Category Archives: General

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Omaha’s Old Market

Located just east of downtown Omaha is a shopping and restaurant district called the ‘Old Market’. A favorite of hipsters, locals and visitors will both enjoy the cute stores and wide sidewalks.

As with most of Omaha, red brick is the look of choice. On the corner of 10th and Howard is the shop that caught my eye- Tannenbaum Christmas Shop. Any flavor and color of Christmas decoration and ornament you can imagine, along with other holiday decorations as well, fill every nook and cranny of this store.
Just next door is a candy shop. It’s a small place, but I loved the large open window along the back wall which allowed visitors to watch chocolates being made by hand.

In addition to scores of yummy chocolates the shop has lots of retro candy and hand made taffy in several flavors.

Walking around the Old Market you will find stores selling winter clothing, incense and Asian imports, gifts, trendy clothing and various sundries. There are several well recommended music stores, restaurants, bars and I even saw a yoga studio. It’s a great place to pass an afternoon!

Check out www.oldmarket.com for information on stores, restaurants and especially events.

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Skydive Houston

If skydiving is on your bucket list, maybe Skydive Houston is in your future.

Located in Eagle Lake, Texas, Skydive Houston is right between San Antonio and Houston. An 8am appointment is best, so stay at a nearby hotel if you like to sleep in.

After paperwork and a video you will be assigned to an instructor. The instructors are real characters- but they have all jumped out of a plane over 1000 times. After some brief instruction you will get suited up and off we go!

It is a quick walk to the plane and almost right away you are in the air. Seated backwards on a bench, clipped to your instructor, the plane gets you to 14,000 feet in about 5min. There is no time to chicken out-the back door rolls open and you are out faster than you can think about it.

The terrain below, mostly farmland, with at least one body of water, is nothing really special, but the beautiful Texas weather, and the wind rushing around you so fast you cant breathe, is amazing.

Have fun!

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Il Duomo Milan

It may be touristy, but Milan’s number one attraction is certainly not to be missed, even for the offbeat traveler. The main piazza, far from being covered in snow normally, is actually covered in pigeons and people trying to sell you things. Be careful! A man actually came up to me, tied a bracelet to my wrist and then demanded 5euro for the piece of string. I gave him 2 euro and said ‘go away’. I imagine that’s better than what most people do!

You do need to cover your shoulders and wear pants to visit this Cathedral, as you do for most Catholic Churches in Italy. So on my visit, although it was a scorching 90 degrees outside, I was wearing jeans and a short sleeve shirt. No tank tops ladies!

The facade is worth more than a cursory glance. Here is one of the many carvings on the facade. You can see that the hands of Chris in this depiction are bright gold (well, if my photography were better you could see), from pilgrims rubbing and touching them.

Inside, you may be surprised at how dark the Cathedral is. Indeed, the lighting was terrible for my photos! But after your eyes adjust you’ll be treated to stained glass windows, beautiful tile floors and three ornate altars. I particularly enjoyed watching people light candles. The tall pillars made a beautiful arrangement as they melted, all different heights.


By far the most amazing thing about the Cathedral is the degree of sculpture on the spires. You can get an up-close view of this handiwork if you take the stairs to the top of the Cathedral.

Yes, you can walk around on top of the building, overlooking all of Milan. Don’t take the elevator if you can avoid it, the journey up is wonderful. Take your time to admire the many statues of saints, intricate spires and of course the skyline.

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Exploring the Cinque Terre: Part 1, Getting there and Riomaggiore

Certainly the best way to visit the Cinque Terre is by train. The train from Genova Brignole to Riomaggiore, or any of the other cities, takes between 90 minutes and 2.5 hours. The InterCity (IC) train takes about 80 minutes, but the regional train works just as well and costs about 1/3 as much. These trains are only 4.80 euro each way, and have only second class, but they can be smelly and old. (I will post about the Italian train system later).

From the train you will pass many lovely homes. In spring their gardens are bursting with color, purple, red white, every window box is filled with blooms. It is summer now, and the gardens are still filled with beautiful flowers, Bougainvillea cover every wall and pour out onto sidewalks. The peach and beige homes contrast sharply with the green, lush gardens and bright flowers.

