If you know anything about the two of us, you know that we love hockey! And if you really know us, you know that Jeremy is a huge Ohio State fan and Mackenzie is a Michigan fan. So what better way to celebrate us than some friendly competition. This weekend we went to the Ohio State / Michigan hockey game at The Schottenstein Arena near the Ohio State Campus in Columbus, Ohio.

Hyatt Place Columbus/Dublin, 6161 Parkcenter Cir, Dublin, OH 43017

When choosing a hotel to stay in for this trip, we decided on the Hyatt Place in Dublin as the Hyatt chain usually has accessible rooms that are quite large compared to other standard rooms. Dublin was also the city where Jeremy lived for a few years after college so we felt that this was the perfect location for our weekend adventures.

This hotel did not disappoint in terms of spacing. Our room was very large. It was a standard king room but had a sitting room with a half divider wall that separated the bed and restroom. The bed only sat about 4" off the ground so additional risers were needed under the legs to ensure enough spacing for the Hoyer lift to slide under the bed. The hotel did take care of this while we were out for the evening. The other major concern was that the divider wall that separated the sitting room to the bedroom, was too close to the bed. This caused pivot issues for the wheelchair and Hoyer lift. With maintenance's help, the bed was shifted toward the window which provided room near the divider wall. All in all, this was a great hotel to stay at. Some minor adjustments were required but the hotel staff was very accommodating. 

BJ's Restuarant & Brewhouse ​- Tuttle Crossing, 5141 Tuttle Crossing Blvd, Dublin, OH 43016, USA

BJ's had an open floor concept and had plenty of tables to accommodate large wheelchairs. There were no issues getting into or around the restaurant. The menu had quite a lot to offer and was conveniently located across the street from the hotel. There were several options for dinner as this area was part of Tuttle Mall. We highly recommend BJ's and will probably visit again in the future. 

Schottenstein Arena - 555 Borror Dr, Columbus, OH 43210, USA

At the time of the game, the arena was under construction. However, accessible parking was excellent and we were able to get a spot right next to the front door. Once inside the arena, the staff was very helpful in directing us to exactly where we needed to go. This has been very consistent with every event that I have been to at OSU. I would highly recommend visiting the campus. Go Bucks! ~ Jeremy (not Mackenzie). She is a hater. lol

The game was a blast to watch and we were even able to meet up with Mackenzie's cousin and girlfriend. The final score was 0-4 Bucks which Jeremy was pretty excited about. Definitely a great evening out in Columbus!

 12/2/17 - 12/3/17

This weekend we made a quick trip to Cincinnati to celebrate a late Thanksgiving with Jeremy's family. Cincinnati has so much to offer so we plan to head back in the summer when exploring will be a little more bearable in terms of weather and we can provide a better accessible review then. For now, here is some information on the hotel that we stayed at.

HOTEL REVIEW
Hyatt Place Cincinnati/Blue Ash - 11435 Reed Hartman Hwy, Blue Ash, Ohio 45241

The hotel had accessible rooms on the first floor with wide door frames and large floor spaces which allowed for easy access to the restroom and around the bed. The bed was on a 4 inch pedestal frame which would allow for a Hoyer lift to slide underneath but we did need to raise it slightly with 2x4 blocks to ensure Jeremy's lift could slide under easily.

 9/14/17 - 9/17/17

9/14/17
On the afternoon of 9/14/17, we were on our way to Greenville, SC. from Knoxville, TN. The trip was relatively short at just under 3 hours which gave Mackenzie plenty of time to finish up some homework; which she loves. However, Mackenzie was more excited about taking pictures than doing homework. We arrived at Mary's house (big sister of the bride-to-be) and were welcomed by both girls with smiles and warm hugs. We would be staying at their house for a majority of the weekend so we unloaded the car, got settled in and then headed out for the night to a rooftop bar downtown. 

RESTAURANT REVIEW
Sip Whiskey and Wine - 103 N Main St. #400, Greenville, SC 29601

We met up with the wedding party and family members of the bride and groom at Sip's rooftop bar which was accessible by an elevator from the main entrance on the south side of the building. Once on the roof, there were no steps to worry about. The evening was nice and warm and the company was even better. Many people knew each other while others had just been introduced. But with a fun wedding weekend ahead, everyone was in great spirits! The menu was limited but the food had phenomenal flavor and the atmosphere was excellent. Highly recommended for a family get together, happy hour with coworkers or a birthday, anniversary or wedding celebration.

