The magical Midwest

All right, I'm not sure how exciting this will be to any of you, but I came across it and I thought I'd pass it along.

Alan Solomon, the travel (and other stuff) writer for the Chicago Tribune, spent the last 13 weeks writing up classic Midwest tourist destinations. You can find a list of all of them here if you'd like. For a quicker reference, here's a list of three places, two I've been to a handful of times, one of which I have plenty of experience with:

■ Galena, Ill.: Just minutes away from my dad's hometown of Elizabeth, Ill., where I was Saturday afternoon and will be again today, Galena is, well, according to Solomon:

Walk along Main Street in the early morning, any morning, when the crowds aren't there—and let yourself be enveloped by the place. Walk up the hill to Bench Street and Prospect Street, and take your time. There's nothing like it anywhere in the Midwest.

■ Minneapolis and the Mall of America:I first experienced The Mall while on a college tour in 2000. I visited two more times about this time last year when we were in the Cities for Nick & Alexis' wedding. That was also my first real experience with the Cities themselves, including some of the things Solomon mentions. And...

■ The Amana Colonies: Less than an hour from Cedar Rapids, I've never truly "done" the Amanas, but have eaten there a handful of times (including a special trip during college graduation weekend) and visited the shops maybe twice. But the write up is very faithful to the experience as I remember it.

And, as a little bonus (although you'd have found it yourself anyway if you clicked on the first link), click here for Solomon's take on Lake Geneva, where my parents went on their honeymoon. I've been there a few times on church retreats and should possibly consider bringing my own lovely wife there at some point.