Quick trip to St Charles to see Gino Vannelli

Our most favorite singer/songwriter you may never have heard of

Warning: a few personal thoughts and insights having nothing to do with paddling, pedaling or drinking coffee!

Gino Vannelli is kind of special to Mary and me. I discovered his music while working at a record store and introduced Mary to the him via my car 8-track player. It’s was kind of like our dating music. We’ve both followed him over the years and finally got to see him for the first time in 2019.

If you like heavy synthesizer keyboards in rock love songs with big hair and sensational vocals, give Gino a listen on Spotify. If the 70’s and 80’s is not really your thing music-wise, then it’s back to the blog.

Gino was coming to St Charles, IL which is only a couple of hours drive. We got to our hotel about 4:00. We usually don’t bother talking about hotels but this one is a little interesting. Hotel Baker sits right along the Fox River in downtown St Charles. I was a little nervous when I found out they don’t have a dedicated parking lot, but we found a spot on the bridge (it’s free parking there) and we were good for the stay.

This a nice old-school hotel built in 1928 and the rates were not that bad. And we were within walking distance of the show and what seemed like a hundred restaurants. The rooms were small but very nice. More on the hotel later.

We walked a short distance to La Za’Za’ Trattoria. We had reservations but it wasn’t busy that night-yet. We’ve been to our share of Italian restaurants but this one is near the top. We ordered the Salsiccia Polenta (italian sausage in mushroom sauce) and Seafood Pasta nightly special. Both plates were absolutely scrumptious and way too much to finish. We split a slice of cheese cake and carried the leftovers out for another complete meal later on in the week. And the service was impeccable-we highly recommend Za’Za’s.

The Arcada Theatre was just a three minute walk from the hotel. We’ve been to this theatre a number of times as well as the Des Plaines Theatre in Des Plaines, IL. Both are operated by the same owners and always have an array or entertainment and shows.

A local musician opened the show and Gino finally came on around 8:30.

Now we might be a bit biased, it was our second time seeing him, and it could have been a let down. Artists that are still recording tend to include new stuff-he did not. It was a good mix of lesser known songs with lots of juke box tunes. The show was great! He’s already scheduled to return next June to perform at the Des Plaines Theater. We now have tickets.

The next morning we packed up and headed downstairs to the “free” breakfast. Now as I’ve said before, these “free” buffets are usually underwhelming. But somehow this one wasn’t. There were the same scrambled eggs and sausage dishes, but eating on china plates and drinking coffee from an actual china cup and saucer made it a special memory for us. Fresh bakery items and fruit topped off the meal. And the service was good, too.

To top the experience, Mary was sure she saw members of the band at breakfast, including Gino. I wasn’t so sure but hoped Gino would make an appearance near the pastry platter. But alas, no such luck. Maybe next time. (Note from Mary: I know it was Gino incognito at breakfast)

The photo below is a monument about the legend of the naming of St Charles. You can read the complete legend here. That’s the Fox River in the background. We’ve done numerous races on the Fox always avoiding the dam.

Of course, we had to get some traveling coffee to get us home. We drove just a few blocks to Arcedium Coffeehouse. We’ve visited there a couple of times after races. We ordered the medium roast and sat at the bar for a short time before heading home.

Heading down I-39, Mary heard the siren song from her favorite store in Minonk, IL. Actually it could be her favorite store of anywhere. The Minonk Chocolate Factory The place has been in business in some form since 1915. We see their line in other stores and shops all around Central Illinois. Check them out!

Of course, right across the street is the Brickhouse Coffee Bar, which we’ve written about before. What goes with chocolate? A good cup of coffee. We enjoyed the rich snacks and coffee the rest of the way home.