Envisioning Lincoln 2015

edsas · Post by **edsas** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 3:15 pm

Awesome aerial of DT Lincoln, too...

http://journalstar.com/special_reports/ ... 255249.txt

Anyone who?s ever coached a youth baseball team recognizes that freckled-faced boy, hat pulled down to his ears, with dreams of playing in the big leagues.

It?s the same look Saltdogs owner Jim Abel and other members of the 2015 Vision group have when tossing around ideas and fantasizing about Lincoln?s possibilities as a regional sports hub.

?We need to create the vision,? said Abel, chairman of Nebco. ?And once we have that put together, we?ll cross our fingers on how we?re going to get it paid for.?

Beyond the proposal of a new downtown arena ? the centerpiece of the Vision group?s 10 ?pillars? ? the growing syndicate of business leaders placed a priority on expanding recreational opportunities into undeveloped land south and west of Haymarket Park.

edsas · Post by **edsas** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 3:17 pm

Sorry about the weird text in the quote. I simply cut and paste and that's what showed up.

Post by **Coyote** » Sun Jan 21, 2007 3:24 pm

CapitalGuy · Post by **CapitalGuy** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 8:33 pm

More about the Haymarket area in John Mabry's column....

http://journalstar.com/articles/2007/01 ... 311512.txt

But let’s start with the dream, and it’s a whopper, as it should be. What if the Husker basketball teams played in an 18,000-seat Haymarket arena with even more sparkle than Qwest Center Omaha? What if that same arena could be used for state high school tournaments and NCAA volleyball regionals and national gymnastics competitions?

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 9:50 pm

Wow. Lincoln is on major crack. Â :roll:

CapitalGuy · Post by **CapitalGuy** » Mon Jan 22, 2007 10:06 pm

Wow. Lincoln is on major crack. Â

Now this is the type of intelligent conversation that keeps me coming back. But to stay on topic, I just hope this new arena gets built soon because it will get annoying having to coordinate schedules with the other tenants at the Qwest Center every year. Seriously, Omaha should be paying Nebraska for the team's scheduling of a top 10 opponent to play at the Qwest not to mention the exposure that the arena will be getting to have a major conference team playing there. Maybe this will get the Qwest a better shot at landing the Sweet 16 / Elite Eight round set of games in the future. I guess we can only hope!

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:07 am

Lincoln a regional sports hub... Waaaa?

Not to mention...they're in the Omaha region... Where would Lincoln's hypothetical region (of which it would be a sports hub) stop and give way to the Omaha region, of which Omaha is obviously the sports hub?

And that's a quality photograph of Lincoln.

UNOstudent · Post by **UNOstudent** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:43 am

i do want to see lincoln succeed and grow but i dont think a 15k+ arena is needed. besides 15-20 bball games, 1 or 2 vball games, and 2 weekends of the year (hs bball and hs wrestling if it moves back), who/what else will be on the calendar? im betting that 9 out of 10 large arena concert tours will stop in omaha not lincoln, so few concerts will be there. obviously some smaller ones will continue to come to lincoln as they do now, but i dont see the omaha/lincoln area needing two 15k+ publicly financed arenas.

also, i disagree with the idea that omaha should be paying UNL to play bball at the qwest center. having UNL playing at the qwest center against a quality opponent reminds omahans that there is another division 1 bball team 60 miles down the road. UNL bball is using their date at the qwest center to advertise/sell their product to get people to come down to lincoln instead of (or in addition to) setting crowd records on a regular basis at creighton games.

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 1:42 am

Why is Lincoln trying to compete with Omaha? Sure, maybe some new or updated facilities might be needed, but why try and directly compete with the Qwest center? It's taxpayer money, so why the need for such parity?

unlkid · Post by **unlkid** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 2:52 am

Lincoln is just trying to keep up with Omaha and other cities. Â I don't know why nearly everyone on this forum thinks that Omaha is far superior to Lincoln or why people have such bad attitudes towards the city. Â I've lived in both cities and I think there is more going on in Lincoln and the city is just more fun in general. Â if you've never been to downtown Lincoln on a Friday or Saturday night, than you should refrain from posting comments about Omaha being more vibrant than it is here in Lincoln. Â Also, with the thousands and thousands of college students here, there is definitely a large enough crowd to support big concerts and such when there aren't any sporting activities going on. Â There is a lot of college kids in Lincoln who go to Omaha for concerts because we don't get the big names here. Â Why wouldn't all those kids start buying tickets for concerts in Lincoln.

