10
Young Professionals
| OCTOber 2018
theVoice
ignite
Day trips: The broke man’s solution to travel I will never be OK with the word “staycation.” Despite having learned that most of my strong opinions on dumb things have changed with time and experience, I am sticking to this one with undue confidence. It’s partially because of its vague definition; it’s either as narrow as spending your vacation enjoying local attractions instead of going anywhere, or as broad as vacationing within one’s home country. I refuse to call a Saturday trip to the Burpee Museum as vacationing just as I refuse to qualify a trip to San Francisco as a mere staycation. It’s just altogether a phrase that brings indignity to people like me who love to travel. Now, when I say I love to travel, you should know the helpful expository fact that I have never once been outside of the country. That takes money and time, and I’ve never had both of those things simultaneously. Does that mean I’ve had to give up my wanderlust! No! Does that mean that new places and people and experiences have been completely outside my grasp! No! Does that force me to confront the possibility that, under its broadest definition, ALL of my travels have technically been staycations? I refuse to think about this! Instead I’ve learned to slake my thirst for travel within my means -- by finding things that are about 60 to 90 minutes away and cost me less than 50 bucks to enjoy. I know most people go on day trips every so often, but I am telling you that there is an underappreciated bounty of exciting things within arm’s reach of our city for those Saturdays when you just want to get away from it all … but still be back in your own bed that night to avoid hotel costs. Don’t believe me? That’s very rude, but I’ll generously meet your hostility with a curated list of recommendations for day tripping from the Rockford area!
Chicago and Madison Let’s get the obvious ones first. Madison is an hour north, and Chicago is an hour and a half to the southeast. Both are amazing cities with all the chic urbanism you’ll ever want. They’ve got parks, museums, great food, bars and breweries, cafes, free zoos, cultural events, street festivals, farmers markets, live music, live comedy, interesting neighborhoods and robust downtown centers. There’s something there for you in both, so check around sites like Eventbrite or Eventful that aggregates interesting events for you to catch in those cities. Additionally you can use local publications (Time Out and RedEye for Chicago) or sites from tourism boards (visitmadison.com) to find specific events happening throughout the calendar that you can plan for. But if you’re looking for my personal
recommendations, I always Matt Hargrove suggest the MuIGNITE sic Box Theatre, one of my very favorite places on earth. It’s an independent movie theater with great atmosphere and an eclectic lineup of movies from classic to contemporary. I’d also suggest any of the several bar arcades throughout the city. They’re often a bit overcrowded, but almost every trip to one has given me lasting memories. Finally, if you’re checking out Millennium Park for its beauty or maybe a free concert, did you know that there’s a semi-hidden garden on the grounds? If you’re in the area, you should seek out the Lurie Garden. I’ll tell you, unashamedly, that my favorite place in Madison is the Olbrich Botanical Gardens. I’m trying to avoid the places that are in every tourist handbook, but Olbrich is a magical place with a gorgeous outdoor campus and a breaktaking greenhouse. If you need some greenery in your life during a winter month, flee there. I’d also recommend the entire city for biking. Madison is downright European with its urban biking scene.
Literally Everywhere Else, Too Seriously, hunt around. You’ve got Galena to the east (and the gorgeous Highway 20 route to get there). I can do this with every cardinal direction. Starved Rock State Park is to the south, and Cave of the Mounds is to the northeast if you’re looking for astounding nearby sites of natural beauty. And finally, you’ve got to check out the Mitsuwa Marketplace, also in Arlington Heights. This Japanese marketplace has a lot of fun authentic fare — cuisine, books, crafts, stationary — all the stuff you’d buy at a gift shop in the Tokyo International Airport. How do I know it’s authentic? I don’t, but it’s only about 40 percent cosplayers and white hipsters like myself, so it feels authentic.
EXPLORE This is only a sample from my own limited traveling. I have yet to run out of amazing things to explore, and because all of what I listed are within 90 minutes and 50 dollars, I’ve still got the time and money to explore more. This weekend give the Netflix account a rest and discover what lies just beyond the city limits -- and the limits of your comfort zone. Safe travels, and leave your staycations behind! Matt Hargrove is an IGNITE member and works for The Literacy Council. The views expressed are those of Hargroves’ and do not necessarily represent those of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.