9/15/17
The day started out early as the wedding party had planned events all throughout the morning and early afternoon before the rehearsal dinner that evening. The girls would be pampered at a spa with an afternoon lunch at Larkin's on the River (see pictures below) while the guys would play a round of golf and have a Mexican lunch at Papas and Beer which was accessible. Today just happened to be Mackenzie's birthday so she got to celebrate with a pedicure and complimentary wine! 

That evening was the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner for the wedding. The rehearsal dinner was in the backyard at the place we were staying and was so beautifully decorated with hanging lights and white covered tables. We had dinner from a food truck which was a huge hit! ​The entire atmosphere was warm and inviting!

9/16/17
Wedding day! It was a beautiful, warm September morning and we were off to the church to watch our friends tie the knot! After the wedding, we did some exploring in downtown Greenville before the reception. We "remembered" that the reception was at the hotel we checked into that afternoon so we knew we had plenty of time for lunch at Antonino Bertolo's Pizza and Wine Bar and a stroll along the river. The river walk was down one level from the road but was accessible in two locations; a sloped road on the northeast and a garage elevator on the southwest. What we didn't "remember" correctly is that the reception was actually at a nearby university, Furman University, and not at the hotel. The hotel staff couldn't be more confused when we insisted the wedding reception was at their hotel. Oh goodness!

The Hyatt Regency was a wonderful place to stay. The rooms, accessible and non-accessible, were quite large and equipped with pedestal beds that allowed a Hoyer lift to easily slide underneath. The accessible bathroom was spacious, had a roll in shower and had handrails. Each floor was accessible by an elevator located near the check in desk.  

This restaurant was quite large inside with plenty of room to move around. This was a pizza place where you would place an order at the front and they would bring your meal to you. They had entire pizzas, pizzas by the slice, salads, calzones, desserts and drinks. The bar, which was separate from the main kitchen, was operated by the cooks so you had to specifically ask them to make you drink. This might be manned permanently during peak hours but was not for lunch on a Saturday. The pizza was delicious and we would definitely go back again. 

We only saw a small portion of the university but all sections were accessible. The parking lot had accessible parking spots, the sidewalks had sloping sections along Swan Lake and Daniel Dining Hall had an elevator to get us to the second floor where the reception was being held. At the end of the evening, a security gate had been lowered which prevented us from getting to the elevators but once we contacted someone who worked there, they were able to open this for us. 

9/17/17
We were up early Sunday morning for our long drive home. Because of work and school, Mackenzie needed to be back on Sunday evening so we packed up the car and set off towards Ohio. After a few hiccups in directions, we made it back home late that evening. 

We had such a great time this weekend and absolutely fell in love with Greenville, SC. We would definitely recommend to anyone a visit to this charming little city! 

~Jeremy and Mackenzie

9/13/17 - 9/14/17

And we're off, making our way to sunny Greenville, SC for a wedding weekend for a close friend of Jeremy's. Although the drive was sunny and nice, more than 7 hours in the car gets to be too much so we decided to stop in Knoxville, TN for the night. This helped to break up our trip and give everyone a rest; including Jeremy's booty ;-) Traveling in the car for extended periods of time can cause concern for pressure sores. 

HOTEL REVIEW
Crown Plaza - 401 W Summit Hill Dr SW, Knoxville, TN 37902

After a lot of research on different hotels in the area, we decided to stay at the Crowne Plaza  because of the accessibility of the room and close proximity to various restaurants and entertainment. There was a parking garage connected to the hotel but valet was an option which makes it ten times easier and worth not having the struggles. Upon arrival, we found the room to be a little less than "accessible".   The room was crowded and narrow which provided obstacles for maneuvering a wheelchair. The clearance between the dresser and the bed was just barely wide enough to fit through to the other side of the room. However, the bed was the correct height for a Hoyer lift and no additional changes were needed there. The concierge who moved our luggage to our room was extremely helpful and understanding of our needs.  He helped organize and remove furniture to make it more spacious. Because we are writing this 9 months after the trip, our recollection of the bathroom is spotty. We do remember that it was quite small to maneuver a wheelchair in but other than that, we have no idea what it looked like. Sounds like we'll need to keep a travel log and take pictures of the rooms from here on out.

