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Sunday, August 25, 2013

A Sunday Drive

Our lives have changed an awful lot since we got off of the road from full-timing in our RV. We were so used to traveling and seeing different things. Now that we are settled it is so easy to fall into a rut and not do anything. I decided to plan an afternoon trip courtesy of Roadsideamerica.com.  I pulled up the map for Illinois, clicked on a town that wasn't too far away from where we lived, and looked at the oddities/attractions that were listed. I found a few near Niles, Illinois, wrote down the addresses, grabbed my camera and told Jim, "let's go!"

First stop: The Leaning Tower of Pisa......a replica of course! Located in Niles, IL, which is the sister city of Pisa, Italy.


This half-sized replica of the original tower of Pisa was completed in 1934 by Robert Ilg as part of a recreation park for his employees of the Ilg Hot Air Electric Ventilating Company. The tower actually stores water for outdoor pools. In 1960, descendants of Mr. Ilg donated part of the park for the Leaning Tower YMCA, which is the white building in the background. (Wikipedia)

Back of the building


A close up of the door



Looking up



Compare


From there we went to visit Abe. Kind of hokey, but kind of cute park bench situated on a corner park.



He was just begging for someone to join him, so I did.


You may have noticed this beautiful waterfall in the background of the photo above. I went to take a closer look. Yep, it was beautiful!



And finally on my list was to grab lunch at the "Superdawg", a famous hot dog place in Chicago. This place is pretty cool to see at night with all the lights. The hot dogs' eyes light up red. I think that would make them look scary, myself!



A typical drive-in. You park your car, press a button on the menu hanging on the side and a waitress will bring you your order, hanging a tray on your window.



My hot dog came in this special little box. NOTE: No ketchup on a Chicago dog!


Yum! The hot dog was delish!

15 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, this was fun. You must be near me, because these things are not far. In fact, I went to high school not too far from Niles (many moons ago).

Liz A. said...

What a great idea for a day trip. I had no idea that they had websites to help with that sort of thing.

Halcyon said...

Abe looks quite pleased to be sitting with you!
Cute finds. :)

Maude Lynn said...

What a cool day trip! But those hot dogs on the roof look possessed!

Gail said...

That is good to get out. I get where I even hate to buy groceries.

Al Penwasser said...

That looks like so much fun! I actually had a chance to see the real Leaning Tower. Yours looks so much better. Fewer people trying to sell you stuff.

AiringMyLaundry said...

Looks like so much fun! And I've heard of that hot dog place, it's been on some travel food network shows. Yum!

B. WHITTINGTON said...

Loved this day trip, Pat. You'll have to have these outings and you'll have to plan them. Not the guy, that's for sure. We are in a rut here. After health problems one tends to shut down and just stay home. We've done that too much this year. Hopefully we'll change our ways. I get out to lunch with friends but R rarely goes anywhere. Just not good for our health.
Love the photos. Neat places. Thanks!

JoJo said...

That is a great trip!!!!! And ew on ketchup on a hot dog ever. lol

Brian Miller said...

hey when you look up it looks straight...ha...i love that stack stone waterfall as well....

SquirrelQueen said...

What a great day trip Pat, you struck the jackpot with that little town. The tower is really cool and I love the waterfalls.

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Neat! You gotta' go out and see stuff. Even when you're not on the road full time.

All fun. But no catsup? Really? What about on French fries? Do you eat catsup with them?

Danica Bridges-Martin said...

Looks like fun, always good to get out and about! My parents are in the RV phase now, and they're loving it! :) Danica

Anonymous said...

Wow! I am amazed at these odd places all so close to your home. What a fun adventure you had. Thanks for sharing. Wish we had some fun places like this around here. Maybe I'll check out that website and see what they say for Fresno.

Coloring Outside the Lines said...

Fun trip and you didn't have to pack a bag- I like the tower, that is cool!