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!

The Old Market in a New Light

The Old Market is one of Omaha's best-known hot spots.  Its brick streets and buildings create an inviting atmosphere for many unique shops, local art galleries, great restaurants, and live music.  You can go for a ride in a horse-drawn carriage or get your caricature drawn by an artist on the street.  The Gene Leahy Mall and the Heartland of America Park provide beautiful places to relax or go for a walk.  You can even take a gondola ride on the lagoon.

But as I learned this past week, the Market hasn't always been this way.  It's gone through several evolutions over time.  In fact, forty years ago it was a ghost town of empty buildings with a high crime rate.  It's come a long way since then.  But how did it begin?

In Omaha's early days, it was a farmer's market.  The ghost signage on the buildings reflects this early business.

The cast iron grates and doors on the ground near many buildings in the Market cover old cellars that were used to store produce before there was refrigeration.

Bill Paxton was a successful entrepreneur involved in many businesses.  One of his companies created the iron grate above.  Take a look as you walk around the Market.  You'll see his name all over.

Most of the buildings were constructed of brick, which is strong and fire resistant but doesn't allow for large windows to be put in.  Since the area was a produce market, stores needed large windows to display their goods and attract customers.  The solution was to use cast iron for the building fronts.  Cast iron is also very strong and made it possible to have large, colorful displays.

If you look closely, you can still find banana hooks in some of the original ceilings.  Unloading bananas from rail cars used to be one of the most dangerous jobs you could get since eight-legged passengers often hitched a ride up from South America.

The Upstream Brewery is housed in the old fire station.  The large windows in front used to be doors for fire carriages.  In one of life's great ironies, the third floor of the station was destroyed by - you guessed it - a fire.  The firemen were sitting outside when it happened and didn't know until someone came running to tell them.  

"A fire?  Where?" they asked.  

Boy, were they surprised.  

The top story was never rebuilt.

One of the most beautiful places in the Old Market used to be nothing more than an alley between two buildings.  Add a skylight and lots of beautiful plants, and you have the Passageway.

The Passageway has two levels with art galleries, restaurants, and other shops.  It's also a popular spot for taking senior pictures.

Another great place for photos is the Burlington Place.

Built in 1879, the top floors served as headquarters for the Burlington and Missouri River Railroads.  The first floor was used by a wholesale grocer.  Thomas Kimball was asked to renovate the building in 1899.  He took out the center of the building, installed a skylight, and put in a floor of glass bricks to allow light into the basement.

The elevator and the ironwork were also Kimball's doing. 

The railroad vacated the building in 1966, and it sat empty until 1983, when it was restored for use as office space.

 It's wonderful to see how old things can be made new again.  

Ted and Wally's Premium Homemade Ice Cream

Hello Friends,
It's officially summer time!  And to get this summer started right, I met a couple of good friends at Ted and Wally's ice cream shop at 12th and Jackson in the Old Market.  If you've been in Omaha for any length of time, you're probably familiar with Ted and Wally's already.  But if you've never been there - or you haven't been there for awhile - it's definitely a worthwhile tourist stop. 

We visited on a Thursday afternoon, but the small parking lot was full and there was a line inside even at 1:00.  As we waited to order, one of my friends noted the sign proclaiming that Ted and Wally include more milk fat in their ice cream than any other brand.  Who brags about something like that?!  Another sign warned, "Unattended children will be given a double shot of espresso and a free puppy."  Yikes! 

Flavor offerings vary, so you never know what concoctions you may find.  I sampled a bit of Peanut Butter ice cream.  It was delicious, and I was tempted to get it with some sort of chocolate mixed in.  But Peppermint Oreo won out in the end - a decision I didn't regret for a second.  A regular dish was just under $4.00 with tax. 

A family with a little boy was in the booth next to ours.  The boy was fascinated by the churning ice cream machines, so one of the employees let him come over and peer in when a batch of ice cream was finished.  I have to admit - even as adults, it was fun to watch the colorful barrels and the wheels spin.

Good thing it was a beautiful afternoon!  We walked off a few of the calories with a visit to the park and a little window/sidewalk shopping.  But the extra milk fat really does make a difference in the taste.  It's richer and creamier than store-bought ice cream or even Dairy Queen.  I wouldn't recommend it for daily consumption, but it's an awfully nice treat!

Omaha the Beautiful

Hello Friends,
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.