Dubuque, Iowa

One of the strange "rewards" of being a traveler, is getting to visit places you'd never go to by choice. Dubuque, Iowa is one of those places. Apparently, I did the entire town in about 15 minutes - one end to the other. I'm sure there is more but I was told by the locals that I'd done most of it.

Dubuque is on border of Iowa, Illinois and Wisconsin. It has a small regional airport with 3 - count 'em - 3 gates. They only use 1 though.
It's along the same scale as Eureka, CA or Modesto, CA. Smaller than places like Fresno, CA or Akron, OH where they have service from multiple carriers. Your only option in Dubuque is American Airlines - and your happy to have it because your other options are to drive in from Cedar City or even Chicago.

In Dubuque, you will find a small mall with the normal shops - Sears, Penney's, Borders and a bunch of local or regional speciality type stores. They do have a Wal*Mart, Target and K*Mart as well as a couple of regional grocery stores. Rumor has it that Sam's is coming and it appears to be their kind of niche. Small town, midwestern economy struggling to overcome economic struggle. I didn't see much growth in town and the visible amount on the outskirts was minimal. I'm told the "Quad Cities" area about an hour away is where all the growth is. I'll have to take their word for it.

I did stay at the Fairfield Inn in Dubuque. It was nice and clean. A good rate and fare morning offering for breakfast. I think I might have been the only female traveler in the place. I didn't see another in the time I spent there. The only other women I saw were the hotel staff and a couple of teens in the pool. The US is a big place and things do change from area to area. Some areas, there are more women travelers than men. Not the case here. This one brought balance to the national equation.

I chose not to eat out but to tour the local regional grocer instead. Apparently, the store I visited is one of the oldest and undergoing a transition. It was suffering from lack of focus when I visited. The perimeter had been upgraded but the center store was older and uninspiring. They had put in a small Organic section next to their seasonal offering - right now Easter candy. Now there is something you don't see everyday. The very expensive "good for you" stuff right next to Hershey and Nestle sugar laden bunny fare for the fine blowout price of 2 for $4. I picked up some salami and cheese along with a bag of Bagel Chips and headed back to my room for snacking online with email.
A favorite pastime for the road weary traveler.

Next stop on the tour.... Omaha, NE. Yep, I've been there before but for a different purpose. It'll be interesting to see how this visit compares.