The Victory, Madison, WI

On a recent and gorgeous Saturday morning, since I was under the weather, I decided to head out for a walk and see if the sun didn't make me feel a bit better. It had a good effect and once I'd gotten a good bit from home, I decided to see if I could get some hot tea to see if that could continue my "feel better" streak. Thanks to Google Maps, I found a very nice coffee shop close by and walked right in for a cup of their White Apricot Ginger tea.

Friendly staff, a full menu, nice patrons, and even pooch-friendly will keep this place on my short list for neighborhood spots. They are cash-only, but the proprietor said I could just pay him next time, luckily I had enough cash for the tea that visit. Still, kinda unheard of this day and age.

They make an "authentic" Hawaiian Shaved ice... U'm going to have to go back for one of those AND they offer Chocolate Shoppe Ice Cream, one of the area's favorites.

Cool stool, Dude.

This guy below was all muscle... and probably the biggest one was his heart. We wanted to see everyone that came in and would have loved to have had you pet him too. Plus, he sat right in the walkway, so you couldn't help but get down to his level and pet him. Smart dog.

I don't normally comment on bathrooms, but I liked theirs enough to mention it... nice to see a decent restroom in a small business.

Memorial Mile, Madison, WI

As I came home from a Memorial weekend spent out of town, I noticed a large number of these small white "tombstones" along my street. I quickly got the gist of the idea, but was pretty amazed at the length of the art installation. It is called the Memorial Mile here in Madison, and seemed to be about that long on the Atwood Avenue corridor, near Olbrich Gardens and Park.

I was glad to step out and get some pics of it on a recent Saturday, as I came back from this walk, they were pulling all of it up and had I not gotten them on the way out, it would have been too late. Phew.

From what I could see, they didn't have all Us wars, but only the ones from this century, I believe. Still the amount of men and women we've lost, laid out like they have, is pretty impactful.

I didn't shoot in sequence or in completion either, it would simply be too much, but I hope this gives some idea of their work and the impact of these wars.

Taking a note off their signs above, I believe you can find out more at VeteransForPeace.Org

Papillion-La Vista Fire & Rescue #2, Omaha, NE

A quick shout-out on the ole blog to the fine fireman that showed us around his station last month. 

We had dragged out the whole crew, including a 2-year old and a newborn. Our tour guide did a great job with all of us, finding neat things for each of us to identify with: 

2-year old - hose and water spraying, plus almost everything else... oh, and popcorn

Dad - Halligan, plus most everything

Mom - hearing about her brother's days and duties, from her brother

Newborn - well, pretty breezy place to sleep

Myself - pretty much all of it. The engine is just rad

It was a very cool hour or so. The job is no joke either.

The top of their rig really did look like the movie scene in Backdraft, 1000ft. of hose

Jaws of Life, air ram, and shears... all powered by a compressor and generator kept on the truck

Let's hope this video can play...

Retail Therapy: The Full Kit, Iowa City, IA

I recently found myself in Iowa City for the night... on the way to Omaha. I'd never been in this city before (pretty sure), but lucked into a relatively cheap hotel room and paged through one of those "downtown" tourist magazines. I noticed a store that did some high-end gym shoes, and as any sneakerhead would do, I had to check it out the next morning. 

I arrived on a rainy Friday morning right at their opening time of 11AM, but the door was locked and no lights were on. Since I'd trudged out to the shop through the pedestrian mall in the rain, I didn't have a problem taking some exterior pics and waiting a few more minutes to see if someone showed. Plus, the storefront looked great and even if I had to wait a bit, I wanted to see inside.

As luck would have it, the proprietor arrived a few minutes later and let me right in. I was very glad I had waited. "Pretty little maids all in a row"...

They had a nice mix of product and brands from Nike, Levi's, Herchsel, Adidas, New Balance, Vans, Asics, Saucony, etc... including items like jackets, jeans, t-shirts, hats, etc. It seemed like the full price kicks had all the sizes for a size run still left, and kept the premium prices. The reduced price kicks got a break on the price, but were down to 1-3 sizes left in the size run, so you'd have to luck into your size. They also had a "skater" feel, which I would guess is how the store started, but now seems to be more of a men's fashion store with a casual or street vibe. You could still find a deck, trucks, etc. but that was alongside premium denim from Levi's skate collection (adding Cordura and Lycra), and other fashion accessories that a hardcore teenage skater wouldn't be interested in.

I don't know enough of the complexities to explain the levels of shoe store ranking for each shoe brand, but I believe this store is placed on a higher level than your local Foot Locker or Shoe Carnival. As such, they are given access to premium, exclusive, high-end products, that you can't find just anywhere. It makes the potential to be wearing a shoe almost no one else wears pretty high if you see it and buy it here. And sure, some of the shoes here are similar or the same models at larger stores.

