Walk #8: Beebe & Runyan Furniture Showroom & Warehouse

Address: 105 S. 9th Street

Information: Beebe & Runyan Furniture Showroom & Warehouse

Lunch: Bento Box #2

Destination Review: This big old warehouse appears to have been turned into loft apartments.

There was a street carnival going on near the building, but I stayed away from it to avoid being accused of parking at the building in order to attend the carnival.

The building has been very well maintained and has beautiful brickwork.

Not much more to say here, except that there were some nice tables and chairs out in front for me to sit and eat my lunch at.

The Walk: I basically just walked around the building, or most of the building, anyway, because the north side was blocked off. But it was a big building on an incline, and it was hot out, so I did manage to break a sweat.

The Lunch: Did I mention that hummus makes everything taste better? It definitely does. So does a Dove Dark Chocolate Bar for dessert.

Lunch Ingredient Deals:

Baby Carrots: These were on sale at Aldi for 69¢ for a one pound bag. Subtract a 25¢ Allrecipes rebate and a 10¢ MobiSave rebate and they ended up being 34¢.

Broccoli: A broccoli crown was 33¢ at Fresh Thyme. Subtract a 25¢ Allrecipes rebate and it was only 8¢.

Crackers: I downloaded a Baker’s digital coupon for a free bag of Ritz Crisp & Thins last Friday. Free is always best.

Dark Chocolate: Mars Candy Bars were on sale at Walgreens for 59¢.

Dried Fruit Mix: $1 at Dollar Tree.

Green Bell Pepper: On sale for 89¢ at Fresh Thyme

Art Project: Embellished Frame

Walk #7: The Process of Not Falling at the John P. Bay House

Destination Review: This is a beautiful old house with a tower.

I really love old houses with towers, and this one has a nice one.

It was obviously a private residence, so I couldn’t really get too close or go inside. So I shifted my focus to the old church across the street, which also caught my eye, seeing as it was all medieval-looking and all.

The Walk: OK, folks, I stand corrected. Remember the whole Process of Falling at the Aquila Court Building thing? I walked around the block near the Bay House to get my exercise. I had my iPad out, prepared to take pictures along the way. I did NOT fall at any time during this walk. But nevertheless, when I got home I discovered a bunch of pictures of the sidewalk and grass that the iPad must have taken without my consent while I was walking. So maybe that’s what happened at the Aquila Court Building, too. It’s not nearly as exciting that way, though.

I did take some nice pictures of snowdrops on the walk.

The Lunch: I had it sitting on the steps of the old church. Nobody bothered me.

The salad was pretty good for being so simple. Fresh fruit was OK. My chocolate chips melted in the hot car, so I made the trail mix that I had in a previous walk instead, which I like very much.

Lunch Ingredient Deals:

Blueberries: Driscoll’s Blueberries were on sale at Hy-Vee for $1.25. I used a 50¢ off one Driscoll’s Product printable coupon that I got in my email for doing a survey on Driscoll’s Berries. Subtract that, and a 25¢ off any item Ibotta rebate, and the berries were 50¢.

Cashews: A cashew snack mix was $1 at Dollar Tree.

Cherry Tomatoes: Got a package of San Maria Tomatoes at Fresh Thyme for the sale price of 99¢.

Chocolate Chips: I got a package for a buck at Dollar Tree, but they melted in the car, so I used Peanut Butter M & Ms instead, which were on clearance for 50¢ at Baker’s.

Green Bell Pepper: On sale for 89¢ at Fresh Thyme, minus a 20¢ Allrecipes rebate on bell peppers, making it 69¢.

Kiwi: On sale for 20¢ at Fresh Thyme.

Red Onion: 63¢ at Walmat minus a 25¢ Allrecipes rebate, making it 38¢.

Salad Dressing: Ken’s Simply Vinaigrette Dressing was $1.98 at Walmart. I used a 50¢ off one Ken’s Dressing coupon from the 5-7-17 SmartSource insert and got a 75¢ MobiSave rebate, making it 83¢.

Whole Grain Pasta: Barilla Whole Grain Spaghetti was $1.38 at Walmart. I bought 3 and got a $1 Ibotta rebate for it, making them 3 for $2.14, or 71¢ each.

Zucchini: 35¢ at Fresh Thyme.

Art Project: Embellished Frame

Walk #6: Mini Vacation at the Bank of Florence

Address: 8502 N. 30th St.

Information: Bank of Florence Museum

Lunch: Bento Box #18

Destination Review: I have some childhood memories of Florence, since my primary care doctor was at the Florence Clinic when I was a kid. I was surprised that it still has the small-town feel that I remember.

The bank has been well-preserved.

The bank has a museum in it, but unfortunately, I was there on the wrong day, and it wasn’t open. I did get a picture through the window on the door, though.

This place is very aware of its history. It even produces melodramas. This made the walk feel like a mini vacation.

The Walk: Since I parked right next door to the bank, I didn’t get a lot of walking in, though I did walk all the way around it. Also, I got a lot of walking in at the Hy-Vee Drugstore next door, doing a mystery shop on obscure alcoholic beverages, which I had a hard time finding.

There was a charming little seating area with benches just outside the bank, perfect for eating my lunch, but I didn’t get a picture of it.

The Lunch: Mmmm…brownie!

Lunch Ingredient Deals:

Apple: Gala Apples were 78¢ lb. at Fareway. One apple was 35¢.

