Urban vs Suburban Debate

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MrPoloShirt
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Urban vs Suburban Debate

Post by MrPoloShirt »

It would be nice to live in this building, but for the price I'd much rather own a 3,000 sqft house in District 66.
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thenewguy
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Post by thenewguy »

i don't think you're getting it...
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Post by Brad »

MrPoloShirt wrote:It would be nice to live in this building, but for the price I'd much rather own a 3,000 sqft house in District 66.
Me too.  I love downtown and all, but just don't want to live there.
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Post by S33 »

Judging by the showroom, they haven't justified their pricing, imo. Granted, 300K-500K for a downtown condo in many large US cities is a good price, just not for Omaha.

I will take my open space in the suburbs before I would live in Wall St. I also can't believe how small the Paxton units are.
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Post by thenewguy »

it seems like we've all talked about this before, but i'll go ahead and say it again, since it's a slow news day: people move downtown because of the lifestyle for the same reason people move to the suburbs.  I live in a traditional neighborhood setting, and it works for me because that's what i can afford (and my wife said we can't live downtown, haha).  But for those with the greens, the means, and the needs to live where they work and play, wallstreet will be good.  To each his own, i guess :)

I'm just most excited about another building going up...eventually.
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S33
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Post by S33 »

Of course, and if you look back I have stated exactly that regarding lifestyle. This project just doesn't offer enough bang for the buck and as much of a lifestyle change it may be, I'm not convinced it's a good investment.

I would much rather live in the loft style retro fit type building I suppose. Either way, I think we should start placing wagers on the project. Make the speculation a little more interesting...
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Post by TechnicalDisaster »

thenewguy wrote:it seems like we've all talked about this before, but i'll go ahead and say it again, since it's a slow news day: people move downtown because of the lifestyle for the same reason people move to the suburbs.  I live in a traditional neighborhood setting, and it works for me because that's what i can afford (and my wife said we can't live downtown, haha).  But for those with the greens, the means, and the needs to live where they work and play, wallstreet will be good.  To each his own, i guess :)

I'm just most excited about another building going up...eventually.
I would love to retire downtown.  I don't want to raise my kids in a high-rise.
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Post by TechnicalDisaster »

Does anyone here raise kids in a high-rise downtown?

Just curios to know what you think about it.
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Post by thenewguy »

i know people do in bigger downtowns, and i assume there are those that do in our downtown.  I don't think it'd be a bad thing.  I mean, imagine the views!  You'd still be able to do all the other things kids do, except play with your friends whenever, if there were no other kids in your building.  But then again, that doesn't say they can't go to the zoo, the mall, have slumber parties, etc.
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Post by DTO Luv »

bradley414 wrote:Does anyone here raise kids in a high-rise downtown?

Just curios to know what you think about it.
It's possible. THere are more people with kids in the Drake Court type places DT than where I live but I see them out at the playground all the time, so yes it is possible to raise kids DT.
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Post by DTO Luv »

bradley414 wrote:Does anyone here raise kids in a high-rise downtown?

Just curios to know what you think about it.
It's possible. THere are more people with kids in the Drake Court type places DT than where I live but I see them out at the playground all the time, so yes it is possible to raise kids DT.
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Post by DTO Luv »

bradley414 wrote:Does anyone here raise kids in a high-rise downtown?

Just curios to know what you think about it.
It's possible. THere are more people with kids in the Drake Court type places DT than where I live but I see them out at the playground all the time, so yes it is possible to raise kids DT.
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Post by joeglow »

thenewguy wrote:i know people do in bigger downtowns, and i assume there are those that do in our downtown.  I don't think it'd be a bad thing.  I mean, imagine the views!  You'd still be able to do all the other things kids do, except play with your friends whenever, if there were no other kids in your building.  But then again, that doesn't say they can't go to the zoo, the mall, have slumber parties, etc.
Where do your kids ride their bikes?  Where do they play football, without have to jump over the drunk guy?  Where do my 3 & 6 year olds play outside, while I am cooking dinner and am unable to accompany them?  It can be done, but it is a lot harder and will most likely add to the chances of a fat, computer addicted kid as he will not have as many opportunities to just run around outside.
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Post by StreetsOfOmaha »

Of course you have your own decisions to make as a parent as to how much activities you participate in with your kids, or if you just want to throw them out in the back yard to entertain themselves. Where would they ride their bike? Or play football? The Downtown Parks are really quite remarkable. Within a five to 10 minute walk or bike ride you have the Leahy Mall, Heartland of America Park, Lewis and Clark Landing, and the pedestrian bridge connecting to more open space in Iowa, including ball fields.

