Posted by Nick on January 14, 2009
Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo consistently makes the list of the best zoos in the United States. And while it does have some cool aspects, I am afraid that it did not live up to all of the hype for me.
I found it a bit disappointing that the zoo was flanked on one side by the interstate and on the other by a stadium. I visited the Henry Doorly Zoo in mid-August 2008 and found that the majority of the concession stands throughout the zoo were closed. The website states that the concession stands are open “during warm weather” which it definitely was yet they were still closed. In fact, it seemed as if a lot of the zoo was “not open.”
Upon entering the zoo I went into the Desert Dome and Kingdoms of the Night. The Desert Dome was very interesting and I have never seen anything like it before. It is the world’s largest indoor desert and features plant and animal life from three deserts of the world: the Namib Desert of southern Africa, the Red Center of Australia and the Sonoran Desert of the southwest United States. Under the two levels of desert is the Kingdoms of the Night area, which is the world’s largest nocturnal exhibit. You’ll find the world’s largest indoor swamp in this area. It has a floating boardwalk. This was a neat area, but I would have not wanted to have small children with me in this particular area.
The Owen Sea Lion Pavilion was one of the biggest letdowns of the zoo. The sea lions are housed in what used to be the 1916 Riverview Park public swimming pool. The pool was huge yet only a tiny amount of water was in the pool, which resulted in all of the sea lions crammed into a small area. The zoo website says that the water level is lowered when it is expected that a new sea lion pup will be born and once the pup is born to create a “beach.”
The Otters were also a bit of a letdown. I was used to going to zoos and seeing the otters in a display where they could jump off of things into the water and such. Not only did this exhibit only have two otters, but they otters were in a small pool that looked like a kiddie-pool at a cheap hotel. And it was full of leaves!
The strangest exhibit at the Henry Doorly Zoo was Giraffe Complex. For some strange reason, penguins and an ostrich were all in the same exhibit. The zoo website states: “There are a few other small animal displays which exhibit animals such as ratel honey badgers, Abyssian Ground Hornbill and West African Crowned Crane.” So, that still leaves me wondering what the penguins and the ostrich were doing there. It does make for a funny picture though.
Posted by Nick on January 13, 2009
The Joslyn Art Museum in Omaha, Nebraska is the largest art museum in the state, housing over 11,000 works of art. It features a permanent collection with an emphasis on 19th and 20th century American and European art. You can see works by El Greco, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Pierre August Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Mary Cassatt, Winslow Homer, Grant Wood, Jackson Pollock, and George Segal among others.
Perhaps though the Joslyn Art Museum is best known for its collection of art of the American West. As well as its collection of Swiss artist Karl Bodmer’s watercolors and prints documenting his 1832-34 journey to the Missouri River frontier with German Prince Maximilian of Wied.
You can expect eight to ten special exhibitions each year at the museum. Exhibitions for 2009 are:
- WOOD viewings from Jan. 24 – May 24, 2009
- SENTIMENTAL JOURNEY: The Art of Alfred Jacob Miller viewings from Feb. 7 – May 10, 2009
- A DAVID SMALL WORLD viewings from March 7 – May 24, 2009
- THE INDIAN PORTRAIT GALLERY OF THOMAS L. MCKENNEY viewings from March 7 – June 14, 2009
- RIVER OF GOLD: Precolumbian Treasures from Sitio Conte viewings from June 6 – Sept. 6, 2009
- GOLDEN LEGACY: 65 Years of Golden Book Illustrations viewings from June 13 – Sept. 6, 2009
- A CENTURY OF RETABLOS: The Dennis and Janis Lyon Collection of New Mexican Santos, 1780–1880 viewings from July 5 – Oct. 4, 2009
- MASTERPIECES OF MEXICAN FOLK ART: The Pat and Judd Wagner Collection viewings from July 5 – Nov. 29, 2009
Posted by Nick on January 12, 2009
You can find the Durham Western Heritage Museum in the historic Old Market area of Omaha. The museum makes its home in the Union Station building.
