Old State Capitol in Springfield

No matter how many times I visit Springfield, one thing I always love to do is visit the State Capitol and gaze up at the amazing interior of the dome. It is absolutely breathtaking. Not quite as impressive in size and design, but stunning on its own is the Old State Capitol. In fact, I like to visit one and then the other just to examine the contrast between the two.

Built in the Greek Revival Style between 1837 and 1840, the structure was the fifth capitol building in the state. It served as the statehouse from 1840 to 1876. It was the first state house to be located in Springfield. It is where Abraham Lincoln presented his famous "House Divided" speech in 1858 and it was where he spend much time doing research and work as both a lawyer and a politician.

The Old State Capitol is open daily from 9 - 5 p.m. (with the exception of some holidays) and there is no admission fee, but donations are welcome. For more information, visit www2.illinois.gov.

Keep an eye out for special events. One of my favorite memories of 2016 was sitting with my son on the lawn of the Old State Capitol last October watching the World Series on a big screen as they played the Indians in the World Series. I will cherish that memory forever and I'm glad Springfield and the Old State Capitol were part of it.

LeClaire, Iowa

On a recent media visit to the Quad Cities, we did a day trip to LeClaire, Iowa. It's a river town just north of the Davenport that was about a 20 minute drive for our hotel. The main street through town runs adjacent to the river, divided by a railroad with several blocks of eateries, shopping and other attractions.

Dotted with specialty shops, you'll find clothing boutiques, salvage/antique stores and gourmet shops galore, most notably Antique Archeology, which is the store that spurred the "American Pickers" show on the History Channel. You'll find a canning company, olive oil company, popcorn shop and chocolate store.

If you like wine, beer and spirits, you can try all three within a three block area. The Mississippi River Distilling Co. has been in business for 7 years and you can find their products in more than 20 states. As the Iowa liquor laws will change starting July 1, they'll finally be able to offer more than just tastings and products sales and will be adding a cocktail menu and you'll be able to enjoy your drink on a patio overlooking the river. Next door is the Green Tree Brewing, where you'll find more than a dozen beer varieties on tap and can watch the game on the big screen or take your drink outside for more nice river views. The Wide River Winery Tasting Room is just a couple blocks south in an 1840s building with a patio and live music on Friday nights. Above the tasting room is a guest house that can be rented by the night or by the week. They also have tasting rooms in Clinton and East Davenport. You can also sample wine at the Captain's Spirit Cellar in Grasshopper's.

The Buffalo Bill Museum covers the life of LeClaire native William "Buffalo Bill" Cody and the only surviving example of a wooden-hulled boat in the US built in the traditional Western Rivers fashion.

LeClaire is also the departing location for the Riverboat Twiglight, which does overnight trips to Dubuque and also 1 1/2 hour sightseeing excursions on some weekends.

For lodging, there are three chain hotels, a bed and breakfast and eight guest houses, including some larger homes that sleep up to 8 and some smaller spaces atop the businesses. The small town is bursting with charm and so appealing to history geeks like me. Keep an eye on the blog for more posts on the attractions in LeClaire and also follow the food blog, chicagofoodiesisters.com for posts on what we ate and drank while we were there. For more information, go to visitleclaire.com.

Lagomarcino's in Moline, IL

Dating back to 1908, Lagomarcino's is a classic, nostalgic ice cream parlor and soda fountain where you can enjoy a big delicious overdose of sugar. With homemade ice cream, handcrafted chocolates and the best hot fudge you can imagine, "Lago's" as it is also known has been featured in Midwest Living and National Geographic Traveler and earned a James Beard "America's Classic" Award.

Have a seat at one of the mahogany booths or a barstool at the counter in this charming old-school place that is also a deli, serving up sandwiches on their own freshly made soft rye bread. The hot fudge that is served on the ice cream is from a special recipe that Angelo Lagomarcino, an immigrant from Northern Italy, purchased from a peddler in 1918 for $25. The man promised him and exclusive recipe for the perfect hot fudge. He seems to have been a man of his word. The recipe proved to be popular and is still used nearly a century later.

The ice cream selections span three pages of the menu with sundaes, shakes, malts and other treats. The beverages, fresh from the soda fountain, come in a variety of flavors - orange, pineapple, root beer, homemade chocolate, lime, cherry, vanilla, strawberry and black raspberry. You can also get a green river or a "Lago," which is a fruit flavored soda pop created by Charlie Lagomarcino in the 1930s that is similar to Dr. Pepper.

We visited the location in Moline (there's another across the river in Davenport, Iowa) and the place is one of those destinations that is just frozen in time and somewhere to definitely add to the itinerary of a visit to the Quad Cities or for a lunch stop when traveling I-80.



I tried out both an egg salad and a white albacore tuna salad on the homemade bread - a recipe that the Lagomarcino family bought from a Moline woman about 70 years ago. It's got such a soft texture and a good aroma. I paired it with a Vanilla Coke and there's just no comparison to one from a soda fountain versus one out of a can or two-liter bottle. I also tried a sip of my husband's "Lago" soda, which was unique and refreshing.

For dessert, I got a massive Bachelor's Kiss, with sliced bananas under generous scoops of vanilla and Dutch chocolate ice cream with hot fudge topping and marshmallow topping with whipped cream and pecans. Perfect for a chocoholic like me - and even better than a banana split.

