Day 1:Nebraska files

Today I got into Nebraska, and from the very quaint little NE airport, I was informed that the hotel that I am staying in offers a free shuttle to their customers. I was excited, and took the shuttle back to the hotel, talking to the very nice driver along the way, who gave me the quick tour of Lincoln. After I settled into my hotel room, I got a shuttle ride into downtown NE to visit the state capitol building. I got there around 3:20 and joined the tour towards the end, and then waited around for the next tour at four to catch up on what I missed. I learned a lot of interesting things, although a lot of what was explained was stats and numbers that I forgot. Here is some information that I found online to supplement my memory:

The Nebraska State Capitol, located in Lincoln, Nebraska, is the capitol and seat of the Nebraska Legislature and houses other offices of the government of the U.S. state of Nebraska. One of the most distinctive statehouses in the United States, its height is surpassed only by the Louisiana State Capitol, which rises 34 stories.


The building was designed by Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue and constructed between 1922 and 1932. The limestone structure draws on both Classical and Gothic architectural traditions, but represents major innovations in state capitol design.

One of the things that was really impressive was the tile work in the floor, I attempted to take some photos of it, but I don't think I really was able to capture the beauty of it. After I took the tour, and explored the 14th floor, I realized that I was quite hungry. I hadn't eaten since the banana bread that Amie packed for me before my flight. I walked a few blocks down to the Haymarket area, which if I understand correctly was where the town was initially formed from. I had heard about a bunch of really interesting sounding restaurants that I wanted to check out, and I managed to find one called, Buzzard Billy's. I ordered one of their signature platters called the Alligator Grand Chenier which was a surprise, and pretty good.

Alligator Grand Chenier Farm-raised alligator medallions, lightly breaded and sauteed with mushrooms and green onions in a mildly spicy Cajun cream sauce. Served around a mound of rice.

I have never had Cajun food, and it isn't my preferable choice in food, but it was good to try. I have a few other restaurants that I want to try out, so hopefully I will be able to work those in before I leave. After my meal, I went and walked around histroic (Haymarket) Lincoln. I got a few shots of the city, walked around a few shops, and looked in some shops that were closed. Soon I was ready to head back to my hotel, and called for the shuttle to pick me up. I made the misjudgement of thinking I was near the capitol building and asked them to pick me up there. So I had quite a jog to get back, and by the time I was brought back to my hotel, I was ready to kick back and relax for a bit. I flipped the TV on and caught some history channel, talked to the love of my life for a while, caught some Cosbys before I finished up a book I am reading, and went to bed.

Tomorrow is the first day of the conference! Hopefully I will meet up and make friends.