The first full day in Galena we actually walked into the downtown area from the house where we stayed in which was located at Gear and Dodge street. Not exactly that far, but kind of a hike on what would turn out to be an incredibly hot day outside. The home, flushed with some great antique pieces and awesome decorating, was blessed with televisions with DVD players but no antennas for any kind of live TV watching. But films with John Wayne, Bette Davis and Humphrey Bogart were plentiful. Not exactly helpful when you're wondering what the weather might be like outside.
A walk down Main Street brings you some kind of sparse beginnings, but lots of trees and churches.
Here's where all the quaint storefronts make their presence known. I couldn't wait to hit these "streets" for some great antiquing and small town charm which does not come without the small town prices as this isn't your local Walmart. Of course, that is no where near a bad thing, just a bit of a bummer for those of us on a budget.
And here's one of the antique prizes I wish I had gotten to take home with me. Well, maybe not THAT antique, but definitely a vintage goodie. This one was outside the quaint little antique store where I ended up buying some vintage postcards on the cheap.
Down below, Gustafson & Grey Ltd. is missing a few letters. This was one of the stores we didn't get to go inside though. Don't recall if we just bypassed it or if the hours of operation were closed when we walked past.
More buildings, more storefronts. Local lore has it that Galena's downtown was once made out of frame buildings because of a large fire that wiped them all out, the next set decided to be permanent.
What a nice set of architectural wonders they are! It really does feel like Small Town Charm, USA.
The sun sure is gleaming on this humid day outside the Galena Cafe of which culinary assets I did not get to experience. Perhaps, we were saved some pain and agony as the reviews on Yelp are not too kind.
More shops galore. I cannot recall what was in The Galena Main Street Bazaar, but probably nothing too interesting.
A doorstep with tile of the original business name on it. A nice Chicago touch indeed.
Now we have something called Pollyhops. Don't ask me what it is because I don't recall if we did go in here or not, though I am sure we did. The description reads, "For all those things you don't need, but absolutely have to have, come to Pollyhops, the shop everyone loves." Apparently, it was not enough for us to love or pack into our suitcases.
What a nice set of architectural wonders they are! It really does feel like Small Town Charm, USA.
The Atomic Toy Shop is, I believe, a vintage toy shop. This one remained unvisited for us as well. I don't know why. I guess vintage toys don't appeal to me as much as vintage everything else.
The sun sure is gleaming on this humid day outside the Galena Cafe of which culinary assets I did not get to experience. Perhaps, we were saved some pain and agony as the reviews on Yelp are not too kind.
More shops galore. I cannot recall what was in The Galena Main Street Bazaar, but probably nothing too interesting.
Doesn't this look like a fun street to fancifully stroll through?
A doorstep with tile of the original business name on it. A nice Chicago touch indeed.
Now we have something called Pollyhops. Don't ask me what it is because I don't recall if we did go in here or not, though I am sure we did. The description reads, "For all those things you don't need, but absolutely have to have, come to Pollyhops, the shop everyone loves." Apparently, it was not enough for us to love or pack into our suitcases.
Right next door to the Kandy Kitchen is an old fashioned ice cream shop. The ice cream shop was a nice little treat with some flavorful varieties and a decor on the inside that resembled an old early 1900s grocery store complete with shelving. The inside was a bit crowded the day we went and I didn't get to snap any photos of the old timey parlor. Rats!
More views, more shops aka shoppes.
To the left we have One Eleven Main, the last place we ended up eating on the very last day of our stay. May I say that this restaurant had the creamiest, the holiest thou ever cream of sweet potato soup? That soup was, quite literally, the god of all "cream of...." soups. I can only aspire to cook as tasty and delicious of a soup as that. Ok, so that'll happen at exactly a quarter to never. But a girl can dream, right?
The store with the red awning actually had some cute, but alas, unaffordable maxi dresses. I am the queen of maxi dresses, but I think the dozen or so that I actually own could add up the peons I have paid to pay for one dress at that store.
Yes, it just gets more exciting from here.
Alas, a vintage neon sign! The Log Cabin Steakhouse was another one of those restaurants we did not get to experience but, of course, that doesn't stop me for admiring the cozy sign or reading the reviews on Yelp.
