Midwest Guest

Midwest travel links for April 2013

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I found online this past month:

Let's Move! at Conner Prairie-Our trip to Conner Prairie for its Follow the North Star program this past November was a dark, rainy and somber trip. Allison offers a peek at the sunny side of this interactive history park near Indianapolis, Indiana at the Doing Indy blog. We're hoping to return to Conner Prairie one of these days to walk through the park and see it during the daytime!

What should be done with the Michigan State Fairgrounds in Detroit?-Michigan sadly became one of a few states without a State Fair when the state pulled the plug on funding one of the nation's oldest state fairs in 2009. The old fairgrounds look pretty sad these days, but there are still some folks floating ideas to make better use of the property these days. Check out Sven's post at the A Healthier Michigan blog about a couple of these ideas.

The Big Stove at Michigan State Fairgrounds in better days

Joseph Moore Museum of Natural History-One mother found this museum the perfect place to take her two-year-old for an interesting and engaging field trip. Dinos, mummies and more kept her son busy, and free admission made the price family-friendly as well! Check out agray's story about her family's day at the museum at the Indiana Insider blog.

Children's Garden at Missouri Botanical Garden in St. Louis-Nicole shares another idea for a family-friendly museum at her Arrows Sent Forth blog. Her family, which includes two young boys, found visiting this museum the perfect way to break up a long road trip with lots of fun things to see and do!

Evansville, Indiana: EMTRAC-If your kids have a fascination with trains, this transportation museum should be a hit with them. Check out Adam's story about visiting here with his family, seeing a lot of cool toys, climbing aboard display trains and walking along the riverfront at his Visit Flyover Country blog.

Baseball, jazz and history in the 18th & Vine District in Kansas City-Baseball and music make for a perfect vacation mix in my mind (and brings back some great memories Tim and I have from a trip to Memphis to see the Red Birds and visit Beale Street), so I especially liked Scott's story about visiting Kansas City, Missouri to see the American Jazz Museum and the Negro Baseball Leagues Museum. Check it out at his Quirky Travel Guy blog.

Turkey Stearnes: a Detroit legend who starred in the shadows-Although this story isn't strictly travel-related, I thought it belonged on the list this month. I've heard of Turkey Stearnes and the Detroit Stars over the years, but he, like many other talented players throughout the years, received little recognition when he played baseball. Stearnes finally made it into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2000. Dan writes about Stearnes' amazing career at the Detroit Athletic Co. blog.

#ElCafeDe2013 Coffee Tip of the week: Opening Day Coffee Shop Style!-Aaron willing admits that he gets as excited about a coffee shop's opening day as many people do about baseball's opening day. Check out his story about a new coffee shop in downtown Detroit at The Adventures of elATLboy.

Wine Wednesday: Chicago's BYOB-If you fancy a glass of wine with dinner, you might find yourself bringing your own beverage to a restaurant in Chicago. Jennifer explains how Chicago's liquor laws allow many Windy City restaurants without their own liquor licenses to have BYOB policies. Check out her story at Jdomb's Travels.

5 Unique Things to Do in Indiana-Looking for something to do in Indiana? Anthony shares his list of fun things to do in the Hoosier state throughout the seasons at Travel City Breaks.

Michigan-River Raisin National Battlefield Park-We paid a quick visit to this battlefield in Monroe, Michigan on the way home from Ohio recently, but the Visitor Center was already closed for the day when we were there. Thanks to Terri at Travel 50 States with Kids, I got a peek at the park's visitor center and a preview of what to expect when we visit there ourselves.

That's it for this month's Midwest travel links list. Do you have any favorite Midwest stories or blogs to share?

© Dominique King 2013 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for January 2013

Check out some great Midwest-related stories I read online as we opened the books on 2013:

Things to do in Chicago in winter-I love winter and enjoy seeing people embrace the snow and cold weather when they travel. Visiting the zoo during the winter is always on my list of suggestions for things to do in the Detroit area, and Scott's great list of suggestions at his Quirky Travel Guy blog for things to do for free in Chicago during this time of the year includes visiting the city's Lincoln Park Zoo.

Chicago

Ice Climbing in Munising-If you're really adventurous, you might want to get up to Michigan's Upper Peninsula and try ice climbing. Check out the photo of an ice climber dwarfed by the massive ice formation in Munising at farlane's Michigan in Pictures site.

