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During our recent ten-day trip to Dayton, Ohio to visit with family and friends (an early xmas present from our children to us and their children), we spent five gorgeous hours of a Sunday at The Dayton Art Institute (DAI), The Living Room of Dayton, which enabled us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time. Established in 1919, it is an impressive world-class museum of Fine Arts, it has been rated one of the top 10 best Art museums in the United States for children and it ranks in the top 3% of all Art museums in North America. It has a Senior and Military Discount while Students and ages 17 and under are no charge. Some exhibits have an additional fee. It is Disabled-Friendly. Known for is Youth and Family Programs, DAI’s children’s experimental section was enjoyed by our grandchildren trying on clothes as seen in various paintings and playing with different types of media. Updated with a design by architect Edward B. Green in 1930, it is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places. DAI was modeled after the Casino in the beautiful gardens of the Villa Farnese at Caprarola, and its sensuous front hillside stairway after the romantic Italian Renaissance garden stairs at the Villa d’Este, near Rome, and Italy. The museum’s eclectic collection contains some 20,000 objects spanning 5,000 years. We were particularly charmed or intrigued or smitten by Purple Leaves by Georgia O’Keeffe (I decided that if I could paint that flower in a huge scale, you could not ignore its beauty.), Water Lilies by Claude Monet (Color is my day-long obsession, joy and torment.), American Indian Series (Russell Means) by Andy Warhol (Land really is the best Art.), Scene in Yosemite Valley by Albert Bierstadt (Truly all is remarkable and a wellspring of amazement and wonder. Man is so fortunate to dwell in this American Garden of Eden.), and Sea Change by Helen Frankenthaler (I have always been concerned with painting that simultaneously insists on a flat surface and then denies it.) DAI has not only Art pieces of well-known painters but also fine painters from Ohio and talented less well-known American Artists. In addition, American furniture is displayed, as is sculpture, and a wide range of cool events are routinely held here. Quite understandably, no smoking, vaping or “pointy thing” is allowed here and those rules are strictly enforced by no-nonsense Security. There is plenty of seating. The restrooms are clean. Every army practices deception. If they don’t, they can’t win, and they know it, said General Wesley Clark, United States Army. Did you know that during WWII, the U.S. Army’s 603rd Company (The Ghost Army) had a unique mission: to deceive German troops into thinking Allied Troops were in one location, while real troops advanced miles away. They successfully accomplished their mission, and it was all done with Art by some 1,300 artists on Active Duty. Appear weak when you are strong, and strong when you are weak. The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. Both said by General Sun Tzu circa 500 BC. Pioneered in WWII by British Armed Forces, The Ghost Army used inflatable tanks, sound effects, and imagination to regularly fool the Germans on the dangerous battlefields of Europe. The unsung heroes of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops and the 3133rd Signal Company Special saved thousands of lives and helped win the war, but their efforts were kept secret for fifty years. “Their job was to create a traveling road show of deception on the battlefields of Europe, with the German Army as their audience. From Normandy to the Rhine, the men of the 23rd Headquarters Special Troops, known as the Ghost Army, conjured up phony convoys, phantom divisions, and make-believe headquarters to fool the enemy about the strength and location of American units. Each deception required that they impersonate a different (and vastly larger) U.S. unit. Like actors in a repertory theater, they would mount an

1865 Coffee – Menu with Prices – 40 E University Dr, Tempe

I wish I had known this was a Christian coffee shop before deciding to check it out. I would have saved myself some time and gone elsewhere. It’s not just the pro-life literature and scripture on the wall that has me rolling my eyes. There is terrible Christian rock music playing. And probably the worst thing of all is the partnership with the Salvation Army. I wish I had read the 5-star reviews that mentioned this. Perhaps the reviewers are not familiar with the controversies surrounding the Salvation Army, which is a decidedly right-wing organization that is more concerned with “saving souls” than actually helping the needy. (Look up “12 Reasons to Reject the Salvation Army”). Perhaps these reviewers are conservatives who support the mission of the Salvation Army. To each his own, I guess. I certainly won’t be back. The coffee I ordered is watered down and a little too sweet. That might be my fault for ordering something I usually don’t order. Also, they don’t seem to carry any pastries which is kind of a bummer. They only have bagels(?) The reason I am giving this place 2 stars instead of 1 is because I like that you can pay $1 to leave a coffee sleeve so that someone in need can get a free coffee. In the half hour I’ve been here I’ve seen 3 people come in to make use of this program. The barista was also very friendly, as I imagine most working at a Christian coffee shop would be.

