Just some photos from the aquarium at the Henry Doorly Zoo and this was probably the busiest part of the zoo that I visited.
Author: admin
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Omaha – Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (Butterflies)
The Henry Doorly Zoo has a butterfly garden within one of the buildings and there is a staff member at the entrance to it and another at the exit, just to check that no butterflies can escape. Everyone is warned not to stand on any of the butterflies, although I saw a clumsy child come close today, so I hope that none have actually met such an inglorious end.
Seemingly a Blue Morpho Butterfly when it’s not blue….
More of the same.
A Common Olivewing Butterfly.
A Blue Morpho Butterfly that is actually blue.
The Indian Leaf Butterfly.
Various butterflies….
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Omaha – Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (Melodious Laughing Thrush)
A rather sweet bird at Henry Doorly Zoo, I also learned a new word today, which is passerine. Over half of birds come into this category, it means that they have feet which have evolved to perch on branches.
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Omaha – Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (Big Cats)
Just photos of the big cats at Henry Doorly Zoo.
Sleeping snow leopard.
Tiger nearly asleep.
Sleeping lion.
This tiger was pacing up and down the side of the cage every time that I walked by….
A heap of cheetahs, although I’m not sure that’s the scientific word for a group of them.
An awake tiger.
Sleepy lion.
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Philadelphia – Philadelphia Museum of Art (Cathedral of Utrecht by Jan van Goyen)
Jan van Goyen was a busy artist in his lifetime with 1,200 paintings and over 1,000 drawings to his name, with six of his paintings in the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This oil painting was painted in 1646, a few years before van Goyen was forced to sell all of his paintings and artworks to pay off debts.
St. Martin’s Cathedral, or Utrecht Cathedral, was intact when it was painted by Jan van Goyen, but the nave collapsed during a storm in 1674. The authorities never quite got round to rebuilding it, so the bell tower is still separated from the remaining section of the building. The painting was given to the museum as part of the John G. Johnson collection in 1917.
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Omaha – Durham Museum (1906 Holsman Motor Car)
This car was produced by the Holsman Automobile Company of Chicago and apparently has a two-cylinder air-cooled engine and chain belt drive, although that means nearly nothing to me. I liked that there’s plenty of information about the car’s history, it was owned by Arthur H. Johnson and his wife Minnie of Columbus, Nebraska.
There aren’t that many cars from the Holsman Automobile Company left on display around the world, around 25, and there’s only one in England, which is located at Burwell Museum and Windmill in Cambridgeshire. I thought that this was interesting as I’ve never heard of the museum before and it sounds a quirky place which is worth a visit, and their 1907 model is in working order.
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Omaha – Monument to Labor
This monument is closed off to visitors at the moment as the area appears to be flooded, but it’s an imposing and impressive sculpture even from afar. There are five figures within the monument, which combine to form a tribute to the labour movement and the people who built the city of Omaha.
It’s apparently the second largest monument to the labour movement in the United States, although I’m unsure where the largest is so that makes that fact rather less exciting. It was designed by Matthew J. Placzek, unveiled in 2003 and it is made from steel. Placzek is a local man and he writes on his web-site that “my purpose is to create works of art that will inspire, fulfill and make a lasting impression.”
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Omaha – Durham Museum (Terrazzo Floor)
I’m not claiming that this cross-section of flooring was the most interesting part about my visit to Durham Museum but I have stared at floors in these grand stations before and wondered what they’re made of. OK, it’s likely true that I have too much time to think about these things….
Anyway, the floor dates to 1931 and is a terrazzo floor which is hard wearing and also decorative. At this railway station the floor was designed to complement the art deco elements of the rest of the Grand Hall. Terrazzo is made of chips of marble which are then poured into a polymeric material, all very much of an art form.
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Omaha – Roja Mexican Grill
Today felt like a day for a visit to a Mexican restaurant…. The warm Omaha sun had gone into hiding and a cold wind had taken over, so I thought some Mexican heat would help.
I wasn’t going for a lunch-time tequila, but this is quite a selection to say the least. I know nearly nothing about tequila, but there was a variety of different price points for the drinks, including a tequila at $35.
Kinkaider is a local Nebraska brewery and the Devil’s Gap jalapeno ale sounded rather tempting. It met my expectations, it had a subtle flavour, but the heat of the jalapenos was notable as an aftertaste.
I’ve never quite understood why it is beholden upon Mexican restaurants to always offer free chips and dips, but I’m certainly not going to complain about this tradition. There were so many chips that I never did get through them all and they seem to have been home-made, as did the sauce.
This set-up with the pepper and salt reminds me of Grosvenor in Norwich…. The service in the restaurant was friendly, slightly slow to acknowledge me at the door but a staff member apologised and offered me a choice of seating. The staff member who served me was engaging, checked if I had visited before and had a personable and confident personality. The service was attentive throughout the meal and I was never left waiting for anything.
And the food of chicken fajitas which was a bigger portion side that I had expected given all of the different elements that were served. The platter came over sizzling nicely, with the grilled chicken being tender and full of flavour. The onions, green and red peppers added some texture and flavour and the rice had green chillis in it to add some spice. The refried black beans were smooth and all of the other component parts of cheddar cheese, pico de gallo and sour cream were as expected. There was a generous amount of guacamole, always a delight as I do like avocados.
There were though only three tortillas which seemed a little low given the volume of other ingredients, but they were soft homemade flour tortillas and were some of the best that I’ve had. Everything was well presented and the various ingredients went together well.
The only slightly strange element about the service is that the server asked if I wanted a dessert whilst I was still mid-way through the main course. It seemed an odd time to ask, but I wasn’t rushed during the dine.
All in all, I really liked this restaurant and I would go back more often if I actually lived in the area. Friendly staff, decent food and the prices were also reasonable given the quality and quantity of the food and drink. All rather lovely.
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Omaha – Durham Museum (Pullman Lounge Car)
Durham Museum has a few carriages as part of its collection and this is an original lounge car.
There’s a bar area at one end of the carriage and seating along the sides.
All rather comfortable, it’s from the golden age of railway travel.
Copies of menus from the period, dating from 1950. There was an interesting policy that “to expedite and improve service to you please write on meal check each menu item desired, as waiters are not permitted to accept or serve orders given verbally”.
The extra thick steak cost $5.25, which would have been a considerable sum at the time.
