You know, Wichita was a really great little city. I haven't read this, but I suspect it would rate highly on the scale of most liveable cities in the US. The food scene was good, the people were friendly, the city was clean, and things were accessible. People we talked to said the cost of living is very reasonable here as well. Our meals were certainly not that expensive. It was definitely worth it to stay two days.
In the morning yesterday, we drove back to the botanical garden. The temperature was just right at 71 degrees and their was a nice breeze. I have to tell you, this was one of the nicest gardens I've been to. An army of workers and volunteers were planting and sprucing things up. It is apparently the time for the mums to go in and I bet they put in 5,000 of them. There were acres of things to see. The Asian garden was peaceful and the koi were huge and voracious. They had a section devoted to gardens for songbirds, a rose garden, a huge fountain, and a greenhouse of cacti. It went on and on. I'd never been in a butterfly house before, but they had one. It was awesome and I spent 20 minutes trying to take slo-mo videos of the butterflies. It even had a place for the hatching larvae. We didn't actually see one being born, but we saw a few for whom today was there first day as an adult butterfly. Welcome to Earth and avoid the spider webs!
We were on sensory overload, so we paused for lunch and to do some errands. We both were badly in need of a haircut, so we stopped into a barber shop I had found online, but they were fully booked. We gave them our number just in case. Back at the hotel, I used the treadmill and Robert, a weather junkie, watched the inexorable march of Helene towards the Florida coast. Somewhere between a mile and a mile and a half, he called me on my cell and said that the barber shop had found a way to work us in. Could we be there at 4pm. Yes we could!
This shop was called Irvin Jacks and the best way I can describe it is that it is a men's salon. The manager and most of the staff were female, but the decor was definitely masculine. We're talking big comfy armchairs and ottomans in the waiting "lounge," a bar that offered alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks, a big screen TV playing an old western movie, and even leather wallpaper. I halfway expected canapes. No wonder they were usually booked. There was an easy familiarity with the staff and most of the clientele. It wasn't anything sexual -- more jocular than anything. We both got great haircuts and scalp massages. What a treat!
Dinner was old world Italian, in a restaurant that looked like time forgot it. We Ubered there. Big leather booths, dim lighting, grandma's lace curtains for decoration, and a very friendly staff. Again, the food was delicious. I had a big salad and tortellini and Robert had a chicken cutlet francaise. Both fab. The Uber ride back to the hotel -- not so much. It was exhilarating and that's all I'm going to say about that.
All in all, another really neat day. I wish I had some great insights to tell or something more adventurous to report, but it was just fun, enjoyable, and indulgent. Isn't that what vacations are supposed to be?