Cowtown Winery – Menu with Prices – 112 W Exchange Ave, Fort Worth

We went out tonight because my wife found their Ghost Tour on Groupon and we thought it’d be a fun way to end our Halloween season. Well, the free glass of wine was good, but the tour was a joke. We are pretty sure our tour guide was either drunk or pretending to be drunk, but she referenced her nickname being Party-On and used it as a catchphrase multiple times throughout the 60-minute tour. The tour was pretty uninformative and mostly focused on the Stars on the sidewalk – several of which were for people that are still alive. Not really interesting stories to accompany them either and was more so just saying their name and their “title”. Heh. Weird and most people in our tour couldn’t have cared less. I know this because I talked to several of them when our guide took a bathroom break. The stories that actually pertained to ghost followed a pattern that sounded something like this, “People often see a ghost in the bathroom. The ghost will pull on people’s hair a little because they have a sense of humor. I talked to the owner and he said he heard people say they saw something. All good. Moving on.” Repeat. And repeat. And repeat again at the next place. Uh… what? That was the general story for almost every location on the tour, aside from two locations where she told us about who actually died and how. Part of the appeal of ghost tours are hearing the stories about who they were when they were alive, how they died, and then tell us some of the local, paranormal legend of their afterlife. This was a lot of hearsay with no backstory aside from “My neighbor swears she felt a breeze in that building over there. All good. Moving on.” Honestly, the whole Ghost Tour feels like cheap marketing for their winery. And it obviously worked because we wouldn’t have gone otherwise and still ended up spending $30 in addition to the $25 we spent on the tour. The winery is fine on its own, but the tour is laughably bad.

Cooney’s Crawfish – Menu with Prices – 4535 Moss St, Lafayette

We have been ordering from Cooneyâ??s since they opened on Moss St. Crawfish and shrimp are delicious. Everyone is very friendly and courteous. When I placed my order for 3 sacks of crawfish to take to El Paso to boil for our son and some of his Army buddies, I asked about transporting them for 15 hours in order to keep them alive by the time we got there. We picked up our crawfish yesterday, prepared with ice and towels and met Mr Brown. He personally knows one of the soldiers we are feeding today from Crowley. Mr Brown would not let me pay for the crawfish and asked that we thank each one for their service. My heart is so full. Thank you Cooneyâ??s for supporting our troops!

Long Branch Original Biker Bar – Menu with Prices – 8419 Scott Hamilton Dr, Little Rock

We are so thankful for the willingness to step up and raise money for our company to support the children in the Southwest Little Rock Community. There are very few people who would take the time out to fundraise for children they don?t even know. You will never know how much it means to the kids we work with everyday. Thank you Thank you Thank you!!!

The Food Mogul – Menu with Prices – 603 S Las Vegas Blvd, Las Vegas

In Memory of a Soldier, Douglas J. Green When I read the description of the restaurant it certainly wasn’t your regular diner. When we arrived at the location in Downtown Las Vegas the outside did not look anything like a restaurant. The building belonged to a law firm or something. Paid parking is available right next to the building or drive inside the small alley way right next to the building and there is a parking lot immediately to the left. We entered the restaurant and noticeable are all the military memorabilia displayed on the walls and small American flags on each dining table. Dougie J’s Café is a restaurant dedicated to the memory of Douglas J. Green who was killed in action serving his country in Afghanistan. We were the only guests inside the place. We were not given any menus… there were none at the time? Instead the server told us of our choices. The menu was very limited but it’s okay they had something we liked. I ordered the Mushroom Swiss Burger [$10.50] and hubby had an omelette. Our food was home-cooked and nicely presented… but most importantly, delicious! The restaurant served great traditional American food. The owner and his server were nice and friendly. Owner chatted with us and mentioned that he lived in Sacramento over ten years ago. He served our country from 1988 to 1993 in the US Army as a 91B Combat Medic. He, a U.S. Army veteran, is doing an awesome thing with redemption program. He was telling us that the restaurant also serves as a culinary training course that introduces the knowledge and skills (with emphasis on planning, preparation and presentation of food) to meet the needs of the restaurant industry. I’d love to mention more about his program but if you happen to visit this place he’ll be glad to chat with you more about it. Review #1061

