July/August 2015 Encounter by Omaha Magazine

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 5

C A R O L R O G ER S Singing for Herself At Last OLD MARKET POET Britny Cordera Doane INKING WITH H O N O R (S ) Grinn & Barrettâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jen Beirola

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Contents

L I V I N G : Boiling Point Jill Benz’s Renovated Track Home

V I S U A L : Inking With Honor(s) Omaha Tattoo Artist Named One of Best in Industry

M U S I C : The Essential Simon Joyner A Surefire Cure

P E R F O R M A N C E : Saying Yes to Improv Backline Comedy Club

C O V E R F E AT U R E : Carol Rogers Singing for Herself At Last

F E AT U R E : Nightcrawler Heaven The Legendary Donut Stop

D I N I N G : Dinker’s Bar and Grill Fifty Years of Family, Friendships, and Famous Burgers

FA S H I O N : Urban Renewal

FA C E S : Neville Lawrence High Art Meets Adult Swim

FA C E S : Britny Cordera Doane Old Market Poet

H I S T O R Y: Back to the River Remember when Omaha’s riverfront was not a pretty sight?

Advantage Coupons

Downtown Omaha Map

Merchants & Attractions

Calendar of Events ENCOUNTER 4

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 Publisher Todd Lemke Editor David Williams Associate Editor Daisy Hutzell-Rodman Contributing Writers Lindsey Anne Baker • Chelsea Balzer • Ryan Borchers • Anna Hensel Judy Horan • Lisa Lukecart • Carol Crissey Nigrelli James Walmsley • Matt Whipkey

Beat The Heat Come Grab a Drink or Snack or Pick Up a Souvenir to Take Home

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For Advertising Information: 402.884.2000 omahamagazine.com Owned and Managed by Omaha Magazine, LTD. All versions of Encounter are published bimonthly by Omaha Magazine, LTD., P.O. Box 461208, Omaha, NE 68046-1208. Telephone: (402) 884-2000; fax (402) 884-2001. No whole or part of the contents herein may be reproduced without prior written permission of Omaha Magazine, excepting individually copyrighted articles and photographs. Unsolicited manuscripts are accepted; however, no responsibility will be assumed for such solicitations.

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Boiling Point J I L L B E N Z ’ S R E N O VAT E D T R A C K H O M E by Lindsey Anne Baker photography by Bill Sitzmann

“I

LOVE HOW ISOLATED I am in downtown Omaha in a parking lot.”

Jill Benz says this from the second floor of her Little Italy home, trees dappling the light through every window. Standing there with her, I can’t disagree that, for a few seconds, I also forgot I am, essentially, at the back end of the Amtrak parking lot.

Sure, there are trains; and on the west side of the building there’s a 200-foot smokestack that tells the first chapter of the building’s story as a steam power plant for Burlington Station and other buildings in the area. But today, that Burlington-branded stack is the backbone of a waterfall that cascades from five different areas, and the sound of falling water, plus the insulation from the trees around the property, do produce an effect more bucolic than industrial.

(“After three days, you don’t hear the trains,” Benz says.)

That’s not to say Benz’s Burlington isn’t urban, or distinctly Omahan. ENCOUNTER 6

The exposed brick walls of the main living area show photos of old Omaha—weathered images of buildings that no longer exist—along with an old Summer Arts Festival poster. A thick book detailing 1894 Omaha and South Omaha history perches on a table. On the first level in an open kitchen and entertaining space are old backdrops from the 6 p.m. news—”Channel 7, I think,” Benz says. Back upstairs, a show-stopping white leather banquette hugs the whole length of the living area—its bones are from the old Grandmother’s restaurant at 90th and Dodge streets. And there’s Benz herself, an

LIVING

active member of the Little Italy neighborhood association and a kind of local historian, telling the stories of each part of the history of her home—and her hometown—as we walk. So, sure, Benz’s home might not feel like it’s in downtown Omaha (in a parking lot)—but it does feel like Omaha. “I found the listing on Trulia,” Benz says. She left Omaha in the 2000s for Connecticut, where her daughter lives. Benz remarried there and established an interior design business. Then, a few years ago, her husband passed away. Back in Omaha, her mother fell ill. Benz returned. She looked at a place on the water that was bigger than she needed before she found the Burlington building. It had been on the market for a while—a friend of hers considered buying it himself. She called him, told him she was interested, and he got her in to see it.

