I wanted to sneak in one last getaway before the cold settles into Chicago.

Biking to work this week, I smelled decaying leaves and felt a cold rush of air and realized it is irreversibly fall. Fall is my favorite season, but it also means the end of easily enjoying the outdoors. My boyfriend Jeremy and I decided to take a weekend trip to get out of town and to enjoy being outdoors before the cold shuts down the city. We planned a weekend fall getaway to Janesville, Wisconsin, taking the yellow metra line to Harvard, and then biking 35 miles to the Scarlett House. Once there, we focused on simple activities: we visited a farmers market and spent most of the weekend being lazy and reading--on Saturday, we biked to a park and read for the whole afternoon. We feasted on amazing homemade breakfasts from our Bed and Breakfast host, and we had picnic lunches of local breads and cheese and veggies.

What felt like a luxurious weekend was actually very affordable. What is important about a getaway is just that--to remove yourself from stultifying daily patterns, to truly unplug from commitments, and just relax. Simply being without obligations is a luxury. There is no need to spend a lot of money on those things we usually associate with luxurious.

A few tips if you are planning a fall getaway and want to avoid spending a lot of money:
1. If you can, avoid driving. Follow any of the metra lines to its end and you can find some pretty remote and interesting places (read: different from city life). Or take your bikes on the metra line and use it as a launch off point: bikes are legit on the metra as long as you don't go during rush hour. Bikes are legit on the metra as long as it is not rush hour on the weekdays or any time on the weekend. Check out the metra maps: in collaboration with google maps, it is easy to figure out how far away towns are from the last metra stop on any given line.
2. Go somewhere rural, where fewer activities require spending money. Enjoy simple activities like walking, reading a novel or the paper, or talking.
3. Stay in a bed and breakfast. I admit, no bed and breakfast can beat $60 motel 6 rate. But consider this: B&Bs include a homemade breakfast and a personal connection to the area. Most are pretty reasonable, and many offer a lower rate during the "off season"--which usually starts October 1. The Wisconsin Bed and Breakfast Association has an interactive map of all bed and breakfasts in the state, and this map has many options that are within a metra ride or short car ride.

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Caitlin Elsaesser
Caitlin Elsaesser is a Maine girl transplanted to Chicago. More