Scenes from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, Springfield, Ill.

Even commoners like yours truly are sometimes guilty of overlooking the benefits of being a tourist in your hometown.  Perhaps it’s just too easy to take for granted what’s right in front of you.  Or maybe, as what often happens to longtime central Illinois residents, you just get burned out on all things Lincoln-related by the time you’re done with all those school field trips. 

Opening in 2005, The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum is the newest Lincoln-related attraction to Springfield, Ill., and by almost all accounts, it’s the top-rated and most rewarding attraction of them all (a handful of the nearly 4,000 Trip Advisor reviewers must still hold a grudge over the Civil War or something …).  In fact, since its opening, the ALPLM has been the most-visited presidential library in the country. 

A commoner dares to drink at Chicago’s L&L Tavern

I’ve often written of the need for a dive bar hall of fame to commemorate all the dank, dingy and downright dirty drinking establishments that still manage to become cherished for their cheap libations, surly yet friendly bartenders who love to drink as much (if not more) than you, and a feel-right-at-home vibe.  

Every town, big or small, seems to have a bar with a certain degree of divey-ness.  Some have more if they’re lucky.  And then there’s Chicago, which is fortunate enough to have the L&L Tavern, a watering hole worthy of the inclusion in the dive bar hall of fame if there ever was one.  For starters, the L&L Tavern prides itself as being the “Creepiest Bar in the USA.”  And they just may be right.

A commoner dines (and drinks) at Lonnski’s Pub & Deli, Grinnell, Iowa

It’s time for another trip in the Watts Wayback Machine, this one back to the Norman Rockwell-esque small college town of Grinnell, Iowa and a place I visited a few times for a light dinner, and some “light” drinking, while completing a work assignment in Grinnell.  One might not expect to find one of the town’s best drinking establishments inside a deli, but Lonnski’s Pub & Deli pulls off both quite well.

Wandering through the Willoughby Brewing Company

My frequency of blog posts has clearly been lacking lately, so let’s step onto the Watts Wayback Machine for a trip to Willoughby,Ohio and review one of my favorite finds during my working days in the Cleveland area a while back. 

Located very much on the outskirts of Cleveland’s eastern ring of suburbs, Willoughby maintains much of the historic charm you might expect from a lake community founded in 1798.  The downtown area in particular is fun and thriving, helped in no small part by the Willoughby Brewing Company.  And as far as craft breweries go, the one in Willoughby is a veteran of the scene, celebrating its 20^th anniversary in 2018.

Needless to say, the brewery got the attention of my craft beer-loving co-workers, so despite Willoughby being off the beaten path for us, we made repeat visits during our time working in the area. 

What kept us coming back, you ask?