Today I was driving, visiting congregants and was annoyed at how ridiculously low the speed limit is in the "express lanes" of West Dodge. I got to thinking of all the things that I don't like and then that I do like about Omaha. Over two years ago we first came to town for an interview, so as a still relative newcomer but with a couple of years under my belt, here are my thoughts.
What I Don't Like
1) Lack of LGBT Equality -- very excited by the passage of the Equal Employment Ordinance, but really want adoption and marriage rights. As I watch more and more states embrace full equality, it is getting more and more difficult to live in the Jim Crow region of the country. Particularly annoying when full equality exists five miles east of me.
2) Inadequate roads -- For some reason Omaha never seems to have planned to be a growing city. Despite the city stretching out 20 miles west from the river, there is only one major east-west road that runs the entire way through the city and even it is not an interstate-level road for most of its passage through the city. In other cities I've lived in, even ones more geographically spread out, the city is criss-crossed by interstate-quality, multi-laned, limited-access expressways. And below these are surface roads that also function as thoroughfares, often with well-timed lights. I've always admired the timing of lights in Dallas that would allow you, even sometimes during rush hour, to drive five miles getting all green lights. Omaha takes forever to get around it, despite not being very big. For Oklahoma City people, Dodge makes Northwest Expressway seem fast and efficient.
3) Shopping sucks -- I've blogged about this before. The choice in shops here is very limited for a city of its size, with most of my favourite brands and stores not being located here. I now have to shop every time I travel and do most of my purchasing on-line. And one can't enjoy a nice day at the mall here, because all of them are really, really bad and stuck a few decades in the past.
4) Restaurants are mediocre -- Omahans are very proud of their restaurants. This has always puzzled me. I've asked other relative newcomers their opinions, and it puzzles them as well. Restaurant choices and quality are not bad or awful here, but it's not exciting. I do have places I like to go, but nothing like my favourites in other cities I've lived in. I can imagine moving away sometime in the future and not missing any of the places I eat at here, which is not true for any other city I've lived in, except my home town.
5) High taxes with little return -- The sales and entertainment taxes are low here, but the property, income, and car taxes are higher than other places I've lived. I would be fine with that if I could see where it went. Infrastructure is inadequate, social services are poor, and government bureaucracies are inefficient.
6) Inefficient bureaucracies -- Which gets me to my sixth point. I've registered an automobile and gotten a driver's license in four states. I thought Texas' system was complicated and annoying, but Nebraska's is by far the worst of the four (Oklahoma is very easy, I think because much of it is handled by private tag agencies who must compete with cust0mer service). The balloting procedures here are out-dated to the point I was shocked when I first voted. My tax return last year took them four months (the website said upfront that it would take that long), whereas I got my Oklahoma return in less than a month. And it goes on.
7) Omahans are horrible at running red lights -- They don't run them like this in Dallas.
8) Racial segregation -- is really bad here. And, yes, it is a more serious problem than running red lights.
Now,
What I Do Like
1) Walkability -- It is a more walkable city than any I have lived in, particularly the area in which we live . Waking increases neighborliness and adds both a small town and urban feel at the same time (I think you'd have to experience it to know exactly what I mean). For example, we sit out on our front porch and chat with the people who walk by.
2) Appreciation for the arts -- It is a city which really appreciates the arts. People go to concerts, recitals, exhibits, etc. and talk about them. And the quality is good. There are also lots of great guest lecturers who come to town, though I often don't make these events because I'm worn out.
3) Parks & Trails -- There are a number of nice parks and trails and people actually use them. People really like to get outdoors here on a nice day and enjoy the city. Only Fayetteville, Arkansas, of places I've lived, was similar.
4) Young Professionals -- There are vibrant young professionals who are creative, entrepreneurial, civicly engaged, fun, hard-working, and committed to a bright future for the city.
5) Friendliness of Strangers -- Even moreso than in other places I've lived, and I've lived in pretty friendly places, people will chat with each other in a way that conveys a sense of human worth and dignity. I've really enjoyed some of the random conversations I've had. There is also a general, easy-going good-will in most of the people I've known.
6) Filmstreams -- Which is a really nice art house theatre. Of course I preferred having the large cinemas like Angelica in Dallas which showed crowded matinee performances of foreign films that even teenagers attended, but I really like Filmstreams and find it a great improvement over the dearth of choices in Oklahoma City.
7) The Zoo -- The Zoo really is great.
8) The Farmer's Market -- Is a great way to spend a Saturday morning.
9) Generosity -- Omahans are incredibly generous people.
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