I have the pleasure of living in one of the more beautiful spots of the country. I am biased but I also, am not alone in this opinion.

Galena, IL is home and where my/our office is. Conde Nast ranks it as one the friendliest cities in America and Forbes called it one of the prettiest towns in America. Trip Advisor called it one of the top ten charming small towns and Have Clothes, Will Travel named Galena the third prettiest small town in America.

I get nothing for my endorsement of Galena but if you live anywhere in the upper-Midwest or travel to Chicago and need a break, Galena is 3 hours west of Chicago, about the same from Milwaukee, WI., 90 minutes from Madison, a little over five hours from St. Louis or Minneapolis. Check it out here: https://www.visitgalena.org/

So, closing the office today and spending the morning with a good friend (and my wife) for breakfast at a favorite Iowa stop, just across the Mississippi from us – Caroline’s in the Hotel Julien. Everywhere around us is historical and Dubuque, IA shares a similar history and lore as Galena…just bigger and not quite as quaint.

More econ and health policy stuff next week as there is still, lots going on. September real estate numbers are out, and the housing market is brutal. I’ll catch-up on that and where the M&A market is at, what the M&A outlook is going forward, and other assorted goodies.

Now, off to breakfast but, before I go, below are some pictures of my “hood” and my favorite time of the year. Fall is simply gorgeous here and despite the drought and lots of Canadian wildfire smoke, the colors are not too shabby. Enjoy and as always, TGIF!