Reasons I like Illinois/Northwest Indiana [Travelogues]

1. All the streets are grids going east/west or north/south. Perfect for when my GPS isn't working!
2. Chicago is close, but you drive for half an hour and you're surrounded by soybeans and silos.
3. Their NPR station plays "Fresh Air" at 10:30 p.m., followed by BBC news at 11. Who needs XM?
4. Pizza. They really know how to make it. And I'm not a huge fan of pizza. (I recommend Loven Oven in Lowell.)
5. I stood in the same jail cell Johnny Depp did. Just sayin'.
6. The snow melted on the day I arrived. It was in the 50s today and supposed to be 64 degrees tomorrow. (In February!)
7. The Grand Old Lady
8. This chocolate cake from Main Street Café (also in Crown Point). This place serves breakfast all day, which means I had a veggie omelet, hashbrowns, coffee -- and this cake. Best lunch ever!

... to be continued once I experience the rest of my trip ...

Tomorrow
The next day