Let's pretend the city of Rockford had unlimited funding; what would you add to the city to make it more exciting?

It's fun to think about. Isn't it?

After taking a trip to Minneapolis last weekend, I found myself thinking how much more enjoyable Rockford would be if it had some of the same things that I love so much about my hometown. Throughout my time back home, I found myself saying, "I wish Rockford had _______."

I started writing things down and over the last couple of days I had the opportunity to ask people who were born and raised in Rockford what they would like to see come to the city to make it a more exciting place.

Here's what we came up with; along with some ideas I brought back with me from Mineapolis:

1. City wide wifi. I loved being able to go anywhere downtown Minneapolis, especially during a time when I knew I would be sharing a lot of special moments with friends online, that I wouldn't be using up my data plan.

2. Roof top bars. These are the best, especially on warm spring day. It would be a lot of fun seeing more roof top bars in downtown Rockford and along the Rock River.

3. Food trucks. Food trucks are growing more and more popular; it was nice to have the option of trying new foods and at a much cheaper price than the hip; trendy spots.

4. The light rail. This is Minneapolis' version of the L. Inexpensive public transportation that took you all the way from the suburbs of Minneapolis to all the hot downtown spots.

5. More micro breweries. Especially ones with patios and live music. Micro breweries are hot right now; I enjoyed hopping from brewery to brewery, tasting new beers and spending a little money on beer glasses and trinkets.

6. Segue tours. I didn't have a chance to try this but what a fun and exciting way to explore the city of Rockford. Or just take a stroll down by the river front.

7. Bike share. You simply take a bike whenever you need one and return it to a bike share station when you reach your destination; whether it's to get you to work or you just want to go for a casual ride.

8. Indoor farmers market. One of the best parts of summer is outdoor farmers markets, but for those cold winter months when you want a taste of summer, we always enjoy the indoor farmers markets.

9. More festivals. Need I say more? I'm not sure what happened to the Waterfront Festival but it would be nice to have more of those kinds of festivals throughout the spring and summer months.

10. Paint and sips. Or any kind of classes that involve the arts and sipping wine or beer. Friends of ours do this at least twice a month in Chicago.

There are so many things that people travel to Chicago or other cities to do, but it would be so nice if we could do those things right here in Rockford.

Remember, this is just a wish list; not everything on the list is for everybody. But what if you could bring something to Rockford to make it a more appealing place to live and visit, what would you add?

Note: Despite the recent violence in the city, let's try to keep this positive.

 

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