Here we have the Victory Cafe. We actually did eat here for breakfast on our first full day in Galena. Too bad for me it wasn't quite so memorable. While the biscuits and gravy were simply divine, my cheese omelet could have used some make out time with the grill a little longer than it did. Hey, but free wireless Internet! Look! They are also opening up a location in Dubuque, Iowa soon. Get your crappy, undercooked omelets Iowans!
We have officially arrived at the split. Our first walk around town, we climbed up the little side street to the left, passed the old Dowling House, up to the corner to go into what would become my favorite retail shoppe in all of Galena, Savvy Scavengers. Started by a mother and daughter team, the store blossomed from the web to two locations, Galena and Dubuque. I managed to clean up the place buying a few tops and numerous pieces of jewelry. Like the Yelp reviewer, I felt as if I was in heaven.
It's patriotism and a place called Gobbie's. I don't even remember what that was. I remember it more seeing the little photo here on Yelp. Another place we walked past, but didn't actually try. Now that I think about it, it may sound as if we didn't walk into many of these places but I swear we did walk into a lot of them. Seeing those that we did not get the chance to experience pronounced all the more too prominently that there are a ton of places to visit in Galena.
This not being the best photograph ever, but the last store at the very end of this foursome, was two floors of antique heaven. We were told that the proprietor was once heavily into some intoxicating forays of one's mind that he would give out expensive antiques for practically nothing. Fortunately for him, (unfortunately for us) they've since sobered up and wised up.
Is that City Hall there looking far abnormally too tiny? Only in small towns!
I think this place was a B&B, though I forgot which one. The stain glass on the doors are what is so lovely here.
More storefronts......
Next up we have Fritz and Frites, a cozy little bistro situated slightly away from the hustle and bustle. Yet another place we did not experience. However, if you are the least bit curious about French bistros, check out reviews on both Trip Advisor and Yelp.
Hey, look! I think that place in the middle is the place with the cool doors.
A lovely specimen to look at, it's like walking into any Chicago neighborhood.
You can tell that I sure loved the details.
Can't recall the name of this establishment but I do recall that around the corner from it is where we had the best meal in Galena, hands down. We were told that Procento's Pizzeria had some of the best pizza in the area. Not feeling like pizza so much as pasta, we decided to hop over to this place for dinner the third night we were here. Best eatery decision on our trip! The place was very small but more than accomodating seeing as there were only two of us. Could not be a more cozy or romantic atmosphere especially with the candlelight. Our waitress couldn't have been more friendlier. She made us feel mighty welcome, especially after trying some of that great Amber Bock beer since the local Galena beers were not available yet. Let me just say that after two, maybe three beers and some great garlic bread, my fettucini alfredo pasta was amazing! Oh, how I wish you were closer, Procento's. It's no surprise there aren't any negative reviews on Trip Advisor or Yelp.
Moving right along, we have more exciting shoppes.....
....And a vintage Orange Crush very much the same as to what can be seen on this vintage bottle here. The bottle is believed to be of 1940s/50s vintage and I am thinking the same for this.
And back to the exciting storefronts we go!
Why, what do we have here? It's some gorgeous art glass. Must have taken this photo outside an antique store.
And we have curved back around over to the ye ole Log Cabin Steakhouse.
And we're chugging along in the opposite direction of this Jeap.
Shaded storefronts!
Here's a close-up of the unaffordable maxi dresses seen in the background of these jiggling mannequins.
Those storefronts never go out of style.
Another vintage tiled shoppe with the original name in tow.
In this scene you see a store called Vignettes, which was not nearly as interesting as the window display made it seem.
Guggenheim's makes it our third tiled storefront in Galena.
Neon sign #2 would be the VFW sign to the left. Proper name is VFW Grant's Bivouac, a bar with a dollar drafts. My kind of place, though I didn't get to go in.
A proud close up of our vintage VFW sign.
Must have been close to late afternoon around here.
Some grand doors I don't recall whose these were.
Yep, I am getting as tired as you of all the storefronts too.
It's the sign for Vinny Vanucchi's, our first meal upon arriving to Galena. Though the garlic bread had to be some of the best, I thought my manicotti with alfredo sauce was a tad bland. I thought that was because maybe the alfredo sauce was not right for that type of pasta. Then I read a very helpful Yelp review which shed eye opening light for me. Mark F. writes "2 /2 stars at best! Nice atmosphere, but food flavor was average and the prices were HIGH! Worst alfredo sauce I have ever had was here. It was super watery. Even Ragu was better." That alfredo sauce sure was among the worst I have had though I don't quite think it was nearly as bad as Ragu. Hey, it was our host's treat and a very nice restaurant to boot.
