I’ve been eager to return to my hometown (suburban Detroit) for a visit and here’s one more reason to do so before mid-July: new exhibition at the Detroit Institute of Arts is awe-inspiring, arriving as Detroit attempts to revive itself from financial ruin.
As a kid, I loved visiting the DIA and a highlight was Diego Rivera’s famous murals of industrial Detroit/America. Now the DIA has that and a whole lot more!
Filed under Detroit
Our friends Francine and Russ in London just returned from Ghent, Belgium and our friends David and Denise in Des Moines are visiting their son in Antwerp (Belgium)…sooo, here’s some travel suggestions from the Londoners (Francine) to the Iowans:
Filed under Belgium
I clicked on my computer at 10:01 this morning to get early bird tickets to this summer’s 80-35 Music Festival in Des Moines July 10-11 (rumors flying that among the performers will be Wilco and Jenny Lewis. That was enough for us) and secured them ($49 each vs. $59 each regular, which is pretty darned good for almost two days of live music). Ten minutes later I returned to the site and the early bird tickets had flown the coop. That was fast. Good to hear. click here for tickets. The lineup will be announced April 7!
This from 80-35 Facebook page:
Many lucky fans have already snatched up their 80/35 tickets. Our super discounted tickets and VIP passes sold out in under 10 minutes! The still-awesome deal of $59 two-day tickets are now available viamidwestix.com.
We have clearance to announce the lineup on Tuesday, April 7. We can hardly contain ourselves — so excited for you to see who will make 2015 one to remember.
We know those of you that take advantage of the early discounted tickets attend every year and that’s why you buy before we even announce the lineup. So THANK YOU, and we look forward to being able to release our lineup with you!
Filed under Des Moines, music festival
I was somewhat surprised to see Miller Union – the restaurant I ate at on Monday in Atlanta – among the nominees for best chef: Southeast from the James Beard Foundation. The place didn’t bowl me over but, again, not sure I selected the right things. The only Iowa nominee was Archie’s Waeside, a steak joint in the out of the way northwest town of LeMars, of Blue Bunny ice cream fame. Who knew? http://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/25/dining/the-2015-james-beard-award-nominees.html?smid=nytcore-ipad-share&smprod=nytcore-ipad
Centennial Park
Camellias near MLKings’s birthplace
We didn’t have much free time today (a work day) but when we did, I grabbed it, in part because the weather was gorgeous. And the trees are starting to bud. – pear trees, red buds, camellias, plus daffodils. I took a quick walk to centennial park which I found too vast and spread out. But I followed the street car tracks back to my hotel stopping against at sweet auburn market which didn’t have much in the way of light breakfast options but I did buy an apple turnover at the savory pie place. For dinner tonight four of us piled into a black SUV and drove out to Decatur, which was full of gorgeous old stately homes on vast lots with, yes, flowering trees. The downtown was bustling with restaurants. We had a really good meal at cake & ale (once we found it. We discovered the newspaper article I had about it was from…2012 and the place had since moved. Fortunately not far.) anyway, very good food, fairly simple but with just very fresh ingredients, cleanly served and prepared, with nice flavors.
Filed under Atlanta
Ebenezer BaptistMust say that the last thing I expected to see as I walked along an inner city neighborhood en route to the MLK National Historic site was a story selling “Jewy goods.” Say what? But sure enough, the little shop called Modern Tribe was full of the most clever Judaica (Jewy goods) and with Passover fast approaching, I couldn’t resist the matzohs patterned toilet cover that says “Let My People Go” although I didn’t buy the book “how to raise a Jewish dog” (although I was tempted.)
sweet auburn marketIt was one of several discoveries in the neighborhood, including the Sweet Auburn Market, an old brick building full of fruit vendors and butchers and take out places from afro Caribbean to soul food to arepas. I had an excellent pulled pork sandwich on Texas toast with the best sautéed brussel sprouts, at the BBQ place there.
On to the MLK sites, where I lucked into a last minute ticket on the last tour of the day inside the early 20th century house where MLKing was born and spent his first 11 years. Only 15 people tour the place at a time and is been told the tix were gone for the day (spring break here) but managed to…
Modern tribe.com
MLK Birthplace, Auburn StreetGet a tix when I was inquiring about how to get a ticket tomorrow. We had a terrific tour guy who told all kinds of interesting stories about the young “ML” including that his best friend when he was three was the son of a white family that ran a local business… Until the boys were six and the white boy suddenly announced that they could no longer be friends, his father had decided. That was a formative experience, apparently. The tour guide was blind which made him all the more impressive.
Sitting inside the Ebenezer Baptist Church, with a tape of MLKing giving one of his stirring sermons also packed a punch. I took the new streetcar (still free) over to centennial park but couldn’t quite get a feel for the place. Tonight I had dinner with a nice friend of my aunts at Miller Union. The food didn’t blow me away but not sure I ordered the right thing. Cool place though, kind of industrial chic meets southern porch.
Filed under Atlanta
We were disappointed to find the new Scenic Route Bakery closed midday Sunday — would have been a perfect place for brunch. But fortunately, Tacopocalypse was open – a little different vibe and menu but just fine. I had two small tacos (lemongrass pork was best) and my husband had a breakfast burrito slathered with the same kind of heartland white creamy gravy with bits of sausage that you find on biscuits and gravy in these parts. Not my thing but he enjoyed.
Filed under Des Moines
Check out Hotel Godfrey in River North – rooms starting at $109, reallly?
Filed under Chicago, Uncategorized
At the Public, Chicago
Coffee break, Eataly
Busy Saturday at Tank Noodle where everyone seemed eager to come in from the cold for some steaming hot Pho which is what I should have ordered instead so my usual Bun, which was not as good as I’ve had elsewhere. next time.
for dinner we had a nice quiet table at Francesca’s on chestnut for our party of six. not the best Italian food but a warm pleasant place with nice easy going vibe, good service and cozy environs. also with in walking distance of my aunts apartment, another plus.
We braved the cold (at least it was sunny) to walk to Eataly, which is always fun for the sensory overload alone. I picked up a loaf of the rustic orange bread and we had some overpriced coffees a t a very Italian feeling expresso bar.
Today we stopped for more coffee at the cafe by day/bar by night at the Public hotel, a high style place that used to be the ambassador hotel. quick trip but good to get out of out cabin for a few days.
Fireside, the Public
Filed under Chicago
The temperature gauge in our car kept sinking lower and lower as we got closer to the Mississippi River, here in eastern Iowa. At one point it dipped to a surreal -11 before climbing back up to still-nostril freezing -4. And as we approached the river town of LeClaire, an odd low hanging cloud — frozen fog perhaps?– sat low int the sky. we are bunking at the surprisingly comfy Comfort Inn, which actually feels a bit like an inn, with a crackling fire in the lobby and old black and white photos of the area on the wall. En route we stopped for excellent middle eastern grub at Oasis and found an old Dino at a Sinclair gas station.
Filed under Iowa, Uncategorized
TakeBetsywithyou
TakeBetsywithyou 