[rezfreak]

honestly, dont complain about the drivers! I just moved to Florida after 26 years in Omaha... I MISS the drivers. You think they're bad in Omaha? Try driving in Tampa - going 10 under in left lane or you have someone riding your ass going over the speed limit in the right lane, you're lucky if someone gives you a turn signal before cutting you off. I could go on. I absolutely miss Nebraska drivers, I'd take them in a HEARTBEAT over FL.

[Burquebinder]

Omahan's seem to have a perplexingly provincial view of their own drivers. I've lived in 7 states and 8 cities - Omaha would probably rank as having the second best drivers. Just about anywhere you go you'll hear people claiming to have the worst drivers. South Florida is probably the one place I've been that can actually lay claim to that title

Anyhow - my likes:

-The friendly, down-to-earth people.
-The continual improvements to downtown/midtown.
-The incredible number of historic, yet affordable neighborhoods for a city its size.
-The abundant warehouse loft apartments downtown.
-The sunsets - best in the U.S. excluding the southwest.
-Many very good restaurants.
-Easy to get from point A to point B.
-It's a very laid-back place.

Dislikes:

-Weather in the months of February and March (i.e. winter lasts a bit too long).
-A baffling inability to come up with legitimate criticisms of city leaders - I was always amazed at the constant calls for "recalling" mayor "X". These recall efforts never seems to be based on legitimate gripes. And no, having a mayor that works his @ss off to keep the college world series while making a concerted effort to improve downtown is not a legitimate gripe. Nor is having a mayor that is working to balance a budget in the face of anti-tax protests during the worst recession in recent memory. Sheesh, give the guys a break.
-Poor public transit.
-Poor access to great hiking, mtn biking, etc.

[The_Sage1]

I don't really like much of anything about Omaha...maybe the only thing I like is they have a huge variety of shopping and restaurants...but you can find the same places in a city of its size or bigger anyway.

I'd have to say the worst things about Omaha are that it has no culture, life there is incredibly dull and quiet and most of the city just looks unappealing to me. The weather is too windy and cold but that describes most of Nebraska anyway.

[laserdisque]

I would like to know what everybody means by "lack of culture". I have not had any problem finding "culture" in this city. There are many awesome music venues (which I hold very important in my own view of culture), lots of talented bands, several great museums like the Joslyn, El Museo Latino, The Durham, and The Bemis. There were at least 4 or 5 music festivals this summer with some fantastic bands. Get out of the house and experience something. Go to south O and visit El Museo Latino and hit up that awesome pottery place. Go to north O and check out a soul food place or rib joint and go to the Omaha Star Newspaper building to talk to the people there. Head over to one of the african grocery stores/restaurant/clothing stores and find out about a new culture and eat something you never have before. I could keep going and going, but I think my point is made. Don't be lazy and say there is no culture here.

[marmom]

Originally Posted by laserdisque

I would like to know what everybody means by "lack of culture". I have not had any problem finding "culture" in this city. There are many awesome music venues (which I hold very important in my own view of culture), lots of talented bands, several great museums like the Joslyn, El Museo Latino, The Durham, and The Bemis. There were at least 4 or 5 music festivals this summer with some fantastic bands. Get out of the house and experience something. Go to south O and visit El Museo Latino and hit up that awesome pottery place. Go to north O and check out a soul food place or rib joint and go to the Omaha Star Newspaper building to talk to the people there. Head over to one of the african grocery stores/restaurant/clothing stores and find out about a new culture and eat something you never have before. I could keep going and going, but I think my point is made. Don't be lazy and say there is no culture here.

I agree with everything you said - Omaha does have an abundance of culture, in every sense of the word. There are different ethnic groups represented throughout Omaha, plus there are plenty of museums, performing arts, historical sites, etc. Also, Omaha definitely has it's very own personality, essence, soul, or whatever you want to call it. Not all cities have that. Cities like Kansas City and Charlotte, NC strike me as totally bland and lacking personality - but not Omaha. Omaha definitely has a good vibe, which is part of why I like it so much.

[The_Sage1]

It's hard to explain but I'll try anyway. When it comes to culture in Omaha, here are a few things I can point out:

Buildings & Architecture - Omaha has done very little to preserve it's history except for the small strip where the Old Market is. They've erased a lot of history in Omaha by demolishing old buildings rather than trying to restore and preserve. And other parts of downtown are boarded up and falling apart. Culture has a lot to do with identifying with the history of the area and Omaha has very little of that.
With the newer parts of Omaha...you can see entire neighborhoods where all the houses look exactly alike. Most cities have this but it's pretty prevelant in Omaha. At least Lincoln did something cool with the neighborhood Fallbrook.