“Then I dreamed about it, which has always been a sign for me,” Benz says. “The next day, we started the deal, and by the middle of the afternoon, I got it.” She didn’t tell her other family members—specifically her older brother—until a month and a half after the deal closed. “My older brother has a different kind of brain than I do,” Benz says. “There were no furnace ducts or air-conditioning or kitchen. He asked me about all the things the building didn’t have.” It has all of those things now—most notably the kitchen, on the entry level, designed in an open format with an island workspace. A lit peace sign hangs over the wall-oriented work area, and the whole thing stands adjacent to a garage door that opens to one side of the patio. Entertainment space both indoors and out boasts plenty of tables and stackable seating; outside, gas and wood fire pits stand back from brick walkways.

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 7

The second floor living space is decorated in bright blue and white, with graphic Greek- and Moroccaninspired prints mixed with mid-century chairs and metal and glass tables. The Grandmother’s banquette plays against streamlined grey velvet sofas and tulip armchairs. “I picked things I liked,” Benz said. “I went classic modern. I thought it would work.” A white metal spiral staircase leads from the second floor to the third and fourth floors, where Benz’s bold print choices continue. The fourth-floor space has a cozy seating area with more modern leather chairs. The building’s roof offers a view of downtown Omaha. A raised, framed structure houses a few outdoor sofas; curtains can be let loose to give the space privacy. >

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< Benz said the floors inside the building’s steel walls are heated now, though she’s tried to be as energy-efficient as possible. The building’s only enclosed area houses a geothermal heating and airconditiong unit—a kind of new-era nod, perhaps, to the building’s past life. “It’s such an unusual building,” Benz says. “It’s taken a while to get it right. I do love it. It takes a different kind of a person to live in this kind of a place. It’s such an adventure.” Encounter

ENCOUNTER 8

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Inking with honor(s) O M A H A TAT T O O A R T I S T N A M E D ONE OF BEST IN INDUSTRY by Chelsea Balzer photography by Bill Sitzmann

HEN PICTURING TATTOO-FRIENDLY cities, one might imagine San Francisco or Austin. Omaha would probably not be the first place to come to mind, yet it seems we are living with one of the nation’s premiere tattoo artists in our midst.

In April, social media blew up with the news that Jen Beirola, local tattoo artist and owner of Grinn & Barrett tattoo, was named one of the top five female artists in the industry. The award came from a blog about tattooing called Get Better Life, and Beirola says it was a total surprise: “I honestly do not know who nominated me. It was an incredible honor to be featured on that list.” >

E N C O U N T E R 10

VISUAL

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“Tattoos can be emotionally damaging if you get a bad one. Shops are opening left and right, and greedy businessmen are churning out apprentices for free labor. The only protection consumers have from that is to do their homework.” -Jen Beirola She regularly tattoos at conferences and finds that experience with different cultures helps expand her repertoire. On a trip to New Zealand she stayed with an indigenous Polynesian family and studied their traditional way of tattooing. On the same trip, she met an expert on Japanese iconography who later gave her lessons on the technique. While quick to point out that she is no expert on these cultures, it’s clear that Beirola takes the history and craft of tattooing seriously.

< Growing up in Newport, R.I., Beirola, who comes across as an endearing mix of fierce and humble, remembers being young when she first took an interest in tattooing. She was always encouraged to pursue art, but was once told that a “tattoo parlor is no place for a girl.” She says her future was written in that moment. Years later while serving in the Air Force, Beirola was stationed near Omaha. She found her way to an apprenticeship at Grinn & Barrett, and has owned the shop since 2006. Despite experiencing “years of peer pressure to move to a larger city,” she has discovered a strong community of support here and feels good about her decision to make Omaha home base. Still, Beirola travels often. E N C O U N T E R 12

This attitude of respect also impacts her relationship with clients. Beirola’s style puts a special emphasis on the importance of placement when tattooing, ensuring that the result will not only be executed well but will complement the client’s body. She feels strongly about client education, pointing out the importance of choosing an artist who is in the business for more than just a paycheck. “Tattoos can be emotionally damaging if you get a bad one. Shops are opening left and right, and greedy businessmen are churning out apprentices for free labor. The only protection consumers have from that is to do their homework.” The recent publicity has provided a major boon for Beirola, who says she is “overcome with gratitude” at the response she’s received. While she seems to, in some ways, fit the stereotype of the tenacious tattoo shop owner, she is also clearly an artist of a different kind; one with a lot of heart, and a reverence for her profession. Fortunately for Omaha, it sounds like she is here to stay. Encounter

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E N C O U N T E R 14

MUSIC

the essential Simon Joyner A SUREFIRE CURE by Matt Whipkey photography by Bill Sitzmann

