Taking the Road Less Traveled... to Omaha, NE

Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge - the longest pedestrian bridge linking two states

When Jason lived in Las Vegas, our weekend trips when I visited consisted of quick jaunts to places like Los Angeles, Sedona, and Utah. Upon moving to Minneapolis, our choices for quick weekend getaways were…..well a tad bit more limed. Having already visited the most coveted destination, Chicago, we deiced to take the road less traveled and make the 6 hour drive in the opposite direction, to Omaha, Nebraska. To our slight surprise, the City of Omaha had us quite mesmerized. 

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City of Parks

Located near the beating heart of the country's geographic center, Omaha seems to be a growing hub in terms of culture and jobs. Home to five Fortune 500 companies, 3 of the US top 30 architectural and engineering firms, Omaha boasts a number of impressive parks and landscapes with this one being one of many. This downtown riverfront park brought me back to my days of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Design, but it seems to be for the most part underutilized. Needless to say, the City of Omaha was quite the pleasant surprise and it is no wonder, Warren Buffett, one of the richest people in the world, chooses to call this city his very own home. 

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Lazy Summer Saturday at the Old Market

We spent the majority of our weekend strolling through the cobblestone streets of the historic Old Market surrounded by old brick warehouses-turned-into trendy lofts and lush overhanging greenary covering the sidewalks. On Sunday, the streets were closed for the Farmer's Market and filled with pedestrians and bustling activity, which was a far cry from the rest of downtown Omaha. We indulged in local ice creameries and Nutella crepes as we perused through a number of vintage stores and old-school memorabilia. 

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Music Festival with a view of Omaha Skyline

On the convergence of two cities - downtown Omaha, NE and Council Bluffs, IA lies one of the few impressive and well designed parks, the Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park along the Missouri River. The park itself was one of the two reasons we decided to attend a music festival there, with reason #1 being my long time crush Kid Cudi who was slated to perform that night. The cherry on top was the backdrop of watching the sun set over downtown Omaha skyline to the melody of "Pursuit of Happiness" with my love by my side.