St Thomas, U S Virgin Islands Oct 15 – 20, 2024

St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands

Rest and relaxation on St. Thomas including night kayaking in clear-kayaks and LED lights around the bay viewing nocturnal marine life such as tarpon fish with T'Shawn. 

Bismarck, ND Oct 10 – 11, 2024

Bismarck, North Dakota

 Arriving on the last day of this road trip, I found Bismarck to be a lot larger than I expected but I could not find interesting places to visit.  The most interesting was North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum which includes extensive exhibits on the history and culture of North Dakota’s Native American tribes detailing the state's Indigenous heritage and history. My favorite exhibit was the When Dinosaurs Ruled. There were so many well lit, interesting dinosaur skeletons. The museum is located next to the North Dakota State Building, but the building did not look like a state capital building. It looked more like an outdated office building built in the 1970's. I explore the Bismarck Downtown Artist Cooperative and Alley 5.5, both were extremely underwhelming. Still wanting to explore, I decided to give the zoo a chance.  I hate zoos, but I was bored and the weather was really nice.  The zoo was exactly as I expected a bit boring and also underwhelming. Zoos are always also a bit sad.  However, some of the monkeys were very active which was nice to see.  Had dinner at Butterhorn, which had very good online reviews, but like almost every other restaurant I ate at on this trip, the food was just average. I ordered: Cheeseburger Orzo Soup (Grandma’s recipe, dill creme fraiche, sesame seed croutons); Dirty Martini Dip (Castelvetrano olives, bleu cheese, cream cheese, lemon, gin, vermouth, toasted focaccia); and Blue Crab Fra Diavolo (Lump blue crab, fettuccine, Calabrian chilies, pasta, vodka, fennel pollen, breadcrumbs). 

Sioux Falls, SD Oct 9 – 10, 2024

Sioux Falls, SD Oct 9 – 10, 2024

Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Spent the day in Sioux Falls, SD, and it was “interesting”! First stop: the Butterfly House & Aquarium, which was what I expected - lots of butterflies and some marine creatures. There was about 25 visitors there and a weekday afternoon, which wasn’t too bad.? Next I visited Falls Park and hence the city’s namesake. Ended the day with a walk through the SculptureWalk. The sculptures were very basic. Like someone in art school made them. After exploring, I had dinner at R Wine Bar & Kitchen. The reviews were good, and the portions were huge, just like every restaurant I’ve eaten at on this trip!! I only spent less than 24 hours Sioux Falls which was enough! 

Omaha, NE Oct 7 – 8, 2024

Omaha, Nebraska

Exploring Omaha, NE was a perfect mix of history, culture, and incredible food! Started the day at the Malcolm X House Site, reflecting on the life of a true civil rights leader. Then, took in some fresh air at the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge walking between two states! Hangout with my new friend  OMAR  (Omaha Metro Area River). He lives on the Omaha side, under the Bob’s Bridge which connects Council Bluffs, Iowa and Omaha, Nebraska. 

Stopped by the Durham Museum to dive into Omaha’s rich history before getting my art fix at the stunning Joslyn Art Museum. Best part of the Durham Museum was the Virtual Reality Dragon riding! And learning about  dragons, being Jane Goodall, and watch re-runs of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. At the dragon exhibit I learned about Adrienne Major, who includes dragons at in her research at Stamford University.  Best part of the Joslyn Art Museum was the contemporary art exhibit including an amazing Basquiat and the building itself. Of course, no visit is complete without strolling through the charming Old Market—cobblestone streets and all. 

The food scene here is okay but not great! I liked the plant-based magic at Modern Love  but the portions were too big. I indulged in some creative bites at Block 16, but again the portions were too big.  At the ended the night I dinned at V. Mertz, however, the steak was just okay, nothing compared to the Cattlemen's Steakhouse in Oklahoma City. 

Oklahoma City, OK Oct 5 – 7, 2024