As I've mentioned before on this blog, the state of Nebraska isn't exactly first on anyone's Travel List. But, as I've also mentioned before, it should be - if only for Omaha and Lincoln and the smaller towns of Ashland, Friend, McCook and Imperial with stunning surprises and warm, generous people.
Lately, thanks to hometown (or should I say, home-state) boy made good, movie director Alexander Payne, Nebraska is making national waves. His new movie, "Nebraska," starring Bruce Dern in an Oscar-worthy performance, has turned attention to that flyover state.
Last week's New York Times Magazine featured a "Wanderlust" piece written by Kurt Andersen, photographed by Michael Christopher Brown. "With the release of his movie, Nebraska, the director Alexander Payne travels across his home state's great plains and small towns to discover a place as quirky and authentic as his films," it begins.
And in a Q&A in the New York Times Travel Section, Will Forte, who plays Dern's son in the film, compares the terrain he encountered in Nebraska to a van Gogh painting: "these big beautiful circular corn husk bales, the way the light would hit them and the shadows they'd cast. Brilliant hues of yellow - it was really striking." Like me, he also had "an extravagant stay" in Omaha at the Magnolia Hotel.
Being recognized in the New York media is no small achievement, and it's my hope that more and more Americans will take a road trip on US Route 6 to discover the joys of the Plains States.
Nebraska's Route 6 Tourist Association is pulling out all the stops to make sure that travelers know that they are on this historic road: putting up brown and white Route 6 signs, and providing information about the road. Many attractions and establishments that I wrote about in my guidebook, Stay on Route 6, have joined this great Association, which has dedicated Directors in most of the 14 US Route 6 states.
Allow me one plug - if you've got an urge to really explore our country on a mostly two-lane highway - or if you know of someone who does, Stay On Route 6: Your Guide to All 3,652 Miles of Transcontinental US Route 6 makes a perfect holiday gift!!
Lately, thanks to hometown (or should I say, home-state) boy made good, movie director Alexander Payne, Nebraska is making national waves. His new movie, "Nebraska," starring Bruce Dern in an Oscar-worthy performance, has turned attention to that flyover state.
Last week's New York Times Magazine featured a "Wanderlust" piece written by Kurt Andersen, photographed by Michael Christopher Brown. "With the release of his movie, Nebraska, the director Alexander Payne travels across his home state's great plains and small towns to discover a place as quirky and authentic as his films," it begins.
And in a Q&A in the New York Times Travel Section, Will Forte, who plays Dern's son in the film, compares the terrain he encountered in Nebraska to a van Gogh painting: "these big beautiful circular corn husk bales, the way the light would hit them and the shadows they'd cast. Brilliant hues of yellow - it was really striking." Like me, he also had "an extravagant stay" in Omaha at the Magnolia Hotel.
Being recognized in the New York media is no small achievement, and it's my hope that more and more Americans will take a road trip on US Route 6 to discover the joys of the Plains States.
Nebraska's Route 6 Tourist Association is pulling out all the stops to make sure that travelers know that they are on this historic road: putting up brown and white Route 6 signs, and providing information about the road. Many attractions and establishments that I wrote about in my guidebook, Stay on Route 6, have joined this great Association, which has dedicated Directors in most of the 14 US Route 6 states.
Allow me one plug - if you've got an urge to really explore our country on a mostly two-lane highway - or if you know of someone who does, Stay On Route 6: Your Guide to All 3,652 Miles of Transcontinental US Route 6 makes a perfect holiday gift!!
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