Midwest travel links for November 2012

Check out some of these great Midwest-related stories I read online during this past month:

30 Famous Architects with Designs in Detroit-Check out Dale's article at the I Love Detroit Michigan blog for a great guide to some of the city's best architectural gems. I've visited, written about and taken photos of many of the sites mentioned here, but there are plenty of other gems I need to check out myself!

Michigan Architect Minouru Yamasaki-I heard many lectures at DeRoy Auditorium, just one of many architectural gems on the Wayne State campus, early in my college career. I enjoyed farlane's post about this building and Yamasaki, who also designed the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York.

On This Day in Michigan: Traverse City State Hospital Grand Opening-Jennifer shares the story of a great Traverse City landmark at The Awesome Mitten blog. Designed by James Kirkbride, the hospital opened November 30, 1885 as a new model for treating the mentally ill. Today, the former hospital campus continues its innovative development as a multi-use community. Be sure to check out the gravesite of one of the hospital's most famous residents if you visit!

Hockey Night in Hamilton-The Cincinnati area has a proud hockey history and "Gordon" shares one of the more interesting chapters of the area's hockey history with the story of a unique open-air ice rink at the Queen City Discovery blog. The place is unfortunately gone, but you can still see a few ghosts of the Hamilton Sports Complex rink and its proud past with this story.

Crafting a Penrose Tiling-Ivan shares this story at The Mathematical Tourist blog about an intricate Penrose Tiling in the mathematics department at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Such mosaic-like arrangements take their name from the mathematician and physicist who began creating such works in the 1970s.

In 1977, I Sat for Gary Ross; Now, Let's Go on a Scavenger Hunt and Find His Sculptures!-Betsy tells the story of a very special gift. Her father commissioned Columbus, Ohio sculptor Gary Ross to create a clay bust of a then-seven-year-old Betsy. Then, follow her around Columbus to find other works by Ross.

On The Road With Bob Seger: 1969-1974-Great interview at the Found Michigan blog with photographer Tom Weschler, who was also Bob Seger's road manager during some of the earliest years of Seger's career. Includes some great photos and stories from Wayne State University Press book Weschler did with writer Gary Graff a few years ago-Travelin' Man: On the Road and Behind the Scenes with Bob Seger.

What the Heck is a Yurt?-OK, so I know the answer to this one, and now, thanks to Jesse, readers of the Things to do in the U.P. also know that it's a sort of fancy tent on top of a wooden platform. I'm not much for rustic camping, but I think I could enjoy a stay in a yurt!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland: 5 Winter Strolls in Traverse City-Mike takes readers on some of his favorite wintertime hikes at the Traverse City True North blog. We've visited Old Mission Point to walk out on the beach and geocache on some of the short trails nearby, and we've been looking at going back up to the Grand Traverse Commons to try the trail system there.

Geocaching Through Fort Wayne: What is it?-Heather offers a quick primer on geocaching and creating your own urban adventure or a quick way to get outside on your lunch hour at the Fort Wayne Insider blog.

Zaharakos for the Holidays-Nicole takes readers of her Arrows Sent Forth blog to Zaharakos for a special holiday treat. Zaharakos is an institution in the city of Columbus, Indiana, where generations of families have always gone to enjoy one of Nicole's favorite food groups--Ice Cream!

Soaring through Nebraska Aviation History-We all know that the Midwest is more than "flyover country", and LuAnn shares some milestones from Nebraska aviation history at her self-named blog. Charles Lindbergh learned how to fly in the state in the early 1920s, and the first night airmail service departed from North Platte (in a snowstorm!) in 1921.