They Keep The Lights On

When you think of Las Vegas, what comes to mind? Gambling and casinos? Nearly naked women and sinful nights? Quickie marriages (and divorces)? Perhaps. Myself, I always think about the lights. There's only one place that can even dream of coming close to being as bright and lit up as Vegas (that would be Times Square in NYC), and even that has nothing on the decades of art, science, engineering, and marketing that have grown into the iconic Las Vegas neon signs.

It's even brighter in person
Image from http://www.condominiumcentral.net/

But, what happens when these signs get old? Or a casino is demolished or renamed or rebranded?

Enter the only museum in America (if not the world) dedicated to the preservation of neon signs, The Neon Museum. Filled with the relics of by-gone Vegas businesses and eras, a tour here is like walking back through time. Many of the signs are in the process of being restored and refurbished but there are lots that are waiting their turn, giving visitors a close peek at the artistry and thought put into each sign.

To get here, my sister and I took the Deuce Bus to Stewart and 4th Street, then walked maybe 3 or 4 blocks to the Neon Museum. We were in a bit of a hurry (we were trying to squeeze this in literally a few hours before we were to fly back to Pennsylvania), but caught a 9:30am tour. Let me go on the record and say that at first I was grumpy that there were such odd tour times (a few in the morning, and a few in the evening- and that's it!) but having gone on the tour, I fully understand why. See, The Neon Museum is all outdoors-- in a desert. So halfway through our 9:30 am tour it was already near 100 degrees outside surrounded by huge metal and glass signs with little shade to be had. A tour at high noon would probably kill someone from the sun exposure!

The gift shop/ lobby of the Neon Museum....that's the only "inside" part you'll get

Pieces of the Moulin Rouge, Stardust, Lady Luck and others- that's all metal and a real sun folks.
It was HOT!!!

At night, the tour is a bit more expensive ($25 versus $18 in the day), but they offer a bevy of discounts for Nevada residents, museum professionals, students, etc. I wish we could have seen the tour at night, when the signs are lit up and you can get a taste of them in their former glory!

Part of the original Stardust sign- the rest is scattered around the museum

It sure FELT like the Sahara out there!

This museum is pretty new (only an official museum for about a year and a half now although the collection of the signs goes back for decades) and I am excited to see where they will go from here. They have a fundraiser going to raise funds to restore some of the more damaged signs (donate friends!), and they have a cool gift shop with lots of pop art-ish items, books, and art pieces. While actual signs themselves are not for sale (or the components of them), walking through the Boneyard (the exhibition space) gave me a feeling of ownership of these beautiful artifacts. What I loved most? That many of the signs and hotels of early Vegas were designed by women and African Americans such as Betty Willis who designed the most famous signs of the Strip including the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign (more on THAT in another post) and signs for the Stardust and Moulin Rouge, and Paul Revere Williams, the first documented African-American member and Fellow of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

Well friends, this is one of many entries I'll have for Nevada. I truly loved this museum, and hope that my lovely readers will support them on their fundraising effort! While I get the rest of these entries typed, feel free to peruse the rest of my Nevada (and other state) photos on Facebook, follow me on Twitter, and I'll see you on the next adventure!

My First Interview!

Hello all!

Today is my first day at work since my trip to Las Vegas, Nevada. I had a GREAT time! I have tons of photos already loaded on my Facebook page and blog posts to come.

In the meantime, I wanted to share a link with you all. On April 19th of this year, I was interviewed by one of my friends about this blog. We chatted for about an hour, and you can listen to it using the link below. Thank you so much for interviewing me Murjani, and thank you everyone who has supported me on this adventure!

Murjani's Miscellania 

Brontosaurus-sized Pork Chops

This will be a super fast entry- mostly because when I was at this location I was more focused on the person I was with than the actual location. It's a favorite restaurant of his, and I must say Cap City Fine Diner and Bar proved itself to be an awesome place.

At my friend's suggestion, I had the pork chops, and he had the meatloaf. What I got was a plate with two huge chops, with veggies and mashed potatoes tucked underneath. It was delicious, even though I would never be able to be a member of the "clean plate club" eating there! Too much food!

My pork chops

His meatloaf

Again, everything was tasty- and the staff (at least at the bar where we ate) was super nice. I was excited to see another citizen of STEELER NATION at the bar, and inadvertently entertained the entire bar area while trying to figure out the name of an old Tom Cruise movie (it ended up being Legend).

Again, thank you all for reading my blog. By the time you read this, I will be en route to Las Vegas! Enjoy your Memorial Day weekends, and come back soon!

As always, see you on the next adventure!

Photobomb!

If you haven't been keeping up with my blog consistently, you may not know that I have a thing for museums and old buildings- especially ornate ones. You give me a tourist attraction that somehow combines all three, and I'm in heaven! Hence, why on my adventures I always seem to end up in government and government-related buildings. Some quick examples off the top of my head: Rhode Island, DC, and some Presidential sites. Ohio is no different. I visited the Ohio Statehouse during my time in Columbus, which happens to be Ohio's capital.

