Walk #26: I Saw a Really Cool House with a Tower Across the Street from the Charles Storz House

Address: 1901 Wirt Street

Information: Charles Storz House

Lunch: Bento Box #10

Destination Review: This is another big, old house.

No, sorry, that’s another, much cooler house that I noticed across the street. The Storz House is much more prosaic, though it does have a great wraparound porch.

The Walk: I basically just got some photos of details of the house, and then walked around the block.

On my way back to the car, I was severely chastised by the local Neighborhood Watch captain.

So I had lunch in my car.

The Lunch: I made the waffle grilled cheese with frozen waffles, since I don’t have a waffle iron. It tasted somewhat odd. I guess that makes me a picky eater. Ranch dressing made the broccoli better. Triscuit crackers were OK. Blackberries were blackberries. And chocolate chips definitely made the banana better.

Lunch Ingredient Deals:

Banana: A That’s Smart Banana was 23¢ at Hy-Vee.

Broccoli: $1.08 at Fresh Thyme minus a 30¢ Allrecipes rebate = 78¢

Art Project: Embellished Frame

Walk #25: The Christian Specht Building: Omaha's Only Cast-Iron Buidling

Address: 1110 Douglas Street

Information: Christian Specht Building

Lunch: Bento Box #1

Destination Review: The Christian Specht Building is Omaha’s only building with a cast iron facade, which already makes it pretty great in my book. This is a building I would notice even if it wasn’t a landmark. And old Chris Specht even put his name at the top. How cool is that?

(By the way, that’s my car parked out front. It has served me well in visiting all these landmarks, so I thought I’d give it a kudos.)

Anyway, I got some pictures of some building details…

…some great brickwork on the side…

…and, to top it all off, the really cool logo of the Dearborn Foundry, where I assume the facade was originally cast.

The Walk: I wandered around near the Gene Leahy Mall, where I found a really cool metal sculpture of a face silhouette.

I ended up down by the Heartland of America Park, where I found a nice table to eat my lunch at.

The Lunch: I enjoyed this lunch a lot. Must be my Nordic blood. Lox and cream cheese on Wasa Crispbreads was yummy. I always like a hard boiled egg. And ranch dressing made the cucumber slices much better. I also threw in some Dove Chocolates for a treat, and those are always amazingly good.

Lunch Ingredient Deals:

Cucumber: Got one for 49¢ at Aldi. Subtract a 25¢ Allrecipes rebate and it was 24¢.

Egg: Got a dozen Goldhen Large Eggs at Aldi for 49¢

Art Project: Embellished Frame

Walk #24: Charles D. McLaughlin's Boring Old House

Address: 507 South 38th Street

Information: Charles D. McLaughlin House

Lunch: Bento Box #3

Destination Review: Sorry, Charlie, your house is really dull.

The Walk: This was in the Gold Coast neighborhood, so there were some interesting things to see as I walked around the block, including a big rich person’s house with separate servant’s quarters…

…pretty planters on every corner…

…more cool Gold Coast bricks…

…some nice brick and stone work…

…and another view of the Blackstone Hotel, over some construction. I’ve visited so many landmarks now that I’m starting to notice landmarks I’ve already visited during my walks.

The Lunch: The chef’s salad was OK, with plenty of ranch. I love roasted baby potatoes. Kiwi and cantaloupe taste good together. And I again enjoyed my version of trail mix, which is a nut and seed mix I get at Dollar Tree mixed with peanut butter M & Ms.

Lunch Ingredient Deals:

Cantaloupe: An Athena melon was 48¢ lb. at Fareway, $2.98 total.

Cucumber: 49¢ at Aldi minus a 25¢ Allrecipes rebate = 24¢

Deli Ham: Carl Buddig Original Lunchmeats were 68¢ at Walmart. I bought 5 and used a $1 off 5 coupon from the 5-7-17 SmartSource insert. I also got a $1 Ibotta rebate for buying 4. Total was $1.40 for 5, or 28¢ per pack.

Eggs: A dozen Hy-Vee Grade A Large Eggs were on sale for 39¢ at Hy-Vee.

Kiwi: On sale for 33¢ at Hy-Vee.

Lettuce: A Hy-Vee Garden Salad was $1.49 at Hy-Vee. I used a 50¢ off 1 store coupon I got in the mail to make it 99¢.

Peanuts: I got a single pack of Munchies Peanuts for 50¢ at CVS.

Red Potatoes: I got 4 for 50¢ at Hy-Vee.

Ranch Dressing: Bolthouse Farms Ranch Dressing was on sale for $2.49 at Baker’s. I used a $1.50 off 1 Baker’s digital coupon, got a $1 rebate from Allrecipes, another $1 rebate from Checkout 51, and yet another $1 rebate from MobiSave, resulting in it being better than free.

Art Project: Embellished Frame

Walk #23: Got Some Interesting Neighborhood Photos Near the Center School

Destination Review: This is an old public school that is now an apartment building. It has a great front door and some cool windows.

The Walk: I went around the block and encountered some interesting fences…

…a great tree swing…

…a brick-paved street…

…and a beautiful fountain in someone’s front yard.

