Eric
and Ann moved to Naperville, IL (southwest of Chicago) a couple of years ago and we had yet to make it
up for a visit but things finally fell into place and we recently drove up for
a long weekend. In addition to seeing
them and the grand kids and seeing their home and Naperville, we wanted to do some
food things – eat a deep dish pizza, eat a Chicago hot dog, eat some ethnic
food, and visit a sausage maker.
They
live in a nice neighborhood which is now seeing its second generation of young
owners and is typical of homes built around the early 60’s. They have a shaded lot backed up to a
golf course and a split level home that has a very similar floor plan to the
one I spent my late teens living in – a plus for me was the need to negotiate stairs
(good knee exercise) many times a day. Here
is a shot from Google Earth – no tree leaves when we visited.
Naperville
is both a bedroom community for Chicago and a thriving college town with a
fully functioning historic downtown area, which is a blend of specialty shops and
restaurants – like most places, the primary shopping is mainly in malls.
While the kids were in school and Ann worked, Eric,
Bev, and I went to breakfast at Egg Harbor where we had three different and delicious meals – San Antonio Skillet, Popeye
Crepes, ham & egg sandwich.
Then we wandered around town - I didn’t take my camera into town so here are some shots from the web.
We made several stops including a couple of clothing stores and these:
NaperNuts & Sweets for candy and popcorn.
Then
we went to WAR Chest Boutique which is the retail
arm of the non-profit organization Women At Risk.
Then
it was on to VomFass which sells gourmet oils, vinegars, whiskey and wine. I actually got my wallet out here.
It
was a good day spent in the nice downtown area and while I made it sound like a
nice little town (which downtown is) thanks to expanding borders, Naperville has
a population of around 150,000 and is the 5th largest city in
Illinois. It has also been voted 2nd
best place to live, best city for early retirement, wealthiest city in the Midwest,
and one of the nation’s safest cities. I
believe I could live there if there wasn’t so much traffic and it was way
further south, of course.
I’ll
post about our eating adventures later.
Photos
can be enlarged by clicking on them.
Have
a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.
Larry
3/24/17 Event Date
Sounds like you are enjoy your time away visiting family.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great trip and I can't wait to see which deep dish pizza you tried! We visited two while in Chicago - glad you had a good trip!
ReplyDeleteLarry, We definitely concur... Naperville is a really great suburb in the Chicago megapolis. Downtown Naperville is the best downtown in the suburbs. Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
ReplyDeleteOur daughter lived for a time in Villa Park and I also thought the "new kids" moving into the neighborhoods was a great idea. Yes, too much city traffic for me. Even though we live in a Phoenix suburb, our driving is not bad unless you need to get on I-10 during rush hour. Waiting for your food blogging.
ReplyDeleteGreat looking breakfasts! Enjoy your trip....such a beautiful setting.....in the summer.vbg....
ReplyDeleteHope you had some decent weather during your visit! We've been having a windy, rainy spring so far. Looks like a nice place to visit!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun and cute area. Your breakfasts look tasty!
ReplyDeleteI know I would love this town. Breakfast looks delicious.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a lot of driving for a weekend trip but knowing you and Bev, I'm sure you made the most of it. Naperville sounds like it has a small town feel even though it isn't. Nice!
ReplyDelete