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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April 8, 2012 · 3:23 pm

Roanoke Island in Outer banks – maybe it’s fate?

So when I googled “quaint, historic, duck, outer banks” (or something like that) to find a place to stay with our English friends, google sent me to some sweet cottages in Manteo on Roanoke Island, which as fate would have it turns out to be  the site of The Lost Colony –  a 16th century colony of 117 Brits that disappeared mysteriously. So perhaps this is the perfect place to visit with our British friends (a little re-colonizing perhaps) or not?

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April 7, 2012 · 7:35 pm

Contemplating a fall trip to North Carolina’s Outer Banks: initial pros/cons

A pal from London is attending a conference in early October in Baltimore and I promised to meet her for a road trip. One early option – visiting the Outer Banks, which I’ve never been to – and long wanted to see. After some initial scrutiny of maps, airline websites and guidebooks, here are my initial pros and cons:

PROS:

  • – Fall is ideal for a visit to the Outer Banks, especially since the summer gets so crowded. The weather and even the water, often, remains warm in late Sept/early October. (see hurricanes below under CONS)
  • – There appear to be lots of good options for renting a cottage or staying at a b&b for a few days (if not a full week) – which would be good if our spouses join us.
  • –  Gorgeous seashore (175-mile ribbon of sandy islands plus national seashore with sand dunes and old lighthouses) , lots of history (including English history, plus hiding place of the everyone’s favorite pirate, Blackbeard, where the Wright brothers learned to fly and site of many shipwrecks – hence its reputation as “the graveyard of the Atlantic), quaint fishing villages, stunning beaches, things to do/see and places to eat (Carolina BBQ for the meat-eaters among us. local seafood – clam chowder, crab cakes, deep-fried hush puppies.)
  • – About that English history: Near the Outer Banks on Roanoke Island is the site of Sir Walter Raleigh’s “lost colony.”  In 1585, this was England’s first permanent foothold in the “New World” – a colony of over 100 Brits (men, women, kids). This was the location of the birth of the first child of English parents on what later became U.S. soil. The colonists appeared to disappear and history vague on details although there’s some talk of a horrific drought. (More reading advised.)

CONS:

  • – The Outer Banks are a bit of a pain to get to (which is of course, part of their attraction) and pricey to get to. The nearest airport is Norfolk, Va. which is expensive to fly to from here in Des Moines and not so easy from Baltimore (it appears that a connecting flight is necessary) – haven’t check into London. Even when you get to Norfolk the Outer Banks are still 80 miles away. Nor does there appear to be train service from Baltimore to anywhere near the Outer Banks (although I have not done exhaustive research on this.)
  • So the best bet appears to be: for me to fly from Des Moines to Washington (much cheaper than flying to Baltimore) and we meet up either in DC or Baltimore and drive – about 5/6 hours. Long, especially by English standards, but we’ve survived these drives before (including a five hour drive from London to the Lake District with five kids in tow.)
  • – The possibility of hurricanes

HOTSPOTS:

  • – Duck, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, Ocracoke Island, Beaufort (Kitty Hawk to Nags Head sound overdeveloped), Nags Head architecture tours of old beach cottages;
  • – Edenton (nearby colonial waterfront town
  • WHERE TO STAY:
  • When I looked for oceanfront rentals, I found large modern beach houses – some very pricey. When I looked up “quaint cottage duck north carolina) I found some sweet looking cottages including http://www.vrbo.com/334384#rates (Midgett House in Old Town Manteo on Historic Roanoke Island)
    Neva Midgett House corner of Uppowac and Budleigh
    Neva Midgett House corner of Uppowac and Budleigh – Manteo, North Carolina Vacation Home Near Restaurants and Shops
  • Duck b&B: Advice 5 cents. (strange name, I know) wwwadvice5.com; Cottage rentals in Duck: sun realty, Carolina designs realty, duck’s real estate (www.outerbanksrentals.com) http://www.twiddy.com

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April 2, 2012 · 3:16 pm

Another sight to see when in Bentonville Arkansas

So this isn’t technically open for tourists in Bentonville, but the house owned by the director of Crystal Bridges – the new museum of American art founded by a Walton heiress – sounds definitely worth a drive-by, if I can find it when we visit Bentonville in late May.  There’s a story about the house in the April 1st  NYTimes’ Sunday T Magazine and it looks fantastic – a glass and limestone-brick home designed in 1954 by Cecil Stanfield, the same “Modernist” architect, the Times reports,  who gave a “Jetsons”-esque touch to Oral Roberts University in Tulsa (which I’ve visited twice – when Oral was holed up in his “prayer tower” during the late 1980s. Wonder if the architect designed the tower – or the strange sculpture of giant clasped hands nearby on the campus).

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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 26, 2012 · 2:09 pm

searching for a low-key decor b&b in eureka springs, arkansas

My eyes are blurry after looking at so much floral wallpaper, flowery bedspreads, dark heavy drapery, thick overstuffed couches, beds adorned with stuffed bears and walls with garish art, after searching online for a bed and breakfast to stay at in Eureka Springs. A hotel may be the way to go. I found several more low-key even hip options in “The 100 Best Small Art Towns in America” which I picked up at a used book sale last summer in Southampton, N.Y. I figure if they’ve got good art, they’re worth staying at (I am, after all, the daughter of art gallery owners.) I’ve reserved a room at the Basin Park Hotel (much cheaper rates if you do online although you can’t guarantee you’ll get a nice view or quiet room online.) Other options include  the Cottage Inn and the New Orleans Hotel.

