Iowa Girl on the Go

My visit to the Greek Isles and Turkey last week started off badly.

Just as I was leaving the office on Tuesday to head home, grab my bags, and drive to the Des Moines airport, I learned that Chicago O’Hare had been shut down for several hours, effectively causing a cascading domino effect on flights nationwide.

Still, the DSM website insisted that my flight was still on time, and, indeed, it was still listed as on time when I arrived at the airport an hour later. Sadly, within a half hour of standing in the long and frustratingly slow line, my flight was cancelled. Two hours later, after no luck with the United gate agent finding me a flight – on any airline, through any combination of domestic and European cities – that would get me to Athens in time to board my cruise ship, my resourceful husband found a flight through Orbitz that would get me there on time.

All we had to do was drive to Kansas City.

So that’s what we did (thanks, Dave). I flew out the next day, not to Chicago and Munich as planned, but to Philadelphia and Zurich instead. I nearly missed my Zurich connection, which threw me into a full-blown panic, but I DID make it. They closed the door behind me. (I always hear stories about this, but it never happens to me.)

I made it to Athens on Thursday afternoon after having started out in Des Moines on Tuesday, and I was a wee bit tired and stressed out. So when I boarded my Oceania cruise ship Riveria, I cannot tell you how good my stateroom looked to me. I am not a cruise person at ALL, but this room had the comfiest bed ever, a seating area with a couch and chair, work area, lighted makeup mirror, a tub AND a shower, full balcony with lounge chairs, small dining area, and a walk-in closet. Plus, awaiting my arrival was a bottle of champagne chilling in an ice bucket, fresh flowers, a fruit plate, some small sweets, and a bottle of pinot noir. (How’d they know?)

Oh, and I had my own butler, which was nice but sort of creepy at the same time. I am not used to being pampered, and I’m uncomfortable with the whole idea of luxury.

As we cruised slowly out of Athens (goodbye, sorry I didn’t get to see you!) I went to a cocktail party hosted by our travel company. I thought the wine would taste great after such a long two days of travel, but instead it really just made me sleepy.

 

SANTORINI

I’ve been looking at pictures of Santorini for years. They always look the same: the blue-domed, whitewashed buildings on the side of a hill, surrounded by more adorable whitewashed buildings, a blue sky, and maybe a hint of blue water. It’s always picture-postcard perfect.

The reality is that the island of Santorini is super crowded when giant cruise ships anchor in its harbor. But it really is picturesque, and there are literally hundreds of outdoor cafes within walking distance of the dock (once you figure out how to get up the giant hill – your choice of 500 steps straight up, cable car, or donkey).

What I took away from my Santorini tour is that the island was created by a volcanic eruption, so it’s not a green island but rather dark and rocky, which makes those white buildings look even prettier. Also that a lot of wine is produced on the island as well as cherry tomatoes.

After the tour, I found a café with the to-die-for view above and availed myself of the local cuisine and a glass of Greek wine. And then took a ton of pictures, many of which, upon review, don’t even look real. Santorini is a real-life Fantasy Island.

 

RHODES

Another day, another Greek isle. This one offered an excursion to the Acropolis of Lindos, with its panoramic views and fabulous-looking ancient ruins dating to the 4^th century BC. After walking the 297 steps to the top (this was according to the guide – I didn’t count them), I took a donkey back down part way. I did not have “ride donkey” on my bucket list, but I thought it would be fun, and it was. I laughed the whole time. I’m sure the donkey (“Maria”) didn’t enjoy it as much as I did. It did occur to me, afterwards, that when I got dressed that morning I probably wouldn’t have worn white pants if I knew I was going to spend time on a pack animal.

Our group ate lunch at a swanky resort en route to Rhodes Town, where we toured the Palace of the Knights, the Streets of the Knights, and walked through a lot of tourist shops and outdoor cafes.

It was a hot, sunny day, and I got back to the ship in the late afternoon smelling of sweat and donkey. All the Febreze in the world would not make my clothes fresh and ready to wear another day.

 

KUSADASI, TURKEY

I ate breakfast in my room this morning, thinking it would be a luxury to eat out on my balcony, but the eggs were cold and the coffee was not as good as the yummy cappuccino in the dining room.

Today we docked in Kusadasi, and I took a tour of the nearby ancient ruins of Ephesus, known as one of the best-preserved ancient cities in the world. It rivals Pompeii, in my opinion. We toured the site, including the archaeological excavation of the Terrace Houses (above), decorated with ancient frescoes and mosaics. This was a cool place. Also, there were a lot of stray cats, which I enjoyed.

After the tour, I was forced to walk through a gauntlet of souvenir shops staffed by aggressive salespersons to get back to the ship in order to grab my iPad so I could check my email at a free wi-fi place near the dock. Turns out there were several, including a Starbucks with a rather spectacular view. I hung out there awhile, sending and reading messages, drinking great coffee, and enjoying the ambience.

After catching up on news from America, I wandered back through the shops and stopped for a local beer and some cheesy bread (Turkish pizza, left) at a smoky outdoor café called the Rainbow Restaurant.

Tonight I had a delightful meal on the ship in the Polo Grill, one of four or five high-end theme restaurants (and the only one in which I ever ate). I shared a table with two couples and also shared the bottle of wine from my room with them. Every course was tasty (the menu was meaty, so I doubled up on salads and veggies), especially the beet-and-goat-cheese appetizer and sautéed mushrooms.

I’m a party animal, so I was back in my stateroom by 8:30, ready for my jammies.

 

MYKONOS

Even with a gazillion tourists, this place is awesome. There’s a charming scene literally around every corner. You could eat and drink and people-watch for days here and never sit in the same place twice.

The day began with a walking tour (including a stop at a café for a sampling of mezedes or Greek appetizers and a glass of ouzo), followed by, well, more walking. It’s a very walkable place. Every building is painted white, and the doorways, gates, and doors are all painted in different colors: bright blue, red, green, etc. It’s very pretty. You can walk the narrow streets, sidewalks, and alleyways and try to dodge the vehicles using the same spaces. Everywhere you look, there’s a sidewalk café (but different from Santorini in that this town is more or less flat) with cute little chairs and tables, and there’s a nice variety of legitimate, low-pressure, good-quality shopping.

