Where On Earth is “Muck-Suck”? The Chamber of Commerce Tap Dance; A Wonderful Dinner Out!

After Suzanne's phone reading and our daily PT, we went exploring. Just north of Great Lakes, Illinois, is Wisconsin. The drive through the countryside was very pleasant, and we passed several farms like this one with perfect fields, not a blade of grass out of place, and well-behaved cows and sheep. 

If you already know the answer to today’s geography pop quiz, you are probably either from the Chicago area, or maybe you’re a Cheese Head. Okay, here’s a hint or three: it was known as “Muck-Suck” to its original inhabitants; in the 1920’s, it was called “The Newport of the West”; today it is known as “The Hamptons of the Midwest”. It was a hangout for Al Capone, and was the site of Hugh Hefner’s first Playboy Resort. This fountain is located downtown in front of The Riviera. 

Our Mystery Location of the Week is Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. Located on the shores of (where else?) Geneva Lake, Lake Geneva (the town) was a summer retreat for the uber-wealthy cattle, oil, manufacturing, lumber, and railroad barons from the Greater Chicago area. Today, it may be home for some Chicago commuters, but I expect they probably fly rather than drive to work. Here are the stables of one poor hovel that must be located behind the trees so the neighbors can’t see the peeling paint on the main house. 

Names of these estates include “Casa Sul Lago”, “House in the Woods”, “Hillcroft”, “Glanworth Gardens”, and “Wychwoods”. One estate had a single tennis court (they must have been on a budget), but more impressive was the small cottage-like building next to the tennis court with an air conditioned, glassed-in porch for the folks who were watching the tennis players... I suppose they also needed a wet bar, showers, and sauna, as well. I was particularly taken with the understated gatehouse of this modest peasant farm.  

Suzanne, on the other hand, was very impressed by this estate’s entry; she wants a copy of it installed in our driveway in The Villages. She also reminded me that I haven’t invested nearly as well as this homeowner. (Yeah, well, he might have started with a bigger bankroll than I could ever dream of...). 

We only found the road that these estates are on by accident. We had stopped by the Chamber of Commerce asking where we should drive to see the estates; we got directions to the usual walking tour of downtown, boat ride on the lake, shopping, art galleries, etc. I asked again about just driving around to see the estates (it was 90F and very humid out) and got a polite “tap dance”, so we struck out on our own. As we drove down the street signed as a “Rustic Road” past the mansions, we found that we were the only vehicle in sight for 15 minutes. No residents passed, nor any tourists, gardeners, buses, police, burglars, delivery trucks, etc... It was almost as if we had passed into The Twilight Zone. I think the tourist information center has been advised specifically not to send the turistas into the more expensive residential areas. I can hardly blame the residents; I’m not sure I would want to see Ty and Suzanne Giesemann driving by my house in a Honda CR-V with two kayaks on top, two bikes on the back, and two ferocious miniature dachshunds in the back seat. We might have been mistaken for gypsies, if not The Beverly Hillbillies! What would the neighborhood be coming to?

Tuesday ended perfectly - Catherine Chiesa hosted us to a fabulous dinner at Wildfire, in Lincolnshire. Suzanne had the trout with crabcake topping, while Catherine and I had ribeye steaks (frankly, the steak was much better than I had in Omaha, and Suzanne’s trout was superb). The meal was fabulous, but the best part was Catherine’s delightful company. It was the perfect end to the day.