Day 27: Field of Dreams and first night in Chicago

Miles driven to-date: 8,025
States visited to-date: 25

This morning we drove about an hour to Dyersville, Iowa where the movie “Field of Dreams” was filmed. I could tell Steve was excited to see the sights from the film but we assumed it would be touristy and silly. Instead, we found that the field, house, scenery, and atmosphere were wonderful.

We made our way to the cornfield and enjoyed walking in and out of the stalks, just as the ghost players did in the movie.

The field was very well maintained and when we first arrived, there were just a couple of other people there so we were able to have a few quiet, contemplative moments.

The house has been occupied by the same family for the last 100 years and looked almost exactly as it did in the movie.

I thought it was interesting that the field itself spans two different plots of land and the property line is marked by the power lines that cut over center field. There is apparently a bit of a feud between the two families and as you approach the site, there are two separate tourist attractions beckoning you with two different signs. Steve said that in the past, one of the families grew the corn back on their half of the field which of course furthered the dispute. Nevertheless, we very much enjoyed our visit – especially when the many young tourists started an impromptu game on the field!

On our way out of Dyersville, we stopped at a car wash being put on by local high school cheerleaders to benefit their squad. After driving nearly 8,000 miles in the past month in the van, we were embarrassed at how dirty it was and tried to explain to the girls why there were so many bugs stuck to the front of the car. They were great about it and did a really good job getting it sparkling clean. I think they got a kick out of helping us get ready for the last leg of our journey!

The high school cheerleaders faced their toughest challenge yet at their car wash fundraiser.

After about three more hours on the road we reached the outskirts of Chicago. Steve had read about a hot dog place called Superdawg in a couple of his travel books so we eagerly tried it out. We placed our orders using an old-fashioned automated ordering system next to the driver’s window. Our waitress then brought the food to the car and attached our tray right to the window. Our hotdogs and milkshakes were some of the best we’ve ever had – what a great find!

Tonight we headed a few blocks uptown from our hotel to see Second City, the famous Chicago comedy troupe. You probably know many of their famous alums: John Belushi, Chris Farley, Mike Meyers, and Tina Fey, to name just a few. The show was SO funny! I would highly recommend it.

After the show, we made our way to Billy Goat Tavern (thanks to Steve’s Dad for the suggestion!). This place was the inspiration for the “cheeburger cheeburger” sketch on Saturday Night Live. It was certainly interesting and the food was delicious. Here’s a shot of the interior:

With lots planned for tomorrow, we decided to hit the hay after our burgers but look forward to lots of fun in the morning.