Hacking Macomb, IL...
Why live in Macomb? Why go to school at Western Illinois University? Why raise a family here?
Because Macomb (& all of West Central Illinois) is simply a wonderful place to live. Our relative distance from the 'big city' is a HUGE asset to family life and having a rewarding college experience, and here's just some of the reasons why;
- Macomb is a VERY safe community by all indicators...and anecdotally, you can ask the residents their experiences and I'm pretty sure they'll tell you the same thing.
- Macomb is culturally diverse (and generally tolerant), and openly working towards becoming even more so. Sure, there's some close-minded people but that's true anywhere.
- You can walk anywhere at night with your children and be safe.
- The people in our community are very friendly, civically minded, and look out for each other; if your house is smoking, chances are someone driving by will care enough to call it into 911 for you.
- The two minute commute to anywhere in our community means LOTS less gas use, LOTS more time to spend enjoying your life (instead of being stuck in traffic.)
- Everyone matters here - every person has a name and a history and a connection, if they wish to.
- The schools are awesome!
- The education you receive at Western Illinois University is an excellent launching pad to be able to do well wherever you go -- as many of our friends have found out; and is very affordable.
- GREAT PARKS -- lots of opportunities for recreation activities. Our park district employees are wonderful and dedicated.
- WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOODS -- runners, joggers, stroller-pushers find it easy to be safe and have an enjoyable workout, without all that smog that bigger cities have!
What about the 'party school' image?
Well, guess what....MOST of the problems our community faces from 'drunken people' are actually students from OTHER SCHOOLS. Most of the transient vandalism, fights, etc. are done by FRIENDS of students visiting. Simple - teach your students to be careful about who they invite to visit them, and their rental house is very unlikely to ever need a visit from the police.
Local Yokels
There's definitely some tips that only locals know...great deals, friendly people, interesting places to visit. We're going to catalog these here for everyone's benefit!
*Disclaimer- The opinions on this page represent the author only.
Categories: Restarants : Groceries : Parks : Scenic Venues :
Restarants
Cheapest Subs
"Palermos"...a new restaurant on the west side of Jackson street. Hubby and I can get stuffed there for $12.00, and I have 1/2 of my sandwich left over for another meal. Freshly made bread too...and the 'dough' is made the same day, not shipped from elsewhere like other places who claim 'fresh bread.'
Best Tasting Subs
International Sandwich Shop, usually; sometimes I've had mayo that was too old (and CLEAR...no white in it. Sure tip-off!) but yummy when they're at the top of their game.
Best 'Almost Like You're In the Big City' Place
Buffalo Wild Wings. Expensive, but popular. Good food, great burgers.
Best Breakfast Deal
There's no comparison. Hy-Vee. You order & pay up front (very affordable), it's brought out to you, & you can leave as soon as you are done. Good selection, great food, very fast, VERY family friendly.
Best Stores for Gifts
I really can't decide on this, so I'll just tell you that I shop at Debi's and Nostalgia Decorating Company. They always have something that suits that 'hard to buy for' person and they have really nice, helpful people there too. I've never been disappointed.
Best Pizza Lunch Buffet
"Larry A's"...good service, very fast, great food. They'll take requests. Nice clean place, very nice people working there.
Best Pizza
"Larry A's" is my husband's choice. I'd say Aurelio's, but whenever we have gone in there we've had to wait a long time for service, and their women's bathroom -- YUCK! But the food tastes good (once you get it), and they have a playroom.
Best Horseshoes/Ponies
If you're ever in Macomb, you have to try a local concoction called a 'horseshoe' or 'pony'; whether it be at Rocky's Pub, Pag's (on the square), or Jackson Street Pub, try one. It's a plate with your choice of meat (hamburger, tenderloin, chicken breast), waffle fries, and smothered with cheddar cheese sauce. VERY filling, and of course, calorie-laden. But YUMMY.
Best Italian
Vitales. Nothing compares. Yummy, authentic, fast. Great service. Non-smoking environment...hurray! Try their lunch menu for a great deal.