I walked until I found myself walking in circles and seeing the same places over and over again (didn’t I just take a picture of that orange cat sitting on the blue chair cushion?), at which point I plopped down at a busy outdoor café overlooking the water and ordered myself a cappuccino and a piece of baklava.

The dessert was delicious and about the size of a paperback book. It was so large and yummy-looking that the woman sitting at the table next to me asked if she could take a picture of it. I ended up sharing it with the four people at her table, eating a huge amount myself, and STILL taking leftovers back to the ship.

 

KAVALA

On this, the next-to-last day on the cruise, I took an excursion to the Old Town area of historic Xanthi (above) on the Greek mainland. It’s basically a non-tourist town, which was something of a relief, but when several tour buses rolled in, that sort of ruined everything.

We took a walking tour of the city’s architecture, which was pretty cool, and bought pastries at a local bakery.

Afterwards, I took a nap.

 

ISTANBUL

Today was the day I was really looking forward to. I’ve wanted to visit Istanbul for a really long time.

Our ship had been docking (or anchoring, depending on the location) by 8 a.m. every morning of the cruise. In Istanbul, we didn’t arrive until noon. I was chomping at the bit to get there.

But as we finally sailed slowly into the harbor, we had the most spectacular view of the city! I think Istanbul must have the most beautiful skyline of any city in the world, with its mosques and other historic architecture contrasted by more modern buildings in the “new” part of the city. I took dozens of pictures from the deck and from my private balcony of the famous Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and other wonderful buildings – it was a perfect view (above).

My first excursion promised to show our group “Ottoman essentials” and a peek at the Grand Bazaar. Unlike the other tours, this one was slammed with traffic not unlike New York City or Chicago. But the street scenes were very different, and even the sounds – like the calling to prayer – and the smells were unique. We were really in Turkey!

We visited a museum called the Topkapi Palace, located where the Acropolis of Byzantium once stood. I found it very crowded and spent my time wandering through the series of courtyards – but our guide said it really wasn’t busy, if you compared it to the real tourist season in the summertime. (He also said the traffic wasn’t so bad.)

We walked from the palace, past the Hagia Sophia, to the Blue Mosque, built in the early 1600s. As I sort of expected, the mosque looks more beautiful from a distance, when you can see the whole thing. Up close, it’s still pretty impressive. We were able to go inside (shoes off, heads covered with scarves) and see the gorgeous tiles in place over every surface of the walls and the many domes of the ceiling (above).

Last stop on this tour was the Grand Bazaar. I had not done any shopping on the trip, thinking that I’d find great stuff at great prices at this enormous district filled with more than 4,000 shops. As it turns out, I didn’t really have enough time to spend there, and I don’t shop well under pressure. The shops are repetitive: carpets, gold jewelry, scarves, leather goods, sweets, souvenirs. The jewelry was either very expensive or very cheap. I liked the look of the place, but wished like hell I’d shopped in sweet little Mykonos a few days earlier when I had time and the shops were friendly and varied.

Our tour lasted about four and a half hours, at which point the bus dumped us off at the cruise terminal. I hustled back to the ship for a quick bite to eat, then it was back to the terminal to hop on another bus for my “Istanbul by Night” tour.

This was an interesting three hours (7:30 to 10:30 p.m.).] I think I would have enjoyed it more if I weren’t already worried about having to get up at 2:45 the next morning and traveling 24 hours to get home.

This mostly-walking tour took us to three sections of Istanbul. The first was a walk across a fishing bridge with great views and lots of lower-end restaurants, followed by a visit to a mosque. Back on the bus, we drove to an area called Kumkapi (above). Wow – it seemed like so much fun. It was an outdoor-dining area just filled with one fish restaurant after another. People were eating, drinking, laughing, talking…the place was filled with music and a generally celebratory mood. It pretty much killed me to just WALK THROUGH this place and not stop for food and drink. Our next stop, in the newer part of the city, was similar in the sense that one restaurant was jammed up against the next, and everyone was enjoying their food and drink. They stared us as we walked through, led by our guide carrying the ever-present sign on a stick.

 

SO THAT WAS MY TRIP to the Greek Isles and a teeny bit of Turkey. It was too short, too superficial, and didn’t allow for drinking, dining, and strolling in the evening (the ship departed by 6 p.m. each evening except for the night in Istanbul). However, it gave me a nice taste of what there is to see in each of these locations, and a cruise is probably the best way to see the islands anyway. I’d now like to go back to Istanbul on my own.

 

 

The Natchez Trace Parkway – 444 miles stretching over three states (Tennessee, Alabama, and Mississippi) – has been a unit of the National Park Service since 1938 and officially completed in 2005. It stretches from Nashville, Tenn., to Natchez, Miss.

Yet when I mentioned that Dave and I would be visiting the Natchez Trace the first week in May, I mostly got blank stares. It seems that, at least among my friends in the upper Midwest, the Parkway is one of the National Park Service’s best-kept secrets. I mean, I guess it’s not exactly Yellowstone.

But this road covers essentially 10,000 years of history. It includes the historic land of the Natchez, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations, and as the early U.S. expanded to the west in the 1700s and early 1800s the Trace became a marked path. Walkers, horses, and wagons traveled the trail; it became a highway of sorts for the folks who floated crops and goods down the Mississippi River, sold them in Natchez and the surrounding area, and then walked back to Nashville. It also became a national post road for mail delivery between the cities.

Dave had visited portions of the Parkway a few years ago, but we were determined to drive the full 444 miles this time. We broke it down into three days: Nashville to Tupelo, Tupelo to Jackson, and Jackson to Natchez.

For three days we were transported back in time, surrounded by historic sites and natural beauty. On the Parkway, there are no stop signs and no billboards…only National Park signs and the occasional sign informing you that you are nearing the intersection of a “real” road, at which point you are welcome to hop off the Parkway for tank of gas, a southern meal, or a small-town experience. We viewed turkeys, wildflowers, songbirds, turtles, a great blue heron, and a dozen or more white cranes. Everywhere was green, green, green – with the occasional pop of a flowering tree or burst of wildflowers along the side of the road.

