Five memorable Mexican restaurants

In recognition of National Tequila Day July 24, I decided it was time to get back on the blogging bandwagon and go back in time to relive some of my all-time favorite Mexican restaurants from my travels as a commoner.  Plus, I’ve been on a Mexican food kick lately anyway, so that only stirred my memory more for these places, which I may never get back to.  So, here are five of my favorite memories, in no particular order …

As fate would have it …

If you’re one of my three loyal followers, you’ll know I’m long overdue on several blog entries I promised.  To be honest, I haven’t had much desire to blog lately for personal reasons, as if you’ve followed my blog, the title kind of gives it away. 

5 Weird Roadside Attractions I’ve Visited

Nothing says summer like the great American road trip. Cram the car full of luggage, and hit the highway (noisy kids are optional). While I don’t plan to make any extensive road trips this summer (although I will be posting about accompanying a mysterious and exotic Gypsy to an art fair in Algonquin, Ill., soon), every trip leaves some everlasting memories, and often those memories come from the unusual site you encounter along the way. For better or worse, here are five I can’t get out of my memory bank.

1. World’s Largest Catsup Bottle, Collinsville, Ill. – Collinsville is part of the greater Saint Louis metro area. If you drive just south of downtown on Illinois Route 159, you’ll see a water tower decked out like a giant Brooks catsup bottle. According to the catsup bottle’s official website (yes, there really is one!), it was built in 1949 for the Brooks bottling company in town. After bottling operations left town in the 1960s, the tower fell into disrepair until it was saved in 1995 and, believe it or not, placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.