Safe and sound in Lincoln

[ellid]

I made it to Lincoln last night and am currently on campus. I'm meeting one of my fellow distance students at the Quilt Center at 1:00 for a tour of the facility and hopefully more information on where to go and what to do. The weather is cloudy but hot, and according to the weather report we may be looking at thunderstorms tonight.

Trip here was actually rather enjoyable; Southwest seats are actually comfortable, and the flight attendants were friendly and helpful. This is the first time I've actually *liked* flying since sometime in the 1970s; it sure was nice to be aboard an airline where the attendants were relaxed, the captain was joking, the flights took off and landed on time, and the seats were designed to accommodate an adult, not an anorexic teenager. Now I know why all the economists at work beg me not to book them on other airlines. :)

I got lost twice last night but managed to find my lodgings (a dorm on East Campus). There's a dairy store with ice cream and cheese made from milk produced by UNL's own dairy herd (lighter than what I'm used to at home, good flavor - I wonder what type of cow they use?), plus an Italian place called Valentino's across the street that looks pretty good. The downtown area looks very pleasant, if much smaller than than I'd expected.

My room is good-sized, with a comfortable bunk bed, air conditioning (thank GOD), a microwave, and a mini-fridge with a freezer. I'm hoping to stock up on food later today so I don't have to eat out every night. At the very least I'm going to buy breakfast foods, cheese, crackers, and that sort of thing. Una's mum gave me a tin of cookies for snacking, which is fantastic, but I can't eat those for breakfast without getting sick. ;)

My rental is a Kia Rio, which fortunately handles a lot like Sapphy. I have wireless, which allowed me start the day by watching an old episode of Star Trek on-line.* Class starts tomorrow at 9:00 am, so we'll see how it goes.





*The Doomsday Machine, where Kirk has to fight off a berserker that looks like nothing so much as a cone of waxed paper (it was evidently a windsock covered in concrete!). Despite the cheesy special effects, the story was terrific: taught, suspenseful, and beautifully acted by William Windom as Commodore Decker, William Shatner giving a restrained performance for once, and of course the rest of the cast.

Comments

[froda-baggins.livejournal.com]

Love the dairy store! They make great cheese.

Valentino's is a pretty good local chain - it's pretty much everywhere around here, good pizza and I also like their lasagna a lot.

Also before you leave you should try Runza. About as far as you can get from McDonald's and still be classified as "fast food".

[ellid.livejournal.com]

I had brunch at Valentino's, actually :) It was pretty good - lots of fresh fruit and breakfast-y things, plus decent chocolate bread pudding and lasagna. Maple-flavored syrup-like substance instead of the real thing, but what can I say? I'm now a syrup snob thanks to numerous purchases from fitzw and helwen.....

[froda-baggins.livejournal.com]

Yeah *real* maple syrup is almost impossible to find around here, unfortunately.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

I didn't expect it. The nearest sugar maple is probably a thousand miles from here.

Alas. :(

[alphasarah.livejournal.com]

We're to a point where we will choose to fly SWA over full-fare airlines even when they cost more just because it is a much more positive experience.

Enjoy your time on campus, and yes - get yourself good breakfast and lunch foods so that you don't have to blow lots of unnecessary cash & calories. Also see if the local grocery has a prepared foods department - that might serve you well for dinners for better nutrition and less $$ than eating out. That was how I ate the bulk of my evening meals when I was in Oxford 5 (eep!) years ago.

[ellid.livejournal.com]

I've stocked up on some food, plastic flatware, etc., and will be hitting the dairy stock for cheese, milk, and cereal later. Having a fridge and a microwave in the room makes a big difference!

As for Southwest...now that they fly to Pittsburgh I will NEVER use US Airways again. Ever. Hooray!

[nicolaa5.livejournal.com]

I always enjoyed flying Southwest. Even for longer flights where it was a little like riding the Greyhound bus (lots of stopovers), the attitude of the staff was always worth it, and the seats were indeed comfortable.

[etienetteblue.livejournal.com]

The Valentinos on East Campus is the original one. They've spread from there but that one still has some of the original ambience and for sure all the right flavors. There's not a lot of dining options without traveling several blocks so making use of your refrigerator will be a good thing. Runza Hut is directly east of you on Holdrege at 56th Street; it is another good fast food choice. They have really good onion rings there, too.