QUAD CITIES, THE FINAL DAY

One great mode of transportation is the Channel Cat Water Taxi. For $6 you can ride the whole day and even bring your bike. I was told that there are some people who will just ride without getting off while reading a book, just to relax and enjoy the river and views. There are five stops along the Mississippi River. Moline Landing - Ben Butterworth Parkway at Celebration Pier, home to the Celebration Belle, a non-gambling excursion boat. The Quarter - East Moline Landing - home of Beacon Harbor and the Visitors Center. Bettendorf Landing - Isle of Capri Casino. John Deere Commons Landing - just a block away from the John Deere Pavilion and iWireless Center. Village of East Davenport Landing - where you can take a Segway tour.



That's just what we did in Davenport. An IA Segway tour goes for about 2 hours along a bike path on the Mississippi Riverfront. We were able to view much including lock and dam #15. Mike Mott pointed out some historic sites at the Arsenal on Rock Island, Illinois, located across the river as well as the town of East Davenport.

Final lunch was at Front Street Brewery in Davenport where I had their signature cheddar cheese soup made with beer. Time to go home!

QUAD CITIES, THE CONCERT

LeClaire Park in Davenport is a great venue for festivals and concerts. September brings their annual Beerfest. I was there the week before to attend a performance by the Quad City Symphony Orchestra's Riverfront Pops with a focus on Broadway hits. Mark Russell Smith is the Music Director and three Broadway stars were on hand to sing. They were: Stephanie Block, who starred in the musical "9 to 5", The Boy From Oz, and Wicked; Lisa Vroman, who starred in Phantom of the Opera, had Broadway roles in Les Miz and continued singing opera; and Hugh Panaro, who is now starring on Broadway in the role of "masked man" in Phantom of the Opera. Coincidentally I had tickets to review Phantom only a few days later and met him backstage.

During these type of events, attendees are encouraged to bring chairs, tables or whatever they wish to enjoy a picnic on the lawn. For those who just wished to view the concert and perhaps buy food from the vendors, row of chairs are laid out in front of the stage.

NEXT DAY IN THE QUAD CITIES

The first stop on the next day's itinerary was the German American Heritage Center in Davenport, and last remaining immigrant hotel of the 1800's in the region. This form 1862 Germania Haus/Miller Hotel explores and celebrates the immigrant experience telling the story of how they contributed to and influenced the development of the community, region, and country. I also took a photo from one of the upstairs windows.

Bucktown Center for the Arts is quite different from a place such as Figge Art Museum. Where the museum houses collections and exhibits from mostly non-local artists, Bucktown gives the opportunity for that artists to create on site in a refurbished warehouse and everything's for sale.

Esther, Eunice and I met a few artists such as Lori Boutott who creates beads for other artists to use in their jewelry as well as for the someone who may want some particular type of bead for their own use.

Lori's cat is around to keep her busy when she takes a quick break. He will bring rolls of knitting wool into one area to distract her.

Jack Wilhoit focuses on artistic photography. Doors and bicycles are his thing from the photograph to the three dimensional.



The Crane and Pelican Cafe in LeClaire, a city near Davenport and along the Mississippi River. Owned by Amanda Harvey, a former mixologist, the restaurant is quiet and cozy yet sophisticated. All of the rooms have large windows with views and the walls have artwork available for purchase.

Executive Chef Fritz is in charge of the bill of fare, which can be more defined as comfort food. I had a gyro of lamb and beef with a side of Asian Slaw. Dessert was a tasty orange crepe.

QUAD CITIES: DAY ONE

I recently returned from a second trip to the Quad Cities, the only area along the Mississippi River where the water flows East-West, basically consisting of two cities in Iowa (Bettendorf, Davenport) and Illinois (Moline, Rock Island).

Aside from exploring any of the attractions and restaurants that I had not done on my prior trip in 2007, I was looking to see how Iowa was doing in regards to having passed the same sex marriage law. I couldn't believe that it was legal in Iowa and not in New York. Go figure!

Boarding Air Tran Esther, Eunice and I were invited into the cockpit for a photo op with the pilot and co-pilot.

Lunch at Cafe Fresh, in Moline, was the first stop on my itinerary. Basic bistro with soups, sandwiches, salads and dessert. One of their signature foods is a kosher pickle spear rolled up with cream cheese and ham. I had a chicken salad half of a veggie sandwich.

The rest of the afternoon was spent getting info on ceremonies and receptions. I went to Davenport to meet with Pastor Rich Hendricks of the Metropolitan Community Church (MCC)in Davenport. Having had a Gay Pride event in the area, I was also looking to get in touch with some hotels that listed themselves as being "gay friendly". With Illinois so near, I was interested in hearing about those residents coming into Iowa to tie the knot. Rich said that they needed to know that when Illinois passes the law and couple later found themselves filing for divorce that would first have to take up residence in Iowa for a year.

The Clarion Hotel in Davenport and the Holiday Inn in Rock Island were the two hotels that I checked out. Given the short distance between the two cities, couples had the option for holding the reception in either state. With the two hotels giving the "gay friendly" listing, it has boosted their economy even with small receptions.

Dinner was at Johnny's Italian Steakhouse in Moline located near the John Deere Pavilion. Dining with friends allowed me to sample more items on the menu which began with the Bette Bruschetta, focaccia topped with fresh tomatoes, chevre goat cheese and shrimp.

We did a family style salad with spinach and bacon.

When it Rome...I had what was the most tender piece of steak going, Johnny's Bone-in Rib Eye. It was dressed Oscar Style with crabmeat, asparagus and bearnaise sauce. We all saved room to share a dessert of chocolate mousse.

Johnny's is reminiscent of a traditional 40's style nightclub, which may explain the poster of Dean, Sammy and Frank.

As for the hotel, I stayed at the Residence Inn in Moline. The studio is complete with a full kitchen which at times housed my leftovers. There is a fitness center located across a courtyard which has a pit for those cooler nights...the courtyard, not the fitness center.