IMON JOYNER IS an American songwriting treasure. Writing, recording, and releasing music out of Omaha since 1992, Joyner has steadily built a resume as a timeless talent. Cut from the cloth of Dylan, Cohen, and Van Zandt , Joyner has inspired countless artists of this generation with his masterful spin on literate songcraft. Conor Oberst and Gillian Welch are just a few to sing Joyner’s praises in recent years. The newly-released LP Grass, Branch & Bone on Woodsist Records is easily one of Joyner’s strongest in a catalog as expansive as is it impressive. Having no anthology or “hits” collection of his own, the following selections stand as some of Joyner’s strongest works. Those unfamiliar with Joyner or looking to make a killer playlist of amazing songs cannot go wrong with these nine classics:

O N E F O R T H E C A T H O L I C G I R L S - Not just confined to LPs, some of Joyner’s best works have sprung up on numerous compilations, EPs, and 7s. This composition from 1998 is a lo-fi masterpiece giving us the timeless self-aware observation, “If I was drunk, I didn’t let on.” M Y L I F E I S S W E E T - Throughout the Joyner discogra-

phy a balance is struck between the lowest of lo-fi recordings and masterfully executed studio productions. This standout track from 2001’s Hotel Lives features the percussion talents of Wilco’s Glenn Kotche. The playing, singing, and writing on this gem perfectly embody the depths of its characters drunken escapism. T H E O N L Y L I V I N G B O Y I N O M A H A - On 2006’s

D O U B L E J O E - Joyner’s 1993 sophomore album, Room

Temperature is required listening for anyone interested in the history of Omaha songwriting. This raw album of solo performances is pure literary energy. “Double Joe” offers a timeless sense of wisdom that will grace Joyner’s entire career, “Why don’t you go see a show? It’s a surefire cure, pretend the drumbeat is your heart.” J O Y D I V I S I O N - 1994’ s The Cowardly Traveller Pays His Toll placed Joyner on the international songwriting map and it was famously played in its entirety by legendary DJ John Peel. The closing track has become a classic in its depiction of passing youth and the ensuing confusion.

excellent Skeleton Blues Joyner presents this classic, both a play on his namesake and his hometown. Stretching over an epic seven minutes is nothing new for a Joyner song. This one reaches orchestral catatonic heights on an outro that is pure shattered beauty, a beyond signature work. U N D E R M Y S K I N A G A I N - In a perfect world Simon Joyner songs have occupied the radio dial since 1992. Unfortunately, most of his works run a touch too long for modern programming. This jewel off the recently released Grass, Branch & Bone may be the closest Joyner has come to a possible crossover. With its beautiful melody on love and drifting, we are given the sage advice, “Make like a tree boy, lay down some roots.”

I W R O T E A S O N G A B O U T T H E O C E A N - The

music throughout Simon’s fourth LP, 1996’s Songs for the New Year, establish the somewhat out-of-tune tunefulness he still employs to great effect. This song has all the hooks, insights, and imagery that endear Joyner to singer-songwriter fans the world over.

N O S T A L G I A B L U E S - For a man with several mas-

terworks, the sheer quality of this closing track off Grass, Branch & Bone is staggering. Anyone anywhere near their middle age years can easily relate to this timeless tale of time passing and, “All those sweet dreams we bartered and sold so long ago.” Encounter

B R I N G D O W N G O L I A T H - This driving number

that opens 1998’s Yesterday Tomorrow and In Between proves that Joyner’s folk songs have a pounding rock and roll heart. Over the years “Goliath” has become an in-concert staple.

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Saying yes to improv BACKLINE COMEDY CLUB

by Anna Hensel photography by Bill Sitzmann S SOON AS the word “morph” came up, I knew I was going to be in trouble.

My improv workshop with Dylan Rohde, the founder and co-owner of Backline Comedy Club, began with an innocent enough warm-up exercise. Rohde made me, and the rest of the workshop participants, toss an imaginary red ball around in a circle.

Every time one of us caught or threw the ball, we had to yell “red ball.” Eventually, Rohde added more items into the mix—a blue square, an orange cat, and a white diamond. But Rohde’s next instructions made me break into a sweat. “Ok, next you’re going to morph the object as you catch it in the air. Your object has to be the same color as the object you originally caught, but a new item.”

“The two biggest things that we teach during improv are to trust and to listen,” Rohde says. “It’s being able to listen to what someone else is saying, so you’re not thinking while they’re talking. Not only trusting your teammates to help you, but also trusting in yourself and being able to make something out of nothing.” I knew that was exactly what I needed to do—trust myself. But it was easier said than done. I looked around in awe at my fellow performers, most of whom seemed to be improv naturals. Eventually I discovered that, of the 11 of us who were in the workshop, only myself and another woman were improv newbies.

