There's Only One Place I'd Rather Be, French Lick, IN.

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I probably butchered that quote from Larry Bird. Sorry Larry.

This Sunday my mom, Grandma, Taryn & I went down to French Lick/West Baden, IN. My grandparents have been watching the West Baden Hotel for about as long as I have been alive. They introduced my mom and I to the hotel when I was about 10. The West Baden was originally built in 1901 and was the largest freestanding dome until the Astrodome was built. It was a major place for mobsters like Al Capone to visit back in the day. However, it ended up in ruins and that is where my grandparents discovered it. Even in ruins, though, it was intriguing and amazing. We used to tour it regularly and check on the process. First they fixed up the gardens. Then they fixed up the porch. Then came the tile in the atrium. I must say, though, I NEVER EVER thought I would see the day I would stay the night there as functioning hotel.

On Sunday, we did just that! To say that this place is amazing is an understatement. I am not sure whether it is more powerful to see it now knowing where it came from or not. Either way, though, it is definitely worth seeing! The pricetag on one of these rooms is not cheap, it runs close to $300. My mom and Grandma hemmed and hawwed on whether to dish out the cash and finally decided it was worth it for a night. (And Taryn and I got to come along as mooches.)

I did a TERRIBLE job taking pictures and I hope that my mom has a few more than I got, but they really did a top notch job with everything in the place. They decor, the pictures, the furniture etc. They even do turn down service in the evenings and put giant cookies on your bed. YUM.

This piece of furniture was between the two beds. If you look closely, even this has a picture of the West Baden hotel on it. The detail is amazing.

Of course I did manage to get quite a few pics of someone short and cute. Taryn was quite enthralled with my Grandma's wheelchair. She was confused that an adult would have a stroller. For some reason, in the atrium, Taryn loved the floor. She kept wanting to lay down on the floor. Here I got a picture of her actually standing (for the moment).

For dinner Sunday night, we went to a bar/family restaurant because we couldn't afford the fancy schmancy restaurants at the hotel. Taryn kept trying to make her way from the family section over to the bar section. She is definitely a chip off the old block!

We read books, we explored, we swam. On Monday my mom and Grandma went and played some slots while Taryn and I walked around French Lick Hotel. Taryn borders on TOO sociable, so she loved the opportunity to wave to all the strangers and blow them kisses. Seriously, this girl is going to be trouble when she's like 14! At one point, we bumped into a couple and Taryn gave them a big greeting and the guy goes "Wow, no one has been that happy to see me in years!" I wonder if that was a hint to his wife...

I'm so glad that my mom and Grandma let us tag along on their girls' night in West Baden. Hopefully Taryn brought a few laughs as payment for our stay. It was definitely a day I never thought I would see, but I am so glad that I did!

P.S. We went to Denny's for breakfast on Monday. ($6 for a bowl of cereal in the hotel) I hadn't been to a Denny's in freakin' ever and it was DELICIOUS. My mom even had a Grand Slam!