At the Durham Western Heritage Museum you can learn about the history of the region as well as take advantage of a range of traveling exhibits that cover subjects ranging from history and culture, to science, industry and more.
January 31 – April 26, 2009 the special exhibit is Chocolate: The Exhibition. The exhibition was created by Chicago’s Field Museum and explores human culture and chocolate. You can expect chocolate samples as well as chocolate cooking expos. A complete lists of the chocolate samplings and cooking expos is available on the Durham Western Heritage Museum website.
While at the Durham Western Heritage Museum be sure to check out the authentic 1930′s soda fountain and old time candy shop.
Admission is $7 for adults and $6 for children. Free parking is available on-site.
Posted by Nick on January 11, 2009
Apparently the Department of Homeland Security in the US is rolling out something called the Electronic System for Travel Authorization that goes into effect tomorrow, January 12, 2009.
What is this? Well, starting tomorrow passengers from Europe to the USA must register within 72 hours prior to landing in the US on a new website – https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/ – with all sorts of personal details as well as answer a few questions. And if they are not registered then they cannot board the planes bound for the US.
Here is a list of countries that must register online:
The Balkan countries, Andora, Australia, Austria, Monaco, Belgium, Lichtenstein, New Zealand, Brunei, Noorway, Denmark, Portugal, Finland, San Marino, France, Singapore, Germany, Slovenia, Iceland, Spain, Ireland Sweden, Italy, Switserland, Japan and the United Kingdom.
Sample questions include:
Do you have a communicable disease; physical or mental disorder; or are you a drug abuser or addict?
(Here are some of the diseases they are worried about: Gonorrhea, HIV and Syphilis)
Have you ever asserted immunity from prosecution?
Have you ever been arrested or convicted for an offense or crime involving moral turpitude or a violation related to a controlled substance; or been arrested or convicted for two or more offenses for which the aggregate sentence to confinement was five years or more; or been a controlled substance trafficker; or are you seeking entry to engage in criminal or immoral activities?
Apparently this new rule has not been widely publicized by the US and European airports are expecting chaos tomorrow. Read more on that here.
Posted by Nick on January 10, 2009
If you are visiting Omaha, Nebraska the Lauritzen Gardens Botanical Park is worth a visit if you do not mind doing a little bit of walking. I visited Lauritzen Gardens in August 2008 and found it to be quite nice. Sadly a lot of the greenery was already dead, such as the rose garden, but there were still plenty of things to see.
My favorite area was the Hitchcock-Kountze Victorian Garden, pictured below.
It reminded me of the movie The Secret Garden and it was truly the highlight of my trip to Lauritzen Gardens.
Lauritzen Gardens is a 100 acre site that could use a bit better design. Once you enter the main building and pay ($7 adults, $3 children), you go out the back where your tour begins. Instead of having the path in a circle, you basically walk all the way through the gardens and then have to backtrack the exact same way to exit.
There is a cafe on-site that boasts being open year-round, however it was not open the day I was there in August. The gift shop area does not sell any type of drink or snack, so be sure to bring a cooler or some drinks to leave in the car for after your walk through the gardens. Otherwise you will find yourself quite parched with no way to get a drink!
Possibly the most interesting part of Lauritzen Gardens is the Model Railroad Garden. It is really quite impressive. What you will see are several model trains continually traveling through miniature communities, landscapes and countrysides. What is most intriguing is that the garden’s structural elements are constructed of natural materials such as leaves, twigs, bark, berries, pinecones, gourds and cinnamon sticks. And you will notice as the trains wind through the tracks that they are passing amazing reproductions of natural landscapes as well as recognizable buildings and landmarks seen in and around Omaha. There is an upper and a lower railroad garden for visitors to check out.
While I was at Lauritzen Gardens, also checked out Kenefick Park. It is a small area that is home to two of the largest locomotives to ever run on the Union Pacific Railroad. If you are driving by on Interstate 80 you can see them from the front.
