All the posts have valid points. Another avenue is the local bank or ag lender. These institutions have people that work directly with farmers. They may not give you information, but they will share with their clients. We are a farming community and our family farm now five generations old. My very sentimental and attached father has the ground so tied up in a trust with rules that we will never sell. Farm ground in our area is going for $9,000 to $16,000 an acre. That is alot of $$$$$$ and it is for farming, not subdividing. My 1.08 acres with fiber, electric and water cost $34,000. We still had to pay for a connection fee for the utilities, add septic, and add LP. Our road has not been turned over to the township so we have mud. Best of luck.

Just catching up with this. I didn't see the Trevi Fountain. It's under repair although I understand you can still walk past it on some sort of scaffolding. Coins prohibited during repairs! The Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel were mind blowing. Same for The Borghese Gallery. Bernini's sculpture of Apollo andDaphne was beautiful, along with many others. The Borghese Gardens reminded me of a mini Central Park. After 19 days, I was ready to come home although I miss being so busy and having so much company. I was lucky that the people on my tour were so nice (well, a couple pills). I've had major jet lag all week.I actually get to have the end of Daylight Saving twice -- once in Italy last week and then again at home tonight. My internal clock will never figure it all out, but I am always grateful for more sleep. The company is Overseas Adventure Travel. I can't say enough good things about them. I was originally attracted because they do not charge a single supplement, which is a huge plus for me. They limit the number of people on the tour to sixteen, max. I saw some of the larger tour groups walk by and I would have been miserable with them. Some looked as if there were as many as 60+ people, all following a leader who had to hold up a stick with a scarf or fuzzy duck to be seen by all. One group all wore lanyards with ID cards. Ugh. I understand it takes half an hour to get everyone on or off the bus. We had a small bus that seated maybe 20 people. Plenty of room for all and it was able to go places a big bus could not. Our drivers were friendly and funny. The hotels were all lovely and well located. They took us to great local restaurants for meals, which is possible with a small group. Our tour leader was fabulous. Now there is a job I would never want! We got to see and do many things because the company is well connected and because there weren't so many of us. I gasped when I saw The Pieta. So moving. Anyway, anyone postponing travel -- time to get out there and do it!

Aw, Les, I liked you so much until you outed yourself as a White Sox fan. Bebetokids, don't believe her: go to Wrigley! Ditto Second City. Not sure whether they still do this, but they used to have a very-late-night improv session. Reduced entrance fee, but mainly a much looser vibe than the regular shows, more audience participation... really great. Favorite jazz club: The Green Mill just off the Lawrence El station. Capone's former speakeasy -- there's a pic of him somewhere in the bar. See if you can find it. Also great: Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase, now in the Dearborn Station. if you like live theater, try to get into a show at Steppenwolf. The Art Institute is amazing and vast: don't try to see it all or your eyes will cross. Pick a single wing and wander. Their modern collection is astonishing. The North Side and Bucktown are great places to walk and wander. So is Evanston, if you want to get out of the city proper, but not too far away (still accessible by el). Whatever you do, try to drive as little as possible. Traffic is a nightmare, almost always. Try to plan your trip around the El and Metra (commuter train) lines. Enjoy! Sigh... I miss it.

The nothern Ca coast is perfect for a road trip, with many sights along the way. To make it easy on yourself, fly into the small Santa Barbara airport(if possible), and rent a car from there. Santa Barbara itself is a lovely, wonderful, bustling little village with plenty of shops, great food, the pier, and of course the magnificent beach! Oh, and USB is right on the ocean. You'll only be about an hour(a gorgeoous drive!)from San Simeon where Hearst Castle is located, but you would need to book your tours online beforehand~we dId two, one after the other, but don't recall which. I swear the views from the estate are a look into heaven! You will also be close to San Luis Obispo, a great little village with a ban of fast food chains. There's a tree~lined street you can't miss, which is reminiscent of a scene out of Gone With the Wind with the mighty Oaks and also the college with it's gorgeous grounds. I can't remember how far you will be from Solvang, but it's a short drive and well worth seeing this bit of Sweden-in-America! Monticeido and Summerland, are other small villages worthy of a bit of time, and close to each other. As an aside, i'm also somewhat of a 'food snob' and was happy to learn the majority of the small restaurants along the way have their own organic gardens and if not, the produce is bought locally from organic farmers/farmers markets. It's definitely a trip i'm planning to do again, and will take in Monterey and Carmel, possibly as far as San Fran/Sausilito. As for San Diego, I lived there for 27 years before moving to Austin, and it can get crazy on the freeways. Parking places at the beach are rare, restaurants can be a 2 hour wait, and if there's a baseball game, traffic can be at a standstill in every direction. The Del Mar Fair is in late June ending on July 4th, but two weeks later horse racing season starts~all this creates more traffic, etc in SD. Just a heads up, as it can become frustrating(and overwhelming!)and may be more than you bargained for. Just something to keep in mind if you plan a visit. Looking forward to your decision. You've been given some great ideas!