Another big problem Omaha seems to have is there are way too many brand new fancy hospitals and banks sprawling up all over the place. Just drive down west Dodge, it's pathetic. Also, Omaha doesn't have enough small business...there's just way too many chains all over the place. This is another big contributor to a lack of culture. Village Pointe looks cool but most of the stores are rich preppie garbage. Who shops at Banana Republic, anyway?

Culture in music - If you consider an abudance of lousy indie rock bands culture then more power to you. Outside of indie rock, the only thing Omaha gets are the huge pop bands that play at the Qwest Center. There are very few good music venues, mostly just bars people play at.

As for Kansas City, it is bland as well but it's bland in the same way Omaha is.

[OmahaMac]

Originally Posted by The_Sage1

It's hard to explain but I'll try anyway. When it comes to culture in Omaha, here are a few things I can point out:

Buildings & Architecture - Omaha has done very little to preserve it's history except for the small strip where the Old Market is. They've erased a lot of history in Omaha by demolishing old buildings rather than trying to restore and preserve. And other parts of downtown are boarded up and falling apart. Culture has a lot to do with identifying with the history of the area and Omaha has very little of that.
With the newer parts of Omaha...you can see entire neighborhoods where all the houses look exactly alike. Most cities have this but it's pretty prevelant in Omaha. At least Lincoln did something cool with the neighborhood Fallbrook.

Another big problem Omaha seems to have is there are way too many brand new fancy hospitals and banks sprawling up all over the place. Just drive down west Dodge, it's pathetic. Also, Omaha doesn't have enough small business...there's just way too many chains all over the place. This is another big contributor to a lack of culture. Village Pointe looks cool but most of the stores are rich preppie garbage. Who shops at Banana Republic, anyway?

Culture in music - If you consider an abudance of lousy indie rock bands culture then more power to you. Outside of indie rock, the only thing Omaha gets are the huge pop bands that play at the Qwest Center. There are very few good music venues, mostly just bars people play at.

As for Kansas City, it is bland as well but it's bland in the same way Omaha is.

It sounds like all your gripes are personal complaints about the TYPE of culture, as opposed to lack of culture. "I don't like those stores, I don't like those bands." And whats with the complaint of "fancy hospitals" popping up? Was there something wrong in your mind with abundant top-flight medical care?

Was your idea that Omaha should build a city for you specifically?

[TheBeagleLady]

Someone from Lincoln complaining about a lack of culture in Omaha? That's rich.

[Burquebinder]

The_Sage1,

I think the dislikes you listed related to culture hold true for pretty much any city and don't necessarily relate to your argument that Omaha has no culture.

Omaha definitely has a culture - the arts and music scenes are strong, there are abundant community events, a number of great ethnic restaurants, etc. It is a midwestern river city, and its culture reflects its history and transition from a primarily blue collar area to a more white-collar, prosperous city. It is different from nearby cities, but does share quite a bit in common with Des Moines, Kansas City, and even St. Paul. If you're not finding culture in Omaha, you're not looking.

[smithy77]

Originally Posted by The_Sage1

It's hard to explain but I'll try anyway. When it comes to culture in Omaha, here are a few things I can point out:

Buildings & Architecture - Omaha has done very little to preserve it's history except for the small strip where the Old Market is. They've erased a lot of history in Omaha by demolishing old buildings rather than trying to restore and preserve. And other parts of downtown are boarded up and falling apart. Culture has a lot to do with identifying with the history of the area and Omaha has very little of that.
With the newer parts of Omaha...you can see entire neighborhoods where all the houses look exactly alike. Most cities have this but it's pretty prevelant in Omaha. At least Lincoln did something cool with the neighborhood Fallbrook.

Another big problem Omaha seems to have is there are way too many brand new fancy hospitals and banks sprawling up all over the place. Just drive down west Dodge, it's pathetic. Also, Omaha doesn't have enough small business...there's just way too many chains all over the place. This is another big contributor to a lack of culture. Village Pointe looks cool but most of the stores are rich preppie garbage. Who shops at Banana Republic, anyway?

Culture in music - If you consider an abudance of lousy indie rock bands culture then more power to you. Outside of indie rock, the only thing Omaha gets are the huge pop bands that play at the Qwest Center. There are very few good music venues, mostly just bars people play at.

As for Kansas City, it is bland as well but it's bland in the same way Omaha is.

Dude, you reeealy need to get out more. For it's size, Omaha has an amazing variety of musical genre's available. Heck, I don't even live there anymore, but I'm impressed with what's available, music wise. Both Slowdown and The Waiting room have a wide variety of musical styles on their schedules. You can find live music every night of the week if you'd just do some searching. There are a number of web sites that cater to the Omaha music scene----just google 'Omaha music' or pick up a copy of 'The Reader.'