Don't leave without trying some truffles, caramels, creams, English Toffee or other mouthwatering handmade candy. For more information, visit lagomarcinos.com.

Rock Island Arsenal Museum

Being a mom of five sons who are all interested in military history and as someone who has several military veterans in my family, the Rock Island Arsenal was one of the places I most wanted to see when we planned a trip to the Quad Cities (made up of the towns of Rock Island and Moline, Illinois and Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa.) I knew it was something my boys would be fascinated by. My husband and I were on a solo trip, but I'm already making plans for a trip back there with the kids this summer.

Rock Island Arsenal is an active military facility and I'll write more on it in another blog post. It was a really interesting place to visit. The Rock Island Arsenal Museum is one of the spots we stopped at while on Arsenal Island. The museum is the Army's second oldest museum, which first opened to the public on July 4, 1905. The only Army museum that dates back earlier is the one at West Point.

This article on the Army's website gives more detail on what is in the collection of the Rock Island Arsenal Museum, including five weapons present at the Battle of Little Bighorn and what they are doing to preserve them - https://www.army.mil/article/96359/Hidden_Treasures_at_the_Rock_Island_Arsenal_Museum. 


The museum encompasses one floor of the building with one entire wall covered with military guns that are arranged in a color coded chronological system. Among the items on display in the museum are uniforms, machining equipment used at the arsenal and other weaponry with background on the wars our nation has been involved in and the arsenal's role in them.

Allow about about an hour to walk through and read the information within the displays. It will only deepen your feelings of respect of those who have committed to serving their country and protecting its citizens. There are several additional points of interest to see at the arsenal - enough to fill an entire afternoon.

Be aware that you will need to obtain a visitors pass to enter the grounds of this working military installation. A photo ID is required to receive a pass at the visitors center. Allow a little extra time to fill out paperwork, answer questions and get a photo taken. More details can be found at arsenalhistoricalsociety.org.

Rock Island Arsenal Museum

1 Rock Island Arsenal

Building 60 - 3500 North Avenue

Rock Island, IL

(309) 782-5021

Have a "Gold Bar" in a historic bank turned hotel and bistro

One of the best things to happen to Homewood, Illinois in recent years was the conversion of an old bank building in the downtown area into a luxury boutique hotel with a magnificent bistro in 2015. The hotel was named La Banque, which in French means "The Bank."

The former bank looks like a bank no more, but some special little touches to the building give hint to its former occupants - including plate covers from the safe deposit boxes that were used for room numbers and to decorate the bar area. In the restaurant, a vault serves as a private dining room with the inspection labels still intact showing the signature of J. Edgar Hoover, then the head of the F.B.I. A vault in the basement serves as a workout room in the gym.

There's so much charm and history to this building and so much to love. The restaurant, La Voute (French for "The Vault") is a bistro serving all the best French cuisine and also their signature dessert, the "Gold Bar," which has a bit of edible gold shavings added for good measure.

Located just a block from the Homewood Metra station, the hotel is easily accessible by train. Click here for more on the hotel and to view the page for the bistro, click here. By the way, they have a great wine list, some of the best scallops I have ever eaten, al fresco dining and fun monthly beer pairing dinners. If you live in the Chicago area, make sure you put this place on your foodie bucket list - and if you are ever traveling to Chicago, make plans to stay at La Banque and enjoy some delicious dinner and a gold bar at the bistro.

Galien River County Park

On one of our visits to Southwest Michigan, we were driving along Red Arrow Highway and stumbled upon the Galien River County Park. And wow, was I glad we did. A short walk down a wooded trail and we came to the New Buffalo March and the scenic overlook tower that offers a beautiful view of the Galien River. It's a nice spot to take photos, watch the kayakers below or just relax to the sounds of nature.

It's just a little off the beaten path, something we'd been near and driven right by on a few occasions. Sometimes when you slow down and take time to explore, the results are quite beautiful.

Wrigleyville

Being the huge Cubs fan I am, a visit to Wrigley Field is something I always recommend for visitors to the Windy City. Even if you're not a Cubs fan, but are a baseball fan, you'll be able to appreciate the charm and tradition and history of the country's second oldest ball park. 

But, if you head to a game (or even if you don't), there's just something magical about the neighborhood and it's a fun place to be on game day - or even stroll around on a non-game day. There are some lively bars and awesome eateries in the neighborhood for a bite (I love Cubby Bear and Rockit Burger Bar.) It's also worth taking a walk all the way around the ball park to see the statues erected to some Cubs legends. Stop in the Wrigleyville Firehouse and meet the friendly crew.

This past year more changes were made and I have mixed feelings. I'll always long for the Wrigleyville of my youth, when we parked at a nearby convent and walked over to our day game (they were all day games back then in the early 1980's!!!) to watch from the bleachers (for like $6 a ticket!) A new park and plaza have been constructed and a new hotel is being built on Addison St. However, it's progress and in the end will enhance the offerings to visitors even if I will miss the Wrigleyville of the old days.


Wrigley Field is located right next to the red line station, so if you're staying in a downtown hotel, you can hop on and take the "El" train that will stop right next to the ball park. Here's a few shots from last October as we visited the neighborhood right after the Cubs were FINALLY named World Series Champs!