Anyway, for me, I never want to live anywhere NEAR a suburb.

In an ideal world, I'd have my house in the city, either Downtown, Midtown, or South Omaha, and a place COMPLETELY out in the country.
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Post by NovakOmaha »

bradley414 wrote:Does anyone here raise kids in a high-rise downtown?

Just curios to know what you think about it.
My sister had two small kids & lived on the 19th floor of a Chicago high rise.  Park nearby, lake nearby, restaurants, stores, grocery, etc.  You deal with wherever you live.  If you want to raise your kids in a highrise in downtown Omaha there is the mall, old market, childrens museum, library...  Not a bad place to grow up.  Folks have been doing it for decades in New York City.
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Post by DTO Luv »

joeglow wrote:
thenewguy wrote:i know people do in bigger downtowns, and i assume there are those that do in our downtown.  I don't think it'd be a bad thing.  I mean, imagine the views!  You'd still be able to do all the other things kids do, except play with your friends whenever, if there were no other kids in your building.  But then again, that doesn't say they can't go to the zoo, the mall, have slumber parties, etc.
Where do your kids ride their bikes?  Where do they play football, without have to jump over the drunk guy?  Where do my 3 & 6 year olds play outside, while I am cooking dinner and am unable to accompany them?  It can be done, but it is a lot harder and will most likely add to the chances of a fat, computer addicted kid as he will not have as many opportunities to just run around outside.
Do you just like being wrong all the time? There is a playground right across from my high rise and there are kids out there all the time that play unsupervised that don't have to step over drunks to get there. Sh!t, I myself have probably been passed out in the streets DT drunk more than than (homeless) derelict I've ever seen. Also I have a feeling that you'll chalk these kids unsupervision up to bad parenting, but if you do it in the suburbs it's ok. There are actual bike trails to ride on DT and busy streets not to go on like any other street in town. There are also enough open spaces around DT to play catch too so don't act like it's impossible.
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Post by joeglow »

DTO Luv wrote:
joeglow wrote:
thenewguy wrote:i know people do in bigger downtowns, and i assume there are those that do in our downtown.  I don't think it'd be a bad thing.  I mean, imagine the views!  You'd still be able to do all the other things kids do, except play with your friends whenever, if there were no other kids in your building.  But then again, that doesn't say they can't go to the zoo, the mall, have slumber parties, etc.
Where do your kids ride their bikes?  Where do they play football, without have to jump over the drunk guy?  Where do my 3 & 6 year olds play outside, while I am cooking dinner and am unable to accompany them?  It can be done, but it is a lot harder and will most likely add to the chances of a fat, computer addicted kid as he will not have as many opportunities to just run around outside.
Do you just like being wrong all the time? There is a playground right across from my high rise and there are kids out there all the time that play unsupervised that don't have to step over drunks to get there. Sh!t, I myself have probably been passed out in the streets DT drunk more than than (homeless) derelict I've ever seen. Also I have a feeling that you'll chalk these kids unsupervision up to bad parenting, but if you do it in the suburbs it's ok. There are actual bike trails to ride on DT and busy streets not to go on like any other street in town. There are also enough open spaces around DT to play catch too so don't act like it's impossible.
Yes, the spots there are adequate, because there are next to no kids there.  Since I have had kids, no one has been stabbed just for riding their bike anywhere near my home.  

