For out-of-towners - things' to see and do in Omaha.

[alexandraerin]

So, popelizbet tells me that the College World Series is in town... that should give you an idea how externally aware I am, since she's in Tennessee and watching it on TV and I'm here in Omaha where it is. No, it's just I haven't really gone out outside the immediate neighborhood since it started (the 13th, apparently) or else I probably would have noticed.

Restaurants and stores and stuff tend to get extra crowded when there's the equivalent of a whole extra town in town, and that's to say nothing of the traffic. I'm glad I don't have to go downtown for anything any time soon.

But to all the people visiting Omaha... few, if any of who, are likely to be specifically reading this blog, welcome! And since you are in town, do yourself a favor and check out our zoo and gardens, both of which are relatively close to the stadium (in fact, the zoo's right next to it). They are both world class institutions... don't laugh when I say that, it's true... and well worth the cost of admission.

You probably already know about the Old Market, but in case you don't, there it is... I won't bother with specific recommendations because the whole place is worth checking out. :P

And if you're looking for unique gifts but can't afford Market prices, check out Aki Oriental Food and Gifts. It's an absolute gem of a store that fewer people know about, but those who do come from several states away to shop there. Another good store for folks looking for the same sort of shopping opportunities you can find in the Market without as much of a crowd is The Next Millennium. For used books outside of the Old Market area, Mary's is a good choice, as is Pageturner's at 50th and Dodge.

If you're visiting from out of the region, make sure you treat yourself to at least one Runza before you go, and if you like the American version of Italian food and too much sugar in your spaghetti sauce, visit Valentino's Grand Italian Buffet, a Lincoln and Omaha institution. Also, if you're the sort of person who enjoys allegedly coffee based drinks that are more like drinkable candy bars than anything else, look for a Scooter's kiosk. They have recipes for mochas (hot, iced, or blended up smoothie-style) in the style of almost any candy bar you can name. The almond joys live up to their name.

Yes, everything in the last paragraph is a chain, but they're all local chains and worth recommending. I wasn't planning on making a post like this... there are a lot of neat independent establishments for eating and shopping I could be thinking of that are absolutely stuck inside a blank spot in my head right now. :P I'll make a point to start keeping a list of them, though.

Comments

[driandriana.livejournal.com]

Stella's in bellevue, on Galvin road is a great greasy spoon hamburger joint... one of their hamburgers is as big as a four year old's head. another good bellevue restraunt is the Amarillo, which is a fantastic bbq place.