Monday, May 7, 2007

The Omaha Old Market place

While visiting with Rob and Vanessa, Rob wanted to show us The Old Market place in Omaha. He explained it to me like it had the feel of Old Sacramento here in California.... I found it to be bigger and a little haunting, caught in a time that is lost but definitely still there. As I was walking down the sidewalks, I thought about the days when this downtown area was full of the hustle and bustle of a growing, expanding city and full of excitement. I could have walked down the same sidewalk, touched the same railing going into a shop, pushed the same door as Fred Astaire, Nick Nolte, Dorothy McGuire, Marlon Brando, Malcom X, Henry Fonda, and Montgomery Clift!

Everywhere you looked you could see the way the buildings were built, carvings everywhere, and faded paint on the bricks of the buildings. One day was not enough to see this town.

There were restaurants, cafes, antiques, galleries, art, old horse-drawn buggies, and boutiques. People were sitting outside, reading the paper or a book, and drinking a beverage of their choice. Beautiful people enjoying the sun and one another. I love watching people and find them so interesting.

Rob wanted to take us to a Thomas D. Mangelsen Gallery. The photos were of his latest book The Natural World. I thoroughly enjoyed this and appreciated his photos. Gorgeous!

We also went to a famous Ice cream shop called Ted & Walley's that only served it homemade style. Yum-O! We also went into several antique shops and saw antiques dating back farther than the 50s or 60s. This is primarily what you see here in California now. It was a good thing we came by plane; Charlie had already picked out a piano among other huge items. I had a door picked out. As we were walking around admiring the antiques and how they were made, Rob and I discovered that Nessa was not all that fond of antiques. Uh-oh! Rob loves antiques. We would go to the flea market when he was little and he would spend his allowance on old marbles, cars, etc. As Charlie and I were walking within a particular antique store, I turned around to find Rob and Nessa engaged in a serious discussion regarding their differences in taste. It was cute! Charlie mentioned all the antiques Rob has stored up in our attic. They will work it out. smile~


This was set up between two old buildings with restaurants and entries to bohemian shops!










This old Book store was calling "Angela... come in here!"


This whole row was lined up with poem books alone!




Omaha's very own "one man orchestra," like Neil on Star's Hollow from Gilmore Girls!












The Buildings do need a good spraying down!


Huge home made Ice cream makers at Ted & Wally's


The Beautiful Nessa~


Robert giving me a smile~

14 comments:

  1. 2rogers.comThis looks like a fabulous place to spend a day or seven..!
    Your photos are fantastic, and really express the mood of the place. I would really enjoy visiting those stores, and the the ice cream..yum..!
    Thanks for 'taking us along'..
    Hugs
    xx

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  2. Looks like a magical place!!!

    love to you,

    xoxo

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  3. Oh Angela...what a glorious aray of photo's. It was like eating at a hugh buffet....and Nessa and Rob, what sweethearts...

    Can't wait till Thursday ~~smile~~

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  4. i love exploring those old downtowns...I could definitely spend my whole time checking out that place. You watch Gilmore Girls too?? :) Jer always makes fun of them when I'm watching it; I always kick him out of the room.

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  5. Thanks for sharing your photos and reflections of downtown Omaha. It is as I remember it, and whenever I am passing through on the good old 80 interstate highway, I love to stop there. It does seem like a slice of American history.

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  6. Wow! Angela Sweets...this looks like a fun place to shop! ....and eat ice-cream! We could use more ice-cream today in this hot weather! Glad you had a good time!

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  7. Loved seeing the pics. Your blog is great. I come by every once in awhile but will try to remember to visit more often.

    sandy

    p.s. found you through Darlene several months ago when you first started blogging.

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  8. What a wonderful place! Your pictures are so inviting! Thank you for taking all of us there with you via your camera.

    Your "kids" are beautiful! I will be praying for your son and his family, and you too of course :), as he goes overseas.

    Thank you to all of you for his act of service on our behalf.

    Many hugs to you!

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  9. What a GORGEOUS Post sweetheart!!! I LOVE all those photos and that jar of flowers is soooo Sweet! Look at all the carving, the book store! Yes! and Rob and Nessa look soooooo darling! I still have a door, well it was really a set of stained glass doors in North Carolina!!! I wonder if they still have them! *sigh*

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  10. How neat is all that. What a great tour. Thank you!

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  11. Taste of American craftmanship and history. Thank you for the tour.

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  12. i love that book store...and the brick wall. and my brother and his wife.

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  13. I'm actually from around Omaha, so I was happy to stumble across this post! The bookstore is actually my favorite ... and the photos made me a little homesick. I hope that you enjoyed your visit; the Old Market is one of my favorite places to spend time.

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  14. Was the place you're thinking of "The Rose Theater?" It's a theater that specializes in shows for children and their families. I went there for a couple field trips back when I was in elementary.

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