Down-home allure puts Omaha on the map
Here are 19 reasons Nebraska’s largest city is worthy of a visit
In Omaha, Neb., 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. For every Jun Kaneko, the Omaha-based Japanese ceramics artist, I discovered a Celeste Butler, a self-proclaimed “quiltapreneur.” Even a bridge named Bob earned my affections; you can see my valentine on his Instagram account. By trip’s end, I realized that I wasn’t just crushing on the people of Omaha but on the place, too. GO Local Faves 1. 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” is on display now), workshops and special events, such as potluck-dinner 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 U-pick. 2. 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 rain boots. 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 $5 for barbecue and bands. Maybe the new owners will show up and do more than just eat and drink. Guidebook Musts 3. 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. 4. The Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge doesn’t go by formalities: You can call it Bob. The 3,000-foot-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.). 5. 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 non-kapow! fare. Starting in July, the theater 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 organization plans to revive the Dundee Theater, a historic venue (est. 1925) with a Hollywood ending.