Very nice drive...gotta keep Mama fed, after all-why not both? I do understand your sentiment about cities concentrating on renovating properties versus building new ones, in many cases you have a small group of New Urbanists that are into preservation and they've bent the City Council's ear, if they can convince the Council they don't have to spend a ton of money to renovate the building, they'll buy it. The problem is going to start when Rockford decides to start adding skyscrapers on the route to supertalls, that's when things are going to get squirrelly. Not that I think that's going to happen in your town any time soon, but sooner or later someone's going to want to break the 200m level (650 ft) and then watch the screaming (as you're now probably talking about major tower+podium, which will affect the businesses). As usual, supremely well done.
Rockford will never have skyscrapers like that, but there has been a push to renovate tons of departed industries around here. The Embassy Suites was a very controversial project and we'll see if the gamble has paid off after COVID is dealt with. If there's money to deal with it, fine, but the problem of cities is they're looking for grants and having to deal with remediation from the industries before anything is done. It's just better to blow it up and use the property for something new. That's what people really want.
Two observations, your new camera handled the low-light time of day really well and after another video as a viewer, it "feels" really smooth to watch, great purchase by you. Loved the soundtrack, especially the super-chilled Zero 7 tune (have that CD).
Nice ride- always good to see different locales and seeing your home base of Rockford. Getting caught up on some videos and I wanted to see your home base video as part of my night tonight! I hope the new camera has been working good for you!
Wow, you're much braver than I am! I'm avoiding all junk food and restaurant food until this pandemic is over, including all of my favorite fattening vices (Portillo's, Breyer's ice cream, Gino's East, White Castle, Five Guys, Culvers, pie, and eggnog). Unhealthy food weakens the immune system and promotes inflammation. The Diet Police couldn't get me to go months and months without any junk food or restaurant food, but the pandemic sure is. If the Pulaski County, Illinois police were the Diet Police, they'd leave me alone these days. In the past, they would have pulled me over even in summer (the season of minimum appetite) and thrown me in jail in winter (the season of perpetual hunger). I wonder if I'll still like all of my fattening vices when it becomes safe to eat them again. :)
Ha! We all have our vices. I'm pretty much sticking to Rockford and the suburbs for food these days. As much as I'd like to go to Milwaukee to Kopps, that may wait a bit.
What I have loved about Rockford is that it felt very easy to drive too and drive around. I don't get why a city like Rockford wants to be stupid and replace an interchange with an intersection. They say it would open up development, that I doubt extremely. Cities think that only one group of people want to live in them and thats who they want to market too and end up with empty bike lanes and goofy road diets that cause traffic so you can look at empty and boarded up buildings. These cities now do this because they could care less if traffic functions as long they are the next Portland and they can pack'em and stack'em who cares.
The plan for the interchange is to make it more of a traditional diamond and avoid the crossovers and one-ways with two way streets. But the goal is to open up more land for ... you guessed it ... development, as well as provide a connection to a main street currently having right in, right out access. But this may take awhile as the city would have to pony up money to do the work. We'll see.
@@TheSolarcatcher That sounds better than the idea of eliminating the whole thing. I probably got the wrong idea from reading a few articles on the former mayor wanting to open up land to develop. I instantly thought of hipsters and new urbanism being the vision and I though really, in Rockford? Thank you for clarifying.
Very cool! Was up in Rockford a few weeks back visiting friends
Thanks! Rockford gets a bad rap, but the city today is better than the city I moved to.
That new camera is exhibiting fantastic wide angles...enjoy your holiday weekend my dude!!
Thanks!
I saw you chasing that sunset in the opening parts of your video. Enjoyed the ride showing me your neck of the woods
Thanks Scott. Sorry there's not a Hungryneck Drive out here for you!
