Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Day 9: Chicago and the Land of Lincoln
We had a great half day in Chicago. We went up to the Sears Tower Sky Deck on the 103rd floor and took in the sweeping views at all compass points. The weather was immaculate. I would recommend this to anyone. This is more involved than just walking into the building and taking the elevator tot he top. They stage the elevator rides by showing a 10-15 minute video highlighting the history of Sears and construction of the building that we found quite interesting.
From the Sears Tower, we walked back to our hotel, taking Jackson street to State, then State directly to the hotel. We stopped at Filene's Basement, a clearance outlet for for major brand name apparel - known for its big markdowns. After checking out, we decided to have lunch at one of the diners highlighted on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on the Food Network. We found our way to the White Palace Grill and we were not disappointed.From there it was westward ho. After insane traffic trying to leave Chicagoland (in the 3pm hour), we traversed the state of Illinois along the northern border with Wisconsin, through beautiful rolling farm land. Much of is was reminiscent of the Willamette Valley in Oregon, where I grew up. It was not as flat as I was expecting. We crossed the Mississippi River into Dubuque, Iowa, where we are staying at the Mainstay Suites, an excellent budget suites motel - no pool though.
Plan for tomorrow: Visit the Field of Dreams movie location - that farm near Dyersville, IA, where much of the movie took place. From there, we head south to Nauvoo, IL, another significant Mormon history site. There we hope to see the Nauvoo Pageant. We will then continue south to Keokuk, IA, for the night.
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