You never know where you’re going to find the good stuff. Last week I had a dreary visit to downtown Clinton, Iowa, a dreariness amplified by my own weary mood, as I searched in vain for unique stores and signs of street life. This week in Clinton couldn’t have been more different. After a morning in the library plodding through a local history book, I was desperate for caffeine for the drive north to Savanna. Clinton has few coffee shops that aren’t of the drive-up shack variety, but I remembered passing a small espresso store on the north side of town. I thought I was going to zip in and out for my afternoon coffee. After I got inside, I wondered “What’s the rush?”

Espresso, Cigars, & More is an unlikely business in an unlikely location: part coffee shop, part Cuban restaurant, and part cigar store, with an accounting business in the back. Regina, the accountant, and her sons are recent migrants from Miami, attracted by the cheaper cost of living and Midwestern friendliness. My quick stop for coffee stretched into half an hour, not because it took that long to make an Americano, but because we just couldn’t stop chatting. Hooked, I returned the next evening to try some Cuban food – think cubano sandwiches, fried plantains, churros, ropa vieja. I loved the food, and Regina was generous enough to let me sample a few dishes besides the chicken fricassee that was my entrée. I love the food. I’m not into cigars, but, if you are, they sell a variety of Cuban seed cigars, which are grown from the same stock as the famous ones from Cuba, just not in Cuban soil. So, you could easily spend an afternoon leisurely smoking a stogie, sipping espresso, and snacking on pastelitos. Heck, in the spring you can even get your taxes done there! Why go anywhere else? Kudos to mom and the boys. They run the business with a deft combination of friendliness, quality products, and marketing savvy. Seriously, I may hire Regina as MY marketing director! By the way, if you are in town when the Lumber Kings are playing a home game, you might want to stop by the shop when the game is over. Many of the players have roots in Latin America and are regular visitors here during the baseball season.

  • Espresso, Cigars, & More: 2007 N. 2nd St; 563.242.0197; M-Sa 8a-10p-ish, Su 8a-7p-ish; you can eat well here for about $6. (NOTE: Espresso, Cigars, & More is now closed.)

The coffee and food at Espresso, Cigars, & More helped take my mind off a disturbing trend this summer. I’m beginning to think that I am carrying a bad weather curse with me. Let’s review. Earlier this spring, I was in La Crosse (Wisconsin) for a freakish storm that produced 12 hours of continuous thunder and lightning and 7 inches of rain that sparked devastating flash floods. The heavy rains continued and pushed the Mississippi River to near record crests in some areas in June, including Davenport (Iowa), which I visited around the time of the peak crest. My latest curse brought straight line winds clocked at 94 miles an hour that knocked down trees and knocked out power for much of the Quad Cities, including the Rock Island neighborhood where I was staying. When I left the house in the morning, I found a trampoline resting on the front bumper of my Prius. I thought this was funny until later in the day, when I noticed that my car had put up more resistance to the trampoline than I initially realized. Be warned river towns between La Crosse and the Quad Cities: I’ll be visiting shortly – better get out your sandbags and check your emergency generators.

Today’s Bad Decision: Running on a hot day when not properly hydrated. OK, so this one is not exactly travel-related, but it was still a bad decision. Sunday was a hot, muggy day in the Quad Cities, but it didn’t seem any hotter or muggier than days I ran my four miles in St. Louis. Besides, I thought it would be really fun to run from Rock Island to Davenport across the Mississippi River on the Centennial Bridge, then down to Credit Island Park and back. Running four miles didn’t seem like it would be a big deal. Unfortunately, I wasn’t well rested and drank more coffee than water during the day. I had barely covered two miles when I started to feel overheated and my stamina dropped. In the end, I ran 3 very difficult miles and walked about 2 ½ more to get back to Rock Island and, as a bonus, I had my first experience with cold chills on a hot summer day. Oops. Won’t let that happen again.

© Dean Klinkenberg, 2008