Red Wing. We were both excited for our overnight trip. When we got into Red Wing, we stopped at the confectionary for a hot chocolate. C called the hotel to see if we could check in a little early. Our room was ready, so we could. 

    Our room was on the fourth floor. It took us a little while to find it. The St. James is 150 years old so the layout is a bit different than we were use to. Our room was down a small narrow hallway tucked between two other rooms. The room was charmingly decorated with flowered wall paper. There was a large king sized bed and a small desk as well as a little table that held a small coffeemaker with cups, coffee, tea and accessories. The bathroom was almost as big as the room and featured a large tub with a shower attachment. There were two small tables on each side of the bed and two small chairs to sit in. Old fashioned looking lamps were placed on the bedside tables and desk. A small chandelier hung from the middle of the ceiling. A large flat screen TV was mounted on the wall.  Our window overlooked the small courtyard of the nearby Red Wing Shoe company building. 

    Once we got settled in our room, we explored the hotel. We were familiar with the downstairs level. The artist that used to work there was gone. We saw some stairs going up and followed them. We found a display of items from the hotel and one of the owners who was quite the fashion plate in her time. We saw a beautiful chandelier with blue accents that we had not noticed before. We also found a ski jump museum and hall of fame. According to literature in the museum, the sport of ski jumping started in Red Wing. There were photographs of ski jumpers, ski jumps and ski jump teams. There were displays of uniforms worn by Olympic ski jumpers. The walls has skis form various eras. It was interesting.

    We went back downstairs. An employee directed us to the original lobby of the hotel. There was a restored pipe organ from a local church and a piano. Off the old lobby was a library with a fireplace and a private dining room. There was another room which could have been a public dining room or a place to hold dances and parties. It is all beautiful and luxurious.

    We went out to dinner. We spent the rest of the evening relaxing in our room. C tried to find a good movie to watch. I finished a book and worked on some knitting.

    In the morning we ate breakfast in the restaurant in the hotel. The menu did not have a lot of choices. I was hoping for an omelet or maybe some pancakes. I decided on the crab cake eggs benedict which was very good. I liked the mugs they had so much that I bought one as a souvenir. C enjoyed his breakfast of eggs, bacon and breakfast potatoes topped with hollandaise sauce. 

    After we checked out we went for a walk around town, We stopped at the bakery to pick up a few things. We peeked inside the theatre. The local high school was doing a performance of "Mama Mia" for the seventh grade classes. We picked up something from the confectionary and then we went home.

    It was a pleasant stay and we both had a good time. Maybe next year we'll do it again or find another place.