Hope you're enjoying this beautiful spring weekend. I had a wonderful time exploring some of the Old Market with one of my favorite co-tourists today - my sister, Katie. The sunlight and clouds made it a great day for taking pictures. You know me - I love a good cloud. I think they get a bum rap for being gloomy. Most of the time, they make the day brighter and more interesting than a plain old blue sky does. So we did a little shopping and a lot of snapping photos.
We started with white mochas at 13th Street Coffee to keep us warm as we wandered through the Farmer's Market at 12th and Jackson. We both got some super cute bracelets from "Granny's Baubles" - a vendor from Plattsmouth who makes all of the jewelry herself. And no - the irony of going to a farmer's market and coming away with jewelry was not lost on us! (Our mom wanted to know who was growing diamonds...) In our defense - there isn't a lot of fresh produce available so early in the season. I did buy several pepper plants for my garden. I've never tried growing vegetables before, so keep your fingers crossed for me. Better yet - keep your thumbs crossed, especially if you have a green one.
The Farmer's Market will run every Saturday morning through October. I'm looking forward to going back later in the summer and writing more about it then.
After the Farmer's Market, we strolled over to see part of the Heartland of America Park from ConAgra's campus near 10th and Howard. The path leading up to the campus is lined with trees and American flags. (This photo was taken from near the ConAgra entrance, looking back down the path.)
A water fountain and clock tower are situated across from the building's entrance.
There were beautiful views of the Heartland of America park from this vantage point. It was tough to get a good angle on this water feature, though. Katie got a much better shot last summer than I did today. Hopefully she'll post it for us...
Can you believe we have scenery like this in downtown Omaha? I can't wait until the other fountains are turned on in the park and the gondolas are out. I remember visiting the park with my family when I was young. It was evening, and the fountains were lit with colored lights. It was so romantic!
Next, we visited the Gene Leahy Mall at 13th and Farnam. I hadn't been there for years, but the "downtown slides" were a huge favorite for us as kids. Take some wax paper to sit on, and these are almost as good as riding a roller coaster. You'll even get that funny feeling in your stomach - like your stomach is floating while the rest of your body drops. The chilly breeze may have deterred some folks today, but kids and adults alike form long lines to go down the slides when the weather is warm.
The lagoon provides lots of great photo opportunities. This fountain is nice. Not sure I'd use that handrail to descend, though...
I don't usually like metal sculpture, but I love this one. It's called "Tree House with French Doors," and it sits beside the lagoon. (I know - you want to climb it, right?) It's been marred with some graffiti, which is too bad. But we got a kick out of the note someone wrote on the side: "Toy Story 2 was okay."
Katie got this photo as we made our way around the walk path. The lower building in front is the W. Dale Clark branch of the Omaha Public Library - 4 stories of delight for the reader/researcher. The Woodmen Tower in the background is a familiar landmark in the Omaha skyline.
I believe Katie took this photo as well. You can see part of the walk path around the lagoon and the bridge that spans it. The island in the center is planted with native flowers and grasses, though nothing is blooming yet.
At the far end of the lagoon, we climbed down the stone steps to sit at the water's edge.
As we relaxed and enjoyed the view, we had a visitor swim straight toward us. Maybe he was hoping for food, but I think he just wanted to get his picture taken. Here he comes...
And there he goes... (No zoom on these pictures at all. This is how close he came.)
I hadn't gotten a good photo of his face, so I clucked at him to come back. He was happy to oblige and turned so I could get his good side. (I did zoom in for this one.)
It was so restful and beautiful by the water that it was hard to leave.
As we walked back to the car, I couldn't help but take a few more pictures. I just love the architecture downtown.
It's easy to find the negatives about my hometown sometimes - especially when I'm stuck in traffic. But taking a few hours to explore this side of the city gives me a much greater appreciation for it.
It's good to be a Tourist.
No comments:
Post a Comment