Here we have the DeSoto House. Best place for wireless internet and a great refuge from the street to use the bathroom. Loacted within the Desoto is the Green Street Tavern a place to get an excellant bratwurst.
A vintage Deco inspired poster.
More of the Desoto House.
"Mommy, I am so tired and hot and the antiques smell."
Is this the same view from above minus the vintage car?
If I had a car like that, I'd be singing "Baby, you can drive my car" on a daily basis.
Since the area is very hilly and elevated, so much so, that it requires you to have some very strong legs, here are the longest stairs in all of Galena.
Shoppes, shoppes, shoppes!
If I stand correct, I think Honest John's Emporium was the store with all the leather goods which remained unseen for me.
The store with the red awning actually had some cute, but alas, unaffordable maxi dresses. I am the queen of maxi dresses, but I think the dozen or so that I actually own could add up the peons I have paid to pay for one dress at that store.
Yes, it just gets more exciting from here.
Alas, a vintage neon sign! The Log Cabin Steakhouse was another one of those restaurants we did not get to experience but, of course, that doesn't stop me for admiring the cozy sign or reading the reviews on Yelp.
More exciting awnings, errr....storefront shoppes on Main Street.
Here we have the Victory Cafe. We actually did eat here for breakfast on our first full day in Galena. Too bad for me it wasn't quite so memorable. While the biscuits and gravy were simply divine, my cheese omelet could have used some make out time with the grill a little longer than it did. Hey, but free wireless Internet! Look! They are also opening up a location in Dubuque, Iowa soon. Get your crappy, undercooked omelets Iowans!
We have officially arrived at the split. Our first walk around town, we climbed up the little side street to the left, passed the old Dowling House, up to the corner to go into what would become my favorite retail shoppe in all of Galena, Savvy Scavengers. Started by a mother and daughter team, the store blossomed from the web to two locations, Galena and Dubuque. I managed to clean up the place buying a few tops and numerous pieces of jewelry. Like the Yelp reviewer, I felt as if I was in heaven.
It's patriotism and a place called Gobbie's. I don't even remember what that was. I remember it more seeing the little photo here on Yelp. Another place we walked past, but didn't actually try. Now that I think about it, it may sound as if we didn't walk into many of these places but I swear we did walk into a lot of them. Seeing those that we did not get the chance to experience pronounced all the more too prominently that there are a ton of places to visit in Galena. 
This not being the best photograph ever, but the last store at the very end of this foursome, was two floors of antique heaven. We were told that the proprietor was once heavily into some intoxicating forays of one's mind that he would give out expensive antiques for practically nothing. Fortunately for him, (unfortunately for us) they've since sobered up and wised up. 
Galena's Little Tokyo is indeed your go to spot for Asian cuisine. Since Asian inspired meals are a dime a dozen in the Chicago area, this was another restarurant left unvisited. However, reviews on Trip Adviser and Yelp seem very positive.
Is that City Hall there looking far abnormally too tiny? Only in small towns!
I think this place was a B&B, though I forgot which one. The stain glass on the doors are what is so lovely here.
More storefronts......
Next up we have Fritz and Frites, a cozy little bistro situated slightly away from the hustle and bustle. Yet another place we did not experience. However, if you are the least bit curious about French bistros, check out reviews on both Trip Advisor and Yelp.
Hey, look! I think that place in the middle is the place with the cool doors.
A lovely specimen to look at, it's like walking into any Chicago neighborhood.
You can tell that I sure loved the details.
Can't recall the name of this establishment but I do recall that around the corner from it is where we had the best meal in Galena, hands down. We were told that Procento's Pizzeria had some of the best pizza in the area. Not feeling like pizza so much as pasta, we decided to hop over to this place for dinner the third night we were here. Best eatery decision on our trip! The place was very small but more than accomodating seeing as there were only two of us. Could not be a more cozy or romantic atmosphere especially with the candlelight. Our waitress couldn't have been more friendlier. She made us feel mighty welcome, especially after trying some of that great Amber Bock beer since the local Galena beers were not available yet. Let me just say that after two, maybe three beers and some great garlic bread, my fettucini alfredo pasta was amazing! Oh, how I wish you were closer, Procento's. It's no surprise there aren't any negative reviews on Trip Advisor or Yelp.
