We decided to take a cruise on the Rock River and since the tickets were less than ten dollars for both of us, how could we go wrong? Right?...well...sorta. Our expectations for seeing beautiful scenery weren't very high since the 45 minute cruise was mostly within the city of Rockford despite the cruise advertisement that mentioned "beautiful homes and history gracing the banks of the Rock River." Since we've lived around here for a few years, we had a pretty good idea of what to expect to see on this cruise. But, as you will see, there is some areas along the river that have really been improved and are very nice.
But, first, some quick history of Rockford. Rockford is one of the largest cities in Illinois outside of Chicago. There are over 340,000 people in the metropolitan area. It was first settled in 1834-35 from folks that traveled here from Galena, Illinois. During this time, Galena was a major port along the Mississippi, and Rockford was the halfway point between Galena and Chicago. Hence, the settlement was often referred to as Midway. But, because it had an excellent ford across the Rock River, it soon became known as Rockford. Rockford later became a large industrial town with many different types of skilled labor jobs and dozens of large companies manufacturing a variety of products.
Then, in 1958, Interstate 90 was constructed a few miles east of the downtown area. This forever changed the commercial dynamics of Rockford as business and retail stores began to relocated to the east near the Interstate. In addition, the economic demand for lower cost labor in the early 1980's soon resulted in many companies closing up shop here and moving elsewhere. This left many buildings empty in the downtown area. Many large two and three story building have stood vacant for several years and are in a state of decay. That's why our expectations for this cruise weren't extremely high. Rockford has suffered a similar fate as Detroit, and if I had a dollar for every old empty decaying building in Rockford, I could retire. Oh...that's right, I am retired!
However, Rockford is working hard to change their image and improve their city and we found the cruise to be entertaining. It was a pleasant day and we always enjoy being on the water. So, here's some highlights from the cruise.
The cruise boat was appropriately named "Forest City Queen." It was clean and quiet and can be easily converted to accommodate lunch and dinner cruises. It has a low overhead clearance so it can fit under the many bridges that cross the river.
This is the Nicholas Conservatory & Gardens which is a beautiful addition to the community and river front area. On Thursdays, the river cruise originates from here. Since we took the cruise on Wednesday, our cruise originated in Riverview Park near the trolley station.
Another nice addition to the community is the Burpee Museum.
It's a little cloudy, but a very pleasant day to enjoy the great outdoors.
This sculpture is made from discarded materials & is in the Sinnissippi Park.
Since the ticket price is very reasonable, and the captain was very accommodating, our value meter would rate this cruise as worth while.
No comments:
Post a Comment