My Visit to Danville, Illinois

If you would like to read the first part of my Chicago recap, click here and here.

The Friday of my Chicago trip Harrie and I rented a car and made the 2.5 hour drive to the charming town of Danville. Quick side note: After driving in downtown Chicago, I may never complain about Dallas traffic again. Okay, I probably will, but it won't be as nerve-wracking as driving in Chicago. 

I'll be honest. I originally only wanted to go to Danville so I could say I had visited the hometown of Dick Van Dyke. If you know me, or have been following my blog for any amount of time, you know that he is my FAVORITE actor of all time. The man is a NATIONAL TREASURE! 

I personally think there should be a huge sign saying Danville is the hometown of Dick Van Dyke, but alas, there wasn't one. There was a sign saying it was the hometown of some astronaut (I can't remember his name). I personally think Mr. Van Dyke is more important- anyone can go into space, but not just anyone can be a national treasure, but then again, that is just my opinion. :) They do have signs along one of the main streets with pictures of their famous residents. Yes, I stopped for a photo by Mr. Van Dyke's sign. Don't even act surprised. :)

I heard there was a local museum that had memorabilia from some of Danville's more famous residents (i.e. Dick Van Dyke, Donald O' Connor, Bobby Short). When we got to the museum, there was a sign that said it was closed for employee vacation (I later found out it's operated by volunteers). I was bummed, but I wasn't going to let it ruin my day. Another side note: I later found out that museum is pretty new and they are still trying to get it all organized, so I was missing TOO much by not seeing it now. I WILL go back to see it at some point. :)

There are murals painted all around the downtown Danville area. This particular mural faces the theater where these stars began their careers: Bobby Short, Jerry Van Dyke, Dick Van Dyke, Gene Hackman, Donald O' Connor, and Helen Morgan.

It seems that Abraham Lincoln once made a stop in Danville. We didn't have time to check out everything in town related to him, but we did see this mural and went by the courthouse. It seems I had a summer of Lincoln history (check out my trip to Springfield, IL here).

I won't post pictures of all the murals, but here are a few more.

While walking through downtown we noticed a sign for a war museum. Since I'm a history and museum nerd, we decided to go by. I'll be honest- I was thinking that a town the size of Danville probably wouldn't have too much in their war museum (but I still wanted to check it out). Boy, was I WRONG! This is probably one of the best museums I've ever been to (and if you know me, you know I've been to A LOT). My only regret is that we didn't have more time to spend there. We spent just under two hours and I probably could have spent another hour or so in there. Yes, it was that good.

First of all, everyone who works there is super nice and helpful. They went above and beyond to make us feel welcomed and practically gave us a private tour. They were also willing to answer any questions we had.

We made small talk about what brought us to town (I told them it was my fandom of Mr. Van Dyke). EVERYONE we came across in Danville had a Dick Van Dyke story to share. Someone had either met him or knew someone who knew him. He and his wife had been in town back in June and the high school put on a performance for him. This nice gentleman named Jim found a program from that performance and gave it to me as a souvenir. Fun fact: This man is the uncle of Kevin Kouzmanoff, former Texas Rangers player (that conversation came up when he noticed my Rangers purse). :) What a small world!

Jim giving me the Dick Van Dyke program. Yes, I had many nerdy moments while I was in town- stop judging me. :) 

This sign is right outside the second floor entrance of the museum. I know some people are very sensitive about war- and I understand that. Both of my grandfathers fought in World War II. I appreciate this sign and I appreciate all of the men and women who have served or who are currently serving our country.

I took a lot of pictures, but again, I will spare you by not posting all of them. It seems people from all over donated items for this museum. Uniforms. Medals. Artifacts. Newspapers. Posters. Like I said, I could have spent so much more time in there. When I make my trip back to Danville, I'm going to go back to this museum.

A cannonball from the Civil War era

They let us try on a flak jacket

After we left the museum we ventured out to find a place to eat. Jim recommended a place called VIPS so we went there- it was quite good and inexpensive. It was about two by the time we got there, so we missed the lunch rush.

They serve breakfast all day long at VIPS- that's my kind of place!

After lunch we took a quick trip around the rest of downtown, checking out the architecture and some of the shops. There are several cute antique shops located around downtown.

We came across the office of the local newspaper. I went inside, hoping that they still had back issues from when Mr. Van Dyke was in town so I could buy them. I used to work for a newspaper, so I know that back issues are usually available for a few months at least. They had two issues that featured Mr. Van Dyke. They wouldn't even let me pay for them- they just gave them to me. Have I mentioned how much I love the people in this town?

