I’m currently on the 14th day of my trip around particular places of interest in the United States, half for fun and leisure with the family, and half a nostalgia tour for a future book of travel experiences around the midwest. The streets are the same, consistent in their smell and memories they invoke.

The Capitol in Des Moines is still as resplendent standing tall in the sun with a golden cap. The plinth for its Lincoln and Tad sculpture seems to have received a small make-over, and that’s it. Minneapolis remains what it is: a beautiful melange of cultures and tongues. The Metrodome which collapsed in 2011 is now almost complete. I have visited the Walker Art Center and the Minneapolis Institute of Arts, both beautiful and stimulating spaces. I’ve visited the St. Mary’s Basilica, equally as impressive as the St. Louis Basilica. Two days ago, I returned to Oklahoma Joe’s, Kansas’ famous barbecue place. It has now been renamed “Joe’s Barbecue”. The food was good, but I’m convinced that the hype around the first time I visited here has now worn off.

I hope to visit the World War I Museum and Memorial again today with the family.

I’ve been told that Edwardsville has changed a lot in three years from a small university town into a booming city. It will be interesting to see, later this week, what that looks like.