“The two biggest things that we teach during improv are to trust and to listen.” -Dylan Rhode

My mind raced as I tried to think of what item to come up with next—red bowl? Red shoes? No, another person just used shoes for their turn. What about a red coat? I laughed to myself as I remembered the instructions Rohde gave us at the beginning of the workshop—“Try to think as very little as possible.” I had to constantly come up with new objects on the fly—how could I do that and still think as little as possible? And I worried that as the workshop continued, I wouldn’t be able to shake this feeling. Rohde first began leading improv classes in 2011, before moving Backline Comedy Club into its current Harney Street location in 2013. Classes through Backline cost $125 for seven sessions. Though he sees people from a wide variety of backgrounds take his classes—aspiring actors, doctors, and even one politician—he says the lessons learned during improv classes are applicable to any walk of life.

“Ok,” I thought to myself. “Maybe I’m not as bad at this as I thought I was— these guys have all done this before.”

Things took a turn for the better after some moonshine—well, after improvising a routine based around moonshine. One of my lines got a few chuckles from my fellow improvers, and I started to relax. Gradually, the exercises started getting more complicated— but once I relaxed, I actually found them pretty easy. When two people had to take the lead on a five-person routine, I eagerly volunteered. Five minutes, a plane crash, a breakup with my “fiancé,” and a conversation with an island innkeeper later, I survived. After the two hours were up, I didn’t want to leave Backline’s workshop. Who doesn’t want to live in a world where you are told to think as little as possible and say yes to everything? I did strive to keep Rohde’s mantra in mind for the next week. But as I slugged through a busy week, my positivity started to wane. Still, I don’t want to just toss aside the lessons I learned during Backline’s workshop. After all, I did survive a plane crash—can’t I survive anything the world outside of improv throws at me? Encounter

E N C O U N T E R 16

PERFORMANCE

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Carol Rogers S I N G I N G F O R H E R S E L F AT L A S T by Lisa Lukecart photography by Bill Sitzmann

E N C O U N T E R â&#x20AC;&#x192; 18

F E AT U R E

OMETHING IN JEANNE Rogers broke. It fissured slowly, building and building until it exploded into one moment. That moment came in 2007 in the piano room, where she had sat side by side with her daughter, Carol Rogers, for so many years.

“At last, my love has come along/my lonely days are over/and life is like a song.” The Etta James music drifted over Carol with an ironic sort of hopelessness. Her mother was not playing the requested song. A look of incredulity and sorrow passed over Rogers’ face. Jeanne noticed, and her fingers stopped on the keyboard. “Guess I’m not good for anything anymore,” Jeanne said. She walked away, shut her bedroom door, and wept. Rogers’ heart shattered, seeing her once proud mother struggle with the music they both loved. Growing up in north Omaha, their house was a like a “nightclub 24/7.” Music was a connection in a city filled with prejudice, and people of all races flocked to the Rogers’ home to sing, jam, and dance.

As a Central High student, 16-year-old Rogers flew to the Arctic Circle (“probably as the token black person,” she says, laughing) with the Omaha Can Do Ambassadors tour. She later studied music at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, but felt she was destined to leave and do something amazing.

Rogers called friends in Omaha from the White House but no one believed her. “If you are calling me from jail, you better not be asking me for bail money.”—Click. “Are you drinking?”—Click.

Four years later she auditioned for Stevie Wonder. She recorded one song, was not hired, and did not even get to meet Wonder. Depressed, desperate, and distraught, she moved back to Omaha. Rogers heard God’s voice late one night telling her to go back to California, and a week later she packed everything she owned into her Volkswagen to audition for Trini Lopez. At least that was what she thought. It turned out to be for Brazilian jazz singer Sergio Mendes. Rogers was soon selected to be one of “Sergio’s Girls.” Disciplined and focused—she’ll sing something 100 times just to get to the right spot—Rogers picked up the mixed style with ease. “He (Mendes) is a genius, and a genius doesn’t let things slide,” she says. “I appreciated that.”

She had the chance to again perform in front of Stevie Wonder. Rogers felt she wasn’t worthy to touch the hem of his record sleeve, but after hearing her smooth vocals he wanted to steal her away. She was surrounded by glitz and glam—John Travolta’s birthday party, Bruce Springsteen’s gala, even getting flown to a private island in a helicopter. She was also a single mother, and needed at home. So after 25 years with Mendes and 12 releases, including the Grammy Award-winning Brasileiro, Rogers called it quits. She became a vocal instructor to celebrities and continued to record albums. “She is a real pro, one of the best,” Omaha pianistcomposer Chuck Marohnic believes. “I just think she’s a treasure. Omaha is lucky to have her.”