Post by **Omaha Cowboy** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 8:54 am

Â ..

I'll let DTO Luv etc take on your commentary unlkid ..

Welcome to the forum..

And keep a thick skin..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

Swift · Post by **Swift** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:11 pm

unlkid wrote:Lincoln is just trying to keep up with Omaha and other cities. I don't know why nearly everyone on this forum thinks that Omaha is far superior to Lincoln or why people have such bad attitudes towards the city. I've lived in both cities and I think there is more going on in Lincoln and the city is just more fun in general. if you've never been to downtown Lincoln on a Friday or Saturday night, than you should refrain from posting comments about Omaha being more vibrant than it is here in Lincoln. Also, with the thousands and thousands of college students here, there is definitely a large enough crowd to support big concerts and such when there aren't any sporting activities going on. There is a lot of college kids in Lincoln who go to Omaha for concerts because we don't get the big names here. Why wouldn't all those kids start buying tickets for concerts in Lincoln.

I think Lincoln is great! I just don't understand why it is trying to be Omaha.

Lincoln is a college town (well, actually probably more like a college CITY since it's larger than most other college towns). A good college town atmosphere is really hard to come by, and if Lincoln keeps trying to be more like Omaha, then eventually IT WILL BE (i.e. not a college town). Do we really want to live in a Nebraska that has no college town? Do we really want the closest college town to be Lawrence, Kansas or Iowa City?

Can you imagine what would happen if Lawrence started trying to compete with Kansas City? Or if Berkeley started trying to steal concerts away from San Francisco? (By the way, Berkeley--the quintessiental college town--has a cap on building heights. You can't build any building taller than two or three stories.)

The more Lincoln tries to emulate Omaha, the more Lincoln is going to lose it's identity. The more it loses it's identity, the more people won't see the point in living or going to school there.

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors goods.

Lincoln is a great and unique place, and I just don't understand why it's trying to be just like it's neighbor to the north east.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 12:16 pm

unlkid wrote:Lincoln is just trying to keep up with Omaha and other cities. I don't know why nearly everyone on this forum thinks that Omaha is far superior to Lincoln or why people have such bad attitudes towards the city. I've lived in both cities and I think there is more going on in Lincoln and the city is just more fun in general. if you've never been to downtown Lincoln on a Friday or Saturday night, than you should refrain from posting comments about Omaha being more vibrant than it is here in Lincoln. Also, with the thousands and thousands of college students here, there is definitely a large enough crowd to support big concerts and such when there aren't any sporting activities going on. There is a lot of college kids in Lincoln who go to Omaha for concerts because we don't get the big names here. Why wouldn't all those kids start buying tickets for concerts in Lincoln.

I know none of us wants this thread to turn into another "Omaha is better than Lincoln" thread, but I have to respond to these comments and will try to keep it brief.

Short story short, Omaha IS far superior than Lincoln. Â Bob (Swift) and I went down to Lincoln for our first semester of college. Â We are both very knowledgeable about Omaha and have first hand experience living in Lincoln, as well as experience living in other cities (Bob went to school in San Francisco for a couple years and I studied French in Quebec for a summer) and traveling extensively.

Lincoln bored the heck out of us because there was nothing to do there that we couldn't do in Omaha, not to mention all the things that Omaha has going for it that Lincoln doesn't have (things that go along with being a big city and not just a glorified small town).

Everyone on here who cares about Omaha and who cares about our state OBVIOUSLY wants the best for Lincoln (myself included), but what annoys me and others is Lincoln's dillusional and outdated idea that it is in any way in a position to compete with Omaha. Â There was a time in Nebraska's early history when Omaha and Lincoln were much closer in population and importance, and that's where the idea that Lincoln competes with Omaha stems from.