Ice Castles at Mall of America-Beth shares a she took with her family to see the mall's Ice Castles at The Vacation Gals blog. Unlike the usual ice sculptures created with snow or ice blocks, these structures start with organically grown icicles fused together to form a walk-through maze. Very cool!

Friday Freebie: Chook-Optional-You think the snow and ice are pretty, but you prefer to enjoy the beauty from the warmth of your own living room? Check out Kath's list of Web cams featuring winter scenes from around the Great Lakes. As Kath points out on her Great Lakes Gazette blog, this is one winter tour that doesn't require that you wear a UP "chook" (warm hat) or layers of winter wear.

Sip Michigan wines at new tasting room in Metro Detroit-Here's yet another warm winter tour option. Join Becks at Detroit Moxie for a visit to metro Detroit's Michigan by the Bottle Tasting Room to sample some of the state's finest wines.

Chicago Movie Tour-Check out this post at the Viator Travel Blog where Scott lists these Chicago sites seen in various big-screen films over the years, including one of my favorite flicks...The Blues Brothers! Scott's list also includes one of my favorite architectural sights along the Chicago River, Marina City and it's "Corn Cob" towers, which movie goers saw in The Hunter (starring Steve McQueen) and Nothing in Common (starring Jackie Gleason and Tom Hanks).

10 Soul Food Destinations that are Live and Kickin' It-Hungry? Mike shares a list of some of his favorite Indiana stops for Soul Food sure to warm you up!  Salmon patties? Fried okra? Mac 'n' cheese? Grits and greens? Fried chicken? Count me in! Check it out at Visit Indiana's Indiana Insider blog.

Exploring Cleveland's hipster hotspots (yes, hipsters exist in Ohio)-Adam shares the evidence of hipsters' existence in Ohio with readers of Travels of Adam. Explore Ohio City (home to the fab West Side Market), as well as the Tremont and Gordon Street neighborhoods with Adam.

West Side Market, Cleveland

Walgreens-Noel State Bank Building-Vitamins in a bank vault? Find them here! OK, so I know travelers often have to visit a drug store to pick up forgotten toiletries, tools for a quick road repair or snacks, but here is a drug store worthy of a stop just to see it. The guys at Designslinger take readers to this uniquely repurposed 1920s-era bank building. Read the fascinating history of the Noel family here, too.

The Capitol Building-It's been years since I visited Michigan's beautiful Capitol building, but Erin's story at A Beautiful Fiction blog reminds me that it's time for a return visit. Meanwhile, I'll read this story to learn a bit about the building's history and architecture.

Taking Hennepin Across the River in Style-Regular readers of Midwest Guest know that I love writing about (and reading about) bridges. This story at the Nokohaha blog caught my eye because the Keystone Bridge Company of Pittsburgh built the north half of the bridge in 1888, and the Wrought Iron Bridge Company of Canton, Ohio built the south half of the span in 1890. Unfortunately, the vintage steel arches had to make way for the current span in 1990.

An existing Wrought Iron Bridge Co. span near Ann Arbor, Michigan

Wild West Road Trip: Great Platte River Road Archway-Sonja writes about another famous span at The {Happy} Travel Bug blog. This archway spans I-80 in Kearney, Nebraska, but it is so much more than a simple span across the road. It's a history museum. Learn about the state's history from the 1800s pioneers crossing Nebraska in covered wagons and the state's development through to the present day. The bonus here for me would be to learn a little more about the Lincoln Highway!

OK, so that wraps up another monthly Midwest link love list. Do you have any other favorite Midwest stories or blogs that I should check out?

© Dominique King 2013 All rights reserved

Photo Friday: "Corn Cobs" in Chicago and Lego

I loved my Lego blocks when I was a kid.

Sometimes I think my simple sets of blocks, with a little window, sign or corner block thrown into the mix, required a bit more imagination than the ornate sets available these days that replicate landmark buildings.

I can't deny that seeing some of the larger buildings constructed of Legos makes for a pretty impressive sight, though.

We recently visited The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan to see the museum's Lego Architecture: Towering Ambition exhibit, and they had some great examples of Lego buildings that included some well known Midwestern landmarks.

Here's a closer view of the exhibit's version of the famous "corn cob" buildings in Chicago.

