One thing I do like about the US is that they fly their flag a lot. This was the entrance to what otherwise just seemed a normal business, they certainly like to keep the flags flying…
Category: Omaha
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Omaha – W. Dale Clark Central Library
Where there’s a central library near to me I feel the need to explore it. I had to visit on the Saturday of my visit as they decided to shut the library all day on Friday for some staffing reasons. There’s clearly some back history to the library as the local paper reported a couple of years ago:
“Frequent disturbances, rowdy behavior and even reports of sex in the stairwell spurred Omaha police to ask library officials Wednesday to clean up the downtown library.”
It’s a 1970s building, not visually stunning from the outside. When it was constructed it replaced the old and tired previous library which had served the city since 1893. The library is named after W. Dale Clark who was a banker and civic leader, and is perhaps one of the few libraries which has a human scalp in its archives.
The library looked better from the inside with each floor clearly signed and there was a spacious feel to the interior.
Lots of books, although there were also plenty of empty shelves as well.
Plenty of tables were available. I decided to have a little look for local history books, which is where this got slightly strange. The staff member said that they weren’t available for the public on request and I had to ask for them by title, or ask for recommendations. This didn’t really suit my browsing requirements and is a quite ridiculous policy IMO that I’ve never come across before. I did find a row of around 25 books relating to the history of Omaha which were in the general history section of the library and this did suffice me, but I’m sure there were many more of interest.
I used to have some of these, I like the American Reader’s Digest.
All in all, this was a peaceful library which seemed devoid of visitors, which is useful as it keeps things quiet, but it’s also slightly concerning from a literary point of view. The library was clean throughout and the books were clearly labelled and displayed, but I still find the lack of local history books on display slightly bizarre.
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Flights – Omaha to Las Vegas (Allegiant)
Today’s flight (excuse that I couldn’t get a photo of the aircraft due to where the jet bridges were, so here’s a can of Coke) was Allegiant Air from Omaha to Las Vegas. Allegiant are a relatively cheap carrier with a reputation similar to Ryanair and I find them pretty similar, they’re reliable but not exactly customer service obsessed.
Incidentally, on the Coke issue, they’re $2 which seems to be good value and I noted that nearly everyone on board ordered something. Allegiant don’t serve hot meals, just pre-packaged snacks and drinks. The crew service is efficient and well managed and they completed four sweeps of the aircraft offering drinks and snacks.
Interestingly (just to me) this aircraft was an A-319, registration N313NV. This aircraft was from October 2004 until December 2017 operated by easyJet before Allegiant took it over.
Views from the aircraft. I was fortunate that the middle seat was free and I was allocated the window seat, so it was all sufficiently spacious. The flight was delayed for around 45 minutes in Omaha because of adverse weather conditions in Las Vegas, so they were trying to space the aircraft arrivals out.
The flight was also one of the most turbulent ridden that I’ve experienced and the aircraft landed at quite an angle. As a back story, the guy on my row was chatty and good humoured, but he hated Allegiant. He’s got a long history of flying and he said he only booked this flight because he was drunk. He claimed that the poor flying conditions were down to the flight crew, which is perhaps rather harsh. But their communication to passengers wasn’t great if I’m being honest.
We landed in Las Vegas just under one hour late, but that didn’t seem unreasonable given the weather conditions. Then it all went a bit wrong. As the airport was being hit by thunder and lightning the ramp staff didn’t want to be hit and so went inside into the dry. My flight correspondence on the same row as me blamed the unions and said that Americans needed to toughen up. I didn’t get involved.
What was meant to be a short delay for the ramp staff to come back turned into a 90-minute wait. Another Allegiant aircraft parked up next to us, stuck in a similar situation. Others planes seemed to be parking up, so I’m not exactly sure what was going on, but nonetheless it was a frustrating wait as it was never clear how long it would be. When the announcement we were moving was made it was performed by a cabin crew member rather than from the flight deck, which seemed unusual to me. However, the pilot was visible at the end of the flight in case anyone wanted to answer questions or be rude to him. As I was British I thanked him for a lovely flight.