I, like others, want Lincoln to continue to grow and prosper and contribute to the strength of our region, but why would Lincoln want to COMPETE with Omaha when it already serves a great supplementary role to Omaha with its college town and state goverment attributes?

edsas · Post by **edsas** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 1:19 pm

Look, the fact that Omaha is such a great city often blinds young Omahans to the fact that Lincoln also kicks |expletive|. Â Aaron and Bob, if you prefer Omaha to Lincoln, I understand. So do I. But let's admit that the reason you guys were bored in Lincoln is because it simply wasn't Omaha. There's nothing wrong with that. You should live in the city you want to live in. But when I lived there (for 6 years, without a car), I was never bored. Neither were my Omaha friends. Or my friend from LA. Or my friend from Sacramento. Or my friend from Cleveland. Or my friend from New Orleans. Or my friend from Boston. Or my two friends from New York. But they never compared Lincoln to their hometowns in any meaningful way. If they did, it would be ludicrous and they would have purchased the first one way ticket out of there. Lincoln (in the 90s, at least) was a vibrant and fun place. Full of great people (from all over the place). Spending four months in a town with the attitude "this place blows compared to where I'm from" just doesn't cut it.

But at anyrate, Lincoln's city leaders are smart to aim at Omaha. Lincoln should strive to be like Omaha in the same way that Omaha should strive to be like Minneapolis and Chicago. The aim of any good city leader is to elevate their community to the next level. By aiming at Omaha, that's what Lincoln is trying to do. And it should be applauded for it.

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 6:23 pm

yeah you guys are so right, its about as stupid for Lincoln to try to compete with Omaha, as it is for Omaha to try and compete with Kansas City. Â You all have really showed me the light.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 6:57 pm

double post

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 6:58 pm

I think Lincoln is all talk about this anyways. They don't seem to have the corporate base or private donors that Omaha does. Unless they start slapping husker on everything they build I don't see anyone pushing to get it done. I think the city leaders are going to find the citizens of Lincoln kicking and screaming. They don't want to be Omaha. Every time I'm in Lincoln I hear about how they don't want to be Omaha. That's fine.

Personally I could care less about Lincoln. I truly don't like the place. I know it sounds petty but Lincoln shouldn't even be around. They stole the State Capitol from Omaha (where it should have stayed) and they shouldn't have the state's biggest University. Like I said I know it's petty but Lincoln is the anti-Omaha. I hold no special place for it.

Stargazer · Post by **Stargazer** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:09 pm

It's times like these... I'm glad I'm no longer part of the 'inner circle'.

Pathetic.

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Tue Jan 23, 2007 7:31 pm

Well said edsas and stargazer

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 2:20 am

Great points, edsas, and well put.

murfj · Post by **murfj** » Wed Jan 24, 2007 7:05 pm

I live in Lincoln and have spent a fair amount of time in Omaha, naturally since it's so close and because I have friends up there. Honestly I don't find too much more to do in Omaha that I can't do here in Lincoln- Omaha seems too much like a "bigger version of Lincoln" (as my wife, who is new to this area observed). Â So if we want big city things to do, we don't even consider Omaha anymore, we go to Kansas City (or Denver if we have the time). Â

That doesn't mean I don't like Omaha, I think it's a fine city, and I would be happy to have Lincoln grow to be similar to Omaha, I'm just saying that Omaha is not really this shangri-la just up the road, it's just similar to Lincoln, but bigger. Â And after living in Lincoln for 8 years, I am amazed at how some people here think that Lincoln has so much hatred towards Omaha- never have I seen that, people here that I interact with like Omaha!

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 1:25 pm

Twiztid1 wrote:
murfj wrote:Honestly I don't find too much more to do in Omaha that I can't do here in Lincoln- Omaha seems too much like a "bigger version of Lincoln" (as my wife, who is new to this area observed). So if we want big city things to do, we don't even consider Omaha anymore, we go to Kansas City (or Denver if we have the time).
By that logic, isn't Kansas City just a "bigger version of Omaha"?

That's what I was going to say.

And, as you demonstrate "somewhat", what I detect from most Lincolnites is not hatred of Omaha, but a skewed perception of Omaha (size/parity with Lincoln, etc.)

When you can hypothetically fit more than three Â "city Bs" into one "city A," that means "city A" is not merely just a "bigger version of 'city B.'"

Linkin5 · Post by **Linkin5** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 5:49 pm

I agree that Omaha is significantly larger than Lincoln, but its just all of your insistent comments that Omaha has SOO much more to do than Lincoln, and that Lincoln is boring which neither are true.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 6:19 pm

Well, boredom is certainly subjective, and I've always said that there aren't any boring places, just boring people. Â So, I guess Lincoln has that going for it.

