Planning a home vacation

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2004)

How one man took his family on a weekend getaway -- right in their own city! Here's how he did it, and how you can do it too, whether you're in Omaha, Grand Rapids, Columbus-wherever you live.

We knew we needed to get away to shake the blahs. But where to go?

We had only a weekend. So, what if our family of four treated the city where we live and work as a vacation destination? In our case, Des Moines.

"Des Moines, New Mexico?" responded my wife, Maria, when I broached the topic over dinner (there really is a tiny town in the Southwest that has that name).

"No, Des Moines, Iowa!" I exclaimed, trying to generate some familial excitement. Sixteen-year-old Kelly rolled her eyes, as she so often does whenever she fails to share her father's enthusiasm.

"Um . . . Dad," said 12-year-old Molly, in a tone typically reserved for addressing very small, very slow children. "We live in Des Moines."

To be precise, Little Miss Smartypants, we live in a suburb that's a good fifteen minutes from downtown Des Moines. Yet I knew I had a tough sell on my hands. Could we really turn the city of our daily routine into a weekend getaway?

Here's how we did it, and how you can do it too, whether you're in Omaha, Grand Rapids, Columbus-wherever you live.

Check yourself in

For starters, you must play the part, experiencing your city the way a visitor would. It can't be a vacation if you're sleeping in your own house. Go where somebody else makes the beds. A hotel puts you into the vacation state of mind, and splurging a little (with all the money you've saved on transportation) can turn a familiar landmark into a novel experience. "Are we in Des Moines yet?" joked Molly (with more irony than a 12-year-old should be able to muster). But when my daughters saw our two-bedroom suite at the historic Hotel Fort Des Moines, they stopped griping about Dad's lame vacation plan. Instead, they started asking to invite their friends down to see our posh accommodations.

Act like a visitor

Take advantage of this chance to explore. Gather brochures. Get tips from the concierge (don't reveal that you live down the street). You may discover special qualities of your city that you've taken for granted. If you're staying in a storied hotel, learn about the famous people who have slept there and other tidbits of city history. And do what vacationers do: Take time to relax.

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