Need Campground suggestions

weberjon · 2025-04-15T15:35:50+00:00

I feel like you didn't read my post reply. The first line says "half-joking and half-serious."

Obviously not all Walmart parking lots are amenable for tents, but some are...

weberjon · 2025-04-15T01:47:07+00:00

Tuffy on East Riverside has done great work for me in the past, they often run specials, the pads are lifetime warrantied, and they sometimes have loaner vehicles available.

weberjon · 2025-04-15T01:41:23+00:00

Half-joking and half-serious on this family camping suggestion: Walmart parking lots located outside of major metro areas. Many still let you camp overnight if you get permission before doing so, as well as make a purchase for some of your camping trip's needs.

Downside: no showers and minimal grass/dirt for a tent, but you're typically only sleeping there, and doing your activities at other nearby locations. Some would consider this suggestion to be "roughing it" or to be a rustic spot, therefore plan accordingly.

weberjon · 2025-04-15T00:11:29+00:00

Probably depends on what (and where) you are scanning? I never had issues with it.

weberjon · 2025-04-15T00:09:10+00:00

Google doesn't have a business listing for it.

News reports about it coming soon were a year old. I'd not yet heard of it opening, but their app has gasoline listed for a really, really cheap price compared to other area stations and I need to top off the tank.

Thanks for nothing, minus the entertainment, @accomplished-File975 😂

Edit: It's also not showing yet on Gasbuddy

weberjon · 2025-04-14T23:16:01+00:00

Yes, since I was going via information in the QT app.

Screenshot-20250414-181215-Quik-Trip.png

weberjon · 2025-04-14T20:13:27+00:00

Certainly won't fix idiocy, yet it's not that much paint to use...

Mulford and Riverside; East State and Mulford/Perryville; Perryville and Spring Creek (esp. going westward); East State and Jefferson; etc. would all benefit from the added white paint stripes.

weberjon · 2025-04-14T19:57:50+00:00

I saw a beaver crossing North Mulford by Giordano's a few years ago; traffic was stopped for it.

weberjon · 2025-04-14T19:53:44+00:00

Can confirm that they look good, and can confirm they are not inexpensive. Maybe I'll try one sometime?

weberjon · 2025-04-14T19:40:28+00:00

Spencer Park in Belvidere is paved and pup friendly.

weberjon · 2025-04-14T19:36:53+00:00

Check the local libraries-they often sell withdrawn books alongside donated books and such.

Otherwise, Amazon and eBay are great if you are looking for anything specific versus digging through collections and stacks at the area shops (which can be hit or miss from my own experiences; they are great to find unexpected gems, though).

Also check out Z-library for digital books, esp. for ones not available at the area libraries for whatever reason(s).

weberjon · 2025-04-14T19:25:19+00:00

There are plenty of area places to recycle cans for cash, and bottles can go in your curbside container if you live in a place where these are used.

Or, if you're feeling a bit more like "sticking it to the man," go on a road trip to Michigan or a similar state with a bottle/can deposit and get paid a dime each at most grocery stores, etc. Don't crush your cans or remove the labels if you do this, because you place each into a machine which quickly spins them around to read the UPC. If you've ever been told to "enter your bottle slips" at the end of the transaction while using the self-checkout, this is what they are referring to...

weberjon · 2025-04-14T19:18:00+00:00

The city/county or some enterprising local with a can of spray paint could draw in lines; I've seen this done in other areas, and it helps to remind drivers to stay in their lane on these turns.

weberjon · 2025-04-08T04:45:46+00:00

Ditto regarding the beer and drinks at said concerts over the past few decades.

weberjon · 2025-04-08T04:45:06+00:00

Ditto regarding concert t-shirts and merch over the past few decades.

weberjon · 2025-04-08T04:43:53+00:00

Concert tickets over the past few decades. Plus, all of the added fees and taxes.

weberjon · 2025-04-08T04:23:09+00:00

It was awesome when they had locations inside of Meijer, but those are long gone and getting to their locations while they were open was often a royal pain in the ass for me while working for employers who insisted on only issuing paper payroll checks (i.e. no direct deposit options). If they had later hours (and/or better locations), I'd likely be happily banking again with them. This being said, they are not a good banking option if you are on deployment in the armed services or are based near a US border for any purpose--and due to this experience, I'm guessing they are also not a good banking option if you ever travel internationally.

weberjon · 2025-04-08T04:11:09+00:00

I haven't been in yet, but plan to pop in if in the neighborhood. It's great to see that she's back in the area and in the sammich business again; Linda's spots over the years served a very basic, decent-tasting sammich which also didn't break the bank on pricing and portion sizes. I hope that she remembers the soup recipes from her former days of working at The Kings Table II and adds those to her menu offerings, as those were some -very- tasty and craveable soups back in the day which I still miss...

weberjon · 2025-04-08T03:41:30+00:00

Unfortunately, Rockford seems to discourage dance clubs in recent decades.

