I never sleep well on the first night of a trip. The exhaustion of not getting any sleep the night before must have caught up with me, because I slept (soundly) for nine hours last night! And then I woke up to this view from the hotel room window:

That’s right…there’s a store across the street called “NARDS”! Satisfied with that knowledge, I went downstairs to get my free breakfast. I can always count on Holiday Inn Express to provide the exact same breakfast, at every one of their locations, and it’s always unappetizing. Yet I keep coming back! Well, this time, I used my points to get this room FREE for two nights. So, it’s worth the bad breffy.

Much like Day 1 of this trip, I had scheduled Day 2 to be all about one building. This time, it’s the Nebraska State Capitol, which was begun in 1923 and took ten years to complete. This morning, looking out the window at the snow, I decided I really only need a half day for the capitol. So, I waited until lunch time, then headed to a nearby Amigo’s for lunch. I used to love Amigo’s, but I haven’t been to one in decades, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I soon learned they have merged with Kings Classic, a chain with which I have no experience. And what did I see on the menu?? I’ll tell you what: CHEESE FRENCHIES!! I’m guessing many of you are unfamiliar with the cheese frenchy (also spelled frenchee). It’s like a grilled cheese sandwich, except that you don’t grill it. Instead, you deep fry it. Are you noticing a theme here? Deep-fried taco yesterday, deep-fried cheese sammich today. I don’t remember Nebraska’s state motto, but whatever it may be, they should change it to “FRY EVERYTHING NOW!”

So, I ordered the cheese frenchy combo, which comes with a side of “Mexi Fries”. The frenchies were everything I hoped they’d be…super yummy, and my arteries immediately clogged, and I died. Upon my resuscitation, I tried the Mexi Fries. Like yesterday’s Cali Tots, I found them to be better than (but similar to) the Potato Oles at Taco John’s.

Next…I realized I had left my Good Camera at the hotel. After going back to get the camera, I finally made the drive to the state capitol. I went straight in to get one of the free guided tours, stopping to snag this pic on the way in:

OK, time to take a look at the inside. As it turns out, this place is even more spectacular than I remembered. But we’ll start simple – the state’s official Law Library:

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At the center of the building is the rotunda, the showpiece of the capitol. It features a series of tile mosaics, which are all tied together by a ‘banner’ which contains depictions of animals that are (or once could be) found in Nebraska. Take a gander:

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And now for a few internal capitol features that are slightly more mundane, but still cool:

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As cool as the upper rotunda is, it’s not the reason most people come to the 14th floor. Outside the rotunda is the observation deck. Here’s a bit of what you can see from there:

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OK. I’m done with the inside of the building. Time to head outside and capture more of the exterior:

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OK. I’ve had my fill of the Nebraska State Capitol. Let’s head back to the car and — whoa! Check out those historic houses over there:

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That’s all for Day 2, folks. There’s no restaurant review, just my leftovers from Day 1 at California Tacos, which are still yummy!