Training for the Olympics: Omaha Style
Firstly, I shall like to open with a crimp about driving through Omaha during pothole season, which is upon us:
Bouncy Bouncy
Ooh, such a good time!
Bouncy Bouncy
Tyres all in a line!
Bouncy Bouncy
Every car miss winter salt, winter ice, every car swerve around.
Bouncy Bouncy
Hubcaps slipping off!
Bouncy Bouncy
Potholes are a no-no
Bouncy Bouncy, ooh!
Bouncy Bouncy, ooh!
Every time I bounce, I feel my muffler flyyyyyy!
Secondly, from uccellogiallo.tumblr.com/post/480091643/perfect-day:
Perfect Day.
- March 28 -
I absolutely hate when people complain that there’s nothing to do in Omaha. There’s more stuff to do here than you can imagine. People are just too lazy to go out and try doing different things, and would rather sit inside on a beautiful day doing absolutely nothing.
Today, I spent the day in the Old Market with my little sister and my cousin. Sure they’re younger than me, but that doesn’t matter, we all had a good time. We browsed the candy store on the corner of 10th and Howard, looked through records at Homer’s, listened to the musicians on the corner, and to top it off we enjoyed some Ted & Wally’s.
Maybe the Old Market isn’t for everyone. If you have different interests than spending the day outside browsing shops, maybe try a new restaurant around Omaha that you haven’t been to yet. See what kind of local bands are playing at the venues that week/weekend. Go to the pedestrian bridge and walk to Iowa and back. Go out west and see what kind of new stores are out there. You could even go pothole swerving for a bit and see how many you can miss. Most people I know complain that they don’t have money, but there are plenty of cheap and free things to do here, you just have to look for them.
Omaha is a big city, and I don’t think people are aware of the different places to go and things to do here. So go out and explore! You’ll love where you live :)
To which I added:
The dexterity and speed with which you must drive in order to avoid the potholes in Omaha should make excellent groundwork if you’re trying to join the bobsled team as a driver. I think they might train here; with more hills and turns (Saddle Creek Road, Happy Hollow, NW Radial Highway) than your standard track, it would not surprise me in the least.
The best test of your pothole-avoidance skills, in my experience thusfar, is along Martha between I-480 and 18th street. I imagine this great practice track runs at least until 13th, but sadly, I only made it to 18th before I had to stop for delicious Mexican at El Aguila.
It is worthwhile to note that there is an extra element of danger if you are piloting a Mini Cooper or Smart car; the potholes in Omaha are wide enough to swallow your miniscule mode of transportation, and I’m sure are deep enough to send it hurtling into some hithertonow unknown netherworld. Do practise caution, my loves!
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Up tonight: I'm not sure yet. I need to check various things and see what's on about town. I'm feeling like it might be an evening for a visit to the Slowdown, but we'll see. Tomorrow's supposed to be sunny and 65, so I plan to make the best of it and walk downtown from my place and do a bit of sketching. Really, it's supposed to be terribly lovely all week here; I'm quite excited!