When you’re headed to Chicago from the bottom of the state, you travel through lots of small towns and farm communities. And all of the towns we traversed seem to ooze long-ago charm. They don’t really appear to be consciously revitalized or restored, they’re just well-kempt and bustling—almost like you arrived via time machine. Obtainable parking on any Main Street was scarce. Outside the towns we noticed that Illinoisans have a distinctive style of barn. Each one has what looks like a mini-version of the barn on its roof, rotated 90 degrees. Picture a garden shed on top of a barn and there you have it. We don’t know what they’re for, but we saw nary a barn without one.

Once up north, we hooked up with my cousin Dave and his girlfriend Joanne—both Chicago-lifers—to head our tour of the big city. In the many times I’ve visited, it’s been for the nightlife and not so much for sightseeing. This time the touristy route was in order and we did up the Navy Pier and Magnificent Mile area. Navy Pier is more like a big dock than a pier, encompassing a mall, museum and carnival rides. Magnificent Mile is a street lined with trendy, expensive shops. Mostly we just walked and looked, buying nothing more than a beer or two and coffee. The whole day bore gale-force winds which fortified the “Windy City” claim. These breezes from hell continued even after the sun went down, so we traded our walking shoes for a taxicab, grabbed some Chicago-style pizza and holed up in a couple of bars. I’m convinced yet again that it’s impossible to visit this city and not have a good time.

Back upon the rural scene, Holly and I visited the town of Moline, home to John Deere tractors. The John Deere Visitors Center is set up like an old timey tractor dealership, fully outfitted with parts, paint and service departments, including nearly thirty antique tractors on the showroom floor, all in cherry green condition. Down the highway at the Deere & Co. headquarters is their new product display floor. Here you can kick the tires and climb into the John Deere STS Combine ($280,000) equipped with the 12-row Cornhead ($67,000). If you choose to buy this puppy, you also need to make the decision to purchase the optional GreenStar HarvestDoc system to track the combine’s position from satellites while simultaneously downloading your soil moisture data—a must-have for today’s modern farmer. Even more impressive than this outrageous farm gear, though, is their 175-foot three-dimensional historical collage. It contains souvenirs and pieces of the last half of the 19th century, displayed in a magical way that, honestly, can’t be accurately described. It was created by Santa Fe artist Alexander Girard. It’s brilliant and captivating and if you’re anywhere near this town, check it out!