Sure one can actually list out things Omaha has that Lincoln doesn't (world class zoo, more shopping/dining, bigger concerts, etc.), but so much of what gives Omaha more "things to do" are intangibles that come along with a larger population, ie. the more people you have, the more creative collaberations/interactions develop between people exponentially (for example, more subjects for art, more people doing art and making music, more potential friends/romantic partners, larger employment base/opportunites, etc.).

sodakman · Post by **sodakman** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 7:35 pm

I am pretty new to this forum, although I've watched it for a long time while I was a student at UNL. Maybe I'm too new to be making comments like this, but here we go.

One of the things that has struck me is how often there are disparaging remarks about Lincoln on here. I loved Lincoln, and when we went to Omaha, I loved it too. They both have their qualities. Being from Sioux Falls, I have at least the perspective of not growing up in Nebraska (not like South Dakota is much different, really). I would be willing to build my life in either city. I know specifically in Sioux Falls both Lincoln and Omaha have done things that people in SF admire, and even aspire to.

The question I have is what purpose is there in consistently doing everything you can to tear down your neighbor. You don't mind counting Lincoln when you want to inflate the population of "Greater Omaha", so why the hostility? I would think people would be excited that Lincoln at least has some vision and when it does well.

If Omaha is so great, why worry about Lincoln?

Stargazer · Post by **Stargazer** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 8:20 pm

Thank you.

adam186 · Post by **adam186** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:31 pm

sodakman wrote:I am pretty new to this forum, although I've watched it for a long time while I was a student at UNL. Maybe I'm too new to be making comments like this, but here we go.

One of the things that has struck me is how often there are disparaging remarks about Lincoln on here. I loved Lincoln, and when we went to Omaha, I loved it too. They both have their qualities. Being from Sioux Falls, I have at least the perspective of not growing up in Nebraska (not like South Dakota is much different, really). I would be willing to build my life in either city. I know specifically in Sioux Falls both Lincoln and Omaha have done things that people in SF admire, and even aspire to.

The question I have is what purpose is there in consistently doing everything you can to tear down your neighbor. You don't mind counting Lincoln when you want to inflate the population of "Greater Omaha", so why the hostility? I would think people would be excited that Lincoln at least has some vision and when it does well.

If Omaha is so great, why worry about Lincoln?

That was a really great post.

Post by **Coyote** » Thu Jan 25, 2007 10:53 pm

Thanks for your insightful post sodakman! Â :thumb:
We need posts like yours that place things in perspective.
Maybe this will inspire others to quit this mud slinging.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 12:54 pm

sodakman wrote:I am pretty new to this forum, although I've watched it for a long time while I was a student at UNL. Maybe I'm too new to be making comments like this, but here we go.

One of the things that has struck me is how often there are disparaging remarks about Lincoln on here. I loved Lincoln, and when we went to Omaha, I loved it too. They both have their qualities. Being from Sioux Falls, I have at least the perspective of not growing up in Nebraska (not like South Dakota is much different, really). I would be willing to build my life in either city. I know specifically in Sioux Falls both Lincoln and Omaha have done things that people in SF admire, and even aspire to.

The question I have is what purpose is there in consistently doing everything you can to tear down your neighbor. You don't mind counting Lincoln when you want to inflate the population of "Greater Omaha", so why the hostility? I would think people would be excited that Lincoln at least has some vision and when it does well.

If Omaha is so great, why worry about Lincoln?

Thanks for your insights.

I don't know what hostilities you are talking about. Â And if there's a single forumer on here that doesn't want the best for Lincoln, please raise your hand. Â *cricket chirping*

The competition stems from Lincoln, who seems to insist on putting herself in competition with Omaha when in reality, Omaha and Lincoln are anchors of Nebraska's largest urbanized corridor, TOGETHER, of which Omaha is the larger hub by far.

It's like an older sibling/younger sibling complex; Â of course you want the best for your little brother, heck, he's part of your family and you love him, but it's still annoying when he wants (or thinks he deserves or CAN have) all the rights and privileges that you have earned as the older sibling.

Uffda · Post by **Uffda** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 1:47 pm

I think I heard a big cricket.