The Lunch: I ate in my car again, because it was hot. Rice and beans were kind of bland. The guacamole made the celery lots better. I couldn’t find star fruit, so I substituted kiwi, which was kind of sour. The cantaloupe was OK. And I substituted fruit cubes for the dried fruit, and they were quite good.

Lunch Ingredient Deals:

Avocados: One of ‘em was 88¢ at Fresh Thyme. I got a $1 Allrecipes rebate for it, plus a $1 Mobisave rebate, making it better than free. The other was 99¢ at Target, minus a 10% off Target Cartwheel offer and the 5% Red Card discount. I got another $1 Allrecipes rebate for it, again making it better than free.

Black Beans: Mrs. Grimes Black Beans were on sale for 77¢ at Fareway. I bought 2 cans for $1.54 and used a $1 off 2 Invisipon coupon, making them 54¢, or 27¢ each.

Cantaloupe: An Athena Melon was on sale for 48¢ lb. at Fareway, $2.98 total.

Celery: On sale for 88¢ at Fareway.

Diced Green Chiles: Ortega Diced Green Chiles are 98¢ at Walmart. I bought 2 for $196 and used a $1 off 2 coupon from ortega.com, making them 96¢, or 48¢ each.

Fruit Cubes: A single pack of Gold Emblem Fruit Cubes was 99¢ at CVS.

Kiwi: On sale for 33¢ at Hy-Vee.

Limes: 25¢ at Aldi

Red Onion: On sale for 39¢ at Fareway. Subtract a 30¢ Allrecipes rebate and it was 9¢.

Sweet Corn: 33¢ an ear at Walmart. Subtract a 25¢ Ibotta rebate and it was 8¢.

Vegetable Broth: A can of Kroger Vegetable Broth was 69¢ at Baker's.

Art Project: Embellished Frame

Walk #22 1/2: I Nearly Get Squashed by Godzilla at the Omaha Pagoda!

Address: 3941 Ashwood Drive

Information: Omaha Pagoda

Lunch: Ice Cream & Bacon Bento

Destination Review: You probably are familiar with the big kerfuffle that happened about this a few years ago. A team of giant monsters wanted to destroy it, but the Omaha Landmark Heritage Commission intervened, and the legal battle was intense. So thanks to the OLHC, this is still standing, though it's a little hard to find.

I got a good picture of it from across the street, near the Piercing Pagoda.

I have to say there were some really interesting vehicles in the parking lot.

Inside, I had to use the restroom, and I was impressed with their facilities.

After emerging from the bathroom, I was greeted by a friendly robot guide, who offered to take me straight to the top.

The Walk: Just like in Hummel Park, I walked all the way to the top of this thing, even though the stairs were forbidding.

At the top, I got a good view of Union Station and the Bekins Van & Storage Sign.

Back at home, I saw on the news about Godzilla destroying the pagoda. Darn! I miss all the good stuff. I missed seeing the Wienermobile, too!

The Lunch

Mmmmm! Ice cream!

Lunch Ingredient Deals

Bacon: 50 lbs. was only $23.98 at Costco! What a steal!

Asparagus: Got it for free by stealing it from my neighbor's garden.

Velveeta-Wrapped Bacon: OK, I admit it; Kraft paid me to review it. See review above.

Red Jawbreaker: Only a penny down at the corner candy store.

Seaweed Snacks OK, $50 plus shipping from Japan Direct is kind of pricy, but I don't skimp when it comes to seaweed snacks.

Cauliflower: I only needed one floret, so I broke one off and managed to talk the Hy-Vee manager into letting me buy it for a quarter. That way, it was FREE after a 25¢ Ibotta rebate.

Weevils: No comment.

Ice Cream: Reed's was having a 50¢ per slice sale, so I saved big, in 1930s dollars at least.

Chocolate Sprinkles: Only a buck at Dollar Tree.

New Feature: Get a $10 Healthy Finds Gift Card for signing up for email updates!

NOTE: I receive a free gift card and a small commission for this post, but the opinions are my own.

Healthy Finds is a website of various online retailers of health foods and supplements. If you sign up for email updates for this blog, Healthy Finds will send you a code worth $10 on one of their retailers, your choice. All you do is choose the retailer, select the radio button next to it, and enter your email address on the site. You'll get an email with a code worth $10 to use on the retailer's site. Please note that some of the codes require a minimum purchase (like $10 off a $25 purchase), but not all of them do. It will say on the description of the retailer what the $10 is good for. On sites without a minimum, it means free product, though you do have to pay shipping.

I just tried out one of the codes and selected Gustus Vitae, a specialty spice retailer. I got a $10 off $10 code for their site and used it to order some Dijon Mustard Sea Salt. I love Dijon mustard, so I am intrigued about how this will taste. The salt was conveniently $10, so I only had to pay $4.99 for shipping with the code.

The one hitch in the process for me is that it took a lot longer than it says on the site for me to get the email with the code for the retailer. I entered my email on Monday and it didn't arrive until Thursday. But other than that, the process was easy. Just be a little patient in waiting for the email.

So if you want to try some free or discounted health foods or supplements, just sign up for email updates to this blog!

Sign up for email updates plus a free $10 Healthy Finds gift card here.