Category Archives: 2) Frequent Destinations

April 10, 2012 · 12:14 am

Iowa Loess Hills Prairie Seminar – one-of-a-kind seminar in a one-of-a-kind place

File:Loess hills.jpg

Okay there is one other place like Iowa’s Loess Hills but it’s far away in China. Considered a geographical wonder, the hills are a narrow band of mini-mountains stretching from just north of Sioux City south to the Missouri border, fashioned from silt deposits or “loess” blown in from the Missouri River floodplain more than 14,000 years ago.

We took our kids when they were little to the Loess Hills Prairie Seminar in western Iowa with two other families and it was, to say the least, memorable – we learned how to cook on an open fire, all about the flora, fauna and animals of the prairie, how to search for fossils. We camped, we ate a church supper in town and at a cookout under the stars.  One parent and several kids even got lost for a few hours while on a hike! Very glad to see the seminar is still up and running. Word has it there’s a Missouri River Ecology boat tour, which sounds pretty cool. For info about the 2012 seminar  and to register visit the Programs and Services section of the Northwest AEA website at:

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March 27, 2012 · 3:23 pm

London’s East End adventures

My dear friend Suzette and her family are house swapping with a family in London’s East End (the English family gets San Francisco in exchange – not so shabby) so here’s some East End recommendations: (borrowing heavily from the NYTimes travel section)

– Walking tour of the (former) Jewish East End. I don’t know if this is still available. We did it, um, 20 years ago and there was little Jewish stuff left but what was there, often nearly hidden, was fascinating – including the remnants of an old temple (as I recall) and a still operating kosher restaurant. Look in TIME OUT for walking tours. OR check this out: http://www.londonjewishtours.com or http://www.contexttravel.com/city/london/walking-tour-details/east-end-sunday-market-walk

– Brick Lane – this is now lined with East Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants. It used to be a Jewish area and there still is – or was as of three years ago – a beigel (cq) restaurant (as in bagels…Not Detroit quality but not bad at all.)  This is also the place to get a “salt beef sandwich” (aka a corned beef sandwich.) see: http://www.london-eating.co.uk/2687.htm

– Can’t remember the Bangladeshi restaurant we went to. This street and area nearby also has some funky vintage shops and galleries. This is the setting for Monica Ali’s novel “Brick Lane” (which is a decent movie too.) more info see: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/05/arts/05bric.html

– And then there’s all the new Olympic stuff to check out. for more details see: http://travel.nytimes.com/2012/01/29/travel/touring-londons-east-end.html?pagewanted=all

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March 24, 2012 · 3:40 pm

A Costa Rica transportation tax for a Des Moines to Newark flight – HUH?

I swear, this do-it-yourself online plane-ticket reservations stuff is so confusing. Yesterday, I finally settled on taking a Des Moines to Newark flight on United in April after weighing various other options to get to NYC. (LaGuardia was more expensive; the flight to Newark is direct! etc.)  The ticket was $359 when I first spotted it. (Not cheap, I know.) An hour or so later it was suddenly $396. I wondered why. So I looked at the fine print and saw that the ticket price was still the same ($338) but the additional taxes/fees had increased from $21.60 by $37. So I looked at the breakdown of the taxes/fees and saw that it included a $15.75 “Costa Rica transportation tax.” Say what?

Then all of a sudden the original $359 fare popped up onto my screen so I just grabbed it – no questions asked. Grrrr

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March 17, 2012 · 11:02 pm

getting to manhattan from Newark airport

There are he low-cost, low-stress, low-impact way to Newark Liberty.

There are now direct flights from Des Moines to Newark Airport and it doesn’t look too taxing (or expensive – if you skip the cab) to get to Manhattan from Newark. Haven’t been to that airport since the 1980s when I used to fly – okay this will date me – People’s Express.

Here’s the scoop on the AirTrain:

Operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, AirTrain provides easy connections to NJ Transit and the rail lines that run on the Northeast Corridor and North Jersey Coast Line. AirTrain also offers a simple way for passengers to get to and from Manhattan and points north, or Philadelphia and points south. It also connects passengers to airline terminals, rental car facilities, hotel shuttles and central parking lots. Best of all, you never have to worry about traffic conditions.

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February 24, 2012 · 7:45 pm

ragbrai 2012 – the 40th great ride across Iowa!

It took me, um, over 20 years to muster up the energy to ride Ragbrai (the Regster’s Annual Great Ride Across Iowa) last year – and even then I did only one day. (And 37 of the days’ 56 miles.)  But what a glorious ride – even if it was sweltering. I loved the scenery, the scene, the camaraderie, the food, the entertainment, even the physical exertion.  I really had fun and wished I could do more. So maybe this summer, the 40th RAGBRAI, I’ll give it a shot (although we have family obligations in Kansas on July 28 – the last day of Ragbrai.)
Here are the overnight spots for the 2012 Ragbrai Route:
  • Sioux Center – Saturday, July 21
  • Cherokee – Sunday, July 22
  • Lake View – Monday, July 23
  • Webster City – Tuesday, July 24
  • Marshalltown – Wednesday, July 25
  • Cedar Rapids – Thursday, July 26
  • Anamosa – Friday, July 27
  • Clinton – Saturday, July 28

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February 22, 2012 · 3:36 pm

Other highlights along Highway 6 east through Grinnell, Brooklyn and Homestead Iowa!

