Salsa and Swing

Hello Friends,
The salsa tour is still in the works, but I haven't been able to get it "booked" yet.  (Darn having friends with busy lives...)  Also, Sara informed me that homemade tortilla chips are not on the menu.  When she promised the best place for salsa, she was talking about the dance.  Oops...  I was really looking forward to some spicy goodness, but dancing is fun too - and much better for my diet.

Speaking of dancing...  The Omaha Jitterbugs host a dance every Friday night at the Eagles lodge on 24th and Douglas.  Next Friday, February 5th, they'll be offering a special class called "Slop, Stroll, Rock and Roll: 50’s and 60’s Party Dances with Bill and Shannon Butler."   I have no idea what the Watusi or the Frug are, but I'm looking forward to finding out.  The class will run from 7:00-8:00, followed by a dance featuring live music by the Grand Marquis Kansas City Swing Band.  The cost is $15 at the door and includes the lesson and the dance.

The cost on normal nights is $5 if there is a DJ or $10 if there is a live band and includes a beginner's lesson from 8:00-8:30.

What's great about this?  

You can't find a more fun environment for dancing, no matter what your skill level is.  You'll see amazing dancers and...well...not so amazing dancers.  But the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly.  You don't have to worry about bringing a partner; you'll have opportunities to dance with lots of different people.  And where else can you wear those cool wing tips or that poodle skirt lurking in the back of your closet?  Really.

Words to the Wise

Wear layers and lots of deodorant.  It may be chilly outside, but you'll get sweaty fast on the dance floor, and nobody wants to smell that!

 Where to Get More Information?

Omaha Jitterbugs
Grand Marquis Kansas City Swing Band   (I dare you to listen to these audio clips without tapping your foot.)

Welcome to the Hometown Tourist!

Hello Friends,
Welcome to the Hometown Tourist. This blog is based on two simple ideas:

1. There is fun, beauty, and adventure all around us. No place on earth is inherently boring. (No, not even Nebraska - despite what you may have heard. Or thought.)

2. Most of us get caught up in familiar rhythms and patterns, and we miss out on amazing experiences.

With these two things in mind, I've decided to become a tourist in my own hometown. I'm grabbing my camera and heading out to discover all of the great things to see and do around here. Then I'm coming back to share the best of what I find, so other people can get out there and see it, too.

Up first will be a New York City-style tour given by my friends Sara and Eric, who promise they can show me the best places in the city to find salsa. They're both bilingual (English/Spanish) and work with recent immigrants, so I'm super curious to see where they take me. If that salsa is accompanied by warm, fresh tortilla chips, I may never come back...

Hope you'll join me in a series of great adventures. And if you have suggestions for things to do, places to go, or people to see, I would love to hear from you!