He isn't TheSolarCatcher for nothing. :)
@@TheSolarcatcher I gave you a shout out last year in one of my videos concerning an exit named for "Horse Stamp Rd"
Very nice drive...gotta keep Mama fed, after all-why not both? I do understand your sentiment about cities concentrating on renovating properties versus building new ones, in many cases you have a small group of New Urbanists that are into preservation and they've bent the City Council's ear, if they can convince the Council they don't have to spend a ton of money to renovate the building, they'll buy it. The problem is going to start when Rockford decides to start adding skyscrapers on the route to supertalls, that's when things are going to get squirrelly. Not that I think that's going to happen in your town any time soon, but sooner or later someone's going to want to break the 200m level (650 ft) and then watch the screaming (as you're now probably talking about major tower+podium, which will affect the businesses).
As usual, supremely well done.
Rockford will never have skyscrapers like that, but there has been a push to renovate tons of departed industries around here. The Embassy Suites was a very controversial project and we'll see if the gamble has paid off after COVID is dealt with. If there's money to deal with it, fine, but the problem of cities is they're looking for grants and having to deal with remediation from the industries before anything is done. It's just better to blow it up and use the property for something new. That's what people really want.
Two observations, your new camera handled the low-light time of day really well and after another video as a viewer, it "feels" really smooth to watch, great purchase by you. Loved the soundtrack, especially the super-chilled Zero 7 tune (have that CD).
I'm impressed by it as well. It's like I'm coming into the future after using the Hero 3 for so many years.
Those historical buildings are really beautiful! It's great that Rockford has preserved so many of them.
So much like in OH, U.S. 20 has I-90 and a SR-2 in its general vicinity (reminds me of the Cleveland area)...
Nice ride- always good to see different locales and seeing your home base of Rockford. Getting caught up on some videos and I wanted to see your home base video as part of my night tonight! I hope the new camera has been working good for you!
Only a 90 Mile drive east you are in the heart of Illinois Chicago. Rockford is the 5th largest city in Illinois
road chasing the sun, nice driving 👍😆
Were the wings excellent as the drive that day?
Yes they were!
Wow, you're much braver than I am! I'm avoiding all junk food and restaurant food until this pandemic is over, including all of my favorite fattening vices (Portillo's, Breyer's ice cream, Gino's East, White Castle, Five Guys, Culvers, pie, and eggnog). Unhealthy food weakens the immune system and promotes inflammation.
The Diet Police couldn't get me to go months and months without any junk food or restaurant food, but the pandemic sure is. If the Pulaski County, Illinois police were the Diet Police, they'd leave me alone these days. In the past, they would have pulled me over even in summer (the season of minimum appetite) and thrown me in jail in winter (the season of perpetual hunger). I wonder if I'll still like all of my fattening vices when it becomes safe to eat them again. :)
Ha! We all have our vices. I'm pretty much sticking to Rockford and the suburbs for food these days. As much as I'd like to go to Milwaukee to Kopps, that may wait a bit.
What I have loved about Rockford is that it felt very easy to drive too and drive around. I don't get why a city like Rockford wants to be stupid and replace an interchange with an intersection. They say it would open up development, that I doubt extremely. Cities think that only one group of people want to live in them and thats who they want to market too and end up with empty bike lanes and goofy road diets that cause traffic so you can look at empty and boarded up buildings. These cities now do this because they could care less if traffic functions as long they are the next Portland and they can pack'em and stack'em who cares.
The plan for the interchange is to make it more of a traditional diamond and avoid the crossovers and one-ways with two way streets. But the goal is to open up more land for ... you guessed it ... development, as well as provide a connection to a main street currently having right in, right out access. But this may take awhile as the city would have to pony up money to do the work. We'll see.
@@TheSolarcatcher That sounds better than the idea of eliminating the whole thing. I probably got the wrong idea from reading a few articles on the former mayor wanting to open up land to develop. I instantly thought of hipsters and new urbanism being the vision and I though really, in Rockford? Thank you for clarifying.
How were the Wings? We can't call 'em wings here in Lincoln anymore... I just might have to grab some "Saucy Nuggs" later today! 😆
The wings (bone-in) were great. But I did get a few saucy nuggs. I won't tell him!