Here we go again

I don't often comment on my "hometown", which is the Omaha Nebraska/Council Bluffs Iowa area, because I was raised that if you can't say something nice, you shouldn't say anything at all. But sometimes that shithole of a town just irritates me enough that I HAVE to say something - and this is one of those times.

The Union Pacific Railroad recently constructed an amazingly banal headquarters building, which replaced the 1908 Headquarters building, which is quite a handsome structure. In typical Omaha fashion (they have a terrible inferiority complex there) the railroad foisted the old building off on the city, with the understanding that this was such a great deal: There would be a new building!!!!

Anyway, now the city has decided that the old building has to be demolished, which is in keeping with the planning concept that seems to be that they need to tear anything cool down. Or blow it up. Either way - as long as they can replace it with something inspiring to the intellect of the city (which usually means a parking lot)

In my time, they have sacrificed the following buildings:

A cool old "skyscraper" that, at 20 floors, was once the tallest building west of Chicago.

An amusement park that had the most AMAZING ballroom and outdoor dance floor (The amusement park, I could understand, but they were too dense to preserve the Ballroom)

A hotel with a terracotta "headdress" that was designed to resemble the ceremonial war bonnet of the Chief of the Omaha tribe. (the Fontenelle, which you can see on my website)

A whole SLEW of amazing riverfront warehouses. This is PARTICULARLY indicative of their stupidity: One of the very few "attractions" in this shithole of a town is the "Old Market" - a kitsch touristy place that is comprised of old buildings and regarded by the local yokels as "artsy". Unfortunately, the Old Market is only about two blocks long. Prior to this stupid "redevelopment" of the warehouses, they had about five more blocks to expand into - but they chose to redo that area into a "corporate campus" for ConAgra.

....I could go on, but why bother. It's just Omaha.


I have to concede, once again, that My mother was right. The only people who stay in Omaha are the ones to stupid to leave or who are stuck there by circumstance. The rest are people who are transferred there, and stay for a few years "paying their dues" and then get the hell out.