JT in the Quad Cities–

BAM!  Our ongoing tour of the great midwest of the U.S. of A. continues here in Moline, Illinois…the occasion: James Taylor is playing a concert at a venue called the TaxSlayer Center–mmm, aaaah!  Let’s check things out and see what’s what.

Moline is part of an area called the Quad Cities located on the Mississippi River about 60 miles south of Dubuque, Iowa.  Funny thing about the Quad Cities: there are five cities that comprise the whole area–Moline, East Moline, and Rock Island on the Illinois side of the river, and Davenport and Bettendorf over in Iowa.  Apparently the powers-that-be tried to push calling this area the Quint Cities, but this did not catch on–Quad Cities sounds better–HUH?–and this is the name that sticks today.

The Quad Cities–all five of them–are located at the confluence of the Rock River and the Mississippi River. . .this area was settled in the 18th/19th centuries and after many battles with the Indians, who were eventually moved to reservations, and eventually the Quads became a thriving area of commerce and manufacturing.  For example, John Deere, the tractor guy, is from this area and his John Deere Industries are based here today. . .multiple colleges are here…food processing plants…municipal workers…and the Rock Island Arsenal (a military base) is the biggest employer with nearly eight thousand workers.

According to Wikipedia there are nearly four hundred thousand people living in the Quads–we see lots of people out and about doing this and that…things appear to be thriving here. . .though there are also pockets of houses in what some might call challenging-looking areas–we don’t know what is happening in these pockets, but we can imagine a bit of a struggle happening here as well. . .same as most places on the planet.

Nevertheless, there are enough folks here interested in a James Taylor concert over at the TaxSlayer Center.  This stadium has 12,000 seats…about 10,000 of them are filled with JT fans…we are happy to be here…lovely stadium, built in 1993 it now hosts lots of concerts and sporting events to keep folks entertained.  JT seems happy to be here…he puts on a good show for us…he has Bonnie Raitt opening for him–veddy niiiiice!

We are staying in a hotel called ‘Element by Westin’…it is new, clean, organized, and located right across the street from the TaxSlayer Center.  We check in, we walk over to 5th Avenue in the heart of Moline for beverages and snacks at a joint called the Bier Stube. . .we walk back to the TaxSlayer…pop in for the show…pop out and back across the street to our hotel–totally good-to-go.

So, Moline, thank you for being nice to us and for making our lives so easy to catch our buddy James singin’ his hits. . .the only thing that would make this better is to eliminate the February freezing rain next time.  Ah well, we are picky buggers, I know…do what you can.

Pop on down to the Quad Cities some time. . .you might find something to like just like us.

It’s lovely out there.

Walk and partaaaay…NYC–

The polar vortex is gone…time to walk off the winter blubber and then head out for drinks and din-din–mmm, aaaahh!

The best spot for walking in Manhattan these days is the Hudson River Park.  This thing runs from northern Manhattan near the George Washington Bridge all the way down to Battery Park at the southern tip of the island.  You can walk, run, or bike the whole thing, or you can just walk a little bit like us–from the West Village down to the North Cove Marina and back again. . .perfect!

Then we head on over to Morandi on Seventh Avenue where they serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner…pop on in at any time of day for a beverage and some snacks, and you will be good-to-go.

I send you warming vibes from the walkways and restaurants of New York City. . .feel them. . .they will get you to spring with no problem at all.

It’s lovely out there.