Not NoDo Anymore

At her show at the Slowdown a few months ago, Ingrid Michaelson commented on how great the area was and how you could find anything you need right there - "Like Urban Outfitters, which is a really great place to shop for clothes!" 

Really?  Hmm.  I hadn't given it much thought.  So the next day, I drove back to the Slowdown with my camera to see what she was talking about.  I should have worn sunscreen, because when I started walking around the area, I found a lot more to explore than I'd expected.  

 "Old Things New" is a theme I keep coming back to, and I found that phrase coming to mind again.  North Downtown used to be a booming business district, but things dried up after the Hilton Hotel was built on top of 16th street in 1966, cutting off the major traffic artery that connected north downtown with the rest of the central business district.  (The DoubleTree Hotel is in that location now.)  The move was probably motivated by racial and religious tension; the majority of the businesses impacted were owned by members of the African American and Jewish communities.

The area picked up the unfortunate nickname of "NoDo," a moniker that was sadly accurate.  But after several decades, things are starting to change.   North Downtown is becoming a cool hub for shopping, dining, and entertainment again.

 

As I wandered around in full tourist mode, shamelessly taking photo after photo of things most "natives" walk by without a second glance, I ran into one of the friendly employees of Greenstreet Cycles.  I thought I should explain myself after he walked by me twice, probably wondering why this weirdo was taking pictures of the building, so I gave him a Hometown Tourist card and explained the blog.  Like me, he's an Omaha native who had to move away for awhile to really appreciate what's here.  We had a nice chat about Greenstreet and the North Downtown area in general.   

 

I think this would be a fun date night.  Dinner on the patio at Goodnight's Pizza Bar...

 

...followed by a movie at Film Streams...

 

...or a concert at the Slowdown or the Qwest Center.  They're all in easy walking distance of each other. 

The T.D. Ameritrade Stadium is going up next to the Qwest Center, so we'll have another entertainment option soon.  

Notice the mix of old and new - shiny buildings in the background, and the railroad crossing sign in the foreground.  Trains have been an important part of Omaha history since the 1860's, bringing goods and growth to the city since it was chosen as the eastern starting point for the first transcontinental railroad.  A series of murals on a building facing the Qwest center explores Nebraska's past and present, focusing on our roots...

The old and the new, co-existing peacefully side by side.  I like it.  It has character.

 

The more time I spend being a tourist in my own hometown, the more I find to appreciate about it.  The irony is that sometimes it takes a visitor from out of state to make me see what's right in front of me.

Oh - and I found a really cute sundress on sale at Urban Outfitters for $10.  Thanks for the tip, Ingrid!

Union Station (aka - the Durham Museum)

When I was in high school, we put together an original show called Union Station to Tokyo Bay as part of the Victory 95 celebration commemorating the end of WWII.  We performed it at the old Firehouse Dinner Theater in the Old Market.  (The Firehouse closed a couple of months later - no fault of ours, I'm sure!)  For that weekend in September, my friends and I basically lived downtown.  We arrived early to get ready for the matinee, then walked the cobblestone streets and explored the shops until it was time to go back for the evening performance.  I'd been to the slides at the Gene Leahy Mall with my family before, but this was my first time really exploring the Market, and I loved it. 

I had no idea that Union Station was just a few blocks away.  Looking back, I'm not sure whether the "Union Station" in the show's title was a reference to the one in Washington D.C. or the one right here in Omaha.  Our teachers picked it, and I never thought to ask.  Maybe it was both.  

 

Built by Union Pacific, the building at 10th and Leavenworth opened in 1931.  It was designed as an art deco show piece, fitting for a station that was so close to the company's headquarters.  

When rail travel was at its peak, this was one of the busiest terminals in the country.  On an average day, 10,000 passengers came through this particular Union Station.  Intricately detailed bronze sculptures give us a glimpse back into that time. 

The best history lessons are the ones you can climb right into - literally.  Like this train car.