And, I don't like to just throw my kids outside and ignore them.  However, someone needs to make meals, do laundry, etc.  It is nice for them to be able to go in our backyard and for me to still be in eye/ear shot of them.  And yes, anyone who lets their 3 and 6 year old go to a park 1-2 blocks away without supervision ARE terrible parents.
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Post by DTO Luv »

A 3 year old? Are you serious? The 6 year old may very well be capable of going to a park 1-2 blocks from their home. Depends on the 6 year old, but I imagine most parents wouldn't let their kids go that far. Heck they're are even parents that don't let their teens leave the house so it's all relative.
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Post by thenewguy »

joeglow wrote:
thenewguy wrote:i know people do in bigger downtowns, and i assume there are those that do in our downtown.  I don't think it'd be a bad thing.  I mean, imagine the views!  You'd still be able to do all the other things kids do, except play with your friends whenever, if there were no other kids in your building.  But then again, that doesn't say they can't go to the zoo, the mall, have slumber parties, etc.
Where do your kids ride their bikes?  Where do they play football, without have to jump over the drunk guy?  Where do my 3 & 6 year olds play outside, while I am cooking dinner and am unable to accompany them?  It can be done, but it is a lot harder and will most likely add to the chances of a fat, computer addicted kid as he will not have as many opportunities to just run around outside.
never said it was my kids.  Just speaking in terms of those who do live downtown.
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Post by thenewguy »

joeglow wrote:
DTO Luv wrote:
joeglow wrote:
thenewguy wrote:i know people do in bigger downtowns, and i assume there are those that do in our downtown.  I don't think it'd be a bad thing.  I mean, imagine the views!  You'd still be able to do all the other things kids do, except play with your friends whenever, if there were no other kids in your building.  But then again, that doesn't say they can't go to the zoo, the mall, have slumber parties, etc.
Where do your kids ride their bikes?  Where do they play football, without have to jump over the drunk guy?  Where do my 3 & 6 year olds play outside, while I am cooking dinner and am unable to accompany them?  It can be done, but it is a lot harder and will most likely add to the chances of a fat, computer addicted kid as he will not have as many opportunities to just run around outside.
Do you just like being wrong all the time? There is a playground right across from my high rise and there are kids out there all the time that play unsupervised that don't have to step over drunks to get there. Sh!t, I myself have probably been passed out in the streets DT drunk more than than (homeless) derelict I've ever seen. Also I have a feeling that you'll chalk these kids unsupervision up to bad parenting, but if you do it in the suburbs it's ok. There are actual bike trails to ride on DT and busy streets not to go on like any other street in town. There are also enough open spaces around DT to play catch too so don't act like it's impossible.
Yes, the spots there are adequate, because there are next to no kids there.  Since I have had kids, no one has been stabbed just for riding their bike anywhere near my home.  

And, I don't like to just throw my kids outside and ignore them.  However, someone needs to make meals, do laundry, etc.  It is nice for them to be able to go in our backyard and for me to still be in eye/ear shot of them.  And yes, anyone who lets their 3 and 6 year old go to a park 1-2 blocks away without supervision ARE terrible parents.
Could you cite for me the news story that pertains to a kid being stabbed while riding their bike downtown?  If there was, then that is a relevant argument.  If not, i'd say that's a bit of an outlandish statement, assuming that just because one rides a bike downtown that they have a higher likelihood of getting stabbed.  You'll find that random shootings are actually not commonplace downtown, and that many notorious killers were actually born and raised in a suburb setting.  I can cite them if you'd like.

And i don't recollect anyone saying that they would let their 3 or 6 year old go ANYWHERE without supervision.  I agree, that would be horrible parenting.
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Post by Big E »

thenewguy wrote:Could you cite for me the news story that pertains to a kid being stabbed while riding their bike downtown?  If there was, then that is a relevant argument.  If not, i'd say that's a bit of an outlandish statement, assuming that just because one rides a bike downtown that they have a higher likelihood of getting stabbed.  You'll find that random shootings are actually not commonplace downtown, and that many notorious killers were actually born and raised in a suburb setting.  I can cite them if you'd like.
I was actually thinking of having a son and moving out to west Omaha so that in 20 years I could have an affair with his 19 year old girlfriend and have him come home and kill me one day.  I mean, I read that story in the paper, so that's what everything is like out there, right?

Granted, I've never actually lived in Elkhorn or anywhere remotely like Elkhorn, but because I know that there was a meth lab in someone's basement out there, every basement in Elkhorn has a meth lab, right?

How about that guy that shot his whole family over there southwest of 120th and Center last year?  Man...  I know, for one, I'm never going southwest of 120th & Center again.  

