hoarr

After the Kansas City Pavement show, it was onto Lincoln, NE to spend three days in the Cornhusker state.  On the road trip, I was accompanied by Maggie (who provided an amazing soundtrack consisting of Billie Holiday, Martin Sexton, and Rilo Kiley) and her friend Jason (who seemed to be blown away by the fact that I disregarded the “Ass, Gas, or Grass” rule).

What should have been a three-hour affair ended up taking all day as none of us were in a hurry to make it to Nebraska.  While having a beer at the Black Iron Grill Steakhouse in Brownville, Jason suggested we check out this “incredible” Antiquarium bookstore down the road.

Turns out, this “incredible” bookstore ended up being one of the most interesting places I have ever visited.

The Antiquarium is a bookstore/art gallery inside of a renovated elementary school from the forties.  As soon as you walk inside, you are greeted with several paintings and statues on top of of a theater stage which was used for several children plays and performances.  As you walk through, you’ll find yourself inside several themed classrooms (Music, Art, Classic Literature) which house those specific books inside.

I spent all of my browsing the items and artifacts inside the Rare Books room (the last two photos showcase this place).  I thumbed through Dante Alighieri’s Purgatorio e Paradiso that had several amazing illustrations before settling on a patch of religious books to go through. 

I ended up picking up four items during my stay at the Antiquarium, but I felt like I could have stayed there all day.  I didn’t even get a chance to fully investigate some of the rooms, and I completely skipped over the second floor!

Looks like I need to get back to Nebraska soon.