Last week my colleague and I traveled to Wausau, Wisconsin, to visit a client for three days. I was surprised how reasonable the airline prices were traveling mid-week, although we did have an interesting flight schedule from Akron-Canton Regional (6 a.m. flight) to Detroit to Central Wisconsin airport. We had the reverse flight pattern on the way home, so my necessary eight/nine hours of sleep a night was not happening.

The flight in reminded me of home. All we could see out the plane window were trees and farmlands– very green and very ‘environmental.’ Given that’s a big focus for my client, it was refreshing to walk around during the early days of the fall season enjoying the crisp air and the clean sunlight filtering through the trees. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and all I could think was that any customers who visit during this time of year are in for a really nice look at the company, city and environment.

Despite the long hours we put in during our brief stay, we did have the opportunity to walk around downtown Wausau our first evening. We stayed right on the downtown square at the beautiful Jefferson Street Inn and as we headed out about 7 p.m. looking for the recommended dinner spot, we made a quick stop in one of the shops around the mall to grab some chocolate from a gourmet chocolatier. The lady was nice enough to give us each a piece on the house since we were new in town! We had an excellent dinner at the local micro brewery, The Red Eye Brewing Company, where we enjoyed a custom, build-it-yourself pizza and a local brew.

We didn’t have time to explore further, but the city map sported a nice view of the RiverWalk that looked like a beautiful visitors’ spot. If I make it back to Wisconsin again (perhaps strictly for pleasure?), a relaxing stroll through that area of town, as well as a visit to Malarkey’s Pub, is going on the list.