What a better way to start a three-day weekend than with a one-day road trip. Our destination was the “Little Apple” Manhattan, Kansas. It’s a town neither Jeremy or I had spent much time in, and there is a lot to do in the area.
We also wanted to do something different for a very dear friend of ours. She got us turned on to the Max show, “Somebody, Somewhere”. It’s a dramedy about a woman and her return home to Manhattan. The show is mostly shot outside of Chicago, but Manhattan shows up in the bump shots, and is referenced in every show. We decided to check out some of the show’s locales along with some other local attractions.
Manhattan Hill, home of the Manhattan sign. The sign was created by the local Kiwanis Club in 1927. At the time the hill was known, and still is to some extent as Bluemont Hill. This sign was put up just a few years after the original Hollywoodland sign was built in Los Angeles. The Kansas State Collegian did a story on the sign in July 2018. “Kiwanis members designed a $70,000 handicap accessible viewing platform to rest about the current lookout.”
There is a very short drive to the top of the hill. You can get a great view of the letters from above. Park in the lot and hike the 40 yards to the lookout point. There are three things worth checking out. The view of the area, and with the fall foliage, it was a great photo op. Speaking of photo ops, the second part of the view is to see the letters up close. Much like the Hollywood sign, the letters are much bigger than you would expect.
The third thing is a small marker honoring the pioneers who came by steamboat to the area. This event is mentioned in the tv show.
Vista Hamburgers. This is a classic diner nestled on the side of a hill. The drive-in opened in 1964. The website claims they are still serving the same chili the owners made on their honeymoon in 1941. This eatery has been mentioned in the show, and the lead actress, Bridgett Everett (and Manhattan native) names it one of her favorite places to eat.
The Chef is another popular location on the series. This is where the group meets for brunch and to spend time together. According to their website, the original Chef opened in 1943 as a traditional diner with a horseshoe counter. The owners bought the store next door and expanded the dining area. The original owners closed the Chef in 1986. In 2008 another group bought the place and reopened it. Turns out it’s not just popular for the characters on the show, it’s also popular for locals too. We were hungry so we skipped the 45-minute wait.
We continued our “Somebody, Somewhere” tour and stopped in front of Reed & Elliott Jewelers. Fans of the show will recognize the jewelry store where Sam works. It’s a real jewelry store. It’s the longest running jewelry store in Manhattan, bedazzling their customers since 1942. Down the block sits another local place that has received a shout out from the series.
The Manhattan Brewing Company is a cool little brewery with local art on the walls. It opened its doors in 2020. There is a poker scene in “Somebody, Somewhere” Sam is drinking a Townie, and Susan is drinking a Juicy. Both favorites on the MBC’s menu. Sadly, they do not serve food. We asked the cashier for a recommendation and took her advice and went to El Patron.
El Patron was hopping too. We grabbed a couple seats at the bar. The adorable bartender made some suggestions to us. Jeremy had a cucumber margarita that he said was excellent. I had water since I still can’t drink alcohol. The food was fresh and delicious. I had the seafood quesadilla. The shrimp and crab were grilled with onions and tomatoes, then slathered in cheese all in a grilled tortilla. Jeremy had the taco salad with beef. He said it was good, but very filling.
Wareham Opera House is across the street from El Patron. It is referenced in the show and can be seen in the b-roll shots. The Coliseum was built in 1884 by H.S. Moore. The theater was bought and the new owner, Harry Wareham added electricity and renamed the theater after himself. A screen was added in 1911, making this venue the second movie theater in Kansas. The theater closed in 1986. The theater reopened in 1988 as an event center.
Our next stop was at K-State to visit Shellenberger Hall. This is where Fred Rococo works in “Somebody, Somewhere.” The hall was built in 1960. It’s named after John Shellenberger, who was head of the milling department in 1944. The entrance to the school can also be seen in some of the b-roll shots of Manhattan.
The Flint Hills Discovery Center opened in April 2012. The building’s exterior and interior are sophisticated. The museum covers the history of the Flint Hills. The exhibits talked about the indigenous people that lived in the area, the farmers and ranchers that moved in, to the “Scenic Flint Hills” you can drive through.
Other displays focused on the area when it was under water, the native animals and even a look at the grasses that grow on the plains. The building was fancy, but the museum was a little dry for my taste.
The best part for us was a temporary exhibit, “Great Plains: America’s Lingering Wild” by photographer Michael Forsberg.
Sunset Zoological Park – What would a Crockett trip be without a visit to the zoo. The zoo started in 1929. The city’s Sunset Cemetery’s unused rocky land was transformed into what is now Sunset Zoo.
Animals have been present since 1930, it wasn’t formally founded until 1933. Original funding came from the Works Progress Administration, contributing to the construction and preservation of native limestone structures. The former head of K-State’s School of Veterinary Medicine took care of the animals for four decades. In 1980, the Manhattan City Commission voted to modernize the zoo.
Sunset is not a big zoo, but we liked the animal enclosures because many of them got us up close to the animals. Unfortunately, it was a chilly day and most of the animals were just sleeping in the sun. I’m not going to lie; I was jealous of that. It only took about an hour to see all the exhibits, which were small but nice. If you have small kids, it would be worth checking out.
Aggieville, often seen in the series, and referenced too, is the entertainment district for K-State students and alumni. It is the oldest shopping district in Kansas, opening in 1889. The Plaza in Kansas City opened in 1923.
Auntie Mae’s Parlor/Wiener Hole – This is another popular bar in Aggieville. Auntie Mae’s was open, and we stopped in for a drink. Their slogan is “A dive bar that cleans up nicely.” The 45+ year old bar does not get mentioned in the series.
But The Wiener Hole does, as the main character Sam is seen wearing their shirt. This small window on the main floor of Auntie Mae’s has been serving up hot dogs since 1974. We could not try one of their classic wieners because they don’t open until 8pm, so we missed it.
O’Malley’s Alley and Porter’s Bar and Deli are not mentioned in the series, but we wanted to find out more about the $5 rum bucket they advertised. The bar has been serving up Irish beers and whiskey since 1997. Jeremy had a drink and we chatted with the bartender. She was friendly and we enjoyed our time in the bar. A rum bucket is a small plastic bucket that they fill with rum and your choice of mixer.
Rock-A-Belly Bar & Deli – You can barely make it out in the picture but there is an original A&W family member on the roof. That’s Baby burger, although she has been repainted and instead of a root beer, she is holding a beer. The kitschy bar opened in June of 1987. It looked like a place one of the B-52’s would have opened. On “Somebody, Somewhere” Fred references Irma doing body shots at the bar. In another scene, Sam is seen riding her bike in front of the bar. I got a turkey sandwich, Jeremy got hummus. They were both pretty good. The bar was crowded, and we had to sit outside on the heated patio.
Varsity Donuts, a Manhattan tradition since 2011, gets recognition from the Max series. We stopped in later, and they were down to just three donuts. While they looked good, they also seemed pretty plain, and we had just had a big meal.
I want to acknowledge the help of Kristin Brighton, who’s two articles on the HBO series were invaluable in finding all the right stops.
I did visit Manhattan on a business trip, you can check out some other sites by checking out Road Trip: Manhattan and Topeka.
To check out more of our short adventures check out the Road Trip page.
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