Al Capone: Dubuque's Favorite Tourist?

By Karl Klockars in Miscellaneous on Jun 9, 2009 9:00PM

If you consider Galena the end of the line in terms of western Illinois tourism, the Julien Inn of Dubuque, IA would like to get you to cross the mighty Mississippi for a Chicago-centric connection. Last week we had the "Capone was photographed here" news (which we'll expand on in next week's podcast). This week, NBCChicago brings us the "Capone slept here" story. (Which isn't really anything terribly new, but it's probably easier to get people with expendable income to drive to Dubuque than to stay in Cicero.)

The Julien Inn, which just spent $30 million on refurbishing their 150-year-old property, is trying to get the big-city cash in any way they can. They've created a Capone suite to capitalize on the fact that the bootlegger cooled his heels here while the heat was on in the city, and you can rent it for the low, low price of $499 a night. As Steve Rhodes put it, you'd better get some firearms and a couple molls* for that price (or, may we add, at least a couple undergrads bussed in from Iowa State).

The new suite is pretty lah-dee-dah. Between a full kitchen, a walk-in vault, two bedrooms with a king bed each, a separate whirlpool tub and vista views of America's River. If you pack two people in per room and get a friend to pass out drunk in the tub, you could possibly get away with a stay at $100 per person per night.

Capone-centric marketing aside, Dubuque is actually a pretty cool town if you don't stand on a lot of ceremony and can appreciate a dive bar or three. For example: Where else can you enjoy $1 cans of beer underneath the taxidermied heads of long-dead hunting trophies aside from Paul's Tavern?

Where can you learn about otters and barge life than the National Mississippi River Museum of Dubuque? Where else can you ride an elevator up the bluffs - an elevator featured in a Stallone film, no less? And indeed, where else can you sleep in such gangster-ized comfort, other than the Julian? (And during the next presidential election season, it'll be fun to see which caucus-hungry candidate shacks up in the suite.)

*You know, dames. Broads. Skirts. Now pour us a drink, toots.**

**Just kidding. Chicagoist adores women and would never refer to them as the above. Ahem.