Omaha, NE

park, omaha, nebraska
dances fantastic
may, 2006

Omaha, Omaha photo of the day

west dodge overpass
bret mcvey
august 2006

“Traveling east under the West Dodge Overpass in Omaha, Nebraska.”

omaha, omaha photo of the day, bret mcvey, dodge overpass

Here’s a great-ish video of the Plain White T’s performing their hit “hey there deliliah” earlier this year here in omaha. Enjoy!

Omaha, Plain White T’s, “hey there delilah”

“morning shines”
paul gornell
july 2007

“The morning sun rises behind the steeple of the Westside Baptist Church in Omaha, Nebraska. With it brings the hope of a new day and a finality to the old one.”

omaha, paul gornell, westside baptist church, photo of the day, omaha photo of the day

The Ranch Bowl … an Omaha staple. People of all ages remember seeing such bands as The Red Hot Chili Peppers and 311 play. Volleyball in the summer and bowling all winter long, as well as the pool hall Snookers were also staples of this amazing music venue. And then the 21st century hit, and the bands got shittier and the crowds got smaller. And the Ranch Bowl Closed it’s doors.

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“and so it goes …”
paul gornell
june 2007

Found this rather fitting piece of graffiti at the abandoned Burlington Train Station.

When the Burlington Train Station in Omaha, Nebraska was opened in 1898, this Italianate style building, designed by Thomas Rogers Kimball, was hailed by newspapers around the world for its grand architecture and accommodations. Today, it’s just an abandoned building in the industrial part of town.

The railroad was influential in the growth of Omaha and Nebraska, and the Omaha Burlington Station served the needs of both passengers and freight longer than any depot in Omaha history. Remodeled in 1954, the station saw a major parking plaza erected with lights and canopy, and a circular drive that enabled people to drop passengers at the station.

During the late 1960s train travel was greatly reduced and several areas of the station fell into disrepair. Finally, in 1971, passenger service was turned over to Amtrak and they operated the Burlington Station until February 1, 1974. That year the Burlington Train Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Recently, Burlington Station was bought by developers and is currently being renovated into private residences called “The Burlington”.

It’s not all sad. Here’s a website of the planned renovations: www.burlingtonstation.com

(all text from Paul Gornell)

omaha, omaha photo of the day, paul gornell, burlington station

I’m taking an idea from the about washington dc site, and starting up a “photo of the day” thing. Every day you’ll find snaps from all over omaha, and from all sorts of people. Sometimes they’ll by my photos, but the hope is that you’ll all man up and start sending me some of your pics to be used here so I don’t have to bore you with my sub-par photography. If you’ve got something for me, send a link to it (hopefully at flickr or some such photo hosting site) with the following info:

* your name as you’d like it to appear here.
* month and year the photo was taken
* any description you’d like with the photo
* any websites, blogs, etc you’d like me to link to you

And that’s it. This will start Monday, and I’ve already got some killer pics lined up!

Have I really been out of the gay scene for so long that I missed The Best Of Gay Omaha?!?! Tradgedy. Last weekend the best of the best in drag queens, kings, and so much more came out to salute each other and raise some money (although for what I’m not sure, because I wasn’t there). Check out a couple more pics after the jump, and if you’re part of this scene, shoot me a note next time there’s a drag show in town!

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State-wide test scores are coming in, and students are scoring better than ever with writing. As many as nine-tenths of students are now reaching state-set goals for writing progress. How did the Omaha-area schools fare?

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I was dicking around on You Tube last night and came across this fun little video. It takes you on a little mini-tour of Omaha, proving to the doubters that we’re so much more than cornfields.

There’s a couple of great live music events happening tonite in the Omaha area!

First up, you’ve got The Designer Drugs, a rockin’ New York punk band, playing at The Waiting Room Lounge with several other top-notch bands. Cover is just $7, so it won’t break your budget to head out there tonite.

Loud, concert-type performance not your thing tonite? Then head on over to Mick’s, where they’re having a singer-songwriter contest. The winner takes home $50 (or gets to pay their bar tab with it!) … and prize money always brings out the interesting.

Last night huge storms ripped through Nebraska and Iowa, from Lincoln to Council Bluffs and beyond. With winds up to 80 mph in some areas, tree limbs were knocked down, houses were left without power, and my friend even lost her porch!

To add to the fun, weather conditions are right for the same dramatic events to take place tonite AND tomorrow! So be prepared, because last night there was 1″ hail and a tornado touched down near Richland, NE. Hopefully it won’t be as bad tonite, but if you had planned to be out and about, the 50% chance of severe weather might make you think twice!

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Who doesn’t love Omaha’s own The Faint? I can’t think of a soul! They’ve grabbed fans from around the world, most recently snatching up some interview space in Austin. Check out all the awesomeness over at The Naughty Secretary Club!

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