Slyder’s Tavern – Menu with Prices – 836 Watervliet Ave, Dayton

Best burger in the Dayton area. Great specials every day of the week. Friday fish is awesome, and mondays bbq bacon burger are two of my favorites. Mixed drinks come at you “bowling alley” style and do not disappoint. Rotating craft beers on tap make this spot one of the best places you can go with a large group and ensure everyone will be able to get something they like. Prices are very reasonable and the service is always friendly. I highly recommend this place for lunch, dinner, or just stopping in for a drink or two. In the years and literally over a hundred times that I have enjoyed this place I have never had a bad meal, never had bad service, and have always left satisfied. If that’s not enough for you they also have carryout for those people who would rather eat at home or somewhere else. All and all, if you live in the Dayton Ohio area, or are just passing through, you will not go wrong with a visit to this restaurant. I’ve sent several people here and they always thank me for telling them about this place.

Nightly Spirits Ghost Tours – Menu with Prices – 600 S Harwood St, Dallas

All right kiddies, settle down and listen up. We’re about to talk about some serious ishhhhhh right here. I’ve lived in the dallas area for more than 20 years, and in downtown dallas for about two years, so I thought I had a pretty good idea about the ghost stories in this area. Boy was I wrong. I bought two tickets to this for a date and it turned out to be one of he most fun dates I’ve been on in YEARS. I have done ghost tours in New Orleans and in the Fort Worth Stock Yards, and honestly this one was the best I have been on. The evening started out at Frankie’s bar in downtown dallas, an establishment I’ve been to many times. Once or twice I’ve been in their underground area and had an uneasy feeling but didn’t think much of it. No spoiler’s here but I will say I now know what I was feeling. The heeby jeebies. Kellie Ann, Kerri Ann? I’m seriously sorry I forgot, I had a lot of Jameson last night, but whatever your name actually was, you were an AMAZING tour guide. Charming, smart, knowledgeable. She knew tons of info that was clearly scripted, but also knew lots of off the books secrets about various hauntings around the entire city that we didn’t go to. A few VERY fun hours later we wrapped the tour up at Tavern and I will never look at the locations we stopped the same way again. Ghosts a plenty, and there’s seriously one place I never ever plan to go back to.

Mission Blue – Menu with Prices – 144 Leland Ave, San Francisco

I love the serendipity of how I found out about Mission Blue. My husky puppy had a spontaneous play date with one of his friends. The dog’s owner knows Kellie who started Mission Blue. She said I should visit, and it was perfect because I was headed to John McLaren Park later that day with my dog. Mission Blue is very close by. I was in awe of the charm, detail, and love that went into creating this gorgeous café for the community. Ask Kellie to tell you the story of how it started… and what a Mission Blue is. (Hint: It’s a butterfly.) I ordered a vanilla latte and browsed the artwork by San Francisco locals. Definitely come back here to buy gifts for friends. There’s indoor seating for humans and an outdoor table if you have a dog. You could also take a stroll around the neighborhood with your beverage and appreciate how wonderful it is to have a place like Mission Blue that is built for conversation and community. Swing by even if it’s out of the way. You won’t regret it.