As an example of this upper echelon product, below is a Premium series Vans shoe. High-quality, buttery leathers, and this one sports a zipped on/off option. I'd never seen one before. Pretty dang sweet, but not my size.

If you happen to be on the I-80 highway and would be driving by Iowa City anyways, I'd highly recommend you get off the highway for lunch and walk the ped mall. You can make this a quick stop and then get back on the road. I would also try-on in the store as they only offer in-store credit on returns.

Over Easy, Omaha, NE

My brother and sister-in-law had been touting this place for weekday breakfast and lunch eats for as long as they've had kids, since it's near the pediatrician. Virtually every time they see the doctor, they stop here and get a meal. Of course, they also send us pics of all the food they're eating, every time. As luck would have it, we were in the right area to grab a late lunch when I was recently in Omaha, finally!

We can learn a lot about the place from their signage:

Seems like they have a nice story to tell, and good food to share, so I jumped in.

I decided to go for the breakfast side of the menu, but I'm told both sides are equally as good. I went in for their avocado toast with "hash brown rounds", and they did not disappoint. I might have eaten them faster than my pie-eating days.

To cap off this meal, I decided we could all use their edition of a Pop Tart. They have a seasonal version on the menu each day, but it had already sold out, so I had to (poor me) order one of their Nutella Pop Tarts. It was really tasty, and a pretty small serving when you split it b/w four people.

They had a nice clean sheet of white butcher paper on each table, and offer crayons so kids (or adult kids) can draw while they wait for their food to arrive. And we did have to wait. We don't know if it was the last few tables of the day, the weekend crew, or something else... but my family commented that normal weekdays are run smoothly and the food is very consistent.

In the end, it seemed like a very nice neighborhood spot to have where you live/work, and I would absolutely go back and try more of their menu options.

Windsurfing at Olbrich Beach, Madison, WI

I ventured out to my local beach, or should I say "break", on a relatively cold and windy day recently, only to be surprised to find a small cadre of windsurfers using the conditions Mother Nature provided to have one heck of an afternoon. It was too windy and cold for me to stay too long, but the windsurfers did comment that it was warmer in the water than out. Who knew this was happening right outside my door?

Tools of the trade:

From the looks of it, this must be an expensive hobby/sport.

And a couple videos of the folks in action:

Cafe Domestique, Madison, WI

It's nice to have local coffee purveyors and coffee shops in any town you live in. It's even nicer to have a comfortable, well-appointed, Intelligentsia-offering, cycling-themed local coffee shop. I finally got to visit one in the latter category last week, it's called Cafe Domestique.

For those not in the know, the French word "domestique" means "domestic" or "household". As another example, a "home computer", in French, is called a "ordinateur domestique".  In the cycling world this word is used to describe a rider who works hard everyday for their team leader, no matter the weather or terrain. They protect the chosen team leader in each race they ride, from wind, other riders, obstacles, etc. Perhaps, from the team leader's point of view, it means a person that they can always rely on, they find comfort in, and as someone who will take care of and protect you.

If that last embellishment of mine is true, it seems fitting that this cafe is in a quaint, quiet, family neighborhood, has a very cozy feel, and is easily accessible by bike. It feels like you belong when you walk in and the service and product meets those same values, imo. It's not at all a massive space, which helps it match the houses in the neighborhood, and feel very comfortable upon entry. That said, I'm not sure I'd bring a large group of people here, with a 4 chairs next to end tables (pic above) and 3, four-top tables, it only seats about 16 people. Despite that, I think this is perfect for this space and feel. I wouldn't change a thing.

(how many chainrings can you count?)

Since I was intending to sit for a spell and get some reading done, I went in headfirst and ordered an iced mocha (decaf, sorry) and picked out a nice raspberry muffin to go with it. Both were solid. Not only that, but Batch Bakehouse is a couple doors down, which is where I presume my muffin was born... and near the end of my visit, a woman came in from a local cupcake joint to drop-off fresh-baked cupcakes. The proprietor placed said 'cakes under the glass dish on the front counter right away. People helping people (eat cupcakes) - it's a beautiful thing.

The bicycle name is borne out in the space well, with cycling items, bikes, and books on display. They were showing the live stage of the Giro di Italia too "boot" (get it? Italy looks like a boot). Don't worry - sound was muted and great music was playing for the customers.

See that little doorway on the right - this store is connected to a small cargo bike shop, known simply as "The Cargo Bike Shop". They're not always open at the same times and have separate entrances, but still work together and even combine events. I'd overheard they do a monthly family ride and, if I heard correctly, music for kids in the cafe once a month. Word on the street is it fills up fast.

If any of this interests you, I'd encourage you to click their links...

Cafe Domestique

The Cargo Bike Shop

I didn't even get to talk about Intelligentsia, another famous export from Chicago. Perhaps soon.