Before making our way back to Chicago, we made two more quick stops. The first one was at Danville High School- where Mr. Van Dyke attended. I knew from following him on Twitter that a sign was recently put up in front of the high school honoring him- and of course, I had to get a picture.

Our last stop was at Mr. Van Dyke's childhood home. I read an article online that it was going to be torn down, but a group of people stepped in to renovate it and turn it into a foundation center.

I highly recommend making a trip to Danville. It's not that far from Chicago and makes for a great day trip. I'm so glad I went. I went just to say I had been to the hometown of Dick Van Dyke and saw so much more than I ever expected. I can't wait to visit again!

XOXO!

My Kind of Town...Chicago (Part 2)

For part one of my Chicago recap, click here.

My second full day in Chicago started out with thunder and rain pouring down. It was so bad I couldn't see out the windows of Harrie's apartment. I was super bummed because we had tickets for a 9:30 am tour of Wrigley Field and then tickets to the afternoon Cubs game. I was accepting the fact that I might not be able to experience Wrigley Field and was becoming devastated. It was also Harrie's birthday (and who wants rain on their birthday?) By the time we left to catch the L train, the rain had stopped but there were still dark clouds everywhere. The closer we got to Wrigley, the lighter the sky got (not sunny, but not pitch black). I was praying that the rain would hold off long enough for the tour and the game. By the time we walked from the L station to the field, the sun had started to come out. YAY!!!

The tour was AMAZING! I highly recommend it if you are a baseball fan. There is so much history! Our tour guide's name was Harry and he has been a Cubs fan his entire life. His little grandson was on the tour (it was that little guy's first time at Wrigley). We got to go down onto the field (because it was game day, we couldn't go in the dugout or locker room, but that was okay). 

They had a rope around the dirt track and we were told not to go past it. I didn't go all the way to Wrigley to be told I couldn't touch the grass, so I rebelled (what can I say, I'm a rule breaker).

Gotta love the Snapchat features!

After the tour we got in line for the bleacher seats (there is a separate entrance for bleacher seating). Harrie got a sticker stating it was her birthday and I got a certificate with my name and the date stating it was my first Cubs game. They had a Cubs cap giveaway that day and since the Cubs are a National League team (and I have no ill feelings towards them), I gladly wore it. I also needed it to protect my head because by then the sun was out (thank you Lord!!) and it was getting pretty warm. Since it was raining when we left Harrie's, I didn't think about bringing a cap (or sunscreen). Thankfully Harrie had sunscreen to protect my ever-blinding white complexion. We sat in front of a nice couple. They joked if I took a selfie, they were going to photobomb it, so I couldn't disappoint them. Lol. The Navy Seals parachuted onto the field (that was an awesome sight to see) and Pearl Jam singer Eddie Vedder threw out the first pitch. 

Sporting my Cubs cap. I actually like it!

A view from our seats

My souvenir cup

Having some Wrigley gum at Wrigley field (I know, I'm a nerd)

The game was good- the Cubs are having a great season. Harrie said that she's been there when you could walk up at game time and get cheap tickets. This game was pretty much sold out (and it was on a Thursday afternoon). Bleacher tickets were going for $75 that morning on StubHub. Cubs player Kris Bryant had an awesome game- going 5 for 5 at the plate and hitting two home runs (sadly no home run balls came our way). Even though I'm not a Cubs fan, I respect good players (except David Freese) and enjoy seeing a good game. 

We noticed a guy walking by wearing a Little Red Riding Hood costume. Evidently it was his bachelor party. The other members of the party had on wolf masks. They were funny!

The Cubs ended up winning 9-6. After a win the crowd sings a song called Go Cubs Go. It was pretty cool to see that tradition live and in person.

Another picture by the sign, this time with the final score and not some advertisement 

After the game we walked to a restaurant to meet some of Harrie's friends for her birthday dinner. It was a lot of fun and I met one of her friends who is also from Texas (so I had someone to talk to). Although let's be honest, I can usually make conversation with just about anyone. Lol. It's a gift. And a curse. Oh fun story. Remember how I prayed the rain would hold off until after the game? There was a down pour while we were AT the restaurant (but it stopped before we left). Thank you God. After dinner we went to an ice cream place called Jeni's. I got some yogurt and it was quite good!! We finally took a Lyft car back to Harrie's later that night. It was a long, exhausting, but FABULOUS day!