Overall, I can’t really blame Allegiant for the delays, it was a cheap flight and they got me where I wanted to be in a reasonable time. And I was very pleased that they auto allocated me a window seat. I’d certainly consider using them again.
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Omaha – Godfather’s Pizza (Omaha Airport)
I’ve heard of the Godfather’s Pizza chain, although goodness knows where from, and it was founded in the city in 1973. It was once one of the largest pizza chains in the United States, although it has dropped back somewhat over the last couple of decades.
There’s not a vast amount of dining choice at the airport after going through security, and everything looked a little expensive so I soon lost interest. However, personal pizzas at Godfather’s were around £5, which seemed reasonable.
They had pizzas which were pre-cooked and placed in warmers, but I thought I’d go for one which was freshly cooked, so the buffalo chicken it was. I also liked that they were serving personal pizzas rather than just individual slices, it feels more like a proper pizza that way.
I did wonder whether they’d query me ordering a pizza which they didn’t have already cooked, but they didn’t and said it’d be cooked fresh and would take around seven minutes. This is precisely how long it took, although I imagine they’re pretty good at knowing how long they take so this shouldn’t be a surprise.
The service was friendly and helpful, with the counter seeming to be quite busy. The pizza didn’t perhaps look the most attractive when it was served, but it was hot and the base was crispy. There was a very reasonable amount of chicken and other toppings on the pizza and the whole thing tasted rather nice. The dough was soft and had some flavour to it and a pot of ranch dressing was served with it for free.
As pizza options go at an airport, this was an affordable and quick option. There were also plenty of nearby tables for customers and there’s also free wi-fi in the eating area (and indeed the whole airport). I think I’d order another one if I find myself back at Omaha Airport in the future, although I’m not sure that’s entirely likely.
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Omaha – Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (Other Photos)
Just some more photos from my Henry Doorly Zoo visit…..
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Omaha – Carter Lake
I’m going to the airport soon, the one on the right hand side of the above map. But I thought that Carter Lake, in the centre of the map, was intriguing because of the state boundaries. The lines through the middle show that Carter Lake is part of Iowa, even though it’s clearly in what is otherwise Nebraska territory. The ox-bow lake is the clue, the area flooded in 1877 and the river line drawn up dividing the states changed.
There were arguments for some years as to what state the area should be in, as when the river shifts then the boundary shifts. However, this wasn’t classed as a river shift and in 1892 the area was confirmed as being part of Iowa. It remains today as the only city in Iowa which is to the west of the Missouri River.
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Omaha – Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (Omaha Zoo Railroad)
The railroad at the zoo opened in 1968 and it’s a replica of the Union Pacific 119, a train dating back to 1868 so it marked a useful centenary milestone. Although I didn’t see this replica, I only saw their other steam locomotive, which is Riva. This train is Austrian and was made in 1890 when it was used on an industrial railway.
When Union Pacific closed their maintenance shed in the 1990s they gave a lot of their equipment to the zoo to help keep everything working smoothly. Over 200,000 people ride this train every year, which is an additional charge to the zoo entrance fee.
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Omaha – Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (Aquarium)
Just some photos from the aquarium at the Henry Doorly Zoo and this was probably the busiest part of the zoo that I visited.
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Omaha – Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (Butterflies)
The Henry Doorly Zoo has a butterfly garden within one of the buildings and there is a staff member at the entrance to it and another at the exit, just to check that no butterflies can escape. Everyone is warned not to stand on any of the butterflies, although I saw a clumsy child come close today, so I hope that none have actually met such an inglorious end.
Seemingly a Blue Morpho Butterfly when it’s not blue….
More of the same.
A Common Olivewing Butterfly.
A Blue Morpho Butterfly that is actually blue.
The Indian Leaf Butterfly.
Various butterflies….
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Omaha – Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium (Melodious Laughing Thrush)
A rather sweet bird at Henry Doorly Zoo, I also learned a new word today, which is passerine. Over half of birds come into this category, it means that they have feet which have evolved to perch on branches.