It's a LOT bigger on the inside than it looks.

Now, as is my general habit, I emailed ahead of time to ask about pictures (they aren't OK every where, so I like to ask ahead of time to be safe. I also would like to avoid another DISASTER like the mansions in Rhode Island). I received correspondence back from a super friendly and helpful guy named Luke, who originally offered to give me and my sorority sister a tour, but had some personal things come up. Totally understandable and OK! So my soror and I went in hoping to do a self guided tour. There were three things I specifically wanted to see: The room dedicated to African-Americans, the room dedicated to women, and the main rotunda (in my experience, main rotundas are pretty dope).

Even if the pictures you take don't do them justice

So, rotunda and an atrium (!), check! No problem! There was a wedding party taking photos in and around the building (and understandably so- it really was a pretty place) but in trying to find the other locations, we hit a bit of a bump in the road. In walking back and forth trying to orient ourselves, I'm more than sure the couple will find two black chicks looking confused and tired in the backgrounds of a picture or two.

Eventually, through dumb luck, we found the room dedicated to the role of women in Ohio's political history. I didn't get a chance to browse in detail, but I thought the banners and displays were neat.

I wasn't able to find the room dedicated to African Americans though. On the map we were given, it seemed to be directly across the hallway from the Ladies' Gallery. However, what we found were a bunch of locked offices. Both the Ohio House and Senate chambers were locked even though no one was in them (in Rhode Island I was able to take pictures of their chambers since they were not in session). Also, the museum portion of the building was locked up and gated off. So I couldn't even enjoy that. There weren't ANY employees around the building (only near the doors and in the gift shop, it would've been helpful to have a guard or something in the main rooms like the atrium. Instead, we kinda blindly wandered around until we realized we needed to head back to our convention for the second half of our day. 

The locked up museum....

I did, however, find this amusingly upset elf that used to represent the Cleveland Browns.
Oh Brownies, how STEELER NATION laughs at you.
How is this supposed to be intimidating? HA!

On the way out, we (attempted) to ask the officer the fastest way back to the Convention Center- would it be faster to walk or wait much longer for the shuttle that was supposed to pick us up but was running late. I guess it was "tease a tourist" day and we missed the memo, because he kept giving us vague non-answers with a goofy grin on his face. By this point, we were tired, disappointed we got lost in the building, and running the risk of being late for a very important part of our conference. We ended up just walking away from this guy and his stupid grin and finding our shuttle- making it back just on time!

While I won't totally call this visit a bust. The people we DID interact with, save that last doofus, were super friendly. There were a lot of beautiful things to take in, we just wish we'd had time to actually see them all (or, have someone nearby that knows what they are talking about). If I'm ever back in Columbus, I'd try again.

Thank you again for reading my blog. Stay tuned for my next conquered state: Nevada!

As always, see you on the next adventure!

Sausage Fest - No, Not Like That

Again, many apologies readers for the delay in posts! I have this, and one more entry to fill you in for my third outing in Ohio for the blog. One week from today, I'll be in Las Vegas, and you can bet I already have my itinerary full of things I want to see and share with all of you. It's gonna be a party!

Unless for some reason you hate museums- in which case the party will look like this.
Image from http://santarosacru.blogspot.com/2011/02/departing-twelve.html

Speaking of guys at boring parties, let's talk about another kind of sausage fest- my time at Schmidt's Restaurant und Sausage Haus, or just Schmidt's for short. Every website and travel blog I perused while planning my trip to Columbus mentioned- and praised- this German restaurant.

Now, growing up in Pittsburgh (and you know, being Black), I grew up with what I consider the best of both worlds when it comes to comfort foods. The very best of soul food, paired with highlights of European immigrant fare (we've already established I love pierogies). It's nothing for me to dream of a meal with fried chicken with baklava for dessert. Or to eat pierogies and want a slice of sweet potato pie on the side. As much as I love the European fare I grew up exposed to, there are a few countries with cuisine I've just never been a fan of- Germany would be one of those countries. I just am not keen on the idea of eating sausage filled with blood. But. I was determined to try it both for this blog, and on the faith of dozens of random Internet posters that insisted I try it out.

Sausages on display when you first enter

I ordered the Autobahn meal, which for $15 gets you all-you-can eat access to a buffet of German sausages, sides, and surprisingly, fried chicken. I didn't eat much, but I think part of that was I had a raging headache while I was there, and when you are in pain, eating just isn't on your mind. I would have done better getting a regular meal, but I wanted the "experience" you know?

The Autobahn Buffet. It was near Easter, so that explains the ears and basket.

I went to Schmidt's with a (vegetarian) sorority sister. I'm sure there's comedic gold there with how to find acceptable food as a vegetarian in a place based around meat. But we were both able to indulge in what is said to be Schmidt's best item: the Jumbo Cream Puff.

