Sweet Soul Music

“Do you like good music… That sweet soul music…” Arthur Conley’s “Sweet Soul Music” pays tribute to Stax recording artists Otis Redding and Sam and Dave, along with several other soul superstars.

Memphis, Tennessee, is synonymous with music… blues, soul, and rock and roll all have roots in Memphis. The Stax Museum of American Soul Music does an excellent job of displaying these roots, particularly with respect to soul music. This was our first stop in Memphis after the four-hour-plus drive from St. Louis today. Our visit began with a 20-minute film history of Stax Records (the museum sits on the original site of the record company), which brought us many great soul artists including Otis Redding, Booker T and the MG’s, and Sam and Dave. After the movie, we toured the museum’s numerous exhibits about the various Stax recording artists, as well as many other soul artists from Motown, Atlantic and other recording companies. In addition to learning more about these recording stars, it was great to listen to all of their music throughout the museum.

Having completed our visit to the Stax Museum, we continued on to our hotel in downtown Memphis, and later headed over to Beale Street for dinner and a walk along the city’s main street to check out the shops and, of course, listen to the music which emanates (loudly) from almost every bar/restaurant on the street. In addition, there were several bands set up along the street or in parks along the way.

Wednesdays are “Bike Night” on Beale Street, so there were hundreds of motorcycles lined up along the street (which was closed to traffic for the evening) for passersby to admire. And, of course, there were just as many bikers wandering the streets, making for some interesting people-watching along the way.

Coming up tomorrow… Elvis and Graceland.

More to come,

Stu

Summer In The City

“Hot town, summer in the city… Back of my neck getting burnt and gritty…” The Lovin’ Spoonful said it all, as the comfortable weather we’ve encountered so far in our trip came to a screeching halt. Temperatures climbed into the 90’s today in St. Louis and the humidity levels rose as well. Unfortunately, based on upcoming forecasts, it looks like we’re in for more of the same, at least for the next week or so as we travel deeper into the South.

The plan for the day was to find ways to stay cool while still seeing the city. We started with a trip over to the Gateway Arch (within walking distance from our hotel), where we took the four-minute tram ride up to the top. The Arch (officially known as the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial) is the tallest national monument in the US at 630 feet and was designed by famous architect Eero Saarinen, who won a contest to come up with a monument design reflecting St. Louis’ role as the gateway to the West.  Windows along the top portion of the arch allow you to take in the view to the east (the Mississippi River and Illinois across the water), and to the west (downtown St. Louis and beyond).  We enjoyed the view, then rode the tram (which barely holds five people in each small car) back down to the bottom, where we visited the Museum of Westward Expansion that is contained within the base of the arch.

Our next stop was the Delmar Loop, a six-block area of shops and restaurants slightly outside of the downtown area which claims to have been named “one of the ten best streets” in the US. We rode the Metro (which turned out to be the coolest spot in the city as the cars were very well air-conditioned) over to the Delmar Loop stop and walked over to the main street of the Loop. After walking a couple of blocks in the stifling heat, we found several closed stores and nothing of interest, so we decided to abandon the Loop and head over to Union Station for lunch. We don’t know if the Loop improved further on, but what we saw definitely failed to live up to the hype.

Union Station was a definite improvement over the Loop. Although there were a few stores that were closed, there were plenty of shops and restaurants from which to choose. After lunch and some shopping, we found an indoor “glow-in-the-dark 3-D” mini-golf course within the building. We couldn’t pass it up, so we donned the 3-D glasses that were provided with the club and ball and played a very interesting18 holes of golf (actually nine holes played twice). I managed to gain some revenge and tie our vacation series at two rounds apiece with a three-stroke victory over Caren. I then decided to add a little “bounce” to my day… there was a vendor with 4 trampolines and corresponding bungee-cords in the center of Union Station, where for a mere seven dollars, I was given the opportunity to bounce high in the air (see photo) for several minutes and even perform a flip. Although it was a bit of a dizzying experience, it was definitely a lot of fun.

We hopped back on the Metro and road back to the riverfront area to take a one-hour steamboat cruise on the Mississippi. The cruise helped keep us cool (the inside area was air-conditioned) and was very relaxing. To avoid the long uphill walk back to the hotel in the heat, we decided to take a horse-drawn carriage ride over to the hotel.

We finished off the day with a visit to the Spaghetti Factory for dinner.

Tomorrow morning, we will be leaving St. Louis for the trip to Memphis, Tennessee, where we will be staying through Saturday morning.

Stay tuned,

Stu

The Farmer In The Dell[s]

Just a quick post tonight (or early in the morning Eastern time), since it’s another late night after a long drive to St. Louis.