Moving right along, we have more exciting shoppes.....
....And a vintage Orange Crush very much the same as to what can be seen on this vintage bottle here. The bottle is believed to be of 1940s/50s vintage and I am thinking the same for this.
And back to the exciting storefronts we go!
Why, what do we have here? It's some gorgeous art glass. Must have taken this photo outside an antique store.
And we have curved back around over to the ye ole Log Cabin Steakhouse.
And we're chugging along in the opposite direction of this Jeap.
Shaded storefronts!
Here's a close-up of the unaffordable maxi dresses seen in the background of these jiggling mannequins.
Those storefronts never go out of style.
Another vintage tiled shoppe with the original name in tow.
In this scene you see a store called Vignettes, which was not nearly as interesting as the window display made it seem.
Guggenheim's makes it our third tiled storefront in Galena.
Neon sign #2 would be the VFW sign to the left. Proper name is VFW Grant's Bivouac, a bar with a dollar drafts. My kind of place, though I didn't get to go in.
A proud close up of our vintage VFW sign.
Must have been close to late afternoon around here.
Some grand doors I don't recall whose these were.
Yep, I am getting as tired as you of all the storefronts too.
It's the sign for Vinny Vanucchi's, our first meal upon arriving to Galena. Though the garlic bread had to be some of the best, I thought my manicotti with alfredo sauce was a tad bland. I thought that was because maybe the alfredo sauce was not right for that type of pasta. Then I read a very helpful Yelp review which shed eye opening light for me. Mark F. writes "2 /2 stars at best! Nice atmosphere, but food flavor was average and the prices were HIGH! Worst alfredo sauce I have ever had was here. It was super watery. Even Ragu was better." That alfredo sauce sure was among the worst I have had though I don't quite think it was nearly as bad as Ragu. Hey, it was our host's treat and a very nice restaurant to boot.
Here we have the DeSoto House. Best place for wireless internet and a great refuge from the street to use the bathroom. Loacted within the Desoto is the Green Street Tavern a place to get an excellant bratwurst.
A vintage Deco inspired poster.
More of the Desoto House.
"Mommy, I am so tired and hot and the antiques smell."
Is this the same view from above minus the vintage car?
If I had a car like that, I'd be singing "Baby, you can drive my car" on a daily basis.
Since the area is very hilly and elevated, so much so, that it requires you to have some very strong legs, here are the longest stairs in all of Galena.
Shoppes, shoppes, shoppes!
Looks as though we are concluding our fascinating tour for today. Join us back on our trolley later in the week.
6 comments:
Charming small town. The city is a relatively hilly part of Illinois, and the bay windows and Victorian era buildings even resemble a small scale San Francisco, architecturally. The city hall was the ugliest building in the set, the small size appropriate though for less government.
I eblieve that galena is in the hioghest elevated part of Illinois so it is pretty hilly. You are correct about that, Ken.
LOL at the comment that the City hall building is pretty ugly. i couldn't agree more. Small town, small government, but the building could have been better.
Wow! Somebody *likes* Galena! I remember staying in an old hotel there as a kid and even in the 70's it seemed like something from the 40's or 50's inside (as in the decor of the 19th Century hotel). I always remember the houses higher up on the hill with the triple hung windows...
At least it's not one of the species of drab new construction civic buildings (building nice would cost too much or be too much of a "statement" perhaps?)...
Didja get to the Generals House (now if only his chicken was there too) - it's interestingly modest.
I did like Galena, David. LOL! Everyone can tell. I'm sure I did see the General's house but I think all those historic homes kind of blur together now several weeks later.
Oh, but Ragu is awesome, don't you think?
On a serious note, I had totally forgotten how expansive and well-preserved Galena was. After seeing your excellent photo-tour, I feel I definitely need to make an effort to visit there again. Great job, Didi!
Thanks, Dave! It is an amazing and educational place to visit. Id efinately am itching to go back.
LOL sure Ragu is great, as long as you never ever experience any old school Chicago area Italian restaurants. Then you'll think Ragu is the best thing since sliced bread.
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