Well, another day in Dodge City – and my question: Are there more liquor stores or nail salons in this town? Seems a draw to me – my son says liquor stores, I say nail salons. The most intriguing business award goes to a place just down the road from this nursing home called: Destructive Behavior Alternatives? Maybe the people who frequent the liquor stores are instructed to switch to nail salons. Or vice versa.
Category Archives: THE MIDWEST
Christmas in Kansas
I’m typing from the “bird room” at the nursing home in Dodge City where my in-laws live. The birds are quiet today – as is the rest of this place. Outside, it’s sunny and windy. No snow. The ground is hard, dry, flat, shorn of wheat so stubbly and tan. The sky is mostly blue with a few clouds. It always takes me aback how stark and harsh this landscape is, beautiful in it’s own way – so vivid and plain. You can really see for miles with little to block your view but a white concrete grain elevator or some unknown industry, liquid something-or-other, billowing out smoke. The “overlook” at the edge of Wyatt Earp Blvd. looks out onto a sea of cattle in a feedlot. No need to put “scenic” in front of outlook.
Wright, the unincorporated town where my in-laws live, about ten miles east of Dodge, even quieter than usual today. The only signs of life we saw during a brief walk this morning were a few dogs roaming around like the owned the place.
Filed under Dodge City, Kansas misc
Greetings from Dodge City
We had a bit of a scare outside of Wichita – when the weather suddenly took a turn for the worse and freezing rain caused several scary accidents that we passed by in the dark on two-lane Highway 54, with flashing lights from racing police cars interrupting the dark countryside. But other than that, our drive and the weather were fine. We stopped at what had been advertised in an Internet article as a “Shake Shack” in Overland Park, Ks. but it turned out to be the “Snak Shack” – same kind of food, quality burgers and homemade shakes and handcut fries, but not part of the New York City Shake Shack empire. (Why I thought there would be an offshoot in Kansas, I can’t tell you…) We stopped in Wichita at the N&J Middle Eastern restaurant and got take out gyros and falafal sandwiches which we ate en route in the car (beats stopping at Sonic for a hot dog and tater tots, although do always like a good limeade.)
It is windy but warm when the wind isn’t blowing out here in Dodge City. We had lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant Sabor Jaliscos – very good carne asada and flan. It’s very Hispanic out here – we actually listened to a radio station that had a Spanish song about Santa Claus. Ho ho ho.
Filed under Kansas misc
Driving to kansas for xmas – part three
Exciting topic, I know but best I can do today. We’re leaving earlier than planned and driving straight thru (a nine-hour trip to dodge city) rather than stopping overnight in Topeka) thanks to forecasts of snow and freezing rain in Iowa and Kansas on Friday. Good news is once we get to Dodge City should be fairly pleasant weather – highs in upper 30s, lower 40s – and maybe no ferocious winds like last year or major snows like years past. Will be warmer than Des Moines too which will be in the teens over the xmas holiday.
Meanwhile, stumped on where to eat in Kansas City en route. We’d normally eat at Gates or Arthur Bryants but BBQ isn’t an option for our family vegetarian. Oddly, I know where to eat more in Wichita or Salina than in K.C.Oh well, I’ll have 3 hours in the car to think up something.
Filed under Kansas misc
Driving to Kansas for Christmas part 2
What a difference a day and a few degrees can make – of course we still have a day left until we leave for our nine-hour drive to Dodge City for Christmas but as of a few hours ago, things looked better on our route at least – snow later than earlier forecast in Iowa and snow rather than the freezing rain earlier forecast for Kansas City and Topeka. But who really knows? Could have changed again in the few hours I’ve been out of my office. Anyway, on the road again. Happy holidays!
Filed under interstates, Kansas misc
Driving to Kansas for Christmas
Every year this seems to happen on the cusp of our nine-hour drive to western Kansas for Christmas with my in-laws. The steady drumbeat of meteorologists’ reports about impending doom (in the form of snow and/or the dreaded freezing rain). This year is no different, so as usual we have a wait-and-see attitude that includes keeping an eye on various websites from weather.com to the Kansas Department of Transportation (for road conditions.) We’re supposed to leave on Thursday at around 2 p.m. but now we’re being warned to leave in the morning if possible – but then we may hit freezing rain in Kansas. So maybe we’ll drive through Nebraska instead. Always an adventure.
Filed under interstates, Kansas misc
Urban Plains – “lifestyles of the flyover states”
For ideas of things to do and places to see and eat in the Midwest, check out Urban Plains, the new all-digital lifestyle magazine put out by Drake University’s senior magazine majors.It appears to be primarily about Chicago and the Twin Cities hotspots from what I can tell from a quick browse (not so much Drake’s hometown of Des Moines.) You can find it at /www.urbanplainsmag-digital.com/urbanplains.
And here’s a commercial on YouTube : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=baJwJ3E15AQ. (which to my surprise includes a shot of a well-known orthodox rabbi in Des Moines…)
Filed under Chicago, Des Moines, Minnesota
Three great fall drives – one obvious; two not
Couldn’t help but be amused by three perfect fall drives recommended by People Magazine. I’ve been on all three – which is not what many could claim, I’d guess. The first is a no-brainer: Highway 1, must-see stop: Big Sur. The second isa drive along the Mississippi River, with a must-see stop : Dubuque, Iowa, which is one of my favorite cities in Iowa (and this is a drive I wrote about for the New York Times travel section several years ago.) The third drive was even more of a surprise: Highway 50 through the middle of the country. Must-see stop: Dodge City, Ks. (With all due respect to my in-laws who live in and around Dodge, I don’t buy this one…)
Filed under California, Dodge City, Iowa, Kansas misc
salina, Ks.
Oh that I could share some of the secret charms of Salina, Ks. with you but alas we saw nothing of it but the inside of the Ramada hotel. Such is the reality of my husband’s family reunion. I did hear tell that Salina is the terra-cotta capital of Kansas – no small feat considering how much terra-cotta clads the buildings of Wichita – but I didn’t get to see it – or visit some of our favorite restaurants such as the Cozy Inn and Jim’s Chicken. We did stop today on the way home at Freddy’s – the frozen custard/steakburger chain we first discovered in Oklahoma which seems to be expanding across Kansas. (We last spotted it in Hutchinson, now it’s in Topeka and Junction City.) Very rich custard – maybe too rich. My stomach hasn’t been right since – and eating Gates BBQ, which we picked up in Kansas City, probably won’t help. But fortune favors the brave….
Filed under DINING, Kansas City, Kansas misc, LODGING
lawrence ks
Our $49,99 ($57 w/tax) hotel room in Lawrence wasn’t bad at all – spacious, clean, sort of soft beds but sleepable. There were some loud party girls at 2 a.m. but that’s to be expected. So for the record, the motel is the Virginia Inn. I’d stay there again.
we ate breakfast at Milton’s on Massachusetts – good hearty omelette and strong coffee then walked along the street in the blistering heat, stopping in at vintage shops and KU apparel stores. Kids got the obligatory jayhawks t-shirts although lily got her’s at a vintage shop.
we’re now at the ramada inn in Salina, ks. for a family gathering and this is the only sight I’m likely to see here.
t
Filed under DINING, Kansas misc, LODGING
TakeBetsywithyou 