Public Museum, Bull's Head

Today was the day Joe and I decided to embrace our fair city. Little did we know that museums have extremely lame business hours that end at 5. Reading their websites misled me greatly, and I really should have called beforehand to make sure we would have enough time to fulfill our entire day (spoiler alert: we didn't).

First we had the leftovers from our Mr. Pizza adventure last night. YUM. Then we got cleaned up and headed out to the Grand Rapids Public Library to get our library cards and maybe some books. I read The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels list and wrote down a notebook page-long list of books that I'd like to have read by the end of the summer. I'll let you know how that goes. Today I picked up The Sound and the Fury by Faulkner and The Fountainhead (not on my list) and Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand. I'm not convinced that I'll enjoy the Rand books, but as I feel with most things I have to experience them before I can have any sort of discussion about them.

Our library is really lovely inside. The centuries-old buildings in Grand Rapids have been maintained very well, and the library is no exception. There are five staggered floors chock full of books and we made sure to visit each floor to see what was offered within. After searching for way too long for the Fiction section, we found it on the first floor right inside the entrance in its own separate area. I love libraries. I regret that I've never taken advantage of them, instead getting books on Amazon or eBay for a buck apiece. That's great, but now I have zillions of books that have been read once and probably never will be again, at least by me. Today's library excursion was a very positive experience, and I'm looking forward to eating these books up and finding new ones to enjoy.

Moving forth, we parked our car at Grand Valley's downtown campus and walked approximately 6 steps to the Grand Rapids Public Museum. Upon entry, we went to get tickets and were informed that they were closing in 45 minutes. What?! We'd planned all day to spend an hour or two there followed by an hour or so at the Gerald R Ford Museum (yet another 6 steps away). I had no idea they both closed at 5. They advertised planetarium showings until 8, so I figured the museum would be open that long too. False. Either way we got a pretty good deal on our tickets and enjoyed the museum very much. The current traveling exhibit is "Big, Big Bugs!" so we made sure to stop by that room and see all the bugs we could. Fortunately, save crickets, all the bugs were dried and from collectors' stores. There were big tables with drawers containing facts about bugs, things created from bugs, examples of damage by bugs, etc. It was actually very interesting. We stopped at a couple other attractions, including the Numismatics station where we learned some pretty cool facts about our currency. Did you know that inside the numbers on the lower-left corner of the bills (at least the 10 and 20), the printed number "ten" or "twenty" repeats? On the first floor, there was a really great Grand Rapids exhibit that showed a couple of major intersections of the city as they existed when the city was young. It was really cool to walk down the "streets" of our city as they would have been almost two hundred years ago.
Finally before we left, on the third floor, we saw a window seat area that jutted out from the building toward the river. There were placards that gave tidbits of information about the city as it was when it was young as well as about the river itself. It was a fun and educational experience, and it was even romantic even though we were surrounded by moms and dads with their elementary-aged kids. It made my baby-craziness jump into overdrive for a while.

We didn't get to visit the Gerry today, but hopefully we will get to visit soon. There is an "America in the Cold War" exhibit I'd really like to see. We came home after the Public Museum for lack of anything else to do before our dinner reservations at the Bull's Head Tavern, and I was excited to jump into the books I'd checked out from the library (I started the Faulkner book, more on that after I finish it).

At 8:30 we got to the Bull's Head and were taken to their upstairs non-smoking area for dinner. It was intimate and the lighting was dim enough to be tavern-y without needing flashlights for the menu. Unfortunately we were seated next to a bachelorette party that had no concern for anyone around them. Point 1: I don't mind that it's your bachelorette party, I'm glad you're having a good time, but that doesn't give you and your raucous friends the right to impede on the evenings of those around you. Point 2: Everyone upstairs complained about their volume repeatedly, but fortunately they left shortly after our arrival.

On to other things: Dinner. We started with crab cakes, and while they weren't the absolute pinnacle of crab cakeyness, they were very good. I would eat them again anytime. They were served with the typical spiced mayonnaise, but they weren't typical in that they actually contained large quantities of crab, which is always better. I ordered a whiskey sour to go with the appetizer and I was pleased with the balance the bartender struck between sour and whiskey - the last couple times I have ordered the same drink it has been off-balance in one direction or the other.

For entrees, Joe ordered a chicken and pasta dish in a smoked Gouda sauce. Holy cow! It was very tasty - smoky, cheesy and cooked beautifully. I ordered the Caribbean Jerk Salmon with mango salsa. Joe's dinner was great but mine was... indescribable. The salmon was cooked perfectly and the rub and salsa were an incredible combination. I only wish there had been more. I enjoyed a Cosmo on the side - also mixed very nicely. The drink was a little strong, but I prefer them that way. I am no lightweight, and I like to enjoy the fruits of my liquor. The flavor was spot-on and its tartness actually went quite well with the savory and fruity flavors of the dish itself. The service was a bit curt, but I tipped her well anyway seeing that she had to deal with the bachelorette party. We went on to order dessert - the Chocolate Pudding Cake. Mmm, be still my beating taste buds. It was not super-sweet, made with more dark chocolate than lighter chocolates. There was a pleasantly sized lump of vanilla ice cream served with it, and Joe and I may have fought over more than one bite.

All in all, I give our day an A+. It was really great bouncing around the city with Joe, seeing things we hadn't yet seen after living here for 3 years. Evenings with someone you love are always well-spent.

Now it is time to tuck into bed and watch Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. We've got to get up early tomorrow - Joe is recording our friends' band demo at the school. I'll probably end up telling all about that as well.

Stay tuned (: