In Lowell, Massachusetts: "Watch those signs and look both ways!"

online.com/news/public_announcements/article_1415c016-04b8-5295-9b8f-00c9abd1b1aa.html">Dubuque, too.

City officials have said the traffic pattern switch will make downtown streets easier to navigate and safer for pedestrians, particularly in the developing Millwork District.

We just spent two nights in Dubuque in early August, and had no idea the change was afoot.

It's always worth recalling that as Develop New Albany drags its feet on the two-way issue, terrified not so much of endangering its non-profit tax status as offending the likes of Bob "Antediluvian Non-Urban" Caesar, DNA's parent organization celebrates its 12th year of advocating what DNA is too timid to grasp.

Many factors combine to make main street economically successful. One important, but often overlooked, aspect is the traffic pattern. One-way streets are efficient but they are not customer friendly for people coming downtown to shop two or three times a month. For these infrequent visitors, the downtown circulation system needs to be as easy to use and as easy to understand as possible.

Following is the example of Lowell, Massachusetts. To be fair, not everyone favors the change, these generally being the sorts for whom any alteration of routine is pretext for wailing.

Watch those signs and look both ways! Four downtown Lowell streets open to traffic in two directions, by Lyle Moran (Lowell Sun)

LOWELL -- When Leon Kay of Dracut heads to downtown Lowell to visit Brew'd Awakening Coffeehaus, he typically takes a right off of Bridge Street onto Merrimack Street and then loops around on one-way streets to Market Street.

But on Saturday morning, Kay was able to take a quick left off of Merrimack onto Central Street and then turn right onto Market to get to his destination because of the two-way traffic that went into effect yesterday.

"It made it a lot easier for me to get here," said Kay, 28. "I think it makes a lot of sense."

Northern Road Trip, Day 10: My birthday in Galena with Ulysses S. Grant.

Dubuque's waterfront is a showplace, with shiny casino buildings, a museum and a walkway lined by public art project sculptures. Taking into consideration the remainder of downtown Dubuque, there's a bit of a Potemkin Village feel to it, but then again, gambling consistently fails to provide tumescence.

Adjacent to all of it is the restored rump of Dubuque's Star Brewery, once a hundreds-of-thousands-of-barrels powerhouse, now home to a wine bar and seeking tenants. The intent is similar to Fitger's in Duluth, mentioned previously. Perhaps housing, not retail? Note the delicious red star in the stones.

When it comes to great moments in American history, Robert E. Lee's surrender ranks high on my personal list, even if so many Americans in the present day fail to appreciate what was decided at Appomattox. Ulysses S. Grant was from Galena, Illinois, quite near Dubuque.

These photos are from the house given to him after the war ended, as financed by local fans, and which sits on a bluff overlooking the town. The view reminded me of Cesky Krumlov without the castle. Soon after setting up housekeeping, the Grants left for Washington DC and the general's new job as President of the United States.

Galena is a perfectly realized example of what can be done with a one-street, seemingly one-horse town with several million people living within a couple hours' drive. There is an undulating main street crowded with shops, bars and eateries, with a few thousand signs warning against parking. In short, rather like Nashville, Indiana, and to a far lesser extent, Madison (also Indiana) but even more calculated to serve hordes of visitors and make hay and dollars while the sun shines.

The Galena Brewing Company proved solid, so I was a happy boy. GBC's Hefeweizen was among the best I've ever tasted at an American "craft" brewery.

We drove back to Dubuque, gassed up in preparation for Monday's return drive, and walked to L. May eatery for a second time. In the end, Dubuque was just fine.

Northern Road Trip, Day 9: Down to Dubuque for the weekend.

The Iowa city of Dubuque may strike you as a curious place to choose when it comes to plotting a 54th birthday celebration. It helps to know that Duluth is a 13-hour drive from Louisville, and Dubuque's tourist support apparatus is adept at squeezing the most out of the least.

Thus, Dubuque. It's a Mississippi River port still recovering, with a casino installed to single-handedly reverse fortunes (it never works that way, does it?) and a huge stock of historic architecture downtown, much of which is in need of immediate TLC.

In short, a sense of familiarity.

When consulting Open Table to book seats at the L. May Eatery, I saw ten listings for Dubuque. Eight of them actually are situated in Galena, 20 miles away across the Illinois border. This is to say that if you ever find yourself in Dubuque, just visit the L. May Eatery, as we did on Saturday and Sunday; we highly recommend it.

We walked and explored, then dined. There were adult beverages, and a cigar later in the evening. After all, it was my designated birthday soiree.

After dinner, just down the street from the faded elegance of the Redstone, following another round at Monk's Kaffee Pub (the best beer list in town) ...

 ... we boarded the most interesting form of transportation in Dubuque: The Fenelon Place Elevator.

Here is how it looks sober.

Following are two Dubuque parting views from Sunday night, after an excursion to Galena, and in route to our second meal of the weekend at L. May.