It's kind of fun to compare the Lego version with a photo of the real thing, which I took when we did the Chicago Architecture Foundation's River Cruise a few years ago.  Marina City is a 1960s-era mixed-use residential and commercial complex well known for its distinctive "corn cob" 65-story towers that fascinated me when I took the tour.

There's still plenty of time to see the Lego version at The Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan. The exhibit runs through February 24, 2013 and is included with museum admission.

Want to learn more? Find out more about Lego and their history by checking out Lego: A Love Story by Jonathan Bender or The Cult of Lego by John Baichtal. Learn more about the "corn cobs" by checking out Marina City: Bertrand Goldberg's Urban Vision, a book that's been on my Wish List for some time now.

All that being said, perhaps I should go build my Lego kit of Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater house!

Thanks to Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby for creating and coordinating Photo Friday to link travel photos and blog posts across the Web.

© Dominique King 2013 All rights reserved

Top stories at Midwest Guest, 2012

It's always fun to take a look at the top stories at Midwest Guest and how that list does, or doesn't, change over the years.

Here, in order, are the nine most-visited links at Midwest Guest in 2012:

1. Visit the Fiesta factory in Newell, West Virginia (originally published August 9, 2011)-I've always loved Fiesta dishes, and this is the story about our visit to the Homer Laughlin Company factory store in West Virginia. It's also a brief history of the company and the nineteenth-century pottery industry centered just across the Ohio River in East Liverpool, Ohio.
   
   
2. Photo Friday: The Thinker ponders life in Detroit (originally published April 9, 2010)-A photo feature about a cast of Rodin's statue, The Thinker, that became one of the best-known icons of a city once known as the Paris of the West. Today, the statue sits proudly in front of the Detroit Institute of Arts.
3. Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive at Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (originally published March 25, 2010)-I've done many stories about the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, and this feature about a scenic drive featuring sweeping views of the dunes, Lake Michigan, Glen Lake and the Manitou Islands seems to draw a lot of traffic especially as the summer months arrive and people begin planning trips Up North.
4. Photo Friday: Motown remembers Michael Jackson (originally published July 31, 2009)-I wrote this story about a unique Detroit memorial to the multi-talented entertainer shortly after his death in July of 2009. Even as Jackson has been gone for more than three years, interest in this story remains strong.
5. Indiana in a jar, Sechler's Pickles factory store (originally published April 30, 2009)-This story of one of our accidental discoveries along the highway in northern Indiana held the top spot for most-visited link at Midwest Guest for a couple of years after I wrote it. I'm not sure about the fascination with pickles, but I found the store pretty much the same when we visited there and replenished our supply of Sechler's Pickles a couple of months ago.
6. Chicago's Smith Museum of Stained Glass Windows (originally published December 17, 2009)-This was another accidental discovery we made when we visited Chicago's Navy Pier. Fans of art and Chicago's rich architectural history will find this museum tucked away between concessions, rides and boat docks along the pier worth seeking out.
   
   
7. Indiana's University of Notre Dame embraces "Touchdown Jesus" (originally published November 23, 2010)-This is one of the Notre Dame campus' most iconic sites for football fans and fans of the school's great architecture and art. The mosaic of Christ earned its nickname because of its location on the wall directly behind the north end zone of the university's football stadium and the figure's upraised arms, reminiscent of a referee's signal for a touchdown. I also discovered that the artist who created the mosaic created a well-known mosaic in Detroit as well.
8. Seven sensational Great Lakes National Parks (originally published April 28, 2009)-This post lists some of the Great Lakes' most beautiful and interesting National Parks.
9. Ghosts of Punderson Manor (originally published October 28, 2008)-This story is one of my earliest posts at Midwest Guest, but it remains one of my most popular posts over the years. It still draws the occasional comment from readers relating their own paranormal Punderson experiences. Punderson was also the subject of my first post at the Ohio Tourism Division's Discovering Ohio blog (published in August of 2001), where it still draws the occasional comment from readers about their own strange and unexplained experiences at the Manor.

Stories usually take a year or so the garner the cumulative traffic that puts them on my top traffic list, but here is my most visited story written and published this year.

War Dog Tribute stands tall in South Lyon, Michigan (originally published March 29, 2012)-This, like a lot of my favorite stories, came about when we stumbled across something unexpectedly in our travels. This story tell the tale of a unique memorial in metro Detroit honors some of the most unsung war heroes in our country and the volunteers working to restore and respectfully maintain the site to help preserve those stories.

© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for September 2012

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

• In Response to Matthew Power's GQ Article on ArtPrize-We love Grand Rapids' (Michigan) ArtPrize and enjoyed Tim's thoughtful response to Power's critical take on this west Michigan art competition at his Great Lake Guru blog.
  
  
  2011 ArtPrize finalist, "Rusty" by Ritch Branstrom
• Roller Derby-I remember watching roller derby on late-night television long ago. I became curious about the sport again as I noticed the resurgence of women's roller derby in recent years, and I became even more curious about the sport when I discovered that my hairdresser was a member of a local roller derby team. Hayley's story about roller derby at The Awesome Mitten blog is fun, and I suspect I'll have to check it out soon!

• Exploring the Merry-Go-Round Museum (Sandusky, Ohio)-Speaking of things that go 'round and 'round, Justin posts a fun story about this museum dedicated to carousels at his InACents blog. We've seen this building a few times, but haven't had a chance to visit it yet. Given my affection for carousels, this is a place that is on my list for sure!

• Family Vacation in Dubuque, Iowa-Julie files this report at Road Trips for Families filled with some great ideas for planning your trip to Dubuque. Riding the little Fenelon Place Elevator, a short and scenic railway, looks like fun to me.

• Experiencing Pinconning Cheese-It's easy to take Pinconning cheese for granted as it's always readily available in the grocery stores here in metro Detroit, but Nicole gave me a new appreciation for this Michigan treat with her story on her Arrows Sent Forth blog.

• Looking for something spooky? Old Hendricks County Jail awaits-Ericka takes us on a tour of this spooky Danville, Indiana landmark at Hendricks County's All Access blog. What's the spookiest thing about this place? In my opinion, it would be the rumor that the notorious killer Charles Manson spent a wee bit of time here in the 1950s!

• CLE Reads: Harvey Pekar's Cleveland-Amanda reviews Harvey Pekar's Cleveland at Clue into Cleveland, giving readers a sense of Pekar's life, work and why he was such an integral part of the Cleveland scene. I remember seeing the episode of Anthony Bordain's show featuring Pekar and think it, as well as the book, are well worth your time.

• Cincinnati, OH: Flying Pigs, Fountain Square, Purple People Bridge-Check out Adam's story about his family's recent visit to Cincinnati on his Visit Flyover Country blog. Adam found the city very walkable, as we did when we visited there, walking from Ohio to Kentucky via one of Cincinnati's many bridges over the Ohio River.
  
  
  Fountain Square detail
• Five downtown Chicago attractions worth seeing-Pola takes readers of her Jetting Around blog on a tour of downtown Chicago, and includes some of my favorite attractions in that city like Millennium Park and The Art Institute of Chicago.

• Chicago Avenue Water Tower and Pumping Station-We stumbled across this magnificent water tower building when shopping in Chicago. The crew at the designslinger blog post this story about the history of this nineteenth-century "castle", along with some really great images of the building.
• Trace your Indiana Roots-I first became aware of Indiana's Allen County genealogical resources when researching a story online, so I enjoyed reading about Emily's experiences there researching her own family tree at the Indiana Insider blog.

© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for August 2012

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

• Mapping the Motor City with Google Map Maker-Lori's post at Google's Official Blog tells the story of Todd Scott, Detroit's Greenways Coordinator, and his project to create a comprehensive guide to Detroit's biking paths and trails using Google's free mapping tool.

  
  
  Bicycling action at Detroit's Campus Martius
  

• John Pratt Mosaic House, Midland, Michigan-I already knew about architectural gems in this mid-Michigan city like the Alden Dow House (which is already on my Midwest bucket list of things to see) and Midland's many Dow- and Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired homes, but I discovered something else at the Eyeflare blog that I need to check out next time I'm in the Midland area.

• Replay: The Columbus, Indiana Values Proposition-Aaron files this rather lengthy report at the Urbanophile blog about this Indiana city, its collection of significant mid-century architecture and the interplay of people and architecture that gives Columbus its unique identity.

• Macy's on State-Marshall Field & Co. Building-Just as Macy's is still "Hudson's" in the minds of many people here in metro Detroit, the Macy's at State and Washington in downtown Chicago will always be "Marshall Field's" in the minds of many folks in Chicago. Check out this post at the designslinger blog about this Chicago landmark, its history and beautiful architecture.