The Wisconsin Dells… “a scenic glacially-formed gorge that features striking sandstone rock formations along the banks of the Wisconsin River” (per Wikipedia). We started the day with a two-hour boat tour of the Upper Dells, which includes stops at “Witches Gulch” and “Stand Rock.” The latter site was made famous by photographer H. H. Bennett, whose stop-action photograph of his son jumping across the five-foot gap between the rocks was viewed worldwide in the late 1886. The boat tour re-enacts this moment by having a dog jump back and forth across the gap.

Following the boat tour, we spent the remainder of the day in the car making the long drive to St. Louis, where we arrived for a late dinner.

Tomorrow… a trip to the top of the Gateway Arch… and other sightseeing in the city.

Stay tuned.

Stu

The Lion Sleeps Tonight…

… And so do most of the other animals at the Como Park Zoo (more on that in a minute).

Another nice day in the Twin Cities. After yesterday’s visit to Minneapolis, today was slotted for St. Paul. We planned to start the day with a trip to the Dragon Festival at Phalen Lake/Park to see the dragon boat races that were being held there this weekend. We drove up to the nearby high school, since there was no parking at the park itself and there would be a shuttle back and forth from the high school. Unfortunately, the school parking lot was full and since we didn’t know of any other options for parking, we decided to skip the festival and continue on to the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory in St. Paul.

The theme of the day seems to have been “no parking,” as the parking lots and surrounding streets at Como Park were packed and there were no spots in sight. We drove around a bit and finally landed a space in the street about a half mile from the Zoo/Conservatory entrance. We walked over and visited both the conservatory and zoo (for which there was a voluntary $2.00 donation per person). The conservatory was nice, but the zoo was rather small and unimpressive as most of the animals were either hidden away or sleeping (including the lions, of course). The giraffe was out and about, as were a few others, but all in all, the zoo was nothing to write home about, although I guess you get what you pay for (which wasn’t much).

After the half mile walk back to the car, we headed out for lunch at a small St. Paul restaurant called “Bread and Chocolate.” As the name implies, they serve a variety of sandwiches and have a number of different chocolate desserts. We each had a sandwich and a chocolate croissant, which were excellent.

We then continued into downtown St. Paul, heading over to the Landmark Center which houses a woodworking museum as well as a musical instrument museum. Finding a parking space in the city was not easy, but we managed to come up with one near our destination, so it worked out okay. As we entered the Landmark Center, we stumbled right into a wedding ceremony which was being held in the large open area in the center of the building. We visited the 2 museums and stopped on the second floor to peer down on the wedding for a while. We walked around nearby Rice Park, where there are a number of bronze statues of Peanuts characters, in honor of Charles Schulz, who was born in St. Paul (as was F. Scott Fitzgerald, who also rates a statue in the park).

We left St. Paul in the late afternoon and drove about 3½ hours to the Wisconsin Dells, where we are staying overnight on our way to St. Louis. The Dells is a typical lake-side family entertainment town (similar to Lake George in NY), with lots of kid-friendly attractions such as water parks, and a number of mini-golf courses. After dinner, we partook in another round of mini-golf… another tight match, which Caren won by one stroke, so she now leads the vacation series, two rounds to one.

Tomorrow, we’re planning a morning boat tour of the Upper Dells, followed by the long drive (about seven hours) to St. Louis.

Since we’re running a bit late today, I will hold off on posting any photos from today, so look for them tomorrow (or whenever I have some extra time).

Stay tuned,

Stu

It’s A Beautiful Day

The weather improved significantly today, as the humidity and temperature both dropped to much more comfortable levels. We started the day with a short drive into downtown Minneapolis, beginning our visit at the Walker Art Center. Home to a variety of contemporary art, the museum incorporates multimedia displays into its presentation of paintings and sculptures. We’re not big on art museums and although this one was interesting, there were plenty of items that made us wonder who decides they qualify as “art.” Outside the museum, there was a conservatory and sculpture garden, which contains the famous “Spoonbridge and Cherry” sculpture (see photos) that is frequently associated with the city.

Our next stop in Minneapolis was the Mill City Museum, which provides a history of the flour milling industry that fueled the growth of Minneapolis for more than 50 years, giving it the nickname of “Mill City.” Located on the banks of the Mississippi River by St. Anthony Falls, and within the ruins of the original Washburn A Mill, the museum contains some interesting exhibits as well as an interactive elevator ride through the various levels of the mill. Following our trip to the Mill City Museum, we walked along the riverfront and across the Stone Arch Bridge to get a better view of St. Anthony Falls and the Upper Lock and Dam.

We then drove over to Nicollet Mall, a portion of Nicollet Avenue in downtown that serves as a pedestrian and transit mall (i.e., they allow buses, but no cars on the street). This section of the city is home to numerous upscale stores and also served as the film site for the opening credits of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, as can be seen by the sculpture of MTM throwing her cap in the air (see photos).