Day 1: Nashville to Tupelo, 184 miles

We started on Tuesday (after driving about 700 miles from Ames to Nashville on Monday). The northern end of the Parkway is just south of Nashville, and our first stop was to jump out of the car and take a picture of the Natchez Trace Parkway entrance sign (or terminus sign, depending on which direction you’re driving). We also picked up a National Park Service brochure that described the parkway mile by mile, which may just be the best NPS brochure in existence. I kept it unfolded on my lap, and we used it constantly throughout the trip.

That stop would be the first of so many that day. Here are just a few of the highlights:

• A double-arch bridge at mile 438
• A tobacco farm
• An area of the Old Trace on which you can actually drive (one of just two along the route)
• The gravesite of explorer Meriwether Lewis
• A walk along Sweetwater Branch
• Two waterfalls: Jackson Falls and Fall Hollow
• Rock Springs Nature Trail, a loop trail along Colbert Creek
• The John Coffee Memorial Bridge, the longest bridge on the parkway
• Indian burial mounds
• The Donivan Slough
• Confederate Grave markers along a section of the Old Trace (above)
• And many other historical markers, nature walks, and overlooks

This was a beautiful section of the Parkway. I learned that the road follows the original corridor but that much of the Old Trace has been overgrown and lost to time. The areas that remain are marked, and we walked many of them (and drove along one two-mile section).

Also, many of the historic markers designate buildings that no longer exist – such as the inns or “stands” that were built to provide lodging, food, and drink to Trace travelers. Other markers denote historic sites such as army posts, native tribal boundaries, and Civil War sites as well as interesting nature habitats. According to the brochure, the Trace crosses four distinct ecosystems and eight major watersheds. I’m no expert on ecosystems, but it was pretty fascinating to watch how the trees changed from one section to the next.

The weather forecast for Tuesday indicated thunderstorms beginning at 1 o’clock, so we kept expecting to run into rain, but we drove all the way to Tupelo without any inclement weather. Unfortunately, Tupelo had experienced a major tornado the previous evening, and much of the city was damaged. We tried to check in to the Fairfield Inn on the north side of town, where we had a reservation, but were told the hotel, while undamaged, was without power. We ended up driving about 25 miles north to the town of Booneville, where we found a Super 8 with an available room.

We were hungry after our long drive (we had neglected to bring along food for a picnic, which would have been smart), and we found a good Mexican restaurant in town. The restaurant didn’t serve beer, which we found baffling, but then again we didn’t see any bars in town, so maybe it was a dry county. We did find a small grocery store, where we bought some fruit and cheese to eat the next day.

Day 2: Tupelo to Jackson, 160 miles

We started the day at a Huddle House, where we ordered breakfasts much too large to actually eat. I did my best to get through about half of the eggs, hashbrowns, and raisin toast served with decent coffee by a tag-team of servers. Then we headed south to connect with the Trace at the same place we left it the previous afternoon.

I thought this section, while maybe not quite as scenic as the northern section, was the best. It included by far my favorite stop-off: Cypress Swamp. But I am getting ahead of myself. Here are highlights of Day 2:

• More Indian burial mounds and sections of the Old Trace
• Chickasaw Village site
• French Camp, a historical village just off the Parkway
• Kosciusko, birthplace of Oprah Winfrey
• Little Mountain Overlook at Jeff Busby Park, which is named for the Congressman who introduced the bill authorizing a survey of the Natchez Trace in 1934
• More short hikes
• A picnic at Holly Hill (above)
• Ross Barnett Reservoir overlook
• And the incredible Cypress Swamp

OK, so I loved the Cypress Swamp. It’s how I imagine the Everglades, though Dave says the Everglades don’t look like this at all. You can walk along a boardwalk and trail about half a mile through this water tupelo/bald cypress swamp, and it’s just the most beautiful, fascinating thing. Apparently there are alligators living there, but we saw none.

We finished our drive at about 4:30 and headed into Jackson, the capital of Mississippi. It’s a decent-sized city – maybe about the size of Des Moines. We stayed at the Old Capitol Inn a few blocks from the capitol (hence the name) on State Street. The moment we checked in, I truly felt like I was on vacation for the first time on the trip. It was such a relaxing environment! This historic, elegant inn had a lovely sitting area, dining room, and courtyard with a small fish pond, a fountain, and round tables with umbrellas. We timed it just right, because they’d just put out a platter of good-quality cheese, huge strawberries, and bread – plus, a bottle of white wine chilling in a wine bucket. Yes, please! We filled small plates, poured some wine, and sat on the patio for half an hour before even finding our room (which turned out to be lovely).

It turns out that State Street has the Victorian homes mentioned in our Deep South guidebook, and they were just a short walk away from the inn. All of them were very well maintained and seemed to be used for some commercial purpose, as opposed to private homes. It was too late to tour or visit them, so we headed to the capitol grounds, looked at the governor’s home, and then attempted to find some food and drink.

We found a very nice restaurant called the Parlor Market, which sounds sort of homey and southern but was more dark-wood and fancy. Most diners were men in suits, presumably at the end of their day doing important state government stuff. I was wearing sneakers, and Dave was in shorts, but they let us in anyway.

The menu was meaty, as are most southern menus, and quite pricey. We ordered a couple of Abita Ambers and studied our choices. Luckily the waiter was knowledgeable and assured me that the chef could prepare me a fine vegetarian meal if I was an adventurous diner, so I ordered the “vegetarian whatever” pictured at left. For 25 bucks I would have enjoyed receiving some bread or a side salad or maybe even dessert with my meal, but all I got was a plate of veggies and couscous…I think all together our Parlor Market meal was more expensive than all our other vacation meals put together. But it was nice, I’ll give it that.

Day 3: Jackson to Natchez, 100 miles

Breakfast this morning was included in the price of the room, and we got real silverware and cloth napkins. The buffet was better than average and offered biscuits and red gravy (pretty scary for a vegetarian) along with eggs and other breakfast items.

