EXPLORE

Local Fave 18. When residents talk about the Blackstone District, they seem to blink their eyes hard, as if they can’t believe what they are seeing. Less than five years ago, the stretch along Farnam Street was dismal and desolate. “It was a street with nothing on it,” one Omahan told me. Now, it’s a street with a little bit of everything on it: a brewery (Scriptown), a creamery (Coneflower), a paperie (Pulp), a roastery (Archetype) and a meatballery with live music on the weekends (Blackstone Meatball). You can also get a beard trim at Surly Chap Barbers, tat-chos (amped-up tators) at Nite Owl and a Reuben at Crescent Moon, a pickle’s throw from the sandwich’s birthplace at the Blackstone Hotel. And more is on the way. An employee at Corkscrew Wine & Cheese pointed to a new development across the street, blinking at the unbelievable sight. Guidebook Must 19. When the hammer hits the bell on Saturday mornings, the farmers market is officially open. Not sooner, not later, but at 8 on the dot. Shoppers swarm tables piled high with radishes, lettuces, turnips and asparagus, a scene that harks back to the Old Market’s earlier self as Omaha’s main warehouse district. Though fading, the names of the earlier businesses still appear on the brick buildings, and the roads are made of cobblestone, catching modern-day heels. To restore your balance, choose from more than 30 restaurants, plus boutiques, bars and art galleries, including Kaneko, which has some of the most avant-garde chill spaces in the historic area.