On our way back from downtown, we drove around one of the many lakes in Minneapolis (the Lake of the Isles), stopping to take in the view and rest for a few minutes. Minneapolis has a terrific parks system and all of the lakes have paths that run around the perimeter, allowing for bikers, walkers, joggers, etc., and benches for tired road warriors like ourselves.

Finishing off our day, we returned to Minnehaha Park, where we had gone yesterday on our tour to see Minnehaha Falls. At the park, we rented a 2-person “bicycle surrey” and pedaled around the park for about an hour.

Tomorrow, it will be St. Paul’s turn as we visit the other Twin City – birthplace of F. Scott Fitgerald and Charles Schulz. Based on what we learned on our tour yesterday, the 2 cities really have very little in common and, for the most part, don’t like each other.

More to come…

Stu

Shop Around

We began today with a 3½-hour bus tour of Minneapolis and St. Paul and the surrounding area.  The tour fittingly started at the Mall of America (which was convenient since we could take the hotel shuttle there). The first stop on the tour was Minnehaha Falls, a 53-foot falls which, due to the heavy rains early yesterday, were flowing impressively during our visit. We learned that towards the end of the summer, the falls can often slow to a mere trickle. The tour continued through St. Paul and Minneapolis, with a brief stop at St. Paul’s Cathedral as well as a break for lunch. We drove through several different residential areas of the two cities, giving us the opportunity to view a number of the wealthier neighborhoods and more expensive homes. All-in-all, we felt the tour was excellent and the guide was extremely informative.

The tour bus dropped us off back at the Mall of America around 2:00, and we spent the rest of the day completing our journey through the mall (since we had only seen the first level yesterday). We played a round of mini-golf at the Moose Mountain Adventure Golf course in the mall – where I gained some revenge against Caren with a 3-stroke victory – and we took a ride on the Ferris Wheel in the Nickelodeon Universe amusement park within the central portion of the mall. We finished off the day with dinner and dessert (as we found our first Cold Stone Creamery of the vacation).

Some statistics on the Mall of America… Built at a cost of about $650 million, there are more than 520 stores and 50 restaurants, along with a 14-screen movie theater and of course, the aquarium, amusement park and miniature golf course (as well as several other attractions). The mall is so big that seven Yankee Stadiums could fit inside the mall.

Today was extremely hot (in the 90’s) and humid… an excellent day for an air-conditioned bus tour and time in an air-conditioned mall. The weekend promises to be a bit more comfortable, although tomorrow may be a bit windy. Our current plans call for a visit to Minneapolis tomorrow (with a possible return to Minnehaha Falls and the corresponding park) and then St. Paul on Sunday, before departing Minnesota and heading to St. Louis, via the Wisconsin Dells.

More on the Twin Cities in my next post.

Stu

Old MacDonald Had A Farm…

… And apparently so does everyone in central Wisconsin. Driving approximately 5 hours across Wisconsin today, we saw farms in all directions.  Farmhouses, silos, barns as far as the eye could see. And let’s not forget the cows… this is, of course, America’s Dairyland. After all, Wisconsin is the home of the Cheeseheads, and cheese is to Wisconsin what fudge is to Mackinac Island.

The drive was not the most interesting we’ve had, but we did buy gas for less than $4.00 per gallon ($3.999 to be exact), the lowest price we’ve seen in quite a while. The most we’ve paid for gas so far on this trip was in Toronto… $5.053 (after converting from liters to gallons and Canadian to US dollars). I’m pretty sure we won’t top that in the States.

Fuel facts: Through our 5th stop for gas…

Total gallons purchased…. 40.133
Total cost…………………….. $172.73
Average cost per gallon….  $4.304
Total distance traveled…..   1,815 miles
Average miles per gallon..   45.2 mpg

After arriving in Bloomington, Minnesota (where we are staying for our visit to Minneapolis and St. Paul), we took the hotel’s shuttle bus over to the Mall of America (less than a half mile from the hotel). The mall is huge, with an amusement park in the middle. Today we covered the first level (there are four), experienced the Underwater Adventures Aquarium (with its moving walkway tunnel) and had dinner. We’ll be back tomorrow afternoon to finish the rest, so more on the mall in the next blog. Also planned for tomorrow is a 3-hour bus tour of the Twin Cities area.

Stay tuned.

Stu

Travelin’ Thru

For the first time this week, the day started out sunny and bright (albeit a bit windy). Unfortunately, it was time to leave Mackinac Island. So, along with our luggage (and of course our fudge), we boarded the 9:30 ferry and headed back to the mainland and our car.

