Our continuing family visit started with the St. Louis Missouri area and then on up to Omaha Nebraska... We watched movies at David II and Amy's home, ate a lot of food, celebrated July 4th and generally chilled out. Unfortunately for me, I had left my camera in St. Louis so I was hesitant to ask Laurie to take a boatload of photos for me to use with the blog site. Maybe some of you aren't all that unhappy over my little boo boo...
On one of the days during our visit, the plan included driving to downtown Omaha, wander through the relatively new park/activity area, and then have some dinner in a local Italian restaurant.
Amy and David II were goofing off when Laurie took this photo. Our son and daughter-in-law do know how to have fun together! Note: No 50 something year old adults were injured while performing on this 'dangerous' swing.
This activity area/park replaced a green strip along the edge of the center of Omaha that used to include a stream of water, lots of grass and trees. I'm told that this concept draws more people and more families to the downtown area as there is more to do. I preferred the old-time green park...but then again I am an old-timer.
The reimagined park/activity area butts up to the Old Market, a neighborhood located in downtown Omaha. Most of the area, including its old warehouses and retail spaces along with the brick paved streets, date back to the late 1800s, up through the turn of the 20th century. As you can see from the photo above, some buildings in the area come with old-time covered sidewalks. The Old Market is home to all levels of shopping ranging from art, to antiques...including books, some typical tourist items and some high-end stores as well.
The Old Market area is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an Historic District. To learn more about this neighborhood in Omaha, just go to https://oldmarket.com/ and/or to to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Market_(Omaha,_Nebraska).
It looks like Cinderella has been dropped off at the ball! I'm sure that this fancy all white carriage, (actually named the "Cinderella Carriage", has transported a lot of little girls...not to mention newly married couples. Tours cost between $45 to $160. Children under 12 are free when accompanied by adults. Website: https://www.mjcarriage.com/.
Street performers are not unusual in the Old Market area but we didn't spot any during this visit. So we wandered in and out of a few shops...and then it was time for dinner!
Amy and David II had selected Cibo Vino as our evening's dinning destination. Appropriately enough, cibo e vino in Italian translates to Food and Wine. Note the outdoor dining option. It's a chance for folks walking by to check out what you are having for dinner...but it also offers an option to folks who want to bring their dog with them...
Cibo Vino has a nice long bar with tons of alcoholic options lining that back wall. Despite my lack of photos, I can testify that this is a very large restaurant. The other news, which some may regard as positive, is that I didn't want to 'bug' my better half to take a bunch of food photos...so there just aren't any.
I can assure you that we ate well. Cibo Vino offers 'small plates', 'starter pastas', 'entree pastas' and then a variety of dishes they refer to as just 'entrees'. Items like grilled octopus, burrata caprese, spaghetti and meatballs (meatballs made with veal, lamb, beef and pumpernickel breadcrumbs), plus chicken, salmon, trout, shrimp and cioppino. Although not as good as some of the restaurants in St. Louis's Italian Hill area, Cibo Vino was quite credible. Learn more and check out the menu at https://www.cibovinoomaha.com/.
I just 'had' to include this photo of our son at work prepping food for a meal. I can't believe that we have a son that is old as he is! That must mean that I am really old!
Despite his age, David II is always thinking about his elderly parent. In this case, he knew just how devastated I was when I learned that Heinz no longer makes their ketchup with Tabasco variety. So David II searched his local market and came up with a couple of alternatives. I brought these 2 bottles home and have since stocked our pantry with this critical condiment.
Both Amy and David II are really into books. That works well for Laurie and I as we have hundreds of books ourselves. Knowing about their book fetish, on this visit we delivered over 80 hard cover books ranging from a set of the classics to a complete set of Mark Twains novels. This bookcase, and indeed the room, contains mementos and books that are family related. I spotted some of my dad's books, one of my mother's paintings on the wall and a small basket my mother made on the third shelf down at the left of the photo.
We're planning to bring more books and another piece of art on our next visit...
This rainbow seemed to be the perfect end piece for this post. It framed the family's pool as well as the trees lining the field behind them and the American flag was a bonus. Another great family visit!
Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...
Thanks for stopping by for a visit!
Take Care, Big Daddy Dave
That bookcase looks really impressive! Having a swimming pool in the yard seems very common in the states, is it? What did David II cook for dinner?
ReplyDeleteGood looking photos, and you both made a good sounding/looking post about family, old books, food (when not?) and new places.
ReplyDeleteLooks like a fun visit and a great rainbow shot.
ReplyDeleteThat bookcase really is impressive and wondering how it could possibly hold even more books, aside from the 80 you delivered on this trip. At one time, I did have a book collection, but now the books are mostly cookbooks, some hardly used and photo books, both on technique and just imagery of other photographers. The restaurant looks like it was a good choice based on the described food choices.
ReplyDelete