When you exit the train in Riomaggiore you can normally follow the crowd to the ticket office and tourist office, which will be to the right. The tourist office can be very useful, there they sell Cinque Terre passes, postcards, travel books and a few souvenirs.

 The tourist office is at a little piazza, where you can find this lovely mural and places to sit. To the right from the office is the city center, and to the left begins the Via dell’amore, the first leg on the Cinque Terre path. I traveled to the city center first.

A long tunnel with a blue ceiling connects you to the city center. All along the tunnel is a mosaic made from tiles, stones and shells, showing pictures of sea life. Following the tunnel you will reach fresh air and again have a choice- right to the marina and beach, or left to the city. I followed the stairs down to the marina, hoping to see a beautiful view of the city. Down this path there is a diving center which offers kayaks for 7 euro/hour and snorkel rental for 10 euro/day as well as scuba excursions. The Cinque Terre is known to be the best place for diving in the Mediterranean, and is a protected area.

The marina is tiny, surrounded by restaurants, and boats are perched all along the sidewalk, small beach and in the limited water. Tourists climb the jetties, perhaps they are trying to spot a whale! Dolphins and whales visit the area, usually in early spring. Walking towards the jetties you again have a choice to make – hike to the nature observation point, or go down to the rocky beach. The beach is quite well attended, despite the rocks, but this isn’t for me. I was feeling energetic so I started the hike up to the observation point. The walk is 25 minutes UP, and takes you above and around the beach. The walk can be a little hazardous, so like the whole path of the Cinque Terre, you should be wearing reasonable shoes and jeans if possible. In the summer it’s a bit too hot for jeans though, so I carefully avoid the thistle that lines the path. Parts of the stones are broken and falling down, and the path can be very narrow in some places.

After a set of grueling steps you reach a bench and flat area which hugs the shore again. Signs indicate native plants for those naturalists who speak Italian. After a few moments you reach a refreshment point and naturalist library, the perfect lookout point for whale spotting and a good place to take a break. The wildflowers are in full bloom in late June, and I’m particularly charmed with the bright red poppies. Around the back of the naturalist library I found a bench and a little cave, lit with lamps, perfect for a little extra exploring.  

Back down to the city I find many American tourists, and all the touristy things they appreciate. Signs in English say things like ‘coffee to go’ and ‘big pizza’ and I even see a self service lavanderia (laundromat), something very rare in Italy.

Through the tunnel again and back to the start of Via dell’amore, I am armed with my camera and my Cinque Terre pass. Let’s go!

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Good Food, Good Travels – Philadelphia’s London Grill

I was browsing pictures today and wanted to revisit some wonderful culinary experiences from the past year. Perhaps this is related to my rather bland diet lately, or an upcoming, highly anticipated happy hour tomorrow evening. Whatever the reason, enjoy.

The area surrounding the Phila Art Museum is crowded with restaurants. Not so much as in Texas, I’ve been told several times that Texas has a ridiculous number of restaurants, but there is still a lot to c hoose from. I selected London Grill, based on reviews from sources varying from Fodor’s to the girl at the info booth in the museum.  I thought it was a bit cold, but there were plenty of people on the patio.

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This place is split into a fine dining section, where waiters will ask you 16 times if you want to see the wine list, and a pub, where waiters might listen to you if you yell your drink order loudly enough. Apparently the burgers at the pub are great, though that’s a topic for another time. The food was overall fantastic – seafood wrapped in bacon, perfectly steamed asparagus, one slice of cornbread as an appetizer on a special little plate just for me. This place felt expensive (and easily could have been). Though I really enjoyed my dinner, I think I enjoyed the restroom more.

London Grill Bathroom

What a hilarious find! I would love to know the story behind that monkey, who stares at you while you try to fix your hair in the miniscule mirror. If I ever return, I’ll make sure to bring a man who will check out the men’s room for me, I’m dying to know if the monkey has a mate. Note: The bathroom is about the size the picture indicates. Tiny. Don’t bring your whole family in there.