Don’s Famous Hoagies – Menu with Prices – 784 S Apollo Blvd, Melbourne

Don’s Hoagies – Melbourne – 5 Stars “There are some men who lift the age they inhabit.”- Anderson The man who owns this family-run and eponymously-named restaurant is a trendsetter in the restaurant industry. Don, who for many years could be seen manning the counter in his Marine flat top barking orders to his troops of employees, was a sight to behold. Don took a basic premise – make a sandwich on fresh bread with fresh, real ingredients – and made it his mission. Thirty years ago at its first location, the sandwich board was a smattering of several sandwiches, and it was run in a straightforward way. You want a hoagie? – “There is the list.” Do you have a question? – “No questions allowed.” Don knew he was providing the best product and no one could touch him. He has a wall of signed portraits, several of whom I know are now deceased. The menu board is now bigger and Don’s son currently mans the helm. Gone from the refrigerator case are the missives about working hard, contributing to America, and being proud of what you accomplish. Occasionally, there would be a hand bill written by Don excoriating the Melbourne City Council, The State Legislature, or the food distributors. Although I am a loud, outgoing person, Don always managed to scare me. So I would smile, make brief eye contact, and then quickly look away for fear of angering this great man My perspective changed a few years ago, when I was with my mother at the local country club and, lo and behold, in walked Don and his wife. My first thought was “Hooray! An everyday hard-working guy had made it.” He moved effortlessly among the financial elites with ease. Finally, after 25 years, I summoned up enough courage to approach Don. I shook his hand and introduced myself, telling him how much I admired him and his business model. To my surprise, he was a kind, easy-going person and we chatted for a few moments. For several years afterwards, I would go to his restaurant and find him in the zone – barking orders and yelling as per usual, but now I knew the truth of the man behind the mask. Everything is good here. I have been getting the Challenger Hoagie (named after the Space Shuttle) for years. Nothing has changed – you get the same amount of meat you did 30 years ago. The price has gone up, but it is well worth it – loaded up with ham, turkey, capicola, and all the fixin’s. If you are the lone person who has never yet been to Don’s, I highly suggest you go. Big Boy says if there were a 6th Star, Don’s Hoagies would get it.

The Santa Clara Juicery – Menu with Prices – 1912 N Main St, Dayton

Just a few minutes from downtown, the Santa Clara Juicery is definitely a place to check out. It’s smoothies and bowls are very reasonably priced, so delicious, and enough to fill you up for breakfast or lunch. I love the Mermaid Bowl and the Hulk and PB &J smoothies. They also have ginger, wheatgrass, aloe and cranberry shots, which will make you feel healthier immediately ; ) Beyond the great menu, this place is bringing foot traffic back to the Santa Clara District, which has beautiful bones and needs some love and economic investment, just like many of Dayton’s old neighborhoods. A great place with a great mission, go get some juice!

South Mouth Wings – Menu with Prices – 1650 Broadway ste a, Boulder

Best sweet tea in Colorado! I appreciate y’all being around. I paid this place a visit about 5 years ago and it let me down, and passed them by since. HOWEVER; Recently I gave them another chance after stopping in a few weeks back by chance to find my wife some sweet tea (was on a mission). My mission was a success, they sell it by the gallon. Tonight I ordered bone-in wings Jamaican Jerk dry rub; hot damn! The flavors are amazing, the freshly prepared chicken doesn’t get lost in the many many layers of fresh herbs and spices. The Sweet and tangy sauce is great as well. Thanks for being around.

Marion’s Piazza – Menu with Prices – 3443 N Dixie Dr, Dayton

You have to understand something to ‘get’ Marion’s Pizza. Marion’s is the vanguard of a specific style of pizza home to Dayton, Ohio, progeny but distinct of Saint Louis-style pizza. Dayton pizza uses a virtually unleavened cracker pie with no crust and cut into 1′ by 1′ squares, all like Saint Louis pizza, but unlike Saint Louis, Dayton uses traditional cheese rather than the controversial provel cheese used in Saint Louis. Note that provel is pretty expensive because it is only used for Saint Louis pizza, thus low and disjointed supply chains, and most dislike the taste relative to traditional pizza cheeses.The Dayton formula is wonderful and Marion’s is the best of it. Their supreme and deluxe offerings are packed with seasoned Italian sausage to be complemented by fresh oregano bits that jump off the heated pie. Pizzas are served piping hot on a cardboard platter that can double as a serving tray. Each Marion’s location is in a relatively traditional space, classic and timeless, with old school arcades and beverage counters rounding out a tile and brick room. Marion’s recipes compete against the best from New York and Chicago; this restaurant’s locations are a MUST VISIT for any foodie. I visited from Houston most recently, a town known for its restaurants, and would found a Marion’s franchise here if the mothership were interested. It is well worth a day’s trip from Cleveland, Louisville or Indianapolis. Simply the best.