2-night getaway in Lake Geneva at Bella Vista Suites

By Randy Richardson

In advance of last year’s Chicago Literary Hall of Fame Silent Auction and Cocktail Party, I circled one listing in the auction catalog. That was a two-night stay at the Bella Vista Suites in nearby Lake Geneva, Wisc., donated by Chicago author Dan Burns (The First 60 Seconds, Sourcebooks).  I went into the auction with the mindset that I wasn’t going home empty-handed, and that even if I won nothing else, I would be high bidder on that Lake Geneva getaway package.

A little background: In high school and college, in the late 80s and early 90s, Lake Geneva was almost like a second home to me. I had two friends whose families owned cottages on the lake, and I became a regular on their guest beds and couches. Those trips to Lake Geneva, in part, inspired me to write Cheeseland, a coming-of-age novel released earlier this year by a new Chicago publisher, Eckhartz Press.

I had not been back to Lake Geneva in 20 years, so my eyes lit up when I saw the Lake Geneva getaway package in the auction catalog. The bidding for this package was, not surprisingly, competitive. I got outbid twice, and then decided to play it cool and wait until the end of the night. In the last few minutes, I placed what would be my final bid. I held my breath until the auction ended and breathed a sigh of relief and excitement when I saw that I had won.

Four months later, on a sunny, unusually warm February weekend, when temperatures hit near 60 degrees, I made the trip to Lake Geneva, along with two first-timers, my wife and 7-year-old son. We couldn’t have ordered up a better weekend getaway. The Bella Vista Suites are as charming as can be, nestled in the heart of downtown Lake Geneva and overlooking the lake itself. The room was cozy and spacious, the staff friendly and attentive. My son especially enjoyed the small swimming pool, which we had almost to ourselves.

Upon seeing that Dan Burns had once again generously donated to the CLHOF the 2-night stay at the Bella Vista Suites, you have to know what I immediately did. Yes, I’ve circled it on the auction catalog. I of course encourage others to do the same. Just know that you’re in for a bidding war, and that I don’t surrender easily.

An attorney and award-winning journalist, Randy Richardson serves as president of the nonprofit Chicago Writers Association. His essays have been published in the anthologies Chicken Soup for the Father and Son Soul, Humor for a Boomer’s Heart, The Big Book of Christmas Joy, and Cubbie Blues: 100 Years of Waiting Till Next Year, as well as in numerous print and online journals and magazines. The online publication Gapers Block named his debut novel, Lost in the Ivy, one of the notable Chicago books of 2005. His latest, Cheeseland, was praised by New York Times No. 1 Best-Selling author James Finn Garner as a “tragic tale” that “richly captures the bravado and heartbreak of damaged boys who grow up into damaged men.”