wildgoose77
Not at all creative.
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Anyone ever been to Omaha? Is there anything cool about it? How much would someone have to pay you to move there?
A quick Wikipedia search reveals that Omaha has both Warren Buffet (who's like 1000 times richer than Les Wexner) and the band 311 (who are about 10,000,000 times cooler than O.A.R.)
Seriously though, Omaha does seem to bear a passing resemblance with Columbus. Decent sized population, situated on a muddy river, about a six hour drive from Chicago...
Thoughts?
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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I've never been. Sounds like it would be worth a visit, but I don't think you could pay me anything to leave Columbus right now. ;)
I've recently become interested in visiting mid-sized American cities that aren't your typical tourist destinations. I'd be there in a heartbeat if Skybus flew there (they fly to Kansas City, which is about 3 hours away, but that's too far to drive a rental car).
Just from wikipedia, the things that stood out to me are:
- The population is almost half of Columbus, so I'd expect half as much to do there and hope to be proven wrong
- The city is seated on a state-line... maybe it's just me, but cities on state lines tend to feel quite a bit different than those that don't
- Omaha is not a capital city, so I'd expect that to affect the feel a bit as well
- Omaha is a very young city, so I'd expect the architectural styles to be somewhat similar in many neighborhoods to Columbus
- Sounds like there's less diversity in the population there. More white people and less minorities, but not by much. I don't know how much of a factor that would play into the vibe of the city, but it seems to usually be something that affects culture in a significant way
Are you planning on moving/traveling? Let us know how it is if you do!
drew
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I was there a couple of days for business this past summer. To be honest, it didn't really make much of an impression on me. The downtown area is truly and honestly dead, with the sole exception of the 'old market'. The old market is a maybe 3 block square grouping of old warehouses which house an interesting variety of shops and restaurants. It's a pretty nice area, but I couldn't imagine it holding anyone's interest more than a half a day at most.
According to the local architect I was working with, the old market is the largest tourist attraction in the state of Nebraska.
It looked like some signs of life were starting to develop downtown- a few condo/loft type developments were visible, and a few more being talked about in the papers. This did not yet translate into much actual activity.
On the plus side, the architecture is pretty nice- there's more old-school stuff than in Cbus and the modern is more interesting. The river runs pretty much straight through downtown, the riverbanks are used for parkspace.
Omaha is a nice city. It's a bit sleepy, but as mentioned above, the Old Market District is neat (very western and you'd expect a horse to be tied up to the railings). But-- Columbus is so much better IMO-- younger, much bigger, more progressive, overall much better. Take min 100K and live large there if you must.
joev
Merion Village
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NY Times: An Indie Arts Scene Is Putting This Flyover Town on the Map
March 25, 2007
When I tell people I’m originally from Omaha, they often confuse it with Oklahoma or Iowa. “Omaha,†a Manhattan photographer I met the other day said. “That’s near Nebraska, isn’t it?†Omaha is one of those ultimate flyover places, an urban Podunk so vaguely situated in coastal Americans’ mental maps that the mere mention of it can actually halt conversation.
drew
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Ndcent wroteDrew wrote Holy crap... from the NYTimes article:"Omaha is a cheap place to live  a 1,300-square-foot loft in the Old Market rents for $575 a month"
It's NEBRASKA.
Yeah, and that price tells us just about everything that's good and bad about it in a nutshell.
twistofreality
Northwest
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Walker wrote I've recently become interested in visiting mid-sized American cities that aren't your typical tourist destinations. I'd be there in a heartbeat if Skybus flew there (they fly to Kansas City, which is about 3 hours away, but that's too far to drive a rental car).
I'm really interested in this, as well, especially after going to Boise, Idaho last summer, which was a really fun trip despite it being for business. I'll definitely check out Omaha one of these days, along with other cities in "You're going where?!" states.
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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wildgoose77 wrote Anyone ever been to Omaha? Is there anything cool about it? How much would someone have to pay you to move there?A quick Wikipedia search reveals that Omaha has both Warren Buffet (who's like 1000 times richer than Les Wexner) and the band 311 (who are about 10,000,000 times cooler than O.A.R.)