Today’s drive was much shorter, so we planned several off-the-Trace excursions. The weather continued to be spectacular, and we took our time visiting the historic sites in this section:

• A walk to a small cemetery
• Battle of Raymond site, part of the Vicksburg campaign
• Rocky Springs town site
• A wonderful section of the “sunken Trace” that had been deeply eroded due to heavy traffic and loess soil
• Mount Locust, a restored plantation and the only remaining “stand” (inn) on the Parkway
• Emerald Mound, a very large ceremonial mound from the Mississippian period

We got off the trace this morning and drove around the small town of Clinton and took a walk through the Clinton Nature Center. Later in the day we headed for the Windsor Ruins (above), which we thought would be close to the town of Port Gibson but it turned out that we took the LONG way there…but it was well worth the drive. Windsor Ruins are the remains of one of the largest antebellum mansions in Mississippi. It burned in 1890, and all that remains are 23 Corinthian columns. It was fascinating.

We arrived in Natchez with plenty of time to take in two National Park Service homes that are part of the Natchez National Historical Park. The first, Melrose, was on the outskirts of town. Melrose (above) is described as a “cotton kingdom estate.” The home was undergoing some renovation, but the grounds were spectacular, with a large lawn, garden, and huge oak trees.

The other home, the William Johnson House, was in town. William Johnson was a free black man in the 1800s and became a barber. Interestingly, he owned slaves to work in his business. Johnson kept complete journals that described his life from 1835 until his death in 1851.

At this point, we had completed the entire Natchez Trace Parkway and surrounding historic sites, but the entire town of Natchez is charming and historic. Homes along the Mississippi River and all through the historic downtown area just exude southern grace and charm. There are a number of historic walking trails, and you can easily follow one or more, with historic signs describing each of the homes along the route. Natchez is described as one of the most “historically intact” towns in the U.S., and I’d also add most beautiful. Home after beautiful home, with these huge, awesome trees! You could spend days looking at them all.

But, as usual, it was evening by this time, and we were ready for a beer and some food. So we checked in to our lodging for the night, the Natchez Manor Boutique Bed & Breakfast at 600 Franklin Street in downtown Natchez. Built in the 1800s, it’s really an inn, not a typical B&B. There’s a rooftop terrace and courtyard garden, neither of which we saw, and a piano bar downstairs, which we also didn’t visit. We walked the town instead, stopping for a beer on a noisy cantina patio and then settling down for dinner at a downtown restaurant, where we ate outside.

The road home

Our inn in Natchez was elegant and offered a free, hot, southern breakfast. While we waited for it to be prepared, I enjoyed the best coffee I had on the whole trip and gazed at a mural of a fictional market scene of downtown Natchez in the 1800s, painted by Mississippi Artist Ryan Portis. The breakfast came out, piping hot, consisting of a bowl of grits, real scrambled eggs, two sausage patties, and the most delicious biscuit ever made. I traded my sausage to Dave for his biscuit. And, once again, we got real silverware and cloth napkins. Take that, all you chain hotels with your crappy free breakfasts served on styrofoam plates with plastic forks!

At this point in our trip, we had a number of choices to round out our vacation before heading home. We considered heading to the Gulf Coast region of Mississippi or perhaps New Orleans. Both were a bit too far out of the way. I was advocating for driving straight up Hwy. 61 to Memphis, through the Mississippi Delta region with its blues and jazz history and southern towns. Dave had some Louisiana plantations on his wish list, and that’s what we decided to do.

We left Natchez and crossed the Mississippi River into Louisiana on an awesome bridge. I’ve already forgotten our exact route as we headed in the general direction of Natchitoches (pronounced, inexplicably, NAK-eh-tush), but at some point we saw a sign for a welcome center and stopped there for brochures to help us find what we were looking for.

Well, as I said to Dave, that was the MOST welcome I ever felt at a welcome center. The folks in the area were having some sort of milestone, so they were celebrating with a tourism fair, complete with live music, free hamburgers and hotdogs, cake, and good coffee. A dozen or more people welcomed us, helped us find the information we were looking for (the racks were jam-packed with every Louisiana brochure you could imagine), and offered us the aforementioned food, which we declined (except for coffee). I think we were the only visitors in the place; everyone else seemed connected to tourism. We thanked them all mighty kindly.

With our brochures in hand and our map highlighted, we headed for the Cane River Creole National Historic Park, which consists of two plantations run by the National Park Service: Magnolia and Oakland. We arrived at the Magnolia Plantation first; it consisted of slave and tenant quarters, the overseer’s house, a large cotton gin barn, and a few other buildings. I have to say this place was not real exciting. The plantation’s historic residence is private property and not part of the National Park Service.

Down the road, in between the two National Park sites, we were hoping to tour the 1884 Melrose Plantation. The brochure made it look really spectacular. Unfortunately, we managed to be there on the one day before the spring arts and crafts festival, and it was closed. Well, sort of closed. The home was closed for tours because vendors were setting up their tents and stands on the lawn, but we parked in the vendor-parking area and walked through the vendor entrance and figured we’d just wander around and take pictures until somebody threw us out. Which they didn’t. So we got to see the outside of the house and look at the gigantic trees and didn’t have to pay anything. Too bad the funnel cake stand wasn’t open yet…that would have tasted good.

So back on the winding road we went, toward Oakland Plantation. This place was really interesting, especially because the descendants of the original owners recently sold the home and property to the Park Service and still live nearby. We took a ranger-guided tour of the main house (interior shown above) and visited the gardens, overseer’s house, store, and other buildings. Eight generations of French Creole family lived and worked on the land; more than 100 slaves helped run the plantation in its heyday, and many remained on the property as farmers and sharecroppers after the Civil War.

By now it was about 2 o’clock and we were hungry, so we headed to NAK-e-tush, which is really a very cute town with a historic district that offered lots of shopping and dining. We found a restaurant and settled in for a nice meal followed by a homemade apple dumpling with ice cream. Yummers.

And that was pretty much it for the vacation part of our trip. The rest of the day was spent driving, and all the next day, too. It’s a long way from Louisiana to Iowa.