During our next road trip along Highway 6 in central Iowa, I must remember to  check out:

In Grinnell, Relish, an interesting-looking restaurant in a spruced up old Victorian house at 4th and Park.  Apparently it’s brand new and touts its “local foods, global flavors.”  Word has it you can find out the name of the farmer who raised the cow you’re eating… (During our visit last Saturday, we had very good coffee and cappuccino in town at Saints Rest coffee.  Near closing time at 5 p.m. the nice kid working behind the counter offered coffee on the house.)

In Brooklyn, (Iowa), the Brooklyn Pharmacy building – which appears to be a good antique shop – and SkyDive Iowa– an outfit just outside town with the catchy phone number 522-JUMP.

In Marengo, we found a new antique shop that was open at 6 p.m. on a Saturday night – it’s called Country Arts and Antiques and had some cool stuff including art by local farmers and an ancient leather steamer trunk.

We also drove along  the quaint main drag of the small village of Homestead, in the Amana Colonies, which had more tourist draws than I remembered from visits long ago, including an inn, b&b, cider mill and restaurant.

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February 20, 2012 · 4:34 pm

Fabulous signs along Highway 6 in central Iowa (Grinnell, Brooklyn, Ladora…)

What struck me most as we drove east from Grinnell along Highway six through several  small Iowa towns  in central Iowa last Saturday was the remarkable collection of well-preserved old business signs, several neon, adorning store fronts. It felt like we were on the set of “Back to the Future.”  Below is one of my favorites in Brooklyn, Iowa. (You have to drive off the highway and go into town to see it.) It’s a wonderful old creme-colored tile building decorated with vintage letters that spell out: Service Standard Oil Products.

A highlight in Brooklyn, Iowa

Downtown Grinnell also is full of great old signs – the big bright red letters on the curved marquee of the restored Strand Theater which still shows movies; the blue neon sign outside the Danish Maid Bakery on 4th street (opened in 1945 and famous for its “creme-filled coneys”) ;  the glass tile blocks spelling out Grinnell, Iowa on the facade of  an old department store that is now a bike shop, Bikes to You on Broad Street; the plain old-fashioned lettering of the sign outside the local newspaper, the Herald-Register. There’s also an old 1930s brick gas station complete with the old pumps – that now houses a 1950’s style soda fountain called Candyland Station and serves $3 sundaes.  It’s at 831 West Street.  The most remarkable building of all is the famous Jewel-Box Bank, designed by Louis Sullivan.

Past Brooklyn, on two-lane Highway 6 we drove through Ladora, Iowa – and a sign for the amusingly named convenience store, the Ladora Stora. (Geddit?) and then the old neon sign for a garage “York and Sons” that looked like the garage in The Great Gatsby. Also appreciated the neon sign outside the Sudbury Court, lighting up the roadside motel on a dark winter night.

 

Betsy outside Brooklyn (iowa)

 

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February 18, 2012 · 4:50 pm

off to grinnell and mount vernon iowa!

We are having the most unseasonably warm winter I can recall – which I know is ultimately not a good sign of our environmental health but it’s sure helping my mental health. So we’re off on a road trip, driving about an hour east to Grinnell College to see an exhibit by a guy who’s illustrating an “American Quran.” Afterwards, we’re driving about 45 minutes (I think) further east to Mount Vernon, a pretty little town that’s home to Cornell College and to one of our favorite restaurants in Iowa – the Lincoln Cafe. The cafe doesn’t take reservations – and it’s always busy on Saturday nights but one trick – which we’ll use – is to call at 5 p.m. and put our name on the waiting list.  The nearby winebar is closed for renovations – apparently it’s being spruced up for, among other things, live music.

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February 11, 2012 · 4:51 pm

A NYC restaurant that warms my Azkenazi heart!

When I used to work in a newsroom, once a year – right around Passover – I’d issue a blanket warning to my non-Jewish podmates: I will be eating something that looks really disgusting. But I like it – in small portions and only this time of year – so deal with it. It’s called (you guessed it) gefilte fish.

So news of a new restaurant in NYC, Kutsher’s, that makes its own gefilte fish automatically caught my attention (especially since I eat the non-homemade fish that’s packed in a jar, entombed in a grey-yellowish  jellied consume.) The NYTimes reviewer didn’t particularly like the restaurant’s gefilte fish but he gave a thumbs up to other eastern European Jewish favorites of mine like Kreplach soup and matzoh ball soup…so next time I’m in Tribeca (I was there last in September) I’ll try to find the restaurant – Kutsher’s (the owner is connected to the  famous faded Kutsher’s resort in the Catskills.) To see what I”m talking about check out:


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January 20, 2012 · 10:44 pm

southwest airlines comes to Des Moines!!

We interrupt this blog for an exciting long-awaited announcement: Southwest Airlines is coming to Des Moines. So reports Iowa Public Radio. Not many details yet – but Southwest recently purchased Air Tran, which flies from Des Moines to a few places. Now the trick will be getting Southwest to fly here, there and everywhere from Des Moines! And to fly relatively cheaply – in recent years we’ve found that it’s no longer the cheapest option when we’ve tried to fly Southwest from places like Chicago, Kansas City or Omaha.

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