Davenport, with its population of more than 100,000, is the largest of the Quad Cities, and one of two situated in Iowa, on the west bank of the Mississippi. (The others are Bettendorf, Iowa, and Rock Island and Moline in Illinois.) Hard-hit by the farm bust of the 80s, Davenport has a quiet downtown area that blends quickly and unassumingly into residential neighborhoods sporting classic examples of 19th- and early 20th-century midwestern frame-house building. You can peruse them on the way into town if you take the Brady Street exit off I-80, which you have taken west from Chicago on your journey to Iowa; it shouldn’t take you more than four hours, with a stop for lunch along the way.
Best of Chicago voting is live now. Vote for your favorites »
Village Bed and Breakfast (2017 E. 13th St., 319-322-4905) is an 1850s Greek Revival structure listed on the National Register of Historic Places, meticulously restored and furnished with a blend of old wood furniture and modern design by its antique-dealer owners. There are only two guest rooms–both off the hallway atop the stairs that vault up from the large, wood-stove-dominated kitchen–each with private bath and antique furnishings; also, a back veranda that views the river, use of the laundry room, and breakfast made to order. (If you’re up early enough, you’re welcome to join the proprietors, a quite interesting, well-read couple.) Unfortunately, the Village is often unavailable Friday and Saturday nights: the further in advance you call, the better your chances.
Also in East Davenport Village is the 11th Precinct Saloon (2108 11th St.), an inexpensive spot on the low side of the yuppie curve. A hangout for local softball players, it has a pool table, sports cable TV, free popcorn, and a small menu that includes a variety of bottled beers, many of which are kept cold, and a delicious unbreaded pork tenderloin sandwich. In fact, I thought it was beef until the waitress informed me I’d been chowing down pig. This is not idle chat: Iowa, it seems, is crazy about pork, and at least in Davenport, the preferred casual cut is the pork tenderloin, served breaded or unbreaded, and usually as a sandwich. A decent version of the breaded variety is served at the Iowa Machine Shed (319-391-2427), just off I-80 at 7250 Northwest Blvd.–a farm-theme restaurant (of all things, right there in the farm belt) replete with a wait staff wearing bib overalls and red-checked accessories. For the more familiar pork ribs, the locals rave about Jim’s Rib Haven and its Kansas City style cookin’ and saucin.’ Jim’s has two locations: 531 24th St. (across the river in Rock Island, Illinois, 309-786-8084) and 904 16th Ave. (in East Moline, Illinois, 309-752-1240).
I suspect your best visits to Davenport will coincide with one or more of its special events. The biggest summer bash is the annual Bix Beiderbecke Memorial Jazz Festival, named for the legendary jazzman who was born in Davenport; the 1989 lineup (July 27-30) includes trad-jazz bands from Michigan, Texas, and New Orleans, and Chuck Hedges’s Swingtet from Chicago. For more info, call Cathy Huff at 319-324-7170. The Bix festival has grown to include ancillary events such as a street festival, a fitness screening clinic, and the Bix 7 Run, a seven-mile race sponsored by the Quad City Times that attracts runners from several states. (Call 319-359-9197 for details on participating.)