Total miles driven: 2,439

(Note: If you go, I recommend both of our historic inns. Our room at The Old Capitol Inn was just $99 plus tax, and the Natchez Manor was $125 plus tax. Both included breakfast, free wi-fi, and free parking. And here are a couple of good websites to help plan your trip: http://www.nps.gov/natr/index.htm and http://www.natcheztracetravel.com/)

 

Lucky Star’s Spring Market was today at Prairie Moon Winery in Ames. Gotta love an event where you run into lots of people you know…and everything is bright and fresh and springy.

The market had plants and flowers, jewelry and baby clothes, vintage finds and sangria. Apparently there was live music, but I got there too late. Still…lots of fun! I love this event.

 

I’m in New York, traveling with the Cyclone men’s basketball team as they prepare to play in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament at Madison Square Garden. I’ve become a super fan of this team this season, so I’m really excited to be here…and to have traveled with them on the airplane. I felt like I was surrounded by greatness the whole time.

In fact — funny story — I was sitting in one of the exit rows and the flight attendant did her normal query about our willingness to help in case of an emergency. We all had to say “I will” but I was thinking, OK, I have DeAndre Kane in the seat in front of me and two other extremely large men next to me and in the row across from me…seriously, what role will I need to play in a crisis? Um, just get the hell out of the way so these big, strong men can save us.

It took pretty much all day to travel here (bus from Ames to Des Moines, long wait in the DM Airport, flight to Newark, and a bus ride into Midtown Manhattan that took slightly longer than the flight). And then I had to stand in a very long line to check in to the hotel…meanwhile, I was checking my watch, thinking, OK, what is the chance that I will I have enough time to see a Broadway show tonight? Turns out I got my room key at 7:50. I left my bags with my boss (thanks, Jeff!) and literally ran down 7th Ave. to catch the 8 o’clock performance of Rocky the Musical at the Winter Garden Theater.

I arrived at the ticket window totally out of breath, begging for just ONE seat for tonight’s show…and luck was with me. I sat fifth row, just one seat off the left aisle — which turned out to be one of the best seats in the theater for the big, climactic fight scene at the end. The show was terrific — the story line (very true to the original movie) stagecraft, acting, and music were all just great — and I left the theater on a huge Broadway high. And then I remembered I hadn’t eaten anything since Des Moines, so I grabbed a slice of Ray’s pizza. Ah, I do love New York.

This may be the first time in my whole life that, going into the Academy Awards ceremony, I’ve seen all the films nominated for all the major awards: Best picture, director, actor, actress, supporting actor and actress, and original and adapted screenplay.

I’d say 2013 was a good year for films. Especially the last couple of months of the year — no surprise there, since that’s the Oscar playbook. But I wouldn’t say it was a GREAT year for films. Not one of the films nominated for best picture stood out to me as the BEST, just good. So I’m not even really that interested in predicting who will win or who SHOULD win, as is the trend.

No, this morning, sitting in my jammies, watching the Siberia-like landscape out my back window and sipping a pretend-latte, I’m going to take on the role of Movie Critic. I’m going to tell you what I think about each of these Best Picture-nominated films. Because they all have merits.

BEST PICTURE

• American Hustle is vastly entertaining, but the sum of its parts don’t really add up to anything meaningful. The best thing about this movie is the amazing acting ensemble: Amy Adams, Bradley Cooper, Christian Bale, and Jennifer Lawrence. You can’t take your eyes off any of them.
• Captain Phillips: Tom Hanks has played the Everyman and the Nice Guy for so long and we love him so much that we sometimes forget what a powerful actor he is. He alone is the reason to see this movie — and be prepared for a wild ride. His supporting cast is frightening and realistic. I left the theater literally shaking.
• Dallas Buyers Club: I have a predisposed dislike of Matthew McConaughey. He has made way too many stupid movies in which all he does is preen and smirk. I am not a fan, to say the least. And I was not a huge fan of this film. I thought the story was important, but McConaughey’s character was unlikeable and I didn’t think his HIV diagnosis changed him in the ways it really would have. However, it’s set in a critical moment in the fight against AIDS, and I appreciate that. I also appreciate that it wasn’t filmed as a big blockbuster — that would have been wrong. And supporting actor nominee Jared Leto should win for his role. In the end, I grudgingly have to give McConaughey credit for taking on a tough role and doing a great job with it.
• Gravity: I really hate movies that rely heavily on special effects. Generally this means that everything else is out the window: storyline, character, dialogue, humanity. So I wasn’t really too excited about seeing this film. However, I was wrong. I can’t ever remember sitting in a theater WITHOUT BREATHING for so long. This is one hell of suspenseful film, and you believe with all your heart that it’s really happening. This is no animated feature with a couple of actors on a green screen. Sandra Bullock is amazing as our hero who may or may not make it back to earth alive — all of her own volition. A big thumbs up.
• Her is a bit of an oddball film, which is my favorite kind of film. It doesn’t look big-budget, and despite the slightly futuristic bent, it’s not filled with special effects. It’s the story of a lonely man who falls in love with his operating system — and yeah, you really believe it and understand why. This is no ordinary operating system: it’s Scarlett Johansson on the other end of the line, and it’s a bit more like phone sex than any computer I’ve ever encountered. Considering the fact that she is never seen on screen, it’s a pretty amazing love story. Quirky throughout, happy and sad, maybe not Best Picture, but a great little film.

