I flew to Chicago and back over the weekend, with the ultimate destination a family wedding in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. As it turns out, we stayed at a former gangster hideout once known as the Lake Como Inn. The hotel’s out-of-the-way location made it a favorite of Baby Face Nelson, Bugs Moran and other members of the Dillinger gang.

That this homey, sedate hostelry (now called the French Country Inn) once featured a speakeasy in the basement and crawled with mobsters reminds me that places can morph through the years.

Much of what we see is conditioned by our expectations. Once we know even a smidgen of history we see places not just as they are, but as they used to be.

Places have layers. Discerning travelers try to plumb as many of them as they can.

(The mug shot of Lester Joseph Gillis, aka Baby Face Nelson. Courtesy Wikipedia.)