Rogers sang around the world. “It was my finishing school,” she says. She grew up in the limelight, learning embarrassing life lessons along the way. Rogers greeted King Hussein of Jordan with a hair pick in her Afro. She laughed so hard she could barely perform. She jokingly mimicked Frank Sinatra while on a Brazilian state visit at the White House during Ronald Reagan’s term. “I did it my way,” she crooned in a Sinatra parody. “Psst—Frank. . .look,” one band member whispered. “Old-blue-eyes has better things to do,” Rogers said. She turned, shocked to see Sinatra standing behind her. He just laughed. At the same event, she placed her makeup bag and silver stilettos on top of an antique piano. She saw the eyes of the security guards widen and heard audible gasps from the room. “It was Martha Washington’s piano,” she recalls. “I just felt so at home.”

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 19

While living a dream life with the stars, she, along with her siblings, kept a close eye on her mother. Rogers didn’t want to “uproot this old tree” and move Jeanne to California. Instead, she came back to Omaha in 2013 to be near her mother, currently at Douglas County Health Center. Now 60, Rogers has time for herself. Snow showers replaced sunny skies. Her fast-paced, action thriller life became a slow motion picture. Her hair is a mass of silvery dreadlocks, her posture elegant, and her face still smooth. She even started dating again. Perhaps her “lonely days are over” but Rogers refuses to settle for anything less than the best. Her jazzy tone now has a gospel-like soul to it. She takes a sip of her Bloody Mary (with a bit of “stank” in it like her grandmother taught her) and smiles. Last night at Omaha Lounge, she sang from the heart. Even though her mother brought her back to the open plains of the Midwest, music will always be the catharsis, the glue that holds everything together. “Music,” Rogers says, “is the thing that keeps me alive.” Encounter

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nightcrawler heaven THE LEGENDARY DONUT STOP by James Walmsley photography by Bill Sitzmann

ET US NOW observe the urban jungles of Heartlandia and the Omaha teen, as he and she migrate to a small hole-inthe-wall in Little Bohemia where the coffee is cheap and the doughnuts are even cheaper.

The Donut Stop is a rite of passage for these social creatures, with its promises of late hours, caffeine, and perhaps most appealing to a teen’s loitering nature, places to sit. It’s a powdered-doughnut mustache meets a real one—a first honest attempt at a night life. It’s been that way since the beginning—at least that’s how owner Marlene Rodgers says she remembers it. She and her late husband, Donut Stop founder Hal Rodgers, opened their doors in 1988, and throughout the nineties, naughts, and tweens, hand-stamped concertgoers and brain-cramped

scholars have polluted the nighttime atmosphere with wild conversation and restless banter. They used to pollute it with other things, too. “Back when you could smoke in here, you could cut the air with a knife,” Rodgers says on a very clear and quiet Friday evening. “Sometimes you couldn’t see the table next to you.” As reminders of this slight barbarism of yore, the half-textured walls of the Donut Stop still radiate a decrepit yellow probably not unlike the color of the Marlboro Man’s 80-year-old fingernails, or the paint’s closest Pantone match. But that’s just an afterthought to the clowder—cat posters, cat calendars, and cat ceramics—that adorns the walls and shelves throughout the shop. It’s a space so carelessly decorated that it both epitomizes the hipster aesthetic and destroys it. E N C O U N T E R 20

“Since we like animals, a lot of our customers find us things and give them to us,” Rodgers explains unapologetically about her business’ eclectic décor, “so we hang them on the walls.” If it couldn’t get any more or less cool, the Donut Stop doesn’t accept “plastic” (an archaic term for credit and debit cards once used around the time of the car phone). It doesn’t roast a single origin bean in-house or brew it through a Rube Goldberg machine, either. No, a self-serve cup of Donut Stop coffee is secure in its flavor profile of gas station Folgers as it proudly sits on a warming plate like a throwback brew should. But when you’re so engrained in Omaha lore that you unofficially rank among the zoo, Warren Buffet’s house, and the pedestrian bridge as places to visit when in town (and, more importantly, you

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Dinker’s Bar and Grill F I F T Y Y E A R S O F F A M I LY, F R I E N D S H I P S , A N D FA M O U S B U R G E R S by Carol Crissey Nigrelli photography by Bill Sitzmann

INKER’S. THE NAME: hard to forget. The red sign with huge yellow letters proclaiming it the home of “Omaha’s Best Burger”: hard to miss. The food: hard to resist.

