Exploring Newark and Patti LaBelle

Exploring Newark Locally 

Caseiro e Bom Gourmet House - Portuguese Hams! 

The Newark Museum of Art 

Five Corners Restaurant 

NJPAC - Pattie LaBelle 

Cassa Museo Luciano Pavarotti

Luciano Pavarotti was a renowned Italian operatic tenor who crossed over into popular music, becoming one of the most acclaimed tenors of all time. Born in 1935 in Modena, Italy, Pavarotti began his music career in the 1960s, making his debut as Rodolfo in La Bohème in 1961.  

Pavarotti sole over 100 million records, won numerous Grammy awards, and was  appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1988 ! He was also known for his charity work and performed with fellow tenors Plácido Domingo and José Carreras as The Three Tenors.  Pavarotti passed away on September 6, 2007, due to pancreatic cancer. 

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 It looked more like an outdated office building built in the 1970's. I explore the Bismarck Downtown Artist Cooperative and Alley 5.5, both were extremely underwhelming.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). 

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, Oklahoma

Oklahoma City, the Sooner State, is an iconic destination offering a unique blend of history, culture, and fun. When exploring the city, I checked out several points of interest such as the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum, which honors the victims of the 1995 bombing, and the Bricktown Entertainment District, Oklahoma Contemporary Arts Center, First Americans Museum, Myriad Botanical Garden, etc.  I had dinner at Cattlemen's Steakhouse. The steak was so good!! Some of the best steak I have ever eaten. I returned the next morning for a steak and egg breakfast.  Only other place I would have like to visited, but didn't have enough time was National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum. Lots to see in Oklahoma City! 

Museo Nacional de Antropología

Museo Nacional de Antropología 

Guggenheim Museum Bilbao

The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao is a museum of modern and contemporary art designed by Canadian-American architect Frank Gehry, and located in Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain. 

One of the most admired works of contemporary architecture, the building has been hailed as a "signal moment in the architectural culture", because it represents "one of those rare moments when critics, academics, and the general public were all completely united about something", according to architectural critic Paul Goldberger. The museum was the building most frequently named as one of the most important works completed since 1980 in the 2010 World Architecture Survey among architecture experts.