After getting settled in, we decided to go to the hotel bar to celebrate the beginning of our vacation. The high top tables were excellent for allowing Jeremy's chair to roll right up to. Prices of drinks were reasonable and the bartender was quite friendly and helpful in suggesting beverage options. Mackenzie had the Coconut Cream Pie which was heavenly!






















PROS: bed height, hotel bar, staff, valet parking, location to restaurants/Market Square
CONS: space in accessible rooms

RESTAURANT REVIEW
Pete's Restaurant -540 Union Avenue, Knoxville, TN 37902

On the morning of 9/14/18, the concierge recommended Pete's Restaurant. It had a diner like feel with memorabilia of Tennessee football. The restaurant was very busy and quite narrow but was wheelchair accessible. All of the patrons and staff were accommodating in helping us get in to the bar area. Service was excellent and the owners were sitting in the bar and thanked us as we left. 

Their food can only be described as southern homestyle deliciousness! So basically it has great flavor and probably isn't all that good for you but we're on vacation so calories don't count, right?! We would absolutely recommend this place to others! We are unsure if the restrooms were wheelchair accessible, again because we are writing this all from memory which is 60+ years between the two of us. However, we did note that the restrooms were quite close in proximity to the storage closet, which provides great comfort in case there are toilet paper shortages ;-)

PROS: food, service, location
CONS: narrow space

ENTERTAINMENT REVIEW
With limited time in the area, we made sure to visit Charles Krutch Park and Market Square. Charles Krutch Park is a small park in the middle of town. It has a great walking path that follows along a winding stream. Perfect for an afternoon walk or a calm place to sit in the middle of all of the hustle and bustle. Next we made our way to Market Square which is known for its restaurants, shopping and outdoor mall entertainment throughout the year. We stopped to grab ice cream at Rita's and checked out the stage before heading on our way to Greenville, SC.

Fun Fact: Market Square was where Elvis's music was played by a local shop owner before he was signed to a record label. This "radio play" allowed his music to be recognized by RCA executives which ultimately signed him.

Hello!!

Jeremy and Mackenzie here! So we had this crazy idea that we wanted to start a blog about accessible travels. We started to see some of our friends put together blogs about their adventures of moving to new places or writing about their jobs or traveling the world and we thought, "why don't we do that?"

But this will be a little different than most blogs because we will be telling you all about our adventures from an accessibility standpoint. We found that as we started to travel more, we could not find any information on accessibility of hotels, restaurants, or entertainment areas outside of the fact that doors were wide enough to fit through. As many people know, and some do not, there is so much more that goes into "accessible" travel:

1. Beds too high (will not allow proper transfer for people able to use their upper body to get themselves from a wheelchair into a bed)
2. Beds too low (causes back pain or soreness for health aids, assistants, caregivers, family members or friends assisting someone into bed) 
3. Beds have a platform (not allowing a Hoyer lift to fit underneath. A Hoyer lift is a device used to lift and transfer someone with minimal effort into a bed, chair, etc.)
4. Hallways just wide enough to meet code
5. Step in tub
6. Roll in shower
7. Lower sinks
8. Do restaurants have ramps or just one step that is considered to be accessible by state regulations
9. Pivot points wide enough for motorized wheelchairs
10. Proper railing placement in bathrooms or public places that allow support
11. Accessible restrooms
12. Family restrooms

We had so many questions and figured that others did too. So we thought that we would blog about our adventures and share our stories; the good, the bad, the crazy and strange so others could get a more in-depth idea of how accessible "accessible" really is. We also want to tell you about all of the people we meet along the way. The people who go out of their way to make our travels as perfect as possible. So we invite you to come along with us on our adventures :-)

Oh, and our travel blog name, "Big Mack Accessible Travels" is a catchy moniker we made up for ourselves (yes because we think we're awesome): jeremy BIGelow and MACKenzie Coughlan 

Make sure to subscribe at the RSS to the right to receive updates via email on our postings. See you on the road!

~Jeremy and Mackenzie