elgin, once a former sleepy city on the fringes of chicagoland is back up and bustling again. a trip to downtown elgin will find you exploring the new library, a plaza that offers tribute to heroes who died saving a man from the fox river, a civic center featuring the lovely Hemmens Auditorium theater, some nice shops, and glorious views of the Fox River. the Fox River bike path runs through the heart of downtown and is highly recommended. the area around the Grand Victoria Riverboat Casino is also nice. elgin has two large parks, Wing Park and Lords Park and both are recommended. elgin also is fortunate to have 2 hospitals…Sherman and St. Joseph’s. the village has a good residential base (but the east side isn’t so hot)...and is rapidly expanding westward and will surely have 100,000 people by the 2010 census. its randall road and I-90 corridors are already bustling with retailers, hotels, major industrial and commerical buildings. good day trip indeed!