Get a |expletive| grip, people.  Take away the concentration of drug-related shootings around the projects in North and South Omaha - neither of which can remotely be considered downtown - and there is no part of Omaha that is any more or less unsafe than any other.
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Post by TechnicalDisaster »

Of course I know it's possible, I wondered if anyone here had any first hand experience raising kids in a high-rise Downtown.  No offense, but all I read about here is of people without kids telling me children can survive it, and would enjoy the view.   I know that there is activities for them to do from time to time, but there is more to raising kids than the proximity to a grocery store, park, and a children's museum.

Let's talk about safety.  If my child needs emergency medical attention, what will the rescue teams need to do for access to the locked building?  How long will it take them to reach my children at the higher floor?  Will my apartment number show up on caller ID if I'm not able to give it to them?  Where is the storm shelter?  How long does it take to get my kids down there?  What happens if my older kids are home alone?  Will they leave the apartment and head to the basement when the sirens go off?

What about schools?  What is the OPS bus schedule to my unit?  Does the bus come to my Unit, or do I need to walk my child somewhere in the morning to wait for it?  Is Kids Network available at OPS?  What time can I expect to make it home in rush hour traffic, pick up my children from daycare/school, and start cooking dinner?   I really don't want to start eating evening meal after 7:00 p.m.

What about my sanity?  When the kids have more energy than I can deal with?  Can I push them out the door and make them play in the back yard?

Were are the children's physicians downtown?  Are they close to schools/childcare?  If I have to leave work to make a children's doctors appointment, what is the general amount of time that will take?


I would love to discuss this all with someone who has experience with it.
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Post by Omababe »

Very interesting thread, and it really got me thinking ...

I grew up mostly in very urban settings.
joeglow wrote:Where do your kids ride their bikes?  Where do they play football, without have to jump over the drunk guy?  Where do my 3 & 6 year olds play outside, while I am cooking dinner and am unable to accompany them?
Here's one of the streets I grew up on, thanks to Google Street View:

Image

I was hoping for an image that showed kids, but this was obviously shot during the school day, otherwise there would be kids all over the place! (Or, at least there were back in the early 60's.) :) Very few homes had much of a yard-yard in front, but as you can see, there's quite a bit of space for kids to play. We rode bikes in the street, alleys, and through the neighborhood. Yeah, there was more traffic than in a twisty maze of streets in West O, but I can't recall any serious incidents of kids on bikes.

Kids play ball (things like catch and pass the football) in the street, just move out of the way when a car drives by. All kinds of room for hopscotch and jump-rope (do kids still do those things?) on the sidewalks, things like tea parties on the stoops and such. I never recall having to jump over a drunk guy in this neighborhood. :) There were also things like parks, schoolyards and playgrounds, well within walking distance. There was a HUGE pool, larger than anything around here except perhaps the old Peony pool, about 6 blocks away or so.
It can be done, but it is a lot harder and will most likely add to the chances of a fat, computer addicted kid as he will not have as many opportunities to just run around outside.
I really don't recall very many couch potatoes back then, and of course the age of the mouse potato was still decades away. Kids were naturally active, and for the most part today's kids still are. Yeah, there's video games and web surfing, but back then we had TV and such.

Many in Omaha seem to think that the only place where kids can be raised is in the single-family detatched house with huge front and back yards. Yes, this is one of those "nice" things of suburban living, but kids will do just fine in an urban setting as well.
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Post by S33 »

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:Of course you have your own decisions to make as a parent as to how much activities you participate in with your kids, or if you just want to throw them out in the back yard to entertain themselves. Where would they ride their bike? Or play football? The Downtown Parks are really quite remarkable. Within a five to 10 minute walk or bike ride you have the Leahy Mall, Heartland of America Park, Lewis and Clark Landing, and the pedestrian bridge connecting to more open space in Iowa, including ball fields..

Lol, the Leahy mall, huh? Honestly, who wants their kids playing in HofA Park or the Leahy Mall? It is literally filled with bums. Not saying these bums are guaranteed to steal your child's lunch money, but come on. That is just poor quality of living.
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Post by Big E »

I'll preface this by saying I don't have kids, but hopefully these are valid answers:
bradley414 wrote:Let's talk about safety.  If my child needs emergency medical attention, what will the rescue teams need to do for access to the locked building?  How long will it take them to reach my children at the higher floor?  Will my apartment number show up on caller ID if I'm not able to give it to them?
What would they do now?  How would they get into a gated community?  If you're making the call to rescue, they'd get to the door and you'd buzz them in.  Might take another 30-45 seconds to get up the elevator in most cases... easily overcome by the proximity to hospitals and emergency dispatch centers.