I got the traditional vanilla, she got the mocha almond special

Man, listen. I wish I had gotten an extra one of these for the road. HUGE (neither of us finished ours), and a perfect balance of flavor and sweetness. Light and creamy filling, delicate pastry. These were amazing. One is certainly enough for two people, but we didn't know that at the time. They had other desserts on display at the front, but, no. Don't even waste your time. Get a puff. Any puff. And thank me later.

Across the street (well, if that tiny cobble stone path can be classified as a street...) there is also a Schmidt's Fudge Haus. Inside there are tons of handmade German confections. While waiting for our hotel shuttle to pick us up, we went inside. There was a man making fudge right in the shop. You could watch him work his magic in person- we didn't just because he informed us it is a time intensive process, and we only had maybe 10 minutes until our expected pick up time.

He's the fudge-maker

I bought my grandmother four "turtles" candies, two with caramel and two without. I only bought four because they (like everything else in that area) were super huge and heavy- and they sell the handmade candies by weight. (And I'm starting to wonder why I didn't take a picture of them....) She loved them, saying they reminded her of the way they used to make candy when she was a kid (keep in mind my grandmother was born in 1922). 

Some tips and advice if you are going to come to Schmidt's. First and foremost- come early. My soror and I arrived RIGHT at 11 when they opened and there were maybe 4 or 5 tables already seated. By the time we left about an hour later, a line was just starting to form to get in. I've read travel account where folks say the wait can be more than an hour (or that it's impossible to get in). Second, don't get the Autobahn unless you REALLY like German food. While none of it was terrible, as someone who isn't a big fan anyway, it made my selection very difficult. Finally, add some time to your visit to take a picture in the head-in-the-hole outside where you and one other person can look like 19th Century German children, and stop in the Fudge Haus and pick up some candy. Trust me, factory made/tasting confections these are not!

Well, I'll try and get the last entry (my trip to the Ohio Statehouse) on the Internet before I leave for Vegas! While I'm gone, check out my Facebook page, and follow me on Twitter.

Thank you all so much for reading my blog, it really means a lot! As always, see you on the next adventure!

Goat Cheese Ice Cream- Not As Bad As It Sounds!

So after a ridiculously long winter featuring everyone's favorite polar vortex, I'm finally getting back into the swing of things with travel.

My first trip out of Pittsburgh happened because I attended a regional conference in Columbus, Ohio with one of my sororities, Alpha Kappa Alpha.

Pretty in Pink and Gorgeous in Green!

Naturally I was not going to be in a city I'd never visited before and NOT add some entries to my blog- even if Ohio has been covered already. Enter my outing to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams.

Sorry it's a rough shot, but that's the outside of the Jeni's I ate at

My friend that was so gracious to take me to Jeni's (after I told him ahead of time I REALLY wanted to go. It's a Columbus-based ice cream company, JUST the sort of thing I like to cover on here) told me that the "short line" of 5 or 6 people was a good thing- that this place is usually packed and lines easily continue out the door. While he talked on the phone, I was left to try and figure out what I was going to try. I'd heard that local flavor favorite "The Buckeye State" was a must, but there were flavors with wonky names like "Oregon Fir" and "Savannah Buttermint". What caught my eye though was the "Goat Cheese with Red Cherry". 

I know, that's how I looked too buddy
Image from www.drawception.com

After some coaxing by the super friendly staff, I tried it. To my surprise, I liked it! Very light taste, almost like cheesecake. And the cherry part actually tasted like cherry-- not overly sweet red syrup swirled in for good measure. It gave me the confidence to go ahead and place my three scoop order: The Buckeye State (that's the spotty looking scoop), Brown Butter Almond Brittle (the other non-chocolate scoop), and Dark Chocolate (pretty obvious which one that was).

Be jealous. It was THAT good.

Buckeye State was by far my fave of the three, but BBAB wasn't bad at all. I LOVED the Dark Chocolate, but by the time I got to it my taste buds were on overload. Jeni's ice cream is REALLY rich and flavorful, and after eating my first two scoops, my body just couldn't handle anything else sweet (though, I must say it was the best chocolate ice cream I've ever tasted-- you could SMELL the chocolate!).

Too bad I wasn't able to buy a pint to take home with me, being in a hotel and all kinda hinders
ice cream preservation for more than a few hours.

Fear not, friends who don't live in or near Columbus (In theory, I live about 3 hours away). The Jeni's website has a complete listing of flavors, location finders to see if your local grocer carries Jeni's products, and instructions on how to order your favorite flavors in case your local store doesn't ($13 flat rate shipping, which considering you would be getting artisan ice cream delivered to your door, is pretty reasonable). 

More blog posts about Columbus are coming, and I will be visiting a NEW state (Nevada!) in a few weeks as my elder sister and I both take our first trips to Las Vegas (I promise, everything I do there won't stay there- I can't wait to share it with you all!)

Until then, thank you for reading and sharing this adventure with me!