Much better than 311, Omaha is home to Conor Oberst's Saddle Creek Records (Tokyo Police Club is one of my fav non-Omaha signee's) and The Faint *swoon*!!!
Overall, it has a really good music scene, rivals Lawrence, KS for me.
enzo
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It isn’t yet Seattle or Austin, but it’s no longer some kind of Great Plains version of Hartford or Fresno, either. “Alternative†and “independent†aren’t just marketing catchwords in Omaha. The blossoming is real and multifarious. It didn’t happen overnight. And it certainly didn’t happen as a result of any grand master plan by the city establishment. Rather, it has been the improbable result of the hard work of a few local heroes.
From this http://travel.nytimes.com/2007/03/25/travel/tmagazine/03talk.omaha.t.html?pagewanted=1&ref=tmagazine
drew
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Walker wrote I've recently become interested in visiting mid-sized American cities that aren't your typical tourist destinations. I'd be there in a heartbeat if Skybus flew there (they fly to Kansas City, which is about 3 hours away, but that's too far to drive a rental car).
Now that's an interesting topic for a separate thread...
HeySquare
German Village
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The state capitol is cool.
"The Nebraska State Capitol, the product of a nationwide design competition won by New York Architect Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue in 1920, is described as the nation's first truly vernacular State Capitol. The present building, the third to be erected on this site, was the nation's first statehouse design to radically depart from the prototypical form of the nation's Capitol and to use an office tower. Constructed in four phases over ten years from 1922-1932, the building, with furnishings and landscaping, was completed at a cost just under the $10 million budget and was paid for when finished. To decorate the building, Bertram Goodhue selected Lee Lawrie, sculptor; Hildreth Meiere, tile and mosaic designer; and Hartley B. Alexander, thematic consultant for inscription and symbolism.
Clad with Indiana limestone, the Capitol has a low, wide base in the plan of a "cross within a square", creating four interior courtyards. The square base is 437 feet on a side and three levels in height. From the center of this base rises a 400 foot domed tower, crowned with the 19 foot tall bronze figure of "The Sower". A thematic progression of ornamentation extends from the principal entrance on the north, westward around the exterior of the building and through the building's interior. The building's exterior stone carvings represent historic events in the 3000 year evolution of democracy as a form of government. The ornamental interior features numerous marble-columned chambers with vaulted polychrome tile ceilings, marble mosaic floors and murals depicting the natural and social history of Nebraska's Native American and Pioneer cultures."
By the way, when I was there working with a downtown developer, I toured the Bemis Center. I'm not sure if the article tells about how the old building was saved and given to artists-- each painting/mural on the building was sold for 5,000 dollars from contributors who wanted a place for local indie artists. (You can see the painting on the building in the photo below). Something we should do here.
somertimeoh
Harrison West
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HeySquare wrote The state capitol is cool.
I thought Lincoln was the capital of Nebraska???
mellotron
Arena District
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Walker wrote - The city is seated on a state-line... maybe it's just me, but cities on state lines tend to feel quite a bit different than those that don't
Again, maybe food for another thread - but I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this.
HeySquare
German Village
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somertimeoh wroteHeySquare wrote The state capitol is cool.I thought Lincoln was the capital of Nebraska???
DOH! I think you are right. Nevermind.
I have not actually been there. But some friends of mine are masons who helped restore the building.
Walker
The KLD / Downtown
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mellotron wroteWalker wrote - The city is seated on a state-line... maybe it's just me, but cities on state lines tend to feel quite a bit different than those that don'tAgain, maybe food for another thread - but I'm curious to hear your thoughts on this.
Well, to be brief, it feels to me like in many instances it divides the city in half. There always seems to be an US vs THEM mentality among a lot of the locals, and the last thing a city trying to be prosperous is a self-defeating rivalry.
Technically I guess it's not too far off from the urban vs suburban mental rivalry often found in many cities including our own despite the fact that we're all central ohioans in it together.
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