Enjoying the Good Life in Lincoln, Nebraska

The state slogan, The Good Life , is obviously taken seriously here. Johnny Carson, TV dinners and Kool-aid all hail from this state. There is pride and joy associated with corn, cows and college football in this capital city.Lincoln is a fun place to visit. We stayed in the funky restored warehouse district (Haymarket) now filled with bars, restaurants and shops. There are some nice artist studios, too. Our hotel is definitely worth a mention, The Graduate, which is a small chain, typically in midwestern college towns, made our visit extra fun. The hotel lobby and rooms pay homage to Nebraska and Nebraskans and, of course, there is a retro-school touch, too. For example, there are corn-motif drapes and wallpaper, roller skate lamps and vintage TV night tables. Even our room key cards were Nebraskan. Walking through the Haymarket area we stopped for ice cream at Ivanna Cone. They are a family-owned ice cream parlor inside a former dairy building. They offer delicious flavors including corn ice cream (nope, not for me). We strolled the area and admired street art in the alley.Along with the Capitol building, the campus and the football stadium, there is another revered spot in Lincoln. It is the International Quilt Study Center and Museum. The facility and the exhibits were wonderful. There is studio space and they offer great programs. We saw quilts from India, France and the U.S.It’s not corny; Lincoln offers the good life.