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.

QUAD CITIES EVEN MORE!

Next day's itinerary began with a visit to the Country Corner Farm Market and Pumpkin Patch in Alpha, Illinois. Aside from their market of fresh corn and pumpkins, they also sell locally made or grown products as well. Take a horse drawn hayrack ride, pick pumpkins and stop at the petting zoo. Alpacas, chickens, pigs, goats, and miniature cattle. Ask owner Bruce Curry about the various types of corn like the kind you eat, ones fed to the animals, one that pops right on the cob and ones just for fall decoration. Country Corner is open from May to October, so I'm happy that I got there in September.



They sell the popping corn as a package in a brown paper bag with instructions for use in you microwave oven. Option is to pick off kernels and pop in a pot.

Exotic Thai was our lunch spot. I ordered an iced Thai coffee not just for the taste but also if the need to cool my mouth came into play. With too many starters to choose from I opted for the Siam Sampler: Marinated chicken skewers wit peanut sauce and cucumber dip; Seasoned shrimp wrapped in fine noodles and crisp fried served with a dipping sauce; Crispy Thai rolls stuffed with glass noodles and veggies served with a tangy plum sauce; Fried chicken wing stuffed with a mix of ground chicken, glass noodles, Thai spices, served with a sweet and sour sauce.

In spite of my not being drawn to the spicy side, I ordered the classic Tom Yom soup. Once I got used to the chili hitting the back of my throat, rather than my whole mouth, the lemongrass soup with chicken and straw mushrooms was Tom Yum.

I'm one to stick to Pad Thai, but decided on a different noodle dish, Pad See U. Stir fried flat rice noodles with broccoli and egg in a sweet black bean sauce.

Esther had the Asparagus Salad of asparagus, chicken breast, shrimp, roasted shredded coconut served with a Thai-style dressing.

Dessert was a banana crepe with coconut ice cream plated with raisins and cashew nuts and drizzled with chocolate sauce.

QUAD CITIES CONTINUED

We sort of walked off the lunch with a very quick tour of downtown LeClaire and visiting the Buffalo Bill Museum where they collect, preserve, interpret and exhibit historical, cultural and educational artifacts depicting the heritage of this region, particularly life along the Mississippi River in eastern Iowa and western Illinois and its early pioneers like Buffalo Bill (William F. Cody). Buffalo Bill was born in a log cabin two miles west of Main St., LeClaire on what is today Territorial Road. Then two years later, Isaac Cody (Buffalo Bill’s father) built the home overlooking the Mississippi River.

Abutting the museum, founded by the LeClaire Women's Club in 1957, is the Lone Star Steamboat which was used to transport cargo and tow other boats along the Mississippi River. You can go aboard the steamboat on your own or take a tour of both.

The evening was spent having dinner at Farradday's Restaurant, the more upscale dining of the Isle Casino and Hotel in Bettendorf that sits along the Mississippi River. Its casino area is located on an old riverboat. We were there for the entertainment as Vickie Lawrence was performing. She talked about her career, Carol Burnett and transformed herself to "Mama", the character that she portrayed on tv. She sang, danced and was extremely funny.

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.