  
  
  Marshall Field's, Chicago, 2005
  

• Kinzie Street Railroad Bridge-Chicago-I remember seeing this bridge and wondering about it when we took an architectural boat tour in Chicago. The intrepid "Gordon Bombay" saw the bridge and managed to get a closer look at it, filing this report at the Queen City Discovery blog.

• American Sign Museum in Cincinnati-The team at the Visualingual checks out this unique museum's new location in Cincinnati. Cool neon signs, vintage commercial statues and all sorts of other commercial signage are putting this place on my Midwest bucket list as well!

• Blues Brothers Return?-Carl from Chicago asks this rhetorical question at the Life in the Great Midwest blog as he spots a few scenes around the city that appear as it they came straight from one of my favorite movies!

• Indianapolis Collected: The Devil in the Circle City-I vividly remember reading The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson when it first came out in 2004. That non-fiction book about the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and a serial killer operating in the city at the same time was a lurid tale. Libby files the equally lurid and fascinating sequel to the White City story about the "Devil" once he moved his base of operation from Chicago to Indianapolis in 1895. Check it out at the Historic Indianapolis blog.

• 12 Lessons Detroit and Paris Can Teach Each Other-There was always a lot more to Detroit's turn-of-the-century image as the Paris of the Midwest that a few French-inspired street names. Tim explores the things that the City of Light and the Motor City have in common, and the things they can learn from each other, at The Great Lakes Guru blog.

  
  
  The Thinker in front of the Detroit Institute of Arts
  

...and here's a little break from this month's heavy menu of urban link offerings...

• Hike to the Au Sable Lighthouse-I hiked back to this lighthouse on Lake Superior in the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore during my pre-blogging days. We must have been there in 1996 as I remember the guide telling us we were the first group to see the Fresnel lens after its return to the light tower, and he noted the occasion by putting a star by our names in the guest book we signed during our visit there. I loved virtually revisiting this remote spot with Jesse in his Things to do in the U.P. blog.

© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved

Midwest music mix list #6: Illinois

Chicago seems to dominate the music scene in Illinois, especially when it comes the blues. Check out this list of music from and about Illinois.

• Stone Crazy-Buddy Guy was, like many of the blues artists closely identified with the Chicago Blues, born in the south, but the Louisiana-born blues guitarist, vocalist and songwriter moved to Chicago in his very early 20s. Buddy Guy's Legends, the Chicago blues club he opened in 1989, is a must-stop for blues fans. Rolling Stone ranked Guy as 30th on the list of "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time" and the song "Stone Crazy" as 78th in their list of 100 Greatest Guitar Songs of All Time. Guy still maintains an active touring schedule and recently released his autobiography, When I Left Home: My Story.

• Sholanda's House of Beauty-Shemekia Copeland is another southern-born blues musician that figures prominently in my memories of Chicago. We saw Copeland in concert at Buddy Guy's Legends a few years ago, and I fell in love with Copeland's song about her local beauty parlor. Legendary "Queen of the Blues" Koko Taylor's daughter officially named Copeland as the new "Queen of the Blues" at last year's Chicago Blues Festival.

• Mannish Boy-Many know Muddy Waters as the father of modern Chicago Blues, helping to popularize blues among British artists in the 1960s and earning the rank of 17th among Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. The Mississippi-born musician made his way to Chicago by his early 30s and remained actively performing and living near Chicago until nearly the end of his life in 1983. Mannish Boy is one of those quintessentially Muddy Waters' songs and covered by artists like Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, Hank Williams Jr. and Aerosmith.
• Rockit-I vividly remember this Herbie Hancock video from the early days of MTV, back when they actually played music videos! The disembodied mannequin parts and visual representation of turntable scratching jerked their way into earning five MTV Video Music awards in 1984. The song became a break-dance anthem and scored Grammy success as the first jazz and hip-hop recording. The Chicago-born Hancock is a musician, composer, bandleader and multi-instrumentalist across musical genres that include jazz, bebop, funk, R&B, electronic and classical music. His musical career started in the early 1960s and today he continues to perform and win Grammy Awards.