In a world filled with carbon copies, Dinker’s stands out for its longevity, unpretentiousness, and reasonably-priced quality. Perched on a hill at 2368 S. 29th St. and clearly visible from I-480 at the Martha St. exit, Dinker’s still packs ‘em in 50 years after the late Frank “Dinker” Synowiecki opened a small bar two doors up from the present site.

The son of an immigrant, Synowiecki (sin-oh-WICK-ee) spent his whole life in the area, a Polish neighborhood then known as Sheelytown. He used his smarts and vision to tap into the quintessential American fare: beer, a burger, friendly conversation, and sports. Today, two of his grandchildren make sure Dinker’s never deviates far from the original script.

“We don’t take any shortcuts,” says cook John Hutfless, whose mother is a Synowiecki. “We do things exactly the way they’ve always been done.” John’s cousin, Kerry Synowiecki Mumm, assumed ownership of Dinker’s after her father, Robert, passed it on to her in 2013. She credits fresh ingredients and her grandmother’s recipes. “We make homemade specials every day. We also make homemade soups, homemade salad dressings, even our pickles are hand-cut,” says Mumm. Dinker’s gets its freshly-ground beef delivered three to four times a week from Del Gould Meats in Lincoln. As the self-proclaimed King of the Kitchen, Hutfless says he easily goes through 1,100 to 1,200 pounds of beef a week. Workers use a 7-ounce ice cream scoop to gather up the beef—almost half a pound of meat—then hand-pat the burgers every morning. But what makes them so juicy?

E N C O U N T E R 22

DINING

“The fat content. Fat equals flavor,” says Hutfless with no apologies. And for those who don’t want to eat anything that can turn a take-out bag translucent? “We have salads,” he assures. “Contrary to popular opinion, we don’t season our meat,” adds Mumm. “I think a lot of the flavor comes from our griddle.” The hamburger meat may not be seasoned, but the griddle sure is. Hutfless primes the griddle every morning by cooking 50 pounds of bacon, which he then uses in dishes throughout the day. Dinker’s also goes through at least 35 dozen eggs weekly, delivered fresh from Thomas Farms in Decatur, Neb. They need them for their biggest seller. “The Haystack is by far our most popular burger,” says Mumm. “That one has grilled ham, American cheese, and a fried egg on it.” The Haystack sits on a grilled Rotella’s kaiser bun—light and fluffy but sturdy enough to hold the hamburger and its toppings together. Another popular offering, the Bluejay Burger, scores big with the Creighton crowd. It comes with melted Swiss cheese, bacon, and thick, homemade bleu cheese dressing. “This place is shoulder to shoulder on Creighton basketball game nights,” says John. “Coach (Greg) McDermott and his staff come here. Doug still pops in whenever he’s in town.” Customers also plow through Dinker’s signature onion rings—hand-battered, slender, tender, and slightly clumped together. Like the meat, Hutfless’ batter lacks seasoning, but the take-out onion ring basket comes with packets of salt for those who want the option. Among the appetizers, Dinker’s chicken wings soar. Crispy on the outside, fresh and meaty inside, they pack just enough heat to satisfy those with a “hot” preference without overpowering the “mild” crowd. As subjective as the word “best” is, Dinker’s “best” claim comes with hefty backup. In numerous local, regional, and national publications; online blogs, travel sites, and social media, Dinker’s consistently ranks at or near the top of surveys on food, bars, and atmosphere. The latest accolade appears on Thrillist.com, which named Dinker’s the most iconic bar in Nebraska. The ability to “get a stiff drink” to go with “Omaha’s best burger” impressed the writers, as did the simplicity of the place. If “Dinker” Synowiecki were to come back today, he would probably feel as comfortable as he did when he opened the original establishment in 1965, save for the eight giant TV screens and two Keno screens on the walls. His old three-door beer cooler still works and sits in the corner of the bar area, its giant compressor whirring in the basement. The tables and chairs resemble some bygone faux wood-and-chrome era. Customers order their food at the kitchen counter, their drinks at the bar, and pay in cash only. Well-heeled lawyers sit beside, and talk with, construction workers with muddy boots. Neighborhood regulars—retirees—come every day for their coffee, burgers, hot beef sandwiches, or flat iron steak specials. They come for the familiarity and the friendship. To them, Dinker’s has been, and always will be, the “best.” Encounter J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 23

Cubby’s Old Market Grocery 601 S. 13th St.

