Burning Elephant Travelogue:  Springfield

By Rob Crane - February 10, 2007
Bound and determined to see Obamapalooza for ourselves, Burning Elephant packed its trunk and headed for Springfield, Illinois. 

The late flight out of Oakland Airport was even later, and OAK is no place to hang out, even on a Friday night. So after checking bags we went to nearby Francesca's, which looks from the outside like a set from The Sopranos. A little calamari, prime rib, fish, wine and tiramisu later (collective grade:B-) it was back to the airport. The flight was mostly empty and dark, so everybody stretched out, and before long we were pulling into an icy gate at Midway. Annoyed looks from the security guards made clear that, at 2 a.m. we were the last flight in. Our rental chariot waited (important note:  the Midway Hertz car rental is open 24 hours) and, despite a baffling built-in navigation system that spent most of its time telling the driver not to look at the navigation system, we found the highway. Like the Blues Brothers, we were off to Joliet. Well, the Joliet Hampton Inn. Four hours later we were back on the road, bound for Springfield.  The closer we got, the more cars we saw with "Union Yes" and faded "Kerry '04" bumper stickers. This must be the place. 

Earlier in the week the weather was predicted to be partly cloudy, but as we parked around 9 a.m., the sky was clear and the sun bright, disguising the 10 degree temperature outside. Our mittens, scarves, hats, earmuffs and hand warmers were all in place. We walked with a growing crowd, through the gates onto the grounds of the historical Old State Capitol. This is where Lincoln gave his famous "House Divided" speech and where he tried cases before the Illinois Supreme Court. Across the square is Lincoln's old law office.

After the National Anthem and a brief introduction by Illinois' other Senator Dick Durbin, Barack Obama announced he was running for President.  We were only able to catch glimpses of him, but heard every word. It was a terrific speech. As excited as the crowd was, they didn't stay long after it was over. It was really cold.

Burning Elephant would be operating out of the Hilton that night, so we headed there to plan the rest of our day in historic Springfield. Along the way back we stopped a shop featuring local artists and, more importantly, free hot cider. The owner told us that the storefront had been Obama's Campaign Headquarters when he ran for the Senate and she also made a dinner recommendation. 

From the window of our hotel room we could see our first stop:  Abraham Lincoln's home.  Just a short walk from the hotel, sits the Lincoln Home National Historic Site, which is a few blocks of the city preserved and restored as it existed when Lincoln lived there.  Lincoln served eight years in Illinois state legislature in Springfield, and was living here when elected President in 1860. The visitor's center gives out free tickets for the tour of the home, which is well worth the time. It has been restored based on drawings and photographs from the period, and contains many items owned by the Lincoln family. 

Springfield also hosts Oak Ridge Cemetery, the final resting spot Abraham, Mary Todd, Tad, Eddie and Willie Lincoln.  The monument is grand and beautiful, but felt a bit much for a man of such humble beginnings.  It seems more a reflection of the Union's grief and his lasting importance than of Lincoln the man. Not surprising, as one of the historical plaques we saw along the near Lincoln's home said that one quarter of all Americans saw Lincoln's funeral train. 

Tired from the long and busy day, we headed down Route 66 and arrived at the Cozy Drive In, original home of the Cozy Dog (or corn dog to the uninitiated).  Cozy Dog was declared a Route 66 Roadside Attraction by Hampton Inn's "Save a Landmark" Campaign in 2003.  You can even make your own Cozy Dogs by ordering their secret corn flour mixture. 

Exhausted, we returned to the Hilton, which led to a brief Chris Matthews sighting in the lobby. "I'm Chris Matthews, Room 419" he boomed while closing in on the front desk clerk.  Once upstairs, we called the restaurant recommended by the art store owner, but they were booked solid. I immediately blamed Chris Matthews. We wound up at Capisce?, the Italian restaurant on the 30th floor of the Hilton, which is probably about 10 stories higher than any other building in town.  The food and service were both good, which tempted us to leave a fairly generous tip on behalf of Room 419. A good night's sleep and we headed home.  A whirlwind trip through history.

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