Art and chocolate

It's hard for me to consider myself on vacation since all I've done is take a short week at work and visited my parents. Nevertheless, I am on vacation, be it a mini one recognized by me or not. After all, when can you get up, do your daily exercise, eat breakfast, and take a nap by 10:30 a.m.?

In today's edition of getting to know Michiana, we went to the South Bend Regional Museum of Art. True to its name, it's a small place showcasing artists from the area (for the most part). I can't say that I saw anything earth-shaking, but there were some nice pieces that made it worth a short stroll through the museum. I wasn't crazy about a couple of the installation pieces or the contemporary exhibition but whatever.

After a drive around the Notre Dame campus and a spotting of Touchdown Jesus we went to The South Bend Chocolate Company. The business offers a free tour, although by the time we went on it the workers were done for the day. Our guide pointed out where everything is done and demonstrated what they do, but the process was pretty much left to the imagination. Free samples, though!

The solid Easter Bunny pictured above is around three feet tall and costs a whopping $350. I don't imagine they sell many of them. I purchased dark chocolate turtles that I am willing myself not to eat all of them in one fell swoop.

I saw some of South Bend my last time here, and I can't say that what I viewed was especially cheery. I saw a lot of the rundown areas where closed factories have been sitting empty for years. My impression was that this is a former industrial town that never recovered from the loss of business.

Today I got a better look at downtown, which has been restored and renovated to look quite nice. Obviously the area around Notre Dame has flourished. Although the rotting and rusting factories are a significant component of South Bend, I was relieved to see that the city has more going for it than an abandoned past.