FA S H I O N

Urban Renewal

photography by Bill Sitzmann HE EMINENTLY QUOTABLE fashion editor Diana Vreeland (Harper’s Bazaar 1936-1962, Vogue 1962-1971) once quipped, “There’s only one thing in life, and that’s the continual renewal of inspiration.” These baubles sourced from local secondhand stores prove “renewal” doesn’t necessarily need to infer “new.”

model | Alex Priest creative direction | Nicholas Wasserberger

FA S H I O N

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NEVILLE LAWRENCE HIGH ART MEETS A D U LT S W I M by James Walmsley phoography by Bill Sitzmann

E N C O U N T E R 28

FA C E S

T TAKES A bold man to admit when he’s super. It takes an even bolder man to admit when he’s Superstar.

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But singer-songwriter Neville Lawrence knows who he is. And whether he’s on stage, on camera, or, say, resting on his living room couch after a grueling graveyard shift, he’ll be the first one to say it:

“I am extraordinary—I’m super at everything,” Lawrence explains in a charming Caribbean accent while pantomiming boxing combinations. “I can do gymnastics and stuff—I’m just Super…star, that’s who I am.” For almost a decade, the 51-year-old has amassed tens of thousands of YouTube hits for his lo-fi, VHS-style music videos, which capture him dancing to the beats of his own electronic drums. Bedecked in what could only be described as a sequined space suit— which, like everything else, Lawrence made himself—Superstar lip syncs like he doesn’t know the words and moves on camera like he doesn’t know he’s standing in his own front yard. It’s high art for the ironically inclined and Adult Swim for anyone left. “I put myself out there, let people know I love them, I’m here for them, I exist, and I am who I am,” he says. “I’m for real: Who I am and what I do is not artificial, it’s me…I’m the real thing.” As for the music itself, Lawrence, who is originally from Trinidad, says his hypnotic blend of Afro-Caribbean R&B is inspired by the “divinity of God,” Michael Jackson, and Tina Turner. His underlying message of discipline, tolerance, love, and peace, he says, bleeds out of his songs’ soulful combinations of electronic loops and reverberated incantations.

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“It takes wisdom and understanding to be wise and super and harmless as a dove—to be the best you can be,” he notes almost cryptically about the importance of his music’s positive messages. Lawrence says he participated in dance groups on his home island at a young age, but his music career didn’t really begin until he moved to Brooklyn in the late ‘80s. It was there where he says he shared stages with budding hip-hop artists Snoop Dogg and Biggie Smalls. And it was there where he says he met Star, or Ann Lawrence, the Cher to his Sonny, the woman who would eventually bring him to Omaha with their only daughter. “I was bugging him to go on a date, but he said he only liked ladies who wore dresses,” Star recalls in a separate phone interview about their first Manhattan subway encounter. “We got to be good friends first.” The star-crossed lovers would eventually rely heavily on that foundation of friendship, she says, for the future had only heartache in store for their thenblossoming relationship. But not before the two would light up Omaha’s late-night television screens in the ‘90s and ‘00s with tawdry commercials for multiple self-titled albums. Superstar and Star have since divorced. But that’s a story for another time, another place, or, perhaps, another one of Lawrence’s YouTube rants. In the meantime, he says he’d rather stay positive and keep making music.

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“We never let anything offend us and get us down,” Lawrence speaks for both he and Star. “We’re still excited, we’re still making our fans happy, we’re still making people happy. We’re not going to give up.” Encounter J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 29

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Britny Cordera Doane OLD MARKET POET by Ryan Borchers photography by Bill Sitzmann

E N C O U N T E R 30

FA C E S

Improving Your Health

OU MAY HAVE seen Britny Cordera Doane sitting with her typewriter on Howard Street in the Old Market. The “Old Market Poet” is a common sight, typing up poems on commission.

“I’ve always been interested in doing something with the community in the Old Market, like the musicians do,” she says. “It’s really fun going out there and meeting different people and running into people I know already.”

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“Interested” might be the key word here, because the 21-year-old Cordera certainly has many interests. Cordera has been a street poet for almost three years, since she graduated from high school in 2012. You can count on her being in the Old Market most days, weather permitting; barring days when she has school (she’s a full-time student at UNO, studying creative writing and religious studies).

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By no means, though, does her interest in poetry begin and end with her work on Howard Street. Cordera considers poetry to be her calling and published her first book of verse and prose, Wingmakers, this past February with Pinyon Publishing. “Being able to type at the typewriter and get poems written, even if people aren’t coming up, is also a great gift,” she says. “There are some nights where I write two or three poems that aren’t for other people.” She writes daily and produces at least a couple of new works a week. (I can tell you from personal experience, dear reader, that’s a demanding output.) “It’s important to write a lot and to write every day in order to get better, in order to hone your abilities,” she says.