Best Coffee
This is a hard one...but you can't go wrong with any of our wonderful coffee houses. If I had to make a pic, I'd say "Little Java House" for lattes, super-nice people working there; "Sullivan Taylor" for 'sit-down' ambiance and GREAT lunch food & pastries. Of course, I can't forget the wonderful food at the 'old Dairy...great coffee, sandwiches, AND a personal favorite, Blue Bunny Ice Cream. Give 'em all a try...you won't regret it.
Groceries
Kid-Friendly Store
I'd have to say Hy-Vee. The bathrooms are clean, they give out free cookies to kids, and there are even carts shaped like vehicles.
There is one caveat. A registered sex offender works there, and he kept talking to my kids despite my repeated requests not to until I complained to the management. I've seen him talking to other kids there and it sends shivers down my spine, but I can't do anything about it.
But, as long as you're on the lookout for him, the other folks there are really nice.
Here's the info on the sex offender there...
- http://www.julieposey.com/caselaw/usvblack.htm
- sex offender registry homepage (type in Macomb, IL to find him and others)
Meat
We like to buy our meat from Roseville farmer Duke McIntyre, or several of the other locals. When it's available, it goes FAST. It's so yummy my in-laws will drive 1 1/2 hours for the steak (well, maybe seeing the Grandkids, too! ;> ). But, if you need to shop at a store, Hy-Vee Foods. They actually have butchers there who will cut meat to order the old fashioned way.
I also get great deals from the Hy-Vee butcher counter; you can get a great deal on butterfly pork chops if you pick out your own loin and have them cut it for you! ...and they will cut your meat to any specification. GREAT service.
Something I've noticed...Wal-mart ships their meat in pre-bundled packages, PLUS adds 'WATER' to make it weigh more. I want to pay for MEAT when I pay for meat, if you know what I mean, and I don't like buying meat that expires the day it's purchased.
Organic & Fruits/Veggies
The local co-op, barefoot gardens, is simply awesome. Join it early if you can. We're members and its about so much more than just gardening. http://www.barefootgardens.org/
The local farmer's market is also wonderful. They sell on the downtown square on Thursday & Saturday mornings, 7:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
If you must buy store-bought, you'll find Hy-Vee has a surprising selection of organic/fruit/veggies. Shop Monday/Wed/Friday for these items to get them freshest; but if you don't want to stand in line, go before 4:00 p.m. or after 6:00 p.m.
I try to buy organic when possible, especially 'raw' foods for my kids.
Seafood
Hy-Vee again...has it fresh-frozen on ice, and the nice thing is the people who work there are very knowledgable and friendly and will answer any questions.
Parks
Macomb has some wonderful parks, albeit the equipment in some of them isn't in very good shape, nor does it have safe surfacing or universal access, or developmentally appropriate stuff for kids under 5.
But they're working hard on improvements on a shoestring budget, and if you know what to look for, you can have an excellent park experience.
GREAT CHEAP DATE: Try out the frisbee golf course, one of the best ones in the United States.
3 & Under
This isn't a 'park, per se. It's an early childhood center...the McArthur Preschool. Fenced in, safe, lots of safe equipment with good surfacing. We bring our kids there after school is closed and on weekends. We usually bring some trucks and digging toys so they can play with the pebbles.
Best Pharmacy
We really have been served well by Walgreens. They have caught a few errors over the past 15 year...of medications that our physicians have prescribed and could have interacted negatively. Once they caught what could have been a fatal overdose of a med for one of my kids. These things happen rarely BUT....its nice to know they've got our back. Very friendly people there, VERY overworked. They never have enough help. But I just make sure I call a day or two ahead for refills and try not to do pickup on the noon hour OR from 4:30 - 6:00. Any other time is usually just a one minute wait.
To be fair, I've heard great things about Osco's pharmacy but as I haven't tried them I can't speak to their service.
Wal-mart's pharmacy staff really didn't impress me. I had a question and stood there, waiting for their attention, for over FIVE MINUTES before the staff even looked my way. They were 4 feet away from me! ....and they weren't busy; there was nobody else there, and they were gossiping about some patient. Needless to say, we have chosen to steer clear of them.