Why you should visit Omaha, Nebraska
IN OMAHA, Nebraska, I searched for Warren Buffett and found him. I bumped into a cardboard cutout of the billionaire businessman at Gorat’s steakhouse and counted several rubber duckies wearing his signature spectacles at Hollywood Candy. He appeared on T- shirts at True Blue Goods and Gifts and in a glass exhibit case at the Durham Museum. Surveillance cameras probably caught my U-turn outside his house. To my delight, Nebraska’s largest city indulged my fan- girl tendencies, which extend beyond the Oracle of Omaha. Several local musicians - Conor Oberst, Josh Soto, Phil Schaffart - appear on my list of People I’d Like to Get Locked in a DJ Booth With. In the food world, I have long gushed over vegan darling Isa Chandra Moskowitz, who runs Modern Love, but after a visit to the Grey Plume, I made room on my plate for its Nebraska- centric chef, Clayton Chapman.
To my delight, Nebraska’s largest city indulged my fan-girl tendencies, which extend beyond the Oracle of Omaha. Several local musicians - Conor Oberst, Josh Soto, Phil Schaffart - appear on my list of People I’d Like to Get Locked in a DJ Booth With.
Go
• Immerse yourself in all forms of creative expression - care to sculpture dance? - at the Union for Contemporary Art. The community-spirited center holds exhibits (“Where We Land” opens June 16), workshops and special events such as potluckdinner discussions with artists. During a tour of the studio spaces, meet the co- op creators and ask away. Butler, for one, is happy to explain her quilting techniques, which incorporate thread painting, washed denim and snow. Afterward, graze the Abundance Garden, an urban Upick.
• The league players at O’Leaver’s Pub Sand Volleyball are a hearty bunch. During a heavy rainstorm, one member hopped around the wet sand in pink rainboots. Spectators were better protected under the cantilevered roof of the bar; you can’t have water diluting your Pabst Blue Ribbon. Five years ago, the bandmates of Cursive took over the establishment, which also includes an indoor bar and stage. They kept the divey punk aesthetic but added a beer garden with strings of bare bulbs and long wooden tables. For Sunday Social, held during the warmer months, pay US$ 5 for barbecue and bands. Maybe the new owners will show up and do more than just eat and drink. Guidebook Musts:
• Look up, look down, look all around the Durham Museum and marvel at the 13-foot-tall chandeliers, patterned terrazzo floor and soda fountain that still sells malts and phosphates decades after the historic Union Station that it occupies halted rail service.
Downstairs, explore vintage trains and an encyclopedic collection spanning from the Omaha Indians and Lewis and Clark to the first African American pro quarterback and the invention of the Swanson TV Dinner. Note: The “Tornado Shelter” sign is not part of an exhibit.
• The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge doesn’t go by formalities: You can call it Bob. The 3,000foot-long walkway, which soars and sometimes sways over the Missouri River, crosses the state line into Iowa. After you complete the .9K Bob marathon, snap a selfie and go collect your prize - a bumper sticker - at the Omaha Visitors Center (1001 Farnam St.).
• Film Streams at the Ruth Sokolof Theater, a two- screen venue in the Saddle Creek Records complex, shines a klieg light on foreign and independent films, documentaries, retrospectives and other nonkapow! fare. Starting in July, the theatre will celebrate its 10th anniversary with “Top 10 for 10,” picks from its staff. Pair a screening with such Nebraska movie snacks as Omaha Steaks jerky, Two Birds Bakery cookies or a Hopluia ale. Later this year, the organisation plans to revive the Dundee Theater, a historic venue (est. 1925) with a Hollywood ending. Eat
• At The Grey Plume, Clayton Chapman is fidgeting at the farm-to-table restaurant. The chef/owner wants to make his menu more Nebraska and less everyplace else. To reduce imports, and waste, the staff creates its own herbal liquors, colas and tonics as well as condiments, jams, bitters and charcuterie. Single ingredients, such as celery, will live nine lives as, say, a puree, pickled root, shaved ribbons, garnish and aioli. “The constraints can really drive creativity,” Megan Malone, the marketing director, said over a glass of house chartreuse and heirloom popcorn served in a bowl made of Missouri River clay. However, “constraint” does not translate to simple and spare. Case in point, the duck-fat doughnuts.
• Stash your cookbooks by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and - role-reversal time - let the famed vegan chef cook for you. Moskowitz opened Modern Love in 2014, two years before her Brooklyn outpost. The plant-based dishes skew toward comfort: Wrap your taste buds around the Modern Cheeseburger, the Mac and Shews or the Fully Loaded Noochos.Meat- eaters can distract their inner carnivore with Seitan Wings or Surf and Turf, which the staff updates seasonally. For dessert, no udders were harmed for the ice cream sandwiches. Guidebook Musts:
• “There’s Warren,” said a diner, pointing to a cutout of the famous investor. “He’s right there.” At least once a week, the real Warren shows up at Gorat’s to dine on a 22- ounce T-bone at his preferred table, in a former cloak room. Gorat’s isn’t just a celeb magnet, however; it’s also a survivor.
Of the about 50 Italian familyrun steakhouses established in the city, only three survive. When Gene Dunn took over in 2012, he restored the interior to its 1940s glory and updated the menu with salads and sandwiches. But the slabs of meat stayed.
• For nearly a decade, Stella’s Bar & Grill, which turned 81 this year, has dared diners to vanquish the Stellanator. Only 30 have succeeded; nearly 600 have failed. Guests have 45 minutes ( plus 10 minutes to digest) to python-mouth six patties, fried eggs and cheese slices, 12 bacon strips, lettuce, tomato, fried onions, pickles, jalapenos and peanut butter on a bun - with an order of fries. The victor wins a T- shirt, a place on the Wall of Fame and a free meal. Shop
• The staff goes on “guitar safaris” to hunt down the uncommon instruments sold at Ground Floor Guitar. Some recent finds: A 1990s Peavey, a Paul Reed Smith model with a Brazilian rosewood neck (note: you’ll need proper documentation, because the wood is protected) and a white Airline, the twin of a guitar beloved by David Bowie. Musicians can practice in the rehearsal room (free for firsttimers), though some visitors grab a guitar off the wall, pull up a chair and start jamming in the main “concert hall.”
• True Blue Goods and Gifts, a mash-up gallery and retail store, puts more than two dozen Nebraska artists on pedestals. “Meet Your Maker” bio cards accompany the individual minidisplays.
For example, get to know Mr Enginerd, who geeks out on laser- cut earrings, and Josh Knutson, who carves spoons and bowls out of wood collected from local neighbourhoods and forests.
For US$ 5 ( RM23), pull the old cigarette machine handle and see what masterpiece drops out of the Art- O-Mat. — WPBloomberg