At this point I’d like to stop and complain again publicly that the Academy should have never expanded the Best Picture category. It used to nominate just five films, and you could bet that those films were some of the best of the year. Now, with nine or ten nominees, I feel like the category is watered down. But what are ya gonna do…

• Our next nominated film is Nebraska, directed by the wonderful Alexander Payne. I love this guy, because he tells nice, quite stories about real people. Quirky people in unusual situations. Think “Sideways” and “The Descendants.” His characters are so rich, and his films are really well paced. I highly enjoy them. He finds great actors to play his characters, too. “Nebraska” is filled with characters — quirky, unloveable, exhausted, sweet — just real people you’d meet in your own life. The film tells the story of an old man, Bruce Dern, who wants to end his life in a blaze of fame and glory by redeeming a bogus “You’ve won a million dollars” come-on he received in the mail. But that’s not really what the film is about. It’s about his relationship with his son (Will Forte, who deserved a nomination for Best Supporting Actor), his bitchy wife, his extended family — and ultimately, finding himself. The film is shot in black and white, which I loved. This is a quiet movie, maybe not Best Picture, but so very good.
• Philomena is another quiet film, rather under the radar. But it’s so worth seeing. The story line — an older woman (Judi Dench) is determined to know what happened to the son she was forced to give up for adoption long ago. It’s filled with surprises, with humor and sadness, and with one incredible performance by Dench.
• The Wolf of Wall Street: I can’t say that I really liked this film. It wasn’t as entertaining as “American Hustle” and had the same sorts of problems, only bigger. I didn’t care about any of these characters, and I despised their lifestyles. It’s actually pretty grotesque. But I’ve gotta give credit to Leonardo DiCaprio, because he gives one of the best performances of his life — and he’s given plenty.
• 12 Years a Slave: I feel like a bad person when I say that I didn’t love this film. Oh, it was good, for sure. It had strong characters, a compelling storyline, and some great acting. But somehow it felt like it was shooting for Most Important Film and Most Serious Film and Bravest Film to Make instead of just a great movie. It felt long, the editing seemed sloppy, and it was simply hard to, well, LIKE. It sure has a lot of Oscar buzz leading to tonight’s awards show, but it definitely wasn’t my favorite film this year.

THE REST

Shout-outs to Cate Blanchett in the Best Actress category for her work in Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine” and to the un-nominated “Saving Mr. Banks” (my favorite movie of 2013) and “The Way Way Back” (a sweet and wonderful summer film). I also really admired the Coen Brothers’ “Inside Llewyn Davis” for its morose portrayal of a folk singer in early-1960s New York.

Like I said, I didn’t love any of the nominated films to really root for one tonight. So I’ll just watch and see what happens.

SMALL IS BETTER?

Also for the first time this year, I got to see all of the films nominated in the Animated Short Film and Live-Action Short Film categories. These have always intrigued me, but I’ve never known where to see them (along with the documentaries and many of the foreign films). This weekend our local theatre showed the whole block of them, and I saw them yesterday. What fun! Viewed together, they were very LONG (about 4 hours, with a 10-minute intermission) but so unique and mostly fun to watch. Keeping with the “short” theme, I will briefly hit the highlights:

LIVE-ACTION SHORT FILM

All nominated from various foreign countries, these ranged from the hilarious “Do I Have to Take Care of Everything” (a very short film about a botched attempt to get to a friend’s wedding), to the longer, very serious “That Wasn’t Me” (a harrowing account of two doctors brutalized in a war zone) and “Just Before Losing Everything” (the tale of a woman and her two children trying to flee from her abusive husband). The very brief and entertaining “The Voorman Problem” is something like a Twilight Zone episode. My favorite, “Helium,” tells the story of a sick little boy and an orderly who helps him die a magic death.

ANIMATED SHORT FILM

Two of these were definitely directed toward children but were entertaining for adults, too. “Get a Horse!” is a Disney entry that was shown before “Frozen” in the theaters — pretty cute, but also pretty basic stuff. “Room on the Broom,” however, felt like a storybook come to life, with delightfully animated animals, a clumsy witch, and an increasingly crowded broom. I loved it. I also liked “Feral” for its storybook-quality artwork, but the story didn’t do much for me. “Mr. Hublot” had the best art direction, hands down, and the storyline about a strange little OCD man in some futuristic, industrial city who meets a little dog captivated me from beginning to end. The only one of the bunch I didn’t like was the Japanese entry, “Possessions.” That one may have been the longest 14 minutes of my life.

Happy Oscar watching!

Visiting a zoo 2 ½ hours away in the middle of winter is kind of a risky thing. How cold will it be? Will it snow? Will exhibits be closed?

We took the risk yesterday and went to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo, and nothing bad happened unless you count being a little cold dashing between buildings. This zoo is very easy to visit in the winter.

The first place we went was by far the warmest: the hot, humid Lied Jungle. I remember when it opened in 1992, and I think this exhibition really put the Omaha zoo on the map. It’s said to be America’s largest indoor rainforest and one of the largest anywhere in the world. The jungle is home to monkeys, a pygmy hippo, macaws and other birds, snakes, and other animals. The rainforest represents plants and animals from South America, Asia, and Africa. With rope bridges, huge plants, a jungle floor, and waterfalls, this place all by itself is worth the price of admission.

Next we went to the Lozier IMAX Theater to see the Rocky Mountain Express, a film that tells the story of building the Canadian Pacific Railway (completed in 1885) and shows the beauty and power of the massive Canadian Rockies. (Other films now showing are Penguins and Kenya Animal Kingdom.)

From the theater, we scooted over to the Desert Dome – both the world’s largest indoor desert and the largest glazed geodesic dome. The dome houses a fair number of birds, mammals, and reptiles, and it’s a sunny place to be in January.

Beneath the dome is the wonderful Kingdoms of the Night, which opened in 2003, about a year after the completion of the dome. Kingdoms is the world’s largest nocturnal exhibit (the zoo seems to be big on “largest-in-the-world” exhibits), and it’s one of my favorite places at the zoo. I’m terrified of real caves, but I love the simulated cave exhibit with lots of active bats. There’s also a terrific swamp exhibit (I’m sure it’s the biggest one in the world), with active beavers, alligators, and bullfrogs. There’s even an albino alligator on loan from the Audubon Zoo in New Orleans.

Not far from the Desert Dome is an elevator that takes you to the lower level of the zoo – a warmer and less strenuous way to get there for sure. We walked through Gorilla Valley and out the other side to Expedition Madagascar, which I’d never visited before. Opened May 2010, the indoor exhibit features many species of animals endemic to that country: ringtailed lemurs, birds, fish, reptiles, and small mammals. This exhibition is not hold the knock-your-socks-off appeal of the Lied Jungle nor the Desert Dome, but it’s well done.

