Mary Bergin's Roads Traveled: Good Food & Travel in Wisconsin, the Midwest and Beyond

Easily amused, properly impressed with all the little wonders of the world and back yard.

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Illinois

Take Ten: Gems in, near Galena

July 13, 2019 Mary Bergin 0

Near the northwest corner of Illinois is resilient little Galena, which wears its history as a badge of honor and foundation for tourism. Galena got […]

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Chicago Detours: Get to know the neighborhoods

October 21, 2018 Mary Bergin 0

One way to get to know a city is through its attractions – the monuments, museums, biggest and best local marks of distinction. We seek […]

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American Writers Museum opens in Chicago

May 13, 2017 Mary Bergin 0

In the same room are Julia Child, Alex Haley, Prince, Patrick Henry and Hunter Thompson. What do they have in come, besides being dearly departed? […]

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Chicago overnight: a frugal mix of spontaneity, research

September 10, 2016 Mary Bergin 0

Where to next? My reply to that frequent question inevitably prompts this follow-up: For business or pleasure? “Both” is almost always my answer. Almost all […]

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Chicago Restaurant Week: From the Farmhouse and beyond

February 7, 2015 Mary Bergin 0

Downtown Chicago might seem about as far away as you can get from rural America, but think again. At Farmhouse Chicago restaurant, an antique tractor […]

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Early O’Hare flight or layover? Check out Rosemont, Ill.

January 24, 2015 Mary Bergin 0

I am a fickle consumer when it comes to airline transportation and spend way too much time weighing fares and gateways. I favor no airline […]

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Chicago gangster tours delve into bullet-riddled history

November 29, 2014 Mary Bergin 0

Mobster Al Capone was released from federal prison 75 years ago and sent home to Chicago. He was 40 years old and in bad health, […]

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Mennonite Relief Sale: quilts, bakery, ‘Menno food’

March 1, 2014 Mary Bergin 0

Less than 200 miles separate Wisconsin from Bloomington, Ill., but what a potential difference in buffet lines: Red beet eggs. Ham loaf. Vareniky (stuffed dumplings). […]

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John Deere Pavilion in Moline: ag life in the fast lane

October 20, 2012 Mary Bergin 0

While scooting behind the wheel, I’m not sure what astonishes me more: the windshield view, or the fact that I’ve gained eyes in back of […]

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New Karpeles manuscript museum at Rock Island, Ill.

October 13, 2012 Mary Bergin 0

Is “fool” or “numskull” the best way to describe a poor card player? After learning a lesson, he never “tasted a drop” or “drank a […]

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Springfield: politics through Abe’s eyes

February 18, 2012 Mary Bergin 0

The face of Lincoln shows up everywhere in Illinois – brass busts on office desks to bigger-than-life memorials in city parks – but there’s just […]

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Chicago fans share their fave hidden gems

January 14, 2012 Mary Bergin 0

Spiritual sites, ethnic neighborhoods, down-home food, fine fabrics and Asian art are among your worthwhile reasons for stepping away from the Loop and Magnificent Mile. […]

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Chicago food: beyond dawgs, pizza, Bayless

January 7, 2012 Mary Bergin 0

Jazzed-up hot dogs, deep-dish pizza and any product with chef Rick Bayless’ thumbprint are among the foods that make Chicago famous. Add wiener schnitzel from […]

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Chicago travel: beyond the Magnificent Mile

January 1, 2012 Mary Bergin 0

For years, I’ve headed to Chicago for day trips or quick overnights – usually taking in the obvious sites and sticking to places tourists congregate. […]

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Private doors open in Milwaukee, Chicago

September 17, 2011 Mary Bergin 0

Almost underneath Interstates 43/94, one mile west of Milwaukee’s trendy Third Ward retail/nightlife district, illuminating work happens daily. Inside an 1890s building of red brick, […]

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Lurie Garden, in Chicago’s Millennium Park

April 17, 2010 Mary Bergin 0

I did not expect much when meeting Jennifer Davit, to take a look at her garden. Spring had barely arrived, and the last snow had […]

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Chicago hospitality: outstanding to ugly sides

April 10, 2010 Mary Bergin 0

Use Google when in search of the “lost art of customer service,” and 10,000 references pop up within two seconds. Balance this against economic predictions […]

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Sea otters, belugas at Chicago’s Shedd

August 15, 2009 Mary Bergin 0

Rain tends to drive tourists indoors, but that’s not entirely why the soggy line to enter Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium was a block long on a […]

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Woodstock, Steel Bridge tunes rewind clocks

June 6, 2009 Mary Bergin 0

Save a bridge, build a bridge. This is what has happened in Sturgeon Bay. What began as a fight to rescue the aging Michigan Street […]

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Oak Park: churches, good food, bargains

May 9, 2009 Mary Bergin 0

Although a Frank Lloyd Wright fascination lures many travelers to Oak Park, Ill., this brilliant but eccentric man’s legacy is not the only reason to […]

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All materials © Mary Bergin, unless otherwise noted. Reproduction, in any form, requires written consent. These articles began in 2002 and are the result of anonymous travel, independent travel, press trips and travel journalism conferences. What we choose to cover is not contingent on subsidized or complimentary travel.

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