48 Hours in Dubuque Iowa, Center of the Universe

“THIS ISN’T SWITZERLAND...” read the caption over a photo of a quaint-looking town seen from atop a hillside cable car. Next, a golden sunset over a field of fountain grass: “DUBUQUE, IOWA (DETAILS IN CAPTION).” “Dawg I can assure you no one is out here confusing iowa and switzerland,” said a post on my “For You” page. (Say what you will about “X.com” but I enjoy its little tricks, serving me up non-stop photos of highways and gas stations taken by soulful vagabonds with 200 followers or less.) But anyway, I wouldn’t be so sure. “No one would confuse the wretched Switzerland with the beautiful and elegant dubuque,” replied the Illinois Enjoyer, who’s currently 247/1299 on his mission to visit every town, village, and city in Illinois. I’d only just returned from a fascinating visit throughout the haunted river towns of southern Illinois, and my attention was piqued. It was time for America’s #1 vibes-based email newsletter to cross the Mississippi and see what Dubuque had in store.