From Madagascar, we went to another of my favorite places at the zoo: the Scott Aquarium, with its amazing sea turtles, rays, sharks, penguins, coral reefs, and more. Of all the places we visited at the zoo, this was the only one that felt a tiny bit crowded. But, of course, it’s nothing like visiting in July.

If you go to the Omaha zoo now through March, admission is $13.50 for adults and $9.00 for kids (a discount from the peak season admission). We paid $18 each to get a zoo/Lozier IMAX Theatre combo ticket.

Of course, there are lots of animals we didn’t get around to seeing: polar bears, big cats, elephants, giraffes, etc. The “outdoor” animals are better viewed when it’s a bit warmer outside.

I took my own advice this weekend and went to the Des Moines Art Center — a very nice getaway during the winter — or anytime, really, if you like modern art. I was especially excited to eat lunch at the new Baru at the Art Center restaurant.

The restaurant opened under new management last September. David Baruthio, who is co-owner and chef of Baru 66, is the chef and manager of the Art Center cafe. Baruthio also just opened Blue Tomato Kitchen in West Des Moines — to great fanfare and lots of chatter among Iowa foodies.

So I had extremely high hopes for lunch at the Art Center, and I have to say I was somewhat disappointed. I really wanted to love this place, but it was just so-so.

To start with, the atmosphere could be improved with new tables and chairs and a bit of cleaning. I thought the place looked messy, and my table was sticky. Not a good way to start a meal. The plastic-and-metal chairs would have been more at home in a school cafeteria.

The menu seemed good, with plenty of vegetarian options and even items for vegan and gluten-free diners. I was eyeing the heirloom tomato salad, but it wasn’t available — probably because good tomatoes are hard to find in January. I ordered the red beet salad instead ($9), plus a cup of carrot-ginger soup ($4). Other menu items that tempted me were the toasted cheese and fig sandwich, pasta marinara, and the three-cheese plate. My dining companion ordered the chef’s casserole ($14), which was not so much a casserole as a bowl filled with odd, bite-sized items (steak, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, bacon, and salad greens) and a fried egg on top.

My salad was very good. I wish it would have been bigger. The red beets were topped with fresh greens, red and green onions, and goat cheese, with a tasty dressing. The soup was bland and too chunky for my taste.

Afterward, I was still hungry, so when the server suggested the day’s featured dessert — a caramel mocha panna cotta — I eagerly agreed. Unfortunately, it sounded better than it tasted. The panna cotta was served in a jelly jar, making it a bit hard to eat, plus it was overwhelmed by whipped cream with chocolate bits.

Like I said, I really wanted to love this place, but I left feeling like all it just didn’t live up to all the hype.

Most months fly by at an alarming rate. Like: Whoa, where did September go?

But not January. No, January sucks. It always lasts about three months. All the fun, holiday-themed activities of December are gone. All we have left is darkness and cold and lots of time on our hands with nothing to do.

It’s very tempting to hibernate. I’ve been doing that all week, only going out of the house to work and the grocery store and maybe a movie.

So here’s a pep talk to myself and anyone else who hates January. Take control! Embrace the month! Here’s a list of things we should do:

DO THE ZOO

Winter’s not such a bad time to go to the zoo; just pick a day that isn’t bone-chilling. You’ll have the place to yourself, and there are generally lots of indoor exhibits to explore. Here are two zoos to consider:

• Blank Park Zoo on the south side of Des Moines is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. Some exhibits and activities are closed for the winter, but you can still see penguins, otters, seals, lions, tigers, and more. You can also visit the Discovery Center and view rhinos indoors.
• Just across the state line in Omaha is the world-class Henry Doorly Zoo.  Now through February, the zoo is open 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and the buildings stay open until 5 p.m. Only a few exhibits are closed for the winter, so you can enjoy much of the zoo without the summer crowd. If it’s really cold, just stay inside and explore the Desert Dome, Kingdoms of the Night, the amazing Lied Jungle, the aquarium, and other indoor exhibits.

GET OUTSIDE

Unless it’s minus 9 degrees (the forecast for tomorrow), get off the couch and enjoy the Iowa winter. Here are just a few things you could do:

• Ice skate: Brenton Skating Plaza is open 7 days a week in downtown Des Moines. In Dubuque, the outdoor ice rinks are flooded in Allison-Henderson Park through Feb. 15. Skating on Clear Lake’s Marion Park ice skating rink is free and open to the public. Check local listings for ice skating in your community.
• Snowshoe: Snowshoeing is as easy as hiking. Choose a day in the 20s or 30s when there’s at least a couple of inches of snow on the ground, buckle on a pair of snowshoes, and you’re off. Head for any bike path that isn’t cleared, or go cross-country at one of Iowa’s many city, state, and county parks.  After a half an hour, you’ll have worked up a sweat. Reward yourself with a latte at a nearby coffee shop.
• Ski: Yes, it is apparently possible to downhill ski in Iowa. Seven Oaks in Boone County is open Wednesdays through Sundays in January. You can ski, snowboard, or snow tube. Check the website for hours.  Sundown Mountain Resort in Dubuque offers a variety of terrain and snowy fun for the whole family. At Mt. Crescent in Honey Creek, you can ski, snowboard, or tube in the Loess Hills of western Iowa.
• Ice fishing: Enjoy a morning of ice fishing on Bluebill Lake on Saturday, Jan. 11 in Mason City.  Or take a two-day introductory ice-fishing class at Legacy Learning Center at Briggs Woods in Webster City Jan 11-12.

FIND A FESTIVAL

Even in the dead of winter, you can still find festivals in Iowa:

• Winterfest in the Amana Colonies, Saturday, Jan. 25: Enjoy open-fire chili, ice sculpting, wine walk, ice skating, and much more.
• Eagles and Ivories Ragtime Weekend in Muscatine: Concerts, soup supper, eagle watch, and more, Jan. 24-26.
• Cherokee Jazz and Blues Festival:  Live jazz and blues and a Big Band dance in Cherokee, Iowa, Jan. 17-18.
• Brrr Fest in Coralville, Jan. 25, celebrates the beers of winter. Sample craft beers and winter seasonals from more than 40 brewers from across the Midwest, plus food and live music.
• Winter Dance Party, Clear Lake, Jan 30-Feb. 1, Surf Ballroom: Three-day festival features live concerts, dance contests, a family sock hop, and more.

