Omaha is not my homaha
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7/30/2008
Omaha the city itself is okay. Not great, not terrible, okay. It's what you expect for a city in the Midwest: quiet, bland scenery, unpredictable weather, not a huge number of things to do, conservative vibe, big into beer drinking, steak eating and football.
What gets me worked up about Omaha are the homers. These are the people that consistently brag and boast about how great the city is whenever they can. Typically they are Catholic, attended Creighton University, are from Omaha or a surrounding small town close by, white, middle to upper middle class and have seen little of the world outside of their Nebraska bubble. These are the types that quote stats from Money Magazine and such of how great Omaha is when those magazines with a few exceptions (Austin, San Diego) pick the most boring and characterless cities in the country as the "best places." These people believe the horse crap the Omaha World-Herald writes in their pro-Omaha propaganda newspaper.
I thought Texas was bad in their constant praise, but Omaha is right up there with them.
The homers mix with the other side: those who can't leave fast enough. There are very few people that are middle of the road who think it's just okay. And that's the main problem with Omaha: it's run by a select few. They are the ones who have the ideal jobs, they are the ones who make stupid decisions like erecting monstrosity baseball stadiums in the middle of downtown or getting rid of charming historical landmarks like Peony Park or Askarben in order to build more strip malls or unnecessary condos. They forget about problems with the roads, public transportation, alcoholism, ridiculous taxes, obesity, the tense racial division in the city or the miles of characterless suburb sprawl that permeates the city.
When you break it down, after spending a day at the zoo and a night at the Old Market, you've done pretty much all the things you can do in Omaha. It's becoming a city of big box chains, unlimited strip malls, luxurious condos where middle class housing should be instead, and more. It's all about a wannabe image and materialism. After 18 years there, I've had enough. Get me back to Chicago. Omaha is not my homaha.
Amy | Omaha, NE