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Waterpark and True Italian in Dubuque

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I’ve loved living in the Midwest because I can get to so many different states within a few hours. One of the (very) few things I don’t love about Champaign, though, is the lack of good Italian food.  Coming from Long Island, you could find a pizzeria with great Italian on every corner. I have yet to find one place within two hours of Champaign that I can compare to those. On a recent trip to Dubuque, Iowa , I was happy to discover a new city and a restaurant that makes pasta like my aunts used to. I felt comfortable as soon as I walked into Vinny Vanucchi’s in downtown Dubuque.  The checkered tablecloths and family photos were very welcoming and I knew instantly it was a great family place.  That was what I was looking for as I had brought along my friend Amy, her two kids, and a third child. Amy was driving, but I tried one of their martinis from the cocktail menu. The Chuck Berry was simple and perfect, with vodka and raspberry liqueur. We got a pi

Milwaukee Summerfest Finale

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I had a full schedule for my final day in Milwaukee and had a new friend to share it with. It turned out Roberta, who I had met the previous day , and I had a lot in common, including our desire to check out some of the highlights of Milwaukee for the first time. Roberta picked me up at the Hilton Milwaukee and we took a scenic drive to Lake Park Bistro. It was a quaint restaurant with a view and we both new immediately we’d love the French brunch. We started with the pastry assortment. It was tough not to finish the Croissants, Banana Chocolate Chip Bread, and Blueberry Scones, but I wanted to save room for the rest of the food. We shared a wonderful beet salad, which had feta cheese, fennel, and pistachios in a red wine vinaigrette. For a main course, Roberta loved the Crab Eggs Benedict and I was satisfied with my Vegetarian Omelet, though I couldn’t understand why a vegetarian omelet was topped with two thick slices of bacon. Both dishes at the