Downtown on a Saturday Night

Saturday was a lazy, but good, day. I mean, we got chores done and I got a long way in The Write Life, but, after that, we had a lazy day. Nature Girl and I went over to the Dollar Tree and purchased a variety of snacking goodies. We also spied some Thanksgiving tableware so I grabbed some themed napkins, paper plates, and a cute centerpiece (more on that in a few days).

The snacks were purchased with movie day in mind, so we came back home where NG retreated to her room to watch her preferred movie on her tablet, while my husband and I commandeered the living room for a grown-up movie. We watched the Korean movie "The Wailing". It was long, but it was very good, and I highly recommend it if you like horror-thrillers.

Around 7 p.m., I started feeling a bit restless. I like lazy days at home, but I hate being cooped up as well (it's a conundrum). I also wasn't feeling like doing anything major, nor did I feel like getting all ready to go out somewhere, I just wanted to get out of the house. We settled on the idea of taking a drive, so the three of us set out to do just that. We drove down towards the Old Market and just went with the flow.

We started down at the riverfront by driving along the boardwalk. It was weird to see Rick's Boatyard/Storz Trophy Room all demolished. It's a shame that they had to take that building down, it was a cool riverfront building, as well as a landmark. We kept going until we got to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. It was too cold to walk it at all, but we admired the bridge all lit up.

From there we went into the downtown area. We did get out and walk around Gene Leahy Mall, where we got some great pictures of the Omaha skyline.

The Omaha skyline as seen from Gene Leahy Mall.

A view of the Omaha World Herald building & the Holland Performing Arts Center from Gene Leahy Mall.

A couple of posters that adorn the walls of the Fairmont's Movie Theatre.

After leaving the Mall, we found a parking spot by the Fairmont, so decided to wander around in there. If you are ever in Omaha, I highly suggest stopping down in the Old Market. It's the heart of the city and is lined with brick streets. It's a quaint place with storefronts of unique shops, and a variety of galleries, bars, and restaurants. One of it's most interesting stores is the Fairmont Antique Store/Hollywood Candy Shop. It's a huge building that is as much fun as whimsical. Inside is a true candy shop, with every kind of candy known to man practically, as well as a large selection of soda pop in bottles. 

It also contains a throwback to the 50s-style soda fountain/lunch counter. Past the candy store and soda fountain, is a veritable feast for the eyes. It's a flea market and showcase for a bygone era. There's a movie theatre inside, where they show movies occasionally and have had a few famous guests stop by.

A replica of a steamship inside the Fairmont's Antique Emporium.

Besides the theatre, there are several stalls of people selling their antique wares. It's basically an indoor, permanent flea market, and it's a neat place to wander around and see things, whether you're buying anything or not.

A wall of old beer and pop cans in one of the stalls of the Fairmont Antique Emporium.

An old music poster in a stall of the Fairmont Antique Emporium. I would go see this show today, in a heartbeat, if it came to town!

After leaving the Fairmont, we drove up to the Durham Western Heritage Museum, where we got a great view of the city. My pictures from there didn't turn out very well, as is the case more than I'd like to admit. I am getting a better camera this holiday season, and I can't wait.

I hope you have a great day! It' might be Monday, but it's "Wednesday" for most of us as we only have a three-day week. Thanksgiving will be here Thursday, and I'll dedicate a short post to that day. 

Until then,

H.A.