Must-visit awful U.S. cities

I know I've said it before, here or on twitter, but Branson is what happens when the nearest cruise terminal is 10 hours away.

 

Both are great. The night tour of Alcatraz is stellar (can't speak for the day tour). And the city isn't pristine -- and who would want it to be? If that's all you want, hang out in Redwood City and walk around Stanford. Berkeley, Half Moon Bay, Sausalito, Russian River Valley, Muir Woods... so much variety within a short drive. Can't wait to return.

 

My distaste is solely with the city of SF. The areas around it are marvelous. Well, Bezerkly is odd, but...

 

Rockford, Illinois. Every summer I have a family reunion in Wisconsin. On the drive back always stop in Rockford to eat at Beef-A-Roo.

 

The only cool thing about Rockford is Cheap Trick.

 

The Dutch Tavern in New London, Conn., is worth a visit.

 

The only hot thing, then, must be Cindy Crawford.

Edit: Dammit. Got confused with DeKalb. Disregard.

 

I feel the same way about Whitey's, a chain of ice-cream shops in the Quad-Cities that I've previously posted about (although having lived in the Q-C in the early '80s, I consider the area a bit less awful than Rockford). Whitey's served the best ice cream and shakes I've ever had. Last time I went there was 13 years ago, and it was as great as I remembered. Might be passing through that area on a trip up north this summer and will make a stop at a Whitey's if possible.

 

I know we've talked QC before, but was there a couple of months ago and hit Whitey's. Man, it only gets better with time.

They had 2 new (to me) creations. Shakes and malts, with Little Debbie Nutty Bar blended into it, and shakes and malts with big, chewy, rich homemade cookies blended in.