A Vacation of Sorts

Mondays are hard. Mondays after an extended weekend are even harder. Mondays after an extended weekend where you were child-free are the hardest. 

 As I'm sitting here, guzzling coffee out of an over sized Wonder Woman mug, listening to my children argue about which one of them missed me the most (apparently none of them missed that other adult), I'm already starting to wonder about my next vacation (of sorts). My vacation bucket list is nearly as long as my TBR. 

 Any place I'm going has to have a bookstore. On my most recent trip, we traveled to Omaha, Nebraska. It is about a five hour drive from our house. Of course if you have to stop once an hour to use the bathroom, it takes closer to six. Seriously, once an hour. That's just the other adult. I didn't have any kids with! Not the point. We went to explore the Henry Doorly Zoo which is suppose to be one of the best zoos in the country. We weren't disappointed in the zoo. A trip for next summer with the children is already in the works. Not surprisingly, the zoo wasn't my favorite part of the trip. In the two and a half days spent in Omaha, I found and visited five different bookstores. Two of them were chain stores, Barnes and Noble and Half-Priced Books. One was a store dedicated to nothing but children's books. One operated under the title of book store but the only books it had for sale were overpriced coffee table, modern art books. That's fine if you're into that sort of thing. Me? I don't even know the last time I've seen a coffee table in my house. The one in my current line of sight is being used as a Shopkins display chest. 

 The fifth bookstore was glorious. If you asked me to design my own personal paradise, that's exactly what I would draw up. Shelves full of books extended from floor to ceiling. The floor was piled with what the shelf couldn't hold. It was a beautiful mess. The only thing that was missing was an in house coffee counter. Fortunately, just across the road was a bakery with coffee and the most amazing cupcakes I have ever tasted. 
Jackson Street Booksellers- Old Town 

If this bookstore didn't have it, they could get it. If they couldn't get it, it doesn't exist. 

Any future childless trips I take will probably involve places on this list:
http://bookriot.com/2017/04/28/book-riots-favorite-bookstores-in-all-50-states-dc/
There are some book stores on this list that look incredible. I would love to someday say I have visited them all. I think my first stop might be Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis Minnesota. It is the closest to me. All of my friends who have children and live in the area say it is a must stop. 

Any other bookstores I should add to my bucket list? 

P.S. If you get a chance to see Henry Doorly Zoo, take it. You'll enjoy it even if you don't have kids.






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