IL Day 7/ IN Day 0 - Dunes, Desserts, and Daytrips
Today I bid Illinois (and my Chicago friends who put me up) farewell, but I left the Prairie State in style by going to get a good strong cup of coffee at the charming and oddly elegant Everybody’s Coffee (very classical stone or faux stone architecture). True to their name, they made me an iced coffee that I feel like everybody could enjoy.
Slightly more exciting than coffee (though perhaps less essential for keeping me awake and alive as I made my way to Indiana), I got some celebrated breakfast sweets from Bang Bang Pie and Biscuits. In a nice bit of irony (and a sad statement about our country), I did get a kick out of the door to the establishment having a No Guns Allowed Sign right beneath the words Bang Bang.
While I’m sure the biscuits and savory options are also delicious, I couldn’t look away from the cafe’s mouthwatering selection of creative pies. Ultimately I went for the Cookies and Cream Pie, which was like somewhere between a regular pie, a chocolatey cheesecake, and an oreo. It was decadent and delicious, and entirely worth whatever heightened risk for diabetes it gave me.
After scarfing down my opulent pastry, I made my way out of Illinois. The first lef og my trip was just a short hop over the state line to Indiana Dunes State Park, a beautiful natural wonderland along the shores of Lake Michigan. In the years since my road trip, the extended area encompassing the state park (Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore) has since been upgraded to a National Park. Because I still had another 3-ish hours to go to get to my Air BnB closer to Indianapolis, I didn’t explore the entirety of the National Park’s staggering 15,349 acres (or even the smaller state parks still sizable 1,530 acres) of lake front, and there’s some very cool things I missed out, such as some crazy looking historic homes that were part of an architectural exhibit at the 1933 World’s Fair, but everything I saw was still very impressive.
My first stop in the park was the Nature Center which the park’s website says is largely unchanged since it opened in 1990 so that adds a sort of a time capsule element as well to the exhibits about the park’s flora and fauna. The Dunes, due to their unique geographical position, are home to 10 different habitats (including prairies, swamps, bogs, forests, and of course the sand dunes themselves) which in turn contain several hundreds of different plants and animals. The nature center contained a pretty nice snapshot of all that wildlife, with a mix of live animals, photographs, and taxidermied displays. Highlights for me included: a tadpole in the middle of transitioning into being a frog and a majestic stuffed owl who was named Hedwig.
Some of the exhibits did ask awfully personal questions though…
After the Nature Center, it was time to enjoy the nature itself. Several trails stretch out through the surrounding forest for any visitors looking for a scenic hike. The blending of biomes is really apparent as you walk outside and the lush green forests grow right up against the rolling sand dunes. It’s gorgeously otherworldly seeing such different landscapes coexist so seamlessly, such wild, vibrant life exploding out of such seemingly inhospitable terrain.
In a bit of forest magic, I got to catch sight of one of the forest’s natural inhabitants. He even seemed to turn and pose for the camera before running off, which was a very considerate touch.
Emerging out of the woods, I got to really experience the signature Dunes firsthand along the beautiful beaches of Lake Michigan. The vistas were truly stunning on this perfect summer day with the crystalline blue water and the towering sand dunes coming together to create a peaceful, serene natural environment. Seeing families come together on the beaches, enjoying and sharing their days together surrounded by natural beauty, really emphasized the importance of preserving places like this. The inciting incident for the establishment of the park as a state and national landmark was when local glass manufacturers did in fact destroy one of the largest and most well-known of the sand dunes, the Hoosier Slide, causing locals to fear that without active protections the relentless tide of industry would sweep the entire area away. Seeing the results of these preservation efforts, I do think the value of having this little natural oasis far outweighs the value of glass companies saving a little bit on shipping costs.
The centerpiece of the beachfront is a stylish and striking Art-Deco Pavillion that now also houses a restaurant, rooftop, and event space but was closed at the time I was visiting. Still there was plenty to enjoy just from the outside.
Walking back my tro my car, I got to enjoy another of the diverse terrains offered by the state park, this time in the froms of marshes and swamplands. The murky vitality of these wetlands seemed to be in stark contrast to the rolling, rocky sand dunes and it was really something that such a short walk could seem take you between different worlds.
After my afternoon enjoying the State Park, I made my way on a three-ish hour drive straight to the center of the state. Before reaching Indianopolis, I stopped in the small town of Crown Point for some dinner and coffee at the cozy Sip Coffee House. I got a much needed infusion of nutrition in the form of a delicious grilled chicken club. The sandwich came with chicken, avoacado, bacon, greens, tomato, and cheese all on perfectly toasted rustic white bread with a side of pasta salsa and a slice of orange. It was a damn good sandwich, hearty and flavorful and after being on the road and only eating pie, it was truly restorative.
After dinner, I made my way to Indianopolis and promptly crashed at my Air BnB, ready to start the second to last week of this crazy road trip.
Favorite Random Sightings: Milk Supply Breastfeeding Boutique (a gross name for a nice idea); Spoil Me Salon; a woodworking shop called the Crafty Beaver; a bumper sticker that simply said “I ♥️ Poutine”
Regional Observations: Northern Indiana is remarkably flat, but at least in the summer time it was pleasantly green. I think because of mostly knowing prairies from Westerns I tend to think of them as sort of barren, and while parts of the state can have that sort of arid Rust Belt aesthetic, there’s also a lot of life to be found.
Random Joke of the Day:
Sadly my obese parrot just died.
But it's a huge weight off my shoulders.
Chicago Superlatives (I’d be lying if I said these were for the whole state of Illinois because I barely left the Windy City):
Favorite Coffee: Dark Matter Coffee
Favorite Restaurant: Pequod’s Pizza (I feel like Chicago natives, may make fun of me for picking a touristy deep dish place, but dang it’s a good deep dish)
Favorite Bar: Emporium Arcade (craft beer and pinball!)
Favorite Beer: The Pony Pilsner from Half Acre Beer Company
Favorite Attraction: The Art Institute of Chicago
Favorite Slightly Less Famous Attraction: Garfield Park Conservatory
Notes on the Stand Up Scene: Chicago really has one of the best comedy scenes in the country. Maybe not as famous as NY or LA, but there’s enough comedy infrastructure, especially for sketch and improv, that the city can still be a big launching pad for talent. Plus since it’s still the Midwest, the average funny person skews a lot more welcoming than the coastal cities can be on first glance. There’s also a lot of variety with classic set-up-punchline joke-tellers, more story-based comedy, and lots of room for weird experimental stuff to all coexist. A great scene and a great city.
Song of the Day:
Freddie Gibbs is the only Indiana rapper I know, so I’ve got to give him a chance to rep his state