heck, if you lived in my building (15th and Jones), it would actually take the firemen and EMTs longer to drive to my place than it would to just run across the street from 15th and Jackson.  BTW, there are also two jails and a police station within a block, as well.  I'm in the safest four square blocks in the midwest. (I mean Great Plains.)
Where is the storm shelter?  How long does it take to get my kids down there?  What happens if my older kids are home alone?  Will they leave the apartment and head to the basement when the sirens go off?
Mine is the basement.  Maybe 25 seconds by elevator, 45 by stairs.  What do your kids do now when they're home alone?  Would they suddenly turn stupid because you moved east of 680?
What about schools?  What is the OPS bus schedule to my unit?  Does the bus come to my Unit, or do I need to walk my child somewhere in the morning to wait for it?  Is Kids Network available at OPS?  What time can I expect to make it home in rush hour traffic, pick up my children from daycare/school, and start cooking dinner?   I really don't want to start eating evening meal after 7:00 p.m.
I can't answer any of those.  My guess is they are easily answerable for someone that wants them answered.
What about my sanity?  When the kids have more energy than I can deal with?  Can I push them out the door and make them play in the back yard?
Now there's that wonderful parenting we're always bragging about!  Whatever happened to Xanax and Ritalin? :;):  
Where are the children's physicians downtown?  Are they close to schools/childcare?  If I have to leave work to make a children's doctors appointment, what is the general amount of time that will take?
 

Well, if Creighton or UNMC aren't close enough or adequate enough for you, there's always Methodist's Children at 84th & Dodge - as close to downtown as anything out west.
S33 wrote:Lol, the Leahy mall, huh? Honestly, who wants their kids playing in HofA Park or the Leahy Mall? It is literally filled with bums. Not saying these bums are guaranteed to steal your child's lunch money, but come on. That is just poor quality of living.
How often are you there?  This place is CRAWLING with kids during the days and evenings, especially now that the weather is nice.  Sure, there's bums in the mall...  because stupid |expletive| from west O mega-churches come down and feed them.  I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'll pay for the damn bus to ship them out to your church if you want to help them that bad.

Please, for those of you with absolutely NO knowledge of or experience with living in an urban setting: stop acting like the experts on it.  We're more than happy to answer questions, but this antagonistic BS wears on one's patience.
Last edited by Big E on Tue Apr 14, 2009 1:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by S33 »

Omababe wrote:
Kids play ball (things like catch and pass the football) in the street, just move out of the way when a car drives by. All kinds of room for hopscotch and jump-rope (do kids still do those things?) on the sidewalks, things like tea parties on the stoops and such. .
Are you speaking of the rampant tea-baggings perhaps? Crazy juveniles....
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Post by S33 »

Big E wrote:
Please, for those of you with absolutely NO knowledge of or experience with living in an urban setting: stop acting like the experts on it.  We're more than happy to answer questions, but this antagonistic BS wears on one's patience.
Antagonistic B.S.  Big E, as a less frequent poster on eOmaha I feel comfortable enough to tell you that nobody even comes close to you that respect. Not saying it isn't sometimes funny, but you own that categorie.
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Post by the1wags »

Big E wrote:[  Sure, there's bums in the mall...  because stupid |expletive| from west O mega-churches come down and feed them.  I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'll pay for the darn bus to ship them out to your church if you want to help them that bad.
A |expletive| men. How about those people feed them in their |expletive| neighborhood.
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Post by TechnicalDisaster »

Big E wrote: Mine is the basement.  Maybe 25 seconds by elevator, 45 by stairs.  What do your kids do now when they're home alone?  Would they suddenly turn stupid because you moved east of 680?
You underestimate fears children can have in foreign places surrounded by panicked strangers.  How old do you think a child needs to be in order to leave the safety of their house, sirens blazing, surrounded by panicked people, and head to dark and strange place?  I wouldn't subject my daughter to that kind of dramatic experience.  It would break my heart.