Or this streetcar.  You can even take a turn at the controls. 

Omaha started out as a "Walking City."  But when streetcars began to run, the "Streetcar Suburbs" developed - like Fontenelle and Benson.  The cars ran in a big loop, connecting each part of the city, with gardens and parks built in between.  When you sit in this streetcar, you can look out the windows and see a little bit of what those passengers might have seen. 

It's too bad you can't climb into these cars.  Still, they're fun to look at.  Which one do you like the best?  Personally, I'm a big fan of the old convertible.

Or maybe you prefer really old convertibles?  If you can tear yourself away from the trains and cars, there's a pretty neat display that helps show how people first arrived in Omaha.

No McDonald's along the way?  No problem.

Pop quiz - how do you keep your eggs from breaking on a long, bumpy journey?

Houses like this came long after the time of covered wagons, but before those modern marvels of air conditioning and indoor plumbing.  Well, it kind of had air conditioning - if there was a nice breeze.  I wonder if that's why so many people had rocking chairs - to stir up a little extra air?

They found ways to entertain themselves without television.

And they made good use of every inch of space.

Omaha is well-known for its medical centers today, and that tradition goes back to its early history.  Clarkson Hospital was founded in the early 1900's.  But privacy laws regarding health information are relatively new.

Here's a closer shot of the same page.   I wonder what "Acute Plumbism" was?  Sounds painful...

An early wheelchair, which could also double as patio furniture.  (Just kidding.)

This last photo really has nothing to do with the rest of the blog, but it was too good to leave out.  Cudahy's was one of the big meat packing plants in town.  And here was one of their specialty items...

I know you're hungry now!

Hello, South 24th Street

When you think about south Omaha, what comes to mind?  Before taking my Geography of the City class, my mental picture was of a mostly run-down area with a large Hispanic concentration.  I wasn't completely wrong.  But I wasn't right, either.

A hundred years ago, South Omaha was a city unto itself - a boom town with three of the top five meat packing plants in the nation drawing workers with the promise of good-paying jobs.  Immigrants of many ethnicities moved into the area.  In fact, South Omaha was growing so fast that it could have annexed Omaha instead of the other way around.  West of the stockyards on 24th, "Sheelytown" was home to many Polish immigrants.  South of the stockyards, Little Bohemia had a large Czech population.  (The Bohemian Cafe is still a popular spot on South 13th Street.)  A Jewish temple was established at Park Avenue and Jackson.  Little Italy developed south of the Burlington building and what's now the Durham Museum.  And many Germans settled the area west of Rosenblatt. 

South Omaha had its own City Hall and Police Court at 24th and O Street.

The Roseland Theater provided entertainment.  It only had one movie screen, but you won't see detail this intricate adorning our modern multi-plexes.

You can see what drew people to the area reflected in the building below - Packers National Bank.  Today, it's an immigration office.  That seems appropriate somehow.

The building below hasn't been as well preserved or restored, but it shows again that intersection of the past and present.  It has a Czech name inscribed on top - J.V. Vacek - but the first floor has been converted into a clothing store.

El Vaquero Imports has transformed this building, giving it a southwest flavor.

A beautification project completed recently gave the sidewalks a pretty amazing new look.  

The community has a positive atmosphere.  Many people of different ages were out and about doing their shopping or enjoying a tasty lunch at El Alamo.  The wait staff at the restaurant was very friendly, and we were able to communicate in spite of their broken English and my very broken Spanish.  Oh - and the Burrito Colorado was incredible!  Pictures don't do food any justice, but I'll put one up anyway.

I was also amazed by the murals lining a series of buildings on N street just east of 24th.  The following photos show sections of the mural. 

One last photo.  This is a small mural on a building across the street from the ones above.

The neighborhood is still in transition, but it's looking good.  I admire all the hard work that's gone into revitalizing the area.  Way to go, South O.