We started off today with a workout in the hotel gym, with Bob biking (per hip orthopedic specialist suggestion) and Beth running before taking advantage of the hotel breakfast and heading out.
First stop was Union Plaza (a six-acre urban park) to get a pic of Bob with a big head sculpture. It was a 20 minute walk and the plaza area was beautiful with green grass and connections to a great hike/bike trail system that runs quite a ways.
by the same artist (James Tyler) from a visit to Indianapolis.
The second stop was the Nebraska State Capitol. We timed our arrival to hit the 10am (free) tour. The building is billed as the US’s first modern capitol, as it was built from 1922-32. The prior two buildings on the site lasted a total of 50 years between them. It was an informative tour of a colorful and interesting building.
on either side of the central tower.
as Nebraska has moved to a unicameral system
so everyone works out of the former House chambers, as it was a larger space.
The guided part of the tour ended on the second floor with a visit to the one legislative chamber, but she encouraged us to visit the State Law Library on the 3rd level and to go to the 14th level to see the Memorial Chamber and for views of the surrounding area. Up we went.
from the 14th floor.
The third stop was the Sunken Gardens which began in the 1930s as a Depression-era project. Beth walked there from the capitol, and Bob took the short walk to the hotel to get the car for our next stops. The gardens were small but very colorful.
We took the car to our fourth stop, the Haymarket area (yesterday, we hit this area but just on the south side). We wanted to check this area out more and to get a pic of Bob with two more Big Head Sculptures and to go to an international licorice shop that we had seen advertised.
The final tourist stop was Pioneers Park Nature Center. The park seemed to be set up for a big cross-country event. We had our snack lunch there before stopping at a market to pick up tonight’s dinner.
Peckish Travels 