Midwest Guest

Midwest travel links for February 2010

Here are a few Midwest stories I’ve enjoyed reading this past month:

• Those of you observing Lent may still be savoring the idea of that last taste of sweets until Easter. Join Becks Davis of Detroit Moxie as she travels to Hamtramck, Michigan, for the traditional Polish Paczki on Fat Tuesday.

• Sarah went Wandering Off and found this cool art installation on the University of Kansas campus. What do you think? Bewitching, bewildering, or bedazzling?





• I love visiting those funky and largely unknown museums that are unique to a particular city or destination. Check out this great list of unusual and unexpected museums in Cleveland, Ohio, at What Locals Like About Cleveland Plus—a list that includes Lake View Cemetery, which Midwest Guest readers may remember reading about here.

• Amy of A Closer Look at Flyover Land invites readers to join her for a perfectly civilized afternoon in St. Paul, Minnesota with an up-close look at the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

• Aimée takes readers of the Indiana Insider Blog on a tour of Bloomington, Indiana. Check out Indiana University, do a little shopping, and have a great meal to round out your day in Bloomington.

• Kath takes Great Lakes Gazette readers on a tour of Marquette, Michigan. See what makes this Upper Peninsula city a Distinctive Destination, according to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Northern Michigan University, Lake Superior shoreline, cool architecture—no wonder Marquette came in first among online voters among the Dozen Distinctive Destinations for 2010.

• Check out these ornate Lombard Lamps in Chicago, Illinois, on the Chicago Architecture Blog. The massive lamps are familiar to residents of Hamburg, Germany, where similar lamps have lined the famous Lombard Bridge in that city since 1869.

• Regular readers of Midwest Guest know that I have a special interest in unique bridges, so I have to include this story by Linda at Travels with Children about North Dakota’s Fairview Lift Bridge.




• Christopher of the Cleveland Area History blog began compiling a list of what he judges as the 100 most important Cleveland, Ohio, Landmarks and asks readers to help complete the list. There are some great places on this list, including Lake View Cemetery’s Wade Chapel (thanks for linking to my story about the chapel, Christopher). I can’t wait to get back to Cleveland to explore some of the places on this list.

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

Food for travel giveaway and more Midwest links

My father's good, Jack, had an April birthday, but Jack pretty much celebrated his birthday for weeks leading up to the big day--and for weeks after the big day.

Perhaps Jack's influence explains why I'm still celebrating the first anniversary (August 1) of Midwest Guest!

Besides, I had a lot of fun giving away my BlogHer kids' swag bags last month. Congrats again to Tracyn and Beth!

This month, the theme is food.

Pasties in Michigan's Upper Peninsula? Skyline Chili in Cincinnati? Fried whitefish livers in Wisconsin? Crawfish in Louisiana? Grits in Kentucky? Fried catfish in Arkansas? We love eating in the little local joints and eating local specialties when we travel.

When we're not on the road, we love watching shows and reading books about great regional road food finds.

Planning a road trip this year? Here's your chance to win a two-book package that should help you find the best eats from Maine to California--and everywhere in between.

I'm opening this giveaway up to U.S. residents who leave a comment on this post telling me about their favorite road food or roadside "joint" by 11:59 p.m. (Eastern Standard Daylight Savings Time) on Friday, October 16.

The winner receives two books: Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives by Guy Fieri and 500 Things to Eat Before it's Too Late and the Very Best Places to Eat Them by Jane & Michael Stern.

Fieri's book is the New York Times best-selling companion to his fun show of the same name on The Food Network. The Sterns' book includes tips on side trips as you're eating your way through the country, and mail order resources for some of their food finds.

Both books look like just the thing to whet your appetite for travel!

Only one entry per person. Midwest Guest reserves the right to eliminate entries that are rude or spam comments.

Meanwhile, check out some of these Midwest-related blog posts from other writers I've enjoyed reading this past month:

Minnesota Music Hall of Fame in New Ulm, MN-Linda starts us off on a musical note at Travels with Children as her family learns about Minnesota's musical history and an eclectic group of musicians with Minnesota ties that include Bob Dylan, Judy Garland and Whoopee John!

The Dequindre Cut: An Urban Gallery-Becks takes us on a tour of one of Detroit's newest greenways and recreational paths for walkers, runners and bicyclists and tells us about the cool graffiti art along the way.  Check it out at Detroit Moxie!

South Dakota's Black Hills Buffalo Roundup-James takes a look at the world of cowboys with this Man Tripping story about the annual Buffalo Roundup in Custer State Park, where experienced wranglers help thin the park's herd to a level the park can support over the winter.

Oh Dakota! Update on My Tour of the West-Reading about Gary's travels around the globe at Everything Everywhere is always fascinating, but I especially loved seeing his take on the Dakotas. Make sure you click on the Theodore Roosevelt National Park link in this post to see Gary's gorgeous North Dakota wildlife photos.

The Apostle Islands-Visit the pristine wilderness of Lake Superior as photographer Ian Plant of Mountain Trail Photo Blog explores the Apostle Islands in northern Wisconsin via sea kayak. Ian shares some stunning images of sea caves and Superior shoreline.

Kayaking at the Pictured Rocks-Move east into Michigan along the Lake Superior shoreline to check out northern_latitudes at Michigan in Pictures and click through to Tim's beautiful Pictured Rocks kayaking 2009 Flickr photo set.

Wandering on a Water Taxi-Join Farsighted Fly Girl Rosalind and her family as they explore Chicago via water taxi.

The Tiltons-Canadian photographer Sandi Wheaton embarks on a trip traveling the length of Route 66. Follow her adventures on pictureRoute66, especially through the initial leg of her journey as it takes her through Illinois and she meets the hospitable Tiltons.

Kansas Underground Salt Museum: the tornadoes can't get you here-Sheila of the Family Travel Guide takes us on a tour of a working salt mine 650 feet below Hutchinson, Kansas.

Ernie Harwell and the moment-I'll leave you with a particularly poignant goodbye as Billfer of The Detroit Tigers Weblog shares the moment when beloved baseball broadcaster Ernie Harwell thanked Detroit Tigers' fans and bid them adieu--and the fans, in turn, thanked him for many years of joy and expressed loving support for Ernie as he faces a foul ball of a health challenge.  

© Dominique King 2009 All rights reserved