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Omaha, Birthplace of the Union Pacific Railroad

This summer I had the opportunity to visit Omaha, a city steeped in railroad history. During the development of the Union Pacific Railroad, there had been ongoing disputes about where the eastern terminus of the railroad would be. Two days before his historic Gettysburg Address, Abraham Lincoln penned the following:

"I, Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States, do hereby fix so much of the western boundary of Iowa as lies between the North and South boundaries of the United States Township, within which the City of Omaha is situated, as the point from which the line of railroad and telegraph in that section mentioned shall be constructed."

Whether the President meant Omaha, or Council Bluffs, Iowa, on the other side of the Missouri River, became irrelevant. The developers of the railroad preferred Omaha, and that became the eastern terminus and the rest is history.

Old Market
This historic neighborhood in downtown Omaha reminded me of New Orleans' French Quarter, with its second story balconies fronted with beautiful metalwork railings, and its marketplace atmosphere. There are more than one hundred stores in this area, including at least five bookstores and more than thirty restaurants, cafes and pubs.

Taking the eastbound California Zephyr into Omaha means arriving around 6:00 a.m. There is something very lively about retail neighborhoods in the early morning - trucks delivering fresh meat, fish, vegetables and flowers, shopkeepers sweeping and hosing down the sidewalks, workers washing front windows and polishing brass plates and knobs. A few restaurants serving breakfast were open and we enjoyed an excellent meal at The Diner, on 12th Street at Farnum. The staff was friendly, the early morning news was on the television and when I asked for change to purchase a newspaper from the box out front, I was given one for free. The Diner, 409 S. 12th, Omaha, (402) 341-9870.

Omaha has some excellent open space, in particular the Gene Leahy Mall. This ten acre park, centered around a man-made lagoon, is a peaceful respite for workers in downtown Omaha. On one side it borders the Old Market, with its beautiful restored historic architecture and on another side, tall, modern office buildings. It also borders the large Heartland of America Park with its beautiful lake. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, visitors can view a free, 300 foot high water jet and light show or view the show from a boat for only a quarter. The Gene Leahy Mall is at 1302 Farnum, Omaha, (402) 444-5955; the Heartland of America Park and Fountain is at 8th and Douglas Streets, (402) 444-PARK.

By now, the many restaurants of the Old Market beckoned to us and we chose to have lunch at Vivace, an Old Market restaurant with a truly creative menu of contemporary Italian and Mediterranean dishes. The diner can choose from many meat, pasta and vegetable based dishes or can design her own dish. Pick a type of pasta from a varied list of seven or more pastas, such as pepper fusilli, radiatori, lasagnetta, cayenne quadralini, gorgeous squid ink striped bowties. Then, choose the sauce from a list of red, white and oil based sauces. This was a very delicious meal, although we did manage to save room for dessert, a tiramisu that was light on the rum and just perfect for lunch. There is also a very extensive wine list available Vivace's decor is comfortably sophisticated, with a full wall of windows looking out on the Old Market and a sidewalk seating area and the service was excellent. Vivace, 1108 Howard St., Omaha, (402) 342-2050, Info@VivaceOmaha.com

While in Omaha, we stayed at the Embassy Suites, right in the Old Market. As always, our suite was very roomy, with a full kitchen and dining area. The phones had data ports, which more and more hotels are now installing in their phones. We enjoyed the lap pool and the sauna, but most of all we enjoyed the complimentary breakfast. This was no continental breakfast with muffin, juice and coffee, but rather a full menu, with cooked to order dishes, including eggs, breakfast meats, pancakes, hot and cold cereal, fruit, juice, coffee, tea, cocoa and muffins and rolls. A great start to the day.

Embassy Suites also hosts a cocktail hour reception with complimentary wine, beer and soft drinks. Both breakfast and cocktails are served in the beautiful atrium. Embassy Suites, 555 S. 10th Street, Omaha, (800) EMBASSY.

Travel Guide - "Off the Beaten Path Nebraska", Hannah McNally, 3rd Edition, June 2001

I have always found "Off the Beaten Path" books to be interesting and helpful travel guides, and when I sought out one about Nebraska, I found that "Off the Beaten Path Nebraska" was available as a download. I went for the download, which can be read using Adobe Reader, and asI researched my trip I was able to copy and print out those parts that were relevant to my trip, while saving the other parts online for future use. I had already researched many trips online, so Iwas comfortable with this format. However, for the more traditional among us, "Off the Beaten Path Nebraska" is also available in book form. Both book and download are available at www.amazon.com

Link for book - Off the Beaten Path Nebraska