Springfield Illinois–you gotta come to this place. . .

We are here to see the State Capitol Building, of course. ..

and to do all things Lincoln. . .

starting with the statue at the Illinois State Fairgrounds. . .

and RV Parking at the Fairgrounds. . .yes it is a parking lot. . .

there are much nicer grass camping pads available. . .

however severe thunderstorms are predicted for the next two days. ..

and as heavy as we are. . .well. . .you know!

Besides. . .temps are predicted in high 60’s low 70’s. . .

so with 50A FHU sites $125 for the week. ..

we won’t have any problems staying cool. . .

AND. . .it’s five minutes from all things Lincoln and the State Capitol. . .

WIN. ..WIN!

the Airstream Rally goer’s are also choosing parking lot parking. . .

The rains have begun. . .not great for playing tourist,

but a stop at the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau is always a good place to start.

Wow. . .did we get lucky.  Sheila is a wealth of information about all things Springfield. . .

including the fact that we must have a Horseshoe Sandwich, which originated here. . .

ever seen one of these. . .we chose the Philly Cheesesteak Shoe. ..

so, it’s a piece of “Texas” toast, topped with steak and peppers. . .

then fries are piled on top and covered with cheese sauce. . .

but there’s all sorts of combinations you can pick. . .

The original Horseshoe Sandwich was served on  a sizzling metal plate (known as the Anvil.)  Two thick-cut slices of bread were toasted and added to the plate.  Then a thick slice of ham, shaped like a horseshoe, was added, to it a Welsh Rarebit cheese sauce made of white sharp cheddar, and then just befor serving, fresh made French fries were added (as the nails) in the horseshoe.

The name of the sandwich comes from the shape of the ham with the fires representing the horseshoe nails, and the heated steak platter as the anvil.

see more history on the origin of the sandwich here. . .

I’m not a huge french fry fan. ..especially frozen french fries. . .

but all things considered. . .this was right tasty concoction. . .

and. . .you must always try the local cuisine. . .right?

We found this one at Darcy’s Pub. . .but there are several places that offer them. . .

we did catch a glimpse of the Capitol while we were Downtown. . .

but will return later to explore it further, and take the tour. . .

To be honest, we are a bit overwhelmed by learning

how much there is to see and do in the Springfield Area. ..

it’s going to be a busy week. . .

We may need to extend our stay to get it all in. . .we’ll see. . .

next stop. . .Lincoln Presidential Museum and Library. . .

see you there,

‘til then,

Janice and Dave

LiveJournal Tags: Full Time RV Living,Motorhome Travel,Illinois,Springfield IL,Springfield Convention and Visitor's Bureau