things to love about Illinois

**V8403** · September 16th, 2011, 17:33

Inspired by a thread Posted by Brother Mickey , I figured I would compose my own but for IL, naturally. Feel free to add your own things you love about IL. I haven’t done several things on my list, but added them anyways as I’m sure many of you have and can relate.

Not in any particular order....

1. The smell of the prairie after a rain or on a summer night. Is there anything sweeter?

2. Driving along Lake Shore Drive and taking in the immense skyline and its beauty, particularly at night.

3. Strolling the Art Institute and its priceless works of art.
4. The summer sunsets. Seeing that giant orange orb set over the vast landscape is Heavenly.

5. The architecture in downtown Chicago. The Wrigley Building, Rookery, etc., are truly world class.

6. The Shawnee Hills in fall. Eye-popping colors and immense rock formations set in the IL Ozarks. Breathtaking.
7. Riding a bike along the Prairie Path on a hot summers evening.

8. Running your hand across the top of wheat (aka the movie Gladiator).

9.Wrigley Field. Quite possibly the coolest sports venue in the entire world. Old Time baseball under the sun with no gimmicks. Back to a simpler time...

10. The first snowfall of the year. Light flakes, especially at night, are romantic as heck

11. The Cypress swamp in Southern Illinois.

12. Hiking down deep into one of the several canyons at Starved Rock State Park.

13. Hearing a Native American drum at one of the pow-wows around the state.

14. Standing atop the bluffs at Mississippi Palisades State Park, overlooking the Mighty Mississippi.

15. Watching the Bears on the scrimmage line in mid-December. Seeing their breath pour out of their helmets evokes images of Brutus, Sayers, Payton, Dent, Nagurski, etc. Football at its best!

16. Waking up on a crisp fall morning, bluest skies imaginable, contrasting bright yellow, orange, purple, and red leafs.

17. Watching 4,000hp drag cars rip off 4 second quarter-mile times at Rt. 66 Drag way.

18. The sound of a red-winged blackbird on the prairie.

19. The crunch of snow under your feet on a bright, moonlit night.

20. The national anthem being sung at a Blackhawks game. Perhaps nothing more goose bump-inducing than being at the UC and hearing it in person.

21. The notorious Midwestern thunderstorms. Big, sometimes quite brutal, loud and short-lived. Wicked!

22. Waking up in the morning to a crisp breeze. In July.

23. Watching a farmer harvesting his/her crops late at night, in a big, menacing-looking combine strewn with all of its lights blaring in the night.

24. Hearing coyotes howling their creepy nightly chorus.

25. The smell of burning leaves in late autumn. mmmmm

26. The absolute peace and quiet that a good snowfall brings at night. The hustle and bustle of summer is long gone, all the sounds muted, the purity of the snow.

27. The incredible variety of wildflowers throughout the state, especially a forest carpeted in bluebells.

28. Lincoln's tomb. Very powerful place to visit.

29. The fields of lightning bugs in summer. Feels like being in a dream.

30. The statue of Chief Blackhawk on the bluff above the Rock River in Oregon, IL. Nice views and a sense of history regarding the Blackhawk Wars.

31. The chorus of crickets at night and cicadas in the daytime.

32. Cruising Rt. 66 through old towns and long-forgotten sites.

**KEEP US ALIVE** · September 16th, 2011 17:33

**BrotherMick** · September 16th, 2011, 19:49

Many good memories for me too. I didn't spend as much time there though.
I was born in Chicago, but we moved to NY when I was six. My parents didn't
ask my opinion about the move. lol.
Lake Shore Drive is always a favorite for return visits. We went back to visit every
year after the move, as we still had many family there ( actually, still do ).
It's been a long time since I saw Wrigley Field. That was always a special treat.

And how I remember walking along the beach and playing in Lake Michigan at
Touhy Beach.

The comments about the freshly fallen snow and the crunch of crisp snow on a
bright moonlit night remind me of growing up in NY also.

Thanks for the memories, John.

**kmarier2001** · September 16th, 2011, 20:47

Never been there, John, but you sure do make it sound like a great place to visit!

**innersanctum** · September 19th, 2011, 11:57

I agree with almost everything you stated in your list with the exception of any of the Wrigley references. I don't believe the field should be torn down (make it a museum) but moving the team to a modern ballpark would be a positive step for the Cubs organization and the team in general. I hate the smell of urine in Wrigley. I hate the obstructed views. I hate the feel of the ballpark in general and because of their insistence that the park is good-to-go, I lose respect for the Cubs organization.

There are a lot of things you still missed.

The Superman statue in Metropolis, IL
Starved Rock
The Burgoo Festival
A Chiefs game in Peoria
The Illinois State Fair
Galena in the fall
Minor League Hockey. There are several in Illinois alone. Peoria Riverman, Quad City Mallards, Rockford Icehogs, Chicago Wolves
Minor League Baseball.
Natural History Museum
Museum of Science and Industry
Willis Tower (Formerly the Sears Tower)
Portillo's