Baby Carrots: These were on sale at Aldi for 69¢ for a one pound bag. Subtract a 25¢ Allrecipes rebate and a 10¢ MobiSave rebate and they ended up being 34¢.

Baking Powder: Hearth Club Baking Powder is $1 at Dollar Tree.

Cherry Tomatoes: Got a package of San Maria Tomatoes at Fresh Thyme for the sale price of 99¢.

Chocolate Chips: A bag of Mill City Market Chocolate Chips is $1 at Dollar Tree. Eggs: There was a coupon in the Food Express section of Wednesday’s paper that got me a dozen eggs at Hy-Vee for 39¢.

Salt: I'm still using the Morton Salt I got for free with a Saving Star rebate, back when they used to do Friday Freebies.

Shredded Cabbage: A package of Dole Shredded Cabbage was on sale for 88¢ at Family Fare.

Sugar: A box of Domino Sugar is $1 at Dollar Tree.

Vanilla Extract: If you get lucky, you can get Spice Time Vanilla Extract for $1 at Dollar Tree.

Art Project: Embellished Frame

Walk #5: Memories of the Astro Theater

Address: 2001 Farnham Street

Information: Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center

Lunch: Bento Box #14

Destination Review: I came to what is now the Rose Theater with childhood memories of my grandma taking me and my sister to the Astro Theater to see Disney movies. My parents would sometimes go away for a weekend on a church event, and they would leave my sister and me with my Grandma Hennig, who lived in the Park Avenue Towers, which were new at that time. She would take us downtown on the bus (she couldn’t drive; neither of my grandmothers drove, and neither did my mom, for that matter), take us shopping at Brandeis Department Store, and take us to the movies at the Astro or the Orpheum, which at that time were both fancy downtown movie theaters. She would mxi M & Ms and popcorn together, and we would much away while watching Hayley Mills, the Ideal 60s Girl, in The Parent Trap.

This walk was rather anticlimactic compared to that. I wanted to take pictures inside, but the guy working the box office said I had to have an appointment because there were children in the building and liability and so forth. So I didn’t get to walk around inside, but I did get a couple of pictures of the box office area while I was waiting in line to talk to the box office guy.

The outside of the building is quite beautiful, what with the marble and the towers and all.

The Walk: I had to walk over three blocks and back to find a place to buy a drink to go with my lunch. It turned out to be the same little bodega I went to when I was doing the Aquila Court walk, or at least the closest Omaha comes to having a bodega (sorry, folks, I’m a “Law & Order” fan).

On the way back, I stumbled across a really cool old restaurant sign.

Also, there were vintage pictures of downtown Omaha in the 20s, back when the Astro was the Riviera, in glass cases on one of the buildings. I got a surreal shot, combining the old picture with refections of today, by taking one close to the glass.

The Lunch: I ate lunch on cute set of benches I found near the City/County Building.

The banana muffins were better when they were freshly baked and still warm, though the muffin in my lunch was pretty good. The best part of the lunch by far was the sesame green beans, which tasted like the green beans you can get at a Chinese buffet. The chicken salad was OK, the apple slices were kind of mushy, and the banana with peanut butter was pretty yummy. All in all, this lunch went down very well, and made me feel like I had eaten something healthy.

Lunch Ingredient Deals

Apple: Gala Apples were 78¢ lb. at Fareway. One apple was 35¢.

Avocado: Avocados were on sale for 88¢ each at Aldi. Subtract a 30¢ Allrecipes rebate and a 15¢ MobiSave rebate and one was 43¢.

Baking Soda: You can get a box of Hearth Club Baking Soda at Family Dollar for 50¢. Subtract a 25¢ Allrecipes rebate and it’s a quarter.

Bananas: Bananas were on sale at Family Fare for 47¢ lb. Four bananas were 86¢.

Canned Chicken: Got a can of Bumble Bee when it was on sale at CVS for 88¢.

Cherry Tomatoes: Got a package of San Maria Tomatoes at Fresh Thyme for the sale price of 99¢.

Cinnamon: You can get a great big bottle of cinnamon at Dollar Tree for a buck. Subtract a 25¢ Allrecipes rebate and it’s 75¢.

Eggs: There was a coupon in the Food Express section of Wednesday’s paper that got me a dozen eggs at Hy-Vee for 39¢.

Greek Yogurt: Kroger Greek Yogurt Cups were on sale for 80¢ each at Baker’s. Combine that price with a 45¢ off 3 store coupon I got in the mail and they were 3 for $1.95, or 65¢ each).

Green Beans: On sale for 99¢ lb. at Fareway. I got ‘em for 69¢.

Nutmeg: You can get Tone’s Nutmeg at Fareway for 99¢. Subtract a 25¢ Allrecipes rebate and it’s 74¢.

Rice Vinegar: You can get a bottle of Kikkoman Rice Vinegar at Target for $1.19. Use a 55¢ off coupon from Kikkoman’s website and subtract a 10¢ MobiSave rebate and it’s 44¢.

Salt: I'm still using the Morton Salt I got for free with a Saving Star rebate, back when they used to do Friday Freebies.

Sesame Seeds: You can get Tone's Sesame Seeds for 99¢ at Fareway.

Vanilla Extract: If you get lucky, you can get Spice Time Vanilla Extract for $1 at Dollar Tree.

Artwork: Embellished Frame