I can't answer any of those.  My guess is they are easily answerable for someone that wants them answered.
How can you advocate raising children in urban areas when you don't have answers to such basic needs like education?
Well, if Creighton or UNMC aren't close enough or adequate enough for you, there's always Methodist's Children at 84th & Dodge - as close to downtown as anything out west.
Hardly.  My children's physician is on 168th & Q.  Their daycare is at 156th & Harrison.  I work at 144th and Harrison.  I can make the round trip from work, daycare, & doctors office in 15 minutes.  The hospital is at 168th and Center.  I can't imagine I could do that from where I work living downtown.
Please, for those of you with absolutely NO knowledge of or experience with living in an urban setting: stop acting like the experts on it.  We're more than happy to answer questions, but this antagonistic BS wears on one's patience.
I can say the exact same thing about you and suburban living.  Word for Word. You're more guilty than anyone else.
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Post by Brad »

What if some of us don't care about crime, don't care parking, don't care about bums, don't care about cost, and just want to live in a house...

I really don't give a |expletive| where any of you think I live, no should you, but its |expletive| hilarious that there is a fight on the subject every |expletive| week.... move the |expletive| on already.  Its |expletive| America, live where ever the |expletive| you want and leave your |expletive| opinions about |expletive| others to your |expletive| self...


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Last edited by Brad on Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Big E »

bradley414 wrote:You underestimate fears children can have in foreign places surrounded by panicked strangers.  How old do you think a child needs to be in order to leave the safety of their house, sirens blazing, surrounded by panicked people, and head to dark and strange place?  I wouldn't subject my daughter to that kind of dramatic experience.  It would break my heart.
I know every single person that lives in my building.  If you don't know any of your neighbors well enough to trust your kids with them for a little while, particularly in an emergency, I'd probably suggest you don't talk about how bad urban living is.
How can you advocate raising children in urban areas when you don't have answers to such basic needs like education?
:roll: I can't answer them off the top of my head because I haven't looked in to it before.
I can say the exact same thing about you and suburban living.  Word for Word. You're more guilty than anyone else.


No, you can't.  I grew up at 130th & Dodge until I went to college.  The first home I owned was in suburban St. Paul, MN.  I lived in suburban Baltimore/DC for a year.

Which urban areas have you lived in?
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Post by TechnicalDisaster »

the1wags wrote:
Big E wrote:[  Sure, there's bums in the mall...  because stupid |expletive| from west O mega-churches come down and feed them.  I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'll pay for the darn bus to ship them out to your church if you want to help them that bad.
A |expletive| men. How about those people feed them in their |expletive| neighborhood.
What makes you think they are from West-O mega churches?  Do the churches east of 72nd street not care about the homeless?

Please, keep blaming west 'o' for all your problems. It's getting rather comical.
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Post by DTO Luv »

bradley414 wrote:
the1wags wrote:
Big E wrote:[  Sure, there's bums in the mall...  because stupid |expletive| from west O mega-churches come down and feed them.  I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'll pay for the darn bus to ship them out to your church if you want to help them that bad.
A |expletive| men. How about those people feed them in their |expletive| neighborhood.
What makes you think they are from West-O mega churches?  Do the churches east of 72nd street not care about the homeless?

Please, keep blaming west 'o' for all your problems. It's getting rather comical.
We know becuase of the big |expletive| signs on the sides of the vans that are parked there every day saying where they're from and from the fliers they have taped to all the light poles telling the bums that people from such and such church will be dropping off sandwiches at such and such time.
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Post by TechnicalDisaster »

Which urban areas have you lived in?
I spent 4 years living in an apartment at 40th and Hamilton street during my high school years, then lived in an apartment from age 18-21 on my own.
Last edited by TechnicalDisaster on Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Big E
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Post by Big E »

DTO Luv wrote:We know becuase of the big |expletive| signs on the sides of the vans that are parked there every day saying where they're from and from the fliers they have taped to all the light poles telling the bums that people from such and such church will be dropping off sandwiches at such and such time.
Don't forget the public pissing match they had in the OWH when the volunteers were being ticketed for illegally parking.

Honestly, I swear I don't pull |expletive| out of the air.
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Post by thenewguy »

i do not know for sure, but i'm willing to guess that Big E has lived in a suburban setting at some point in his life...nearly all of us have.