I don't know what hostilities you are talking about. Â And if there's a single forumer on here that doesn't want the best for Lincoln, please raise your hand.

DTO wrote: Personally I could care less about Lincoln. I truly don't like the place. I know it sounds petty but Lincoln shouldn't even be around. They stole the State Capitol from Omaha (where it should have stayed) and they shouldn't have the state's biggest University. Like I said I know it's petty but Lincoln is the anti-Omaha. I hold no special place for it.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 6:15 pm

Haha. Â Thanks for pointing that out. Â :;):

Post by **Coyote** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 8:11 pm

Well - DTO hates everything west of 72nd St also so join the crowd.

sodakman · Post by **sodakman** » Fri Jan 26, 2007 11:10 pm

Coyote wrote:Well - DTO hates everything west of 72nd St also so join the crowd.

Really? Â See and I was told that everything east of 72nd was a bit Dodgy. Â

Â No pun intended of course. Â Sorry...Ahem.

Truth be told though, I moved to KCMO last summer and a lot of people down here have told me that they are really impressed with the way Omaha has been putting everything together the last couple of years. Â Especially downtown. Â In fact, what most people here are wicked jealous of is the Zoo. Â Omaha has tons going for it, and it will be fun to watch over the next 20 years.

DTO Luv · Post by **DTO Luv** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 7:51 am

StreetsOfOmaha wrote:
It's like an older sibling/younger sibling complex; of course you want the best for your little brother, heck, he's part of your family and you love him, but it's still annoying when he wants (or thinks he deserves or CAN have) all the rights and privileges that you have earned as the older sibling.

Exactly. And if anyone can guess where I was born and where my younger brother was born I'll give you a dollar. Maybe it's because I'm from Omaha that I'm doing so much better than him.

Stargazer · Post by **Stargazer** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:45 am

Yeah, and I think it's arguments like these, which leave one with the recognition that the older sibling is being really immature.

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 1:24 pm

Stargazer wrote:Yeah, and I think it's arguments like these, which leave one with the recognition that the older sibling is being really immature.

Haha. And it's time to put Grandpa in a home.

I don't understand where you're coming from with comments like these, Jeff. Was that not a truthful simile??? Is Omaha not bigger with more amenities than Lincoln? What gives? I'm not lying or trying to deceive anyone.

I think that when anyone speaks truthfully about the differences between Omaha and Lincoln, it's often percieved as being mean or dismissive towards Lincoln. In reality it's just the way it is, and why shouldn't it be pointed out in a truthful way?

Finn · Post by **Finn** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 1:26 pm

There have been some good points on here from some Lincoln folks. Rest assured, not all Omahans have the negative view of Lincoln. Some of us realize that Lincoln has a more active downtown and nightlife than Omaha, as well as other things going for it. Omahans are so proud that their downtown is FINALLY coming around and will become more than a 9 to 5 workplace, but that is what it has been for years. I am excited to see the change, it is just that many forget that it will be a change.

Sure one can actually list out things Omaha has that Lincoln doesn't (world class zoo, more shopping/dining, bigger concerts, etc.), but so much of what gives Omaha more "things to do" are intangibles that come along with a larger population, ie. the more people you have, the more creative collaberations/interactions develop between people exponentially (for example, more subjects for art, more people doing art and making music, more potential friends/romantic partners, larger employment base/opportunities, etc.).

Hmm, so Mexico City and many third world cities are great based on their population numbers.?!
LAME. Something that Omahans have always been proud of is its accomplishments "for a city its size." A world class zoo, reputable art museum..in a city of its size. Everything is not about population and cities must play to their strengths or create their own identity, not content to being a smaller, NYC, a smaller Chicago, a smaller KC!

Well, boredom is certainly subjective, and I've always said that there aren't any boring places, just boring people. So, I guess Lincoln has that going for it.

And if someone can't remedy boredom at a 26,000 student university in a city of about 250,000, I think that says more about the person than the city. So, I guess you have that going for you!

StreetsOfOmaha · Post by **StreetsOfOmaha** » Sat Jan 27, 2007 1:38 pm

Finn wrote:And if someone can't remedy boredom at a 26,000 student university in a city of about 250,000, I think that says more about the person than the city.

I know! Thank god for alcohol, the internet, and Omaha being a short 45 minutes away.