101 in 1001 update:

I can officially cross #4 off my list: Attend games at five ballparks I've never been to. Wrigley was my fifth one!

I am going to try and give my Danville recap next (HOPEFULLY tomorrow). Then I will wrap up my Chicago recap after that! Thanks for reading!

XOXO!!

My Kind of Town...Chicago

Sorry, no What I'm Loving Wednesday post this week (but thank you to those who always participate). I thought I would start my Chicago recap today!

I had A BLAST in Chicago. I had only been to Chicago one time before this last trip, but I was only there five hours (seriously, a friend and I drove to Chicago -from Indiana- in 2014 for a White Sox game and then left after the game). 

This time I was able to spend a few more days. I flew in late that Tuesday night and my awesome friend Harrie picked me up at the airport (she was also my hostess for the week). 

Flying in to Chicago at night

We started my first full day in town bright and early the next morning. We ate a quick breakfast at this cute cafe next door to her apartment. 

I had taken a bite of bacon just before she took this picture, hence the weird look on my face. Lol. And yes, I represent the Rangers wherever I go. Lol.

My first stop as a tourist in Chicago was an Architecture Boat Tour of the city. If you are ever in Chicago, I highly recommend this tour. It's a great way to see the city and learn about the history of the buildings and skyscrapers. I took probably 150 pictures (at least) on this tour. Lucky for y'all, I'm not posting ALL of them here. :) 

On the bottom right you will see what looks like a map on the side of the building. It is a map of the river and the red dot (about halfway up) is marking "you are here". I thought that was cool. Oh, that is my awesome friend Harrie in the Cubs cap!

After the boat tour (which was complete with cookies and lemonade), we made a quick stop at the Centennial Plaza and Fountain.

Of course no trip to Chicago is complete without stopping by "The Bean" (which is officially called Cloud Gate-I had no idea). Lol. It was pretty cool, I liked it!

We didn't have time for a tour of the Chicago Theater (I've already made a list of everything I have to do NEXT time I visit), but we did stop so I could take a picture by the famous marquee. 

If you know me at all, you know I always take pictures by statues (it's my thing).

The best thing about staying with Harrie (besides hanging out with her, of course), is that not only did she know how to get around Chicago, but she knew some of the best kept secrets in town. We made a quick stop at the Chicago Cultural Center which is home to the world's largest Tiffany stained-glass dome. I had NO IDEA. There was a classical piano concert going on when we visited, so our picture taking was limited (but we heard an awesome concert). There is also Tiffany glass all around the building. 

Of course we rode the L train...

I'm such a tourist. Lol.

On Wednesday afternoon Harrie and I had a "proper" British tea time at her apartment. She is originally from England (she has lived in Chicago about four years) and I told her I wanted to have a British tea with her. She went all out- we even had biscuits (which are cookies) and tea cakes.

The most exciting part of Wednesday's adventures for me was going to the Art Institute of Chicago. I was an art minor in college and have always wanted to go there (it's been at the top of my museum list for as long as I can remember). And for the record, I was an adult before I ever saw Ferris Bueller's Day Off, so I wasn't copying the movie (everyone seems to think that when you talk about going places in Chicago). 

I took so many pictures there, but again, I'll spare you and only share a small portion.

Van Gogh, Monet, and Renoir are some of my favorite painters, so this was probably my favorite part of the museum

These are part of the Thorn Miniature Rooms exhibit. All of these are miniatures. In the picture on the middle right you can see a mirror above the fireplace. If you look closely (maybe you can zoom in), you can see mine and Harrie's reflection. You can check out more of the exhiibit at this link.The smallest details were amazing!!

American Gothic. Despite my expression, I was super excited to see this in person (Harrie told me you can't smile when you stand next to this painting). Lol.

I actually saw this painting, Paris Street: Rainy Day when it was on tour in Fort Worth back in February. Since it was a special exhibit, we couldn't take a picture with the real one. I was allowed to take a picture this time! :)

Another statue, another picture

Such a fun time! I could spend a whole day at this museum (I had to pick and choose which exhibits I wanted to see this time)

For dinner that night I had authentic Chicago pizza! I must say, it was pretty good!!

I don't want to overwhelm y'all, so I'm dividing my trip up into several posts. I'll post the remainder of my Chicago pictures (which includes a tour of Wrigley Field, a Cubs game, and the Chicago History Museum) later this week. I am also going to devote an entire post to our road trip to Danville, Illinois (which is the hometown of Dick Van Dyke). :)

XOXO!!