• Gone Gone Gone (Done Moved On)-Lest you think Chicago Blues is the only music coming from Illinois, I present the Decatur-born and Champaign-raised bluegrass-country singer-songwriter and fiddler Allison Krauss. The unlikely pairing of Krauss and Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant resulted in the 2009 Grammy Album of the Year, Raising Sand. I'm not a big country or bluegrass fan, but I loved this cover of the old 1960s Everly Brothers tune from that album.

• Mercy Mercy Mercy-The Buckinghams, at first glance, may have looked like the usual mid-1960s  bands, dressed in matching suits and sporting mop top haircuts, but I always especially loved their covers of soul songs like this 1967 Cannonball Adderly classic. The group disbanded in 1970, but members of the original group reformed the Buckinghams in 1980. I remember seeing the reformed Buckinghams in the mid-1980s. Members of the group continue to perform together at classic rock shows as well as pursuing musical projects individually.

• 1979-The video for this tune from 90s alternative rock band Smashing Pumpkins was a nostalgic look at teenage life in the titular year and won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Alternative Video in 1996. The band broke up in 2000. Frontman Billy Corgan and some members reformed the band in 2005, continuing to perform and record today.

• Kind of a Girl-Chicago-born James Iha co-founded the Smashing Pumpkins but opted not to rejoin the band when it reformed in 2005. Instead, he pursued projects like producing other acts and performing as a member of the power pop group Tinted Windows, which also includes members of Cheap Trick, Fountains of Wayne and Hanson. Tinted Windows is an idea that may sound like it wouldn't work to some, but I really liked the 2009 self-titled album.

• Thinking 'bout Somethin'-This 2010 song from Hanson (yes, that Hanson!) makes this list because of the clever video for it that mimics the "Shake a Tail Feather" number from one of my favorite films, and a Chicago classic, The Blues Brothers. Check out Weird Al's appearance as a tambourine player in this clip!

• (I Got Everything I Need) Almost-This track is from the Blues Brothers' 1978 "Briefcase Full of Blues" album. Joliet Jake (aka Chicago-born John Belushi) takes the lead on this song, which sounds like an old blues standard, but it's actually a cover of a song originally done in 1974 by the Downchild Blues Band.

What are your favorite Illinois songs and musicians?

Also, be sure to check out previous posts in this series that include music mix lists for Michigan, Ohio, Minnesota, Indiana and North Dakota.

© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for July 2012

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

• When You Visit Detroit, Visit the Fisher Building-Detroit has a number of great architectural landmarks dating from the late 1920s, including one of our favorites, the Fisher Building. I loved this feature at Visit Detroit's Experiences in the D about this Art Deco-style skyscraper (which also includes a link to one of my stories about the Fisher Building).


Fisher Building

• The Best Chicago Blues Bars-One of my favorite memories of Chicago was our visit to Buddy Guy's Legends club to see Shemekia Copeland (I especially loved her song, "Sholanda's House of Beauty"!), so I was thrilled to see Buddy Guy's make this list at Rosalind's Farsighted Fly Girl blog.
• Fort Wayne: My City-Aaron at the Urbanophile blog shares a link to a great video featuring a group of hip-hop artists from this Indiana city expressing a positive sense of pride in their hometown.
• Wayne State Walking Tour-I loved this collection of great photos and information about some of the architectural gems at my alma mater, Detroit's Wayne State University. Check it out on Cathy's Inspired D+sign blog (and be sure to click on the links to see the photos her children took during the family's walking tour of campus).


Wayne State University

• Art Institute of Chicago-Learn a little about the history and political moves behind the construction of Chicago's iconic Beaux Arts-style art museum at Jim and Mitch's designslinger blog. Also be sure to check out Art Institute of Chicago expansion makes "Second City" museum the nation's second largest here at Midwest Guest.
• Cleveland FREE Stamp: A Monument of Freedom-We've seen the FREE stamp in Cleveland, Ohio many times, but it was nice to learn a little more about this piece of public art and its history with Justin's story at the InACents blog.
• Greater Cleveland Aquarium: The World's Longest Underwater "Sea Tube"-I've yet to visit the new aquarium in Cleveland, but Traci of the Go Big or Go Home blog did! The underwater sea tube reminds me a bit of the Detroit Zoo's clear underwater tunnel in their Arctic Ring of Life exhibit.
• New Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail Opens Dunes to Cyclists, Strollers, Skaters and Wheelchairs-The Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore in northern Michigan is one of our favorite vacation spots. I've done the Dune Climb and hiked along the beach there, but it's great to see the opening of a new trail that will make this beautiful area even more accessible. Mike, a media relations guy at the Traverse City CVB, writes about the trail at the Loving Traverse City blog.


