Explore Geneva's east side during history center walk
Geneva's east side has endured its share of bad raps through the years - the east gateway isn't as nice as the west; there was no legitimate grocery store for too long and some complained about Aldi coming in; Geneva East was one of the first "modern" subdivisions in the city, so it was frowned upon by many; and the neighboring Kane County Cougars were going to bring nothing but noise and more traffic.
That sums up the real and/or perceived downsides to the east side.
But it has plenty of upsides and there's much to be learned about what took place east of the Fox River.
The history center's walking tours at 7 p.m. Aug. 6 and 7 should be interesting and enjoyable for anyone who wants to learn more about Geneva.
To sign up for a tour or get more information, call the history center at (630) 232-4951.
Along a quiet street: Even though we can't provide tons of historical insight and information on the walking routes my wife and I suggest in this column, here's another one we recently enjoyed that includes both the east and west sides of Geneva close to the river.
Park your car on or near Seventh Street, by the old Sixth Street School site, and then walk into town along James Street, all the way to South River Lane.
Go south at that point and enjoy a truly quiet and lovely neighborhood along the river, especially if you live in one that tends to have lots of noisy traffic nearby. At the end of River Lane, go left to the pedestrian bridge across the river and into Island Park.
Go north along the bike trail through Island Park to the State Street bridge, then walk into downtown Geneva and make your way back toward your car along any side street in the city's historic district.
Same as the Cubs: When visiting the Geneva Public Library, you can't help but notice its front-door banner proclaiming its 100th birthday. That means the library on James Street has been there since the Cubs last won a World Series.
No panic yet: There were tons of Tri-Cities area folks in the seats at Miller Park in Milwaukee last night. I know this, because I was with a group of about 50 of them watching the Cubs and Brewers battle for first place.
Cubs fans tend to get panic-stricken, but we have 100 years of practice in pain management. Baseball is the strangest of all sports, mainly because there are so many games that result in far more hot streaks and cold streaks than other sports.
It's fun to be in first place in late July, but let's see where everyone is at in late September.
Cubs fans can cling to one important truth - we have pretty good pitching this year.
Not for my tummy: I walked around the chili cook-off in Batavia last weekend with this thought in mind: How can people enjoy hot, spicy food on hot, humid days?
I like chili, but it tends to not like me.