 BASK IN THE GARDEN

Explore Iowa’s many botanical centers – most have indoor exhibits and are open year-round. Here are a few:

• Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, downtown Des Moines, is open daily. Check out Botanical Blues each Sunday or dine at the Trellis Restaurant.
• Quad City Botanical Center is open daily with a year-round Tropical Sun Garden, art exhibits, greenhouse, and butterfly habitat. Located in Rock Island, Ill.
• On the other side of the state, just across the Nebraska border, you can visit Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha’s botanical center. A spring flower show is on display beginning Jan. 13.
• Reiman Gardens in Ames features a conservatory and butterfly wing open daily to chase away the winter blahs.

GET ARTY

Iowa has some wonderful art museums, a perfect getaway on the coldest, snowiest winter day. Check these out:

• The Figge Art Museum, located in Davenport,  features American, Midwest Regionalist, European, Mexican, and Haitian art.
• Cedar Rapids Museum of Art offers the world’s largest collection of works by Iowa artist Grant Wood and houses more than 7,200 works of art spanning many areas, from Roman antiquity to the present
• The permanent collection of the Des Moines Art Center features 20th and 21st century works of modern and contemporary art. There are singular examples from other styles and cultures including the Renaissance, Impressionism, and post-Impressionism; and 18th- and 19th-century Japanese woodblock prints. The entire collection currently stands at over 4,800 works of art. While you’re there, check out Baru, the new Art Center restaurant. Yum!
• The Dubuque Museum of Art  features 20th century American art with an emphasis on American Regionalism.
• Blanden Memorial Art Museum, Fort Dodge, houses American 20th century paintings; European, Asian and American prints from the 16th through the 20th centuries; and 20th century American photographs.
• I recently learned about the Fisher Community Center Art Gallery in Marshalltown. According to this website, the Art Gallery houses an outstanding collection of original Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings.
• Iowa’s many public and private colleges and universities (Iowa State, Grinnell, etc.) also have wonderful art museums on their campuses.

SEE A GROWN-UP FILM

Unless you’re a 16-year-old boy, you’ll probably agree with me that this is the best time of the year for movies. Many of the year’s Oscar-worthy films get released around the holidays, and most are still around (or just trickling in) in January. Plus, movie theaters are warm and cozy – and movie theaters abound in most Iowa communities. For a list of 2013’s best movies, watch for the Oscar nominations on Jan. 16.

GO SOMEWHERE ELSE

Still looking for something to do? Try a new restaurant, read a book from your local library, or get caught up on your favorite TV series. Better yet, plan a 2014 trip. Half the fun is the planning, right? Plan your Iowa travels at http://www.traveliowa.com/.

If you absolutely can’t stand winter one more minute, grab the next flight out and head to a warmer climate. A round-trip flight to Miami from Des Moines International Airport starts at $486 – or $383 to Orlando.

Happy January!

 

 

 

Reiman Gardens’ current exhibit, Quilts and Barns for the Holidays, is a warm, natural display inside the toasty-warm conservatory. Stop by for tree-decorating ideas, poinsettias and other tropical holiday blooms, and the always-warm butterfly wing. I also love the gift shop — they have a great selection of garden- and Iowa-themed gifts, with affordable prices.

Reiman Gardens is located at 1407 University Bvd. in Ames. The holiday show runs through Jan. 10. Admission is $8 for adults, less for seniors and kids.

Shopping in small, local stores in Iowa can be tremendously satisfying. Especially at the holidays, with madding crowds at the malls and big-box stores, strolling down Main Street or around a small-town square is a welcome break.

I’ve devoted a considerable amount of blog space to this concept. I’ve shopped in local environments from Des Moines’ East Village to downtown Pella, from Ames to Winterset. I’ve found shops I love in Woodward, Decorah, and Kalona. I’d love to spend more time shopping in Harlan, Spencer, and Albia – and probably in many other towns I haven’t visited yet.

This weekend I shopped downtown Indianola. At first glance, the pickings seemed a bit sparse, and the courthouse on the square is one of the least impressive in Iowa.

But then I took a closer look.

I found Burlap & Roses (top), one of the most charming shops I’ve discovered in a very long time. Shopkeeper Beth Cort-Voltmer offers wares ranging from antiques to repurposed vintage to I-can’t-believe-it’s-new. Right now, the shop is filled with the most wonderful holiday things: Tin trees, ornaments, signs, pillows, and all sorts of other home décor, creatively arranged in a relatively small store on the southeast corner of the square. This is a shop I’d recommend to anyone who loves the cottage or vintage look. I can’t wait to go back.

Just a few steps away on the east side of the square is Welcome Home (above), another wonderful shop with primitive furniture and home décor, repurposed vintage items, and some new things. The shop is large, with plenty of space to view the items in home-like settings: a bedroom, living room, etc. It’s a super warm, cozy shop with some really great home decorating ideas.

I also visited Taylor Floral & Gifts Boutique (above), with plenty of holiday items, gifts, and cute baby things, including books and puzzles; JRené, a women’s clothing store; and the Painted Pony Gallery, an art and gift store. Other shops include Kerry’s Flowers, Adorn, and a few more I didn’t get to.

If you go to Indianola, there’s plenty more to do and see. Depending on the time of year, you could visit Simpson College, with its Des Moines Metro Opera, Farnham Galleries, and Kent Center galleries. Right now you can view the American Gothic-inspired “God Bless America” sculpture by Seward Johnson – I’ve seen it in Chicago and Dubuque, and it’s just a fantastic piece of Americana.

If you’re looking for recreation, Indianola has several city parks, including Buxton Park, plus Summerset State Park and Lake Ahquabi State Park are both nearby. The Indianola area has two wineries: La Vida Loca and Summerset. And, perhaps Indianola’s claim to fame, the National Balloon Classic is held there each summer (this year it’s July 25 – Aug. 2, 2014). The town is also home to the National Balloon Musuem.