Sleeping Bear National Lakeshore

• Union, IL: Illinois Railway Museum-Adam and his family, which includes his train-loving son, had a great time visiting this railway museum about 45 miles from Chicago. Check it out at Adam's Visit Flyover Country blog.
• The Building that Changed America-I've always known the Detroit-area Northland Center as the first shopping mall, in the modern sense of the word, in the United States. It certainly was the first big open-air suburban shopping mall, and interestingly enough, the man who designed the 800,000-square-foot Southdale Center Minneapolis, billed as the first fully enclosed and climate-controlled mall in the United States, also designed Northland. Check this story about the Victor Gruen-designed Southland, and some cool vintage photos of the mall, at the Nokohaha blog.
• The Ohio State Reformatory-Ever see the movie "The Shawshank Redemption" starring Morgan Freeman and Tim Robbins? Then you may recognize this place! This old prison served as a set for the movie based on a Steven King book he early 1990s. We saw the exterior of this building and its gift shop as we were just passing through town and arrived too late for the tour, so I was especially fascinated to see this post with its spectacular photographs of the old reformatory at the Queen City Discovery blog. Photographer "Gordon Bombay" scored the opportunity to take a photographer-only tour that included many parts of the facility not available during public tours, and Queen City Disco readers score a rare glimpse at this iconic site.

© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for May 2012

I found a lot of great Midwest-related stories online during this past month, making it particularly difficult to keep my list to a dozen this time!

• El Gran Midwest Viaje-Author Stephanie Elizondo shares her Iowa road trip adventure at Around the Blog, visiting places like the Herbert Hoover Presidential Museum and Library, the ball field from the Kevin Costner "Field of Dreams" flick and Dubuque's Museum of Arts while sampling some Iowan cuisine and visiting a couple of indie bookstores.
• Prairie Avenue Bookshop Lives on as Art-I fell in love with Chicago's Prairie Avenue Bookshop when we found it several years ago, only to find that my first visit there would be my last visit ever. The architecture book store was one of just a few left in the country when it closed in 2009, but The Chicago Architecture Blog recently reported that Chicago-based artist Theaster Gates purchased the store's stock and used it to create a unique public archive on the city's south side. This article also links to John's report, Theaster Gates and the Prairie Avenue Bookshop Archive, on A Daily Dose of Architecture blog.
  
  
  
  Prairie Avenue Bookshop in 2009 (above)
  
• See Chicago Like Ferris Bueller-Need suggestions for an itinerary next time you visit Chicago? Follow Ferris Bueller's footsteps with Amanda at Film & Travel and check out many of the sites featured in this classic John Hughes flick featuring actor Matthew Broderick.

• Chicago's Top Ten Accessible and Economical Summer Hotspots-Check out Michell's post at TravelinWheels for some great ideas for your next Chicago visit, along with tips about parking, public transit and other information geared to assist travelers with disabilities.

• Happy Gwen Frostic Day!-A visit to author and artist Gwen Frostic's studio and store has always been a "must" when I visit Benzie County, Michigan (about a half hour from Traverse City). Gwen is gone now, but her artistry and words live on at her studio, and I was surprised to learn that May 23 is actually a designated as Gwen Frostic Day in Michigan. Check that story out at Michigan in Pictures.
  
  
  
• 12 Lesser-Known Michigan Inventions and Celebrities- What do Buster Keaton, Gumby, the "real McCoy" and Anthony Kiedis of the Red Hot Chili Peppers all have in common? Tim has the answer to this question at Great Lakes Guru with a fun list of people and places sharing a Michigan connection.

• Detroit history in Washington, D.C.: Alexander Macomb-Amy has a knack for uncovering stories about Michigan's fascinating history in the most unexpected places. Check out her story about Alexander Macomb, a War of 1812 hero and namesake for the metro Detroit county immediately east of my home. Check it out at The Night Train.

• Pavek Museum of Broadcasting in St. Louis Park, Minnesota-Linda takes readers of her Travels with Children blog on a visit to this fun museum where her family played a Theremin, competed in a quiz show, and created their own radio show in the museum's radio studio.