EDIT: for the record, i posted that when i was catching up from page 1.  But my assumption was correct. :)
Last edited by thenewguy on Tue Apr 14, 2009 2:39 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by DTO Luv »

bradley414 wrote:
What about schools?  What is the OPS bus schedule to my unit?  Does the bus come to my Unit, or do I need to walk my child somewhere in the morning to wait for it?  Is Kids Network available at OPS?  What time can I expect to make it home in rush hour traffic, pick up my children from daycare/school, and start cooking dinner?   I really don't want to start eating evening meal after 7:00 p.m.

I would love to discuss this all with someone who has experience with it.
I have siblings at both of the schools DT (high school/elementary). The one in high school just drives himself but I take it you're talking about how you would deal with the elementary school kid that would go to the school DT while you were living DT.

There would probably be no buses picking your kids up since you live so close to the school, just like they wouldn't pick them up if you only lived a few blocks from a suburban school. I see kids walking in groups every morning with 1 parent rotating responsibility every week. I know one family in particular who walks to Liberty with her son from around Little Italy. They like walking together so she doesn't mind. You can also do like every other parent who lives within in a few blocks from a suburban school and drive them over. Problem solved. Not too much different from what everyone already does now.

As far as picking the kids up I don't know how it's any different from what people do now. They have after school care for the kids who can't get picked up right away. By the time I get home around 5:15 there are still people picking their kids up. On days when I'm off work on weekdays their seem to be kids getting picked up in shifts just like they did from every other school I've lived next to. Again, I don't see how it's that much different from what people outside of DT are already doing.
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Post by Big E »

bradley414 wrote:
Which urban areas have you lived in?
I spent 4 years living in an apartment at 40th and Hamilton street during my high school years, then lived in an apartment from age 18-21 on my own.
I'll bite...  how is that considered urban?
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Post by the1wags »

bradley414 wrote:
the1wags wrote:
Big E wrote:[  Sure, there's bums in the mall...  because stupid |expletive| from west O mega-churches come down and feed them.  I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'll pay for the darn bus to ship them out to your church if you want to help them that bad.
A |expletive| men. How about those people feed them in their |expletive| neighborhood.
What makes you think they are from West-O mega churches?  Do the churches east of 72nd street not care about the homeless?

Please, keep blaming west 'o' for all your problems. It's getting rather comical.
I know how to read. As D'Shawn noted, it's right on their signs and vans.  Is it all west O churches? Of course not. I don't see what's comical about it. If people started feeding the bums in West O, people would throw a |expletive| fit and you know it.
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Post by TechnicalDisaster »

Big E wrote:
DTO Luv wrote:We know becuase of the big |expletive| signs on the sides of the vans that are parked there every day saying where they're from and from the fliers they have taped to all the light poles telling the bums that people from such and such church will be dropping off sandwiches at such and such time.
Don't forget the public pissing match they had in the OWH when the volunteers were being ticketed for illegally parking.

Honestly, I swear I don't pull |expletive| out of the air.
I don't know where all the volunteers come from, but who organizes Project Homeless to promote them to come into downtown?

Lets see:

http://homelessconnectomaha.org/
Project Homeless Connect Omaha Organizing Committee

Mike Saklar, Executive Director, Siena/Francis House -North Downtown
Pastor Harry Wallar, Executive Director, MOHM's Place -Council Bluffs
Cindy Goodin, Residential Services Director, Youth Emergency Services ???
Rod Bauer, Day Services Director, Siena/Francis House -North Downtown
Shelley K. Schrader, Catholic Charities, Senior Director for Community Services Catholic Churches are located Downtown
Pat Christopher, Homeless Clinic Coordinator, Charles Drew Health Center   30th & Lake
Joyce O'Neil, ServicePoint System Administrator ???
Elizabeth Haley, Sr. Manager - Organizational Development & Learning, ConAgra Foods, Inc. Downtown
Bailie Shada, Chief Administrative Officer, SilverStone Group, Inc.  115th & Miracle Hills
Joyce Davis Bunger, Assistant Dean Creighton University School of Nursing Downtown
Ken Reed-Bouley, Creighton Center for Service and Justice, Creighton University Downtown
Bob Denney, Facility Director, Creighton University Downtown
Mary Ann Borgeson, Douglas County Commissioner Downtown
Ed Shada, Executive Director, Project Homeless Connect Omaha Downtown
So the overwhelming organizers are located downtown, but because they use volunteers from west omaha, this is completely west Omaha's fault?  

Puh-Leaze.
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