Our next main destination is Minneapolis, Minnesota. To break up the long drive, we will be stopping overnight in Marinette, Wisconsin, which is approximately halfway from Mackinac Island to Minneapolis. On the way (although a slight detour north), we drove to Sault Ste. Marie (the one in Michigan, not Canada) to see the Soo Locks. (This was the northernmost point of our trip.) We took a 2-hour boat ride through the Soo Locks, which was interesting as you get to see how the locks work (filling up with water as you go from Lake Huron to Lake Superior, and letting out millions of gallons of water to go in the opposite direction). The weather by this point had deteriorated a bit, with temperatures dropping significantly and the wind picking up. In addition, the sunny skies had been replaced with dark clouds.

We had originally planned to continue from Sault Ste. Marie to Tahquamenon Falls in the upper Michigan peninsula, but the threatening weather caused us to bypass that stop and proceed directly to Marinette. So, the remainder of the day consisted of driving and more driving, before arriving in Marinette in time for dinner.

More driving on tap for tomorrow, with our ETA in Minneapolis scheduled for mid-afternoon.

That’s all for today.

Stu

Peaceful Easy Feeling

We awoke today to a chilly overcast morning, with a bit of a spritz in the air. We decided to walk a bit as long as the rain remained a light mist, heading off to the east from the inn where we are staying. We walked down to the Mission Point Resort and followed a 3/4 mile walking path along the water.

After the rain finally cleared, we walked down to Main Street for some lunch, followed by our planned horse-drawn carriage tour of the island. The tour took us past the Grand Hotel and included a stopover at the “Wings of Mackinac“, a butterfly conservatory. The glass enclosed conservatory houses plants and hundreds of butterflies of many different varieties. The tour continued as we rode past Arch Rock, Fort Mackinac and the governor’s mansion, among other sites.

The weather improved as the day progressed, with the sun making an appearance in the afternoon and the temperatures climbing. After completing the tour, we walked around town a bit more before renting bicycles again for another ride around the island. We headed east and traveled about 1/3 of the way around the island (the perimeter road runs about 8 miles in total) before heading back to get ready for dinner. We had dinner overlooking Lake Huron, then returned to the inn, where we are now relaxing on the 2nd floor veranda.

With no cars on the island (or the accompanying noise or pollution), Mackinac Island is a great place to just sit back and relax and escape from the rest of the world for a little while. We’ve enjoyed doing just that for the last 2 days, but tomorrow will take us back across the water and back onto the road for our continuing journey. The next major stop is Minneapolis, but tomorrow will take us up to Sault St. Marie to see the Soo Locks, followed by some nearby waterfalls in northern Michigan, before we head to Marinette, Wisconsin, for the night.

Stay tuned…

Stu

Living In The Past

From Henry Ford’s world of automobiles on Saturday to Mackinac Island’s world without automobiles today… quite a change! Stepping off the ferry onto Mackinac Island (pronounced mackinaw) is like a blast from the past. Horse-drawn carriages shuttle visitors around the island and bicyclists crowd the streets. Deliveries (as well as garbage removal) are accomplished via real horse-power, or for smaller items, perhaps via pedal-power.

The island is a Mecca for tourists, so the businesses are pretty much limited to inns, restaurants, retail stores (with of course many t-shirt and souvenir shops), bicycle rentals and fudge, fudge and more fudge. Famous for its fudge, the island boasts at least half a dozen different fudge dealers, several with multiple locations along the short Main Street. Based on our small sample today (“creamsicle” fudge), the island’s reputation is well-deserved.

In addition to tasting the fudge, we spent a few hours after our arrival wandering through the shops on Main Street, picking up a few t-shirts and other small items, and stopping for lunch. After checking into the Inn on Mackinac (our room was not yet available at the time we arrived), we rented bicycles and joined the hundreds of other cyclists along the island’s streets and bike paths, taking care to avoid each other as well as the horse-drawn vehicles… and the obstacles they leave behind. You might think that with all the horse-drawn vehicles traveling through the streets, the island would have a bit of a smelly problem. However, each time the horses “drop a load”, there appears out of nowhere a person to scoop up the pile and whisk it away… sort of a pooper-scooper-superman.

We rode our bikes up to the Grand Hotel (which is truly “grand”) and sat for a few minutes on their huge deck admiring the view. We cycled a bit more around the island and then returned to the inn to unwind a bit before dinner. We walked into town for dinner and a bit more shopping. Now, we’re back at the inn, relaxing on the wrap-around porch as I finish up my blog for today.

Although we weren’t treated to another day of blue skies, the weather cooperated enough to keep away any rain as it was mostly cloudy for the better part of the day.

Tomorrow’s agenda calls for a horse-drawn carriage tour of the island (with a stop at the butterfly conservatory) and probably some more bike-riding exploration of the island.

Stu