• Cleveland: Up-top Terminal Tower-I love seeing sites from a birds-eye view and taking photos from those high vantage points. Click on over to The Adventures of the elatlboy to check out Aaron's great shots of Cleveland, Ohio, taken from atop the city's historic Terminal Tower skyscraper.

• The Pictured Rocks Expert - An Interview with Bill Thompson-What is the best way to explore Michigan's Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore? Jesse's interviews local sports expert, Bill, who shares some great tips about kayaking, snowshoeing, camping, hiking, ice climbing and other unique ways to explore this beautiful area along Lake Superior at Things to do in the U.P.



Cedar Falls, Hocking Hills State Park
• Old Man's Cave-Hocking Hills State Park-We love Ohio's Hocking Hills area, and I enjoyed Raji's photo essay about Old Man's Cave at her Travelog. Raji's images of Hocking Hills State Park taken on a rainy day show the landscape's lush greens and velvety texture of the waterfalls to especially stunning effect.

© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved

Midwest travel links for February 2012

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

• Stars aligned for Seabiscuit in Detroit-Seabiscuit became one of the biggest stories in the world during the latter years of the Great Depression, a story many today know from Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand and the 2003 movie Seabiscuit starring Tobey Maguire and Jeff Bridges. The Detroit Athletic Co. blog has the story of how the team that rode this unlikely legend to success came together in 1936 at the Michigan Fair Grounds in Detroit.

  
  

• Meet Icy the Eagle, the Komets' Mascot-Visit Fort Wayne's Kayleen interviews Icy to find out his take on working for Fort Wayne's minor league hockey game. The sassy mascot sets her straight about his place with the team and his appeal with the...um...chicks!

• King's Island: August, 1974-"Gordon" shares some cool vintage shots of the King's Island amusement park just north of Cincinnati, Ohio on the Queen City Discovery blog.

• 3 Reasons to Visit Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in the Winter-I've seen quite a few nice shots of these gardens in spring, summer and fall, so it was especially interesting to read Britt's take on visiting this western Michigan attraction during the winter at the My Experience Grand Rapids Blog.

• "Ain't that America": One Indiana town that has avoided sprawl-What do Jim Davis, the cartoonist who gives Garfield the cat life, and actor James Dean have in common? They both have called Fairmount, Indiana home. Check out this quintessential Midwestern small town at the Rustwire blog.

• Friday Foray: Milwaukee Art Museum-I love unique architecture, so I've always wanted to visit Wisconsin's Milwaukee Art Museum. Meanwhile, I enjoyed reading about Kath's visit to this iconic museum at the Great Lakes Gazette blog.

• Ten Travel Tips for a Day Road Trip-Aaron is a traveler after my own heart in believing some of the best trips are the spontaneous little road trips that don't take a lot of planning. He does, however, offer a few tips at The Adventures of the elatlboy blog that can make things go more smoothly during your day-trip travels (including the advice to start out hungry so you can enjoy some great local cuisine like Primanti Brothers' sandwiches in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania!).

  
  

• Sandhills Morning-Check out some beautiful early morning photos of the Sandhills prairie and sand dunes region in north-central Nebraska at the Nebraska Outback blog.

• Mr. Potato Head at the Children's Museum of Indianapolis-Nicole and her two-year-old son have a great time exploring the exhibit dedicated to this classic children's toy at the Arrows Sent Forth blog. The exhibit runs through May 6, and you can also read a bit more about Nicole's take on it at the Indiana Insider Blog.

• Diana: A Celebration at the Mall of America in Bloomington, MN-Linda of Travels with Children attended the media preview of a special exhibit featuring personal effects of Princess Diana that include some of her childhood toys and letters as well as the fabulous wedding gown with a 25-foot-long train that she wore when marrying England's Prince Charles in 1981. The exhibit runs at Minnesota's Mall of America through June 10.

• 175 Ways to Love Chicago: 5 Favorite Ways to Experience History in Chicago-Ken offers his suggestions for exploring Chicago, Illinois, history that include taking the Chicago Architectural Foundation River Cruise that we enjoyed when we visited the city. This is one of a series of articles celebrating Chicago's 175th anniversary this year at the Explore Chicago blog.

  
  

© Dominique King 2012 All rights reserved