Friday July 6th

Last day!
After a lazy morning we headed to Lincoln’s home to see if there were any tours available. It’s a free ticket but it is timed. We were in luck and there was one available about an hour and a half after we got there. We watched one of the movies at the visitor center that lasted about a half hour and let D run around the visitor center with the other kids (there were even some her age.) They were all fascinated by the map of 1860 Springfield that lit up in different spots depending on the color button you pressed. We happened to be there when the second movie was preempted by a live performance of “Mary Lincoln’s Springfield.” I saw the woman in the lobby and D was very attracted to her purple dress but we did not see the show. No telling how a 2 year old will act in a live performance!
The Lincoln home tour was nice. There was a different ranger in each room throughout the house instead of one tour guide. It certainly seemed to give different perspectives of the life of the Lincoln family. We wished it had been cooler so we could investigate the rest of the block. I know at least one other house is open to view. There is an audio tour that you can call from a cell phone as you walk the block. I may still call that number even if I didn’t get a close look at all the houses.
We took the advice of a friend and had lunch at Maid Rite Sandwiches. They claim this is the oldest drive thru window in the US. The sandwiches are a crumbled ground beef instead of a patty. It was a pretty good sandwich. They are also known for their home made root beer. I don’t think I’ve ever liked root beer but Kevin gave it a try. He said it was really good so I had to take a sip. I almost liked it! Really that’s a ringing endorsement :-)
Given the heat that was pretty much our day. We did venture out for dinner at Saputo's Italian Restaurant. Despite having a reservation we had to wait 10 minutes for a table in a half empty restaurant. That was odd. Other than that the service was good. The food was also good, though it didn’t pass the toddler test. Apparently she was not in the mood for pasta.