So far, the best b&b options, decor-wise, appear to be Rock Creek Gardens – a cool old motor court motel with the outside walls made of dozens of small rocks – and inside relatively low-key tasteful decor; or 11 Singleton House, which I’ve read is also fairly low-key and run by a very knowledgeable local. I also spoke to the operator of 11 Singleton who books other B&Bs in town – and is a great resource for travel in the area – and she has put me on her list for a “maybe” single night stay during Memorial Day weekend. (Most proprietors, not surprisingly, want to book all three or at least two of the nights; She also said that people aren’t booking ahead as much as they used to – could it be in part because some places don’t allow cancellation without a penalty fee?) The Treehouse cottages – newly built wood tree houses in actual trees – also look pretty cool although again, I’d appreciate more low-key furnishings, but they’re all booked. Book a one night stay on memorial day weekend may also be a challenge.

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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 23, 2012 · 2:24 pm

To check out: the St. James Hotel in Red Wing, Minn. – ghosts and all

Friends spent a few days earlier this week exploring the area around Red Wing Minnesota, and recommend the St. James Hotel, where they stayed.  Good to know. In the recent past, we’ve done more exploring just to the east of the Mississippi River in Wisconsin, north of LaCrosse, Wi. in towns we really enjoyed including Alma, Stockholm and Pepin. Maybe it’s time to do a little more exploring on the Minnesota side.

When I googled the St James, the word “haunted” came up – apparently the place has a reputation for housing ghosts! More below from a 2008 story I found:

Ghosts linger in Southern Minnesota

Heather Edwards
staff writer

Armed with a copy of Christopher Larsen’s “Ghosts of Southeastern Minnesota,” I headed south to catch the last of the autumn colors and get into the Halloween spirit.

There are many supposedly haunted spots in Minnesota, and the southern part of the state is no exception. I decided to check out some of the ghostly spots; on the morning of my day trip, the skies were appropriately spooky, with fog enveloping the car as we drove down Highway 61.

My first stop was the St. James Hotel, 406 Main St. in Red Wing. According to “Ghosts of Southeastern Minnesota,” the hotel was built in 1875 on the remains of an Indian burial ground and has a long history of ghostly occurrences. For example, a new employee once walked into her office and found a note, written in childlike script, that read, “Who are you?” Later, she would find another note that read, “I know who you are.”

Was this a trick played by a fellow employee? Possibly. But the employee who found the notes kept sensitive information inside her office, and so the office was always locked. She was only one of a few employees who had a key.

In addition, chefs working in the hotel’s basement have seen faces – no bodies, just faces – staring at them. Housekeepers have seen something move in a nearby room, but when they investigate, nothing is there.

Guests have been affected by the strange happenings as well. In fact, several guests have left in the middle of the night because the blinds on their windows were flapping on their own accord.


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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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March 12, 2012 · 11:59 pm

Exploring Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood

Lincoln Square Images

I wasn’t entirely convinced that Chicago’s Lincoln Square neighborhood existed after my failure a few months ago to find it. But this time, my stepdaughter – an enthusiastic Chicago transplant, originally from Oklahoma – was on board to show me exactly where it is. And it does indeed exist and is a fun place to explore on a sunny afternoon (or any other kind of afternoon).  To get there from Lake Shore Drive, you take Irving Park west to Lincoln Ave (northwest) and at first there’s not much of great interest but then it gets more interesting as you get to Lawrence Ave (see map below), especially when you walk through the gates heralding the last block that has diagonal parking. Among the highlights in this neighborhood of well-groomed children and well-groomed dogs:

  • Krause Music Store, a landmark building designed in 1922 by  Louis Sullivan  with gorgeous ornate facade of grey-green terra cotta (see photo below). I’d love to see it at night – there are light bulbs embedded in the facade. Word has it this is Sullivan’s last work – and was recently renovated.
  • Gene’s Sausage, an old-fashioned sausage shop with lots of modern-day imported packaged foods from Germany and Eastern Europe. Long line at the meat and cheese counter. The baked goods looked yummy too.
  • A Secret Closet – a resale shop with such good-and-reasonably-priced stuff that every gal in our group (all four of us) bought something. I bought a necklace. My step-daughter, a dress; my daughter a shirt; and my sister-in-law, earrings.
  • Selmarie Cafe – cheerful cafe with coffee and pastries overlooking a pretty square where the well-groomed children and dogs gather.
  • Merz Apothecary, dating back to 1875, which very wide selection of lotions and potions. I asked in particular about my favorite scent, Bergamot (which stems from the oil of the Bergamot orange which is lemon-yellow and found in southern Italy and France), and was directed to no less than three items containing it. (Including lovely smelling soap.)
  • Davis theater, old-fashioned facade, up-to-date films.
  • There’s a lot more info at http://www.lincolnsquare.org including details about the annual “Spring Wine Stroll” on Thursday march 29.

    Lincoln Square Map

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