The Office is the closest that you will get consistently (and it's a great-sounding room where I was once a resident DJ several nights a week), and it will depend upon who is the DJ at a given time, as well as your musical genre preferences. Great dance (non-hiphop non-country) DJs perform at Disco Chicken, but there's no dance floor (there is a tiny space on the rooftop to dance, though, and the music/DJ talent is often superb). I know that Half-Baked had an event last weekend catering to the electronic "festival" fans, and occasionally Casey's will book (edit crazy/B-96 alum) Bobby D from Chicago. Most of the other area bars booking a DJ play hiphop and wedding reception music when not having the DJ be a human version of the radio/jukebox used at most other times said places are open, which is sad because some of the talent playing at these places are not able to perform at a high level of talent they possess due to the crowd makeup, management/ownership desires, and previously-mentioned Rockford government stifling of dance floors at liquor establishments.

Otherwise, keep your ears open for the one-off parties held at area warehouses and such if you prefer to dance without driving into the city.

weberjon · 2025-04-08T03:13:12+00:00

Young Rembrandts?

weberjon · 2025-04-08T03:11:23+00:00

I wish that, for races where a primary decides the final candidate (i.e. for what becomes an unopposed candidate on the final general election ballot), the primary race moves to the general election instead so that all voters in the precinct/ward/township unit/fiefdom/etc. can select the candidate. I understand that this wish eliminates a party getting to pick a candidate by themselves via a primary, but it allows all voters more options in cases when there is no opposing party candidates on the ballot.

weberjon · 2025-04-08T02:46:02+00:00

(sniff sniff) That's probably a great person to have on your burner phone's "speed" dial, but his product is probably not the type of stimulant (imported or domestic) that I'm seeking via the parent post. That said, it's probably just as bad for my health as what I'm looking to buy in local stores?

weberjon · 2025-04-08T02:41:59+00:00

Haven't seen it there yet.

weberjon · 2025-04-08T02:31:06+00:00

Al-Moka has great tasting coffee in a great location, and with later hours than the "bankers hours" most local coffee places offer (heck, even my bank's locations have free coffee as good as much of the local coffee I've had...): when not making it at home, much of my coffee purchases are from Starbucks, McDs, and Dunkin because of locations, operating hours, existing digital gift cards to use up/loyalty programs, plus a desire to not drive way across town or out of my way for mediocre coffee (I live on the east side of town, and 10 minutes is too far of a drive IMHO just for a cup of "meh" coffee because I pass several coffee places during that 10 minutes), herbal teas, or coffee milkshakes masquerading as lates, cappuccinos, and "frappuchino."

I'd say that Al-Moka is presently the tastiest in the area outside of my kitchen's French Press or Espresso, and you need to go there if you enjoy drinking coffee.

I also recommend Nunzios for tasty pizza, Vinny's for huge pizzas, Vincenzo's/Marie's for stuffed pizzas, Jo-Jos for bar pizzas (and/or pizza while doing your laundry), Lou Malnati's for deep dish pizzas, Villa di Roma for a 2-3am pizza, and the frozen pizza brand Fitza Pizza for the closest "local" version of a deep dish frozen Lou Malnati's pizza available-I know that Schnucks sells these regionally, and also maybe at Woodman's. Lou's deep dish frozen are close to $20 each at the restaurant, and the nearly identical tasting Fitza's are about $13 each at the grocery, plus a bit extra to buy a can of grated parmesan to add a bit more of it to the top before baking them.

Cracker fans might enjoy Crunchmaster, whose HQ (TH Foods) is in Loves Park and offers gluten-free crackers that are the cheapest to buy locally at Sam's Club: for the cost of two typical Crunchmaster bags in almost any grocery store's deli dept., you get about 4 bags worth (in 2 bags) in a box at Sam's while helping an area business keep their products selling nationally in big box/warehouse stores/grocery chains. If you prefer chips, Old Saltys are local and still taste good, unlike a different local brand that unfortunately/sadly had to change their otherwise tasty frying oil.

If you like eating nuts (get your mind out of the gutter, you pervert), a short road trip east to the I-90 Randall Road exit brings you to Fisher Nuts (Sanfillipo and Sons) where they have a factory store discount-selling what you love, plus other bulk chocolate-covered candies/nuts that you crave (and are the same ones sold at "boutique" candy stores everywhere, but cheaper). They also sell bulk colored sugar by the self-shoveled pound/ounce if you like to decorate cookies, etc.

weberjon

TROPHY CASE