'Is this Heaven?' .... 'No, It's Iowa.' Yes folks, today was the day. The day that Jesse and I would stand at the Field of Dreams movie site. The place where Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) and Shoeless Joe Jackson (Ray Liotta) had their infamous catch! Where Ray explained this was Iowa, where he asked his dad to have a catch and where Terence Mann (James Earl Jones) gave such an incredible speech. Not to mention where Burt Lancaster stood for the last time on a film set (unfortunately he died shortly thereafter).
But first, breakfast. If you're ever in Des Moines be sure to hit up Java Joe's on N. 4th Street by the courthouse. Super cute, delicious food and just a really great space. The staff is very friendly and the clientele are a hoot. Just trust us. So after we fueled up on some scrumptious toast, tea and coffee we hit the road. The sky was overcast and the clouds started rolling in. It wasn't stopping us. It couldn't stop us. NOT TODAY! Nothing was stopping me today. Jesse didn't quite share my enthusiasm but she was a good sport.
Now, for those of you who don't know the farm used in Field of Dreams was and still is a private residence. After the movie wrapped, however, the family decided to keep the field and throw up a souvenir shop. This kind of brings a whole new meaning to 'If you build it, they will come.' We were coming alright. Even with the rain now coming down in light showers we were still coming. No matter what. As we got closer to Dyersville Jesse had the brilliant idea to stop for lunch first in hopes that the rain would stop and we would have clear skies for a catch on the field.
BRILLIANT! We stopped into Happy Joe's. There is a website but I'm not going to link it. Jesse and I had very different experiences here. Lets discuss the Taco Salad, a menu item that is a staple in the Mid-West. Who knew? But if you're not sure of the quality of a restaurant the taco salad is generally a safe choice. Jesse ordered first. She got a regular size taco salad hold the sour cream. What she received was a salad that could feed four people. Not only that but they basically made the salad and then dumped an entire bag of Doritos over it. VERY WEIRD. Seeing this, I got a small taco salad hold the sour cream AND the Doritos. I hate to talk about taco salad for this long but I feel I must because it greatly disturbed Jesse, as well it should. She is threatening to write to Jaime Oliver and tell him his next shop on Food Revolution should be Dyersville, IA.
I have to admit though, I was hardly listening. I was too excited about what came next. I had brought my glove from home but we stopped at a Pamida (a Mid-West equivalent to Marshall's) and grabbed a bat and ball. Off to the field.
As we arrived I couldn't help but be giddy. I tried to contain myself and walk around and take pictures first but the urge was overwhelming and I went and got my gear. Jesse was the pitcher and she threw a few and I must say I cracked a few. But on one pitch I hit a pop up behind the cage. A man (lets call him Mitch) who had been walking the premises earlier and taking tons of photos picked up the ball. Clearly he didn't want to get his hands on a ball here and only throw it to me five feet from him. He threw it up over to Jesse and a large smile came across his face. I asked him if he wanted to hit a few and his smile grew even bigger. 'I really do' he responded. Mitch took to the plate and between pitches he explained that he was driving through Iowa for business and hadn't realized how close he was to the field and decided to stop. He didn't have any equipment with him and had just posted on Facebook that he wished someone was here to have a catch with him. We made his day. The last thing he told us was that after seeing Field of Dreams he decided to become a documentarian so Field of Dreams is essentially the reason for his career. HOW GREAT, RIGHT?!?! Anyway, he went away happy as a clam. So after running the bases and taking a million photos I dropped a ton of cash at the souvenir shop and then it was back in Champ.
The ride to Chicago was very easy and we hardly hit any traffic until we got right in the city. We made it to Dick and Marion's apartment building. It couldn't be more perfect: right on the Lake Michigan and looking over Lincoln Park. But more on the apartment tomorrow. Dick was kind enough to come down and meet us at the garage. What a nice man!!! He brought us upstairs where Marion opened the door and proceeded to give us the most excited and gracious greeting. Such a cutie pie! After dropping our bags in our huge room we headed out to Rosebud Steakhouse. Holy Moses abort the food baby! It was soooo good! Order the rib eye or grab a burger. It doesn't matter. Everything's delicious and Marion and Dick added great conversation. After stuffing our faces we had to come back and head to bed. An early morning and lots of Chicago details up next ... night for now!
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