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When it comes to that honing process, Cordera has a long list of qualities she would like for her poems to have. In addition to being vivid and free of cliché, she wants her poetry to have musicality. “I see music and poetry as being one and the same,” she says. “The thing with poetry is that if it doesn’t sound right, I’m not going to use it in my poem.” Indeed, music was how Cordera became interested in street poetry in the first place. In addition to writing, she plays the violin, and it was her violin teacher who suggested she write poems in the Old Market. Beyond being musical, Cordera believes the poem should be deep and weighty. “I like a poem that says something, that has deeper undertones to it,” she says. “I’m trying to connect a web of themes and ideals of the world. I’m trying to connect things that seem unconnected already, but are actually thoroughly connected.”

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More than anything else, perhaps, the idea of a web tying together a large variety of interests sums up Cordera’s aesthetic. Her other affinities include history and mythology. Wingmakers itself is heavily influenced by ancient mythology, as well as the bird constellations. As if all that weren’t enough, Cordera plans to pursue a master’s in either religious studies or classics after she graduates. She intends to write more poems and books. She’s also learning Latin and Greek and hopes to work as a translator.

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You may be wondering at this point how she gets it all done.

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“I just do it,” she says with a smile. J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 31

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back to the river R E M E M B E R W H E N O M A H A’ S R I V E R F R O N T WAS NOT A PRETTY SIGHT? by Judy Horan photography by Bill Sitzmann

HE ASARCO LEAD refinery along the Missouri riverfront was Omaha’s largest company in the mid-1880s. In fact, in the early 1900s, the Omaha plant was the largest lead refinery in the world.

The company then known as American Smelting and Refining Co. was looked upon as a good corporate citizen. But a century went by and people began learning how lead could pollute the Missouri River and the air, as well as possibly affect their health. Asarco began facing scrutiny, especially from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Not only was there a question of pollution, but the riverfront area that sustained other heavy industrial companies, including four battery companies, was unattractive and unappealing. “The riverfront was drab and dismal and it was embarrassing to come to Omaha out of Eppley with all the industrial and junk yards and Asarco, which had the largest land piece on the riverfront,” Former mayor Hal Daub says. Cleaning up the area was a first step toward a renovated riverfront. For Daub, focus on the riverfront began in 1995 with debate on renovating the old Civic Auditorium that sat in downtown Omaha. Daub proposed that, instead of spending city funds E N C O U N T E R 32

fixing up the auditorium, the city should clean up the riverfront and build a new auditorium there. At the same time, he also saw developing the riverfront as key to downtown renewal. Prominent business leaders were telling him they might move their companies from the dying downtown. Daub wanted a cleaned-up riverfront to anchor the renovation of downtown. So he picked up the phone and called Asarco’s corporate office in New York. A former U.S. congressman, Daub knew his way around the Superfund and federal rules on cleaning up sites determined to be hazardous to human health.

HISTORY

Barre Fitness Facility “I knew Asarco qualified as a Superfund and that Nebraska could shut down the plant,” Daub says. “We got the title to the land and $50 million for cleanup from Asarco.” He is quick to point out that Asarco was cooperative. “They understood the dilemma they faced in a changing environment and they agreed.” The facility closed in 1997 after 110 years. Demolition ended in late 1999, completing the largest cleanup of lead-contaminated yards in history.

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The closing of Asarco paved the way toward Omaha’s riverfront development. Today Lewis & Clark Landing and Storz Brewing Company sit where Asarco was located. In 2000, the city added a second project in the revitalization effort, buying 107 acres from Union Pacific where the railroad’s shops sat near the river, after cleanup efforts directed by the EPA. The cleanup also made way for the new convention center-arena in 2000, the project that had first turned Daub’s attention to the riverfront. Voters approved bonds to build near the riverfront what is now the CenturyLink Center Omaha. The Union Pacific land also now hosts TD Ameritrade Park, the Hilton Hotel, and parking lots, according to Greg Peterson, who was then the city’s assistant planning director. Union Pacific and Asarco were both important to an integrated plan for development along the riverfront, says Daub. “Sometimes you have to tear down old stuff because you can’t see past the ugliness of what’s there in order to envision what could be there,” says Daub. Encounter J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 33

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Downtown Omaha Map N O R T H / S O U T H N U M B E R S 1 0 - 1 9 ( N U M B E R S 1 - 9 O N PA G E 4 1 )

Douglas St

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N. 10th St

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N. 9th St

N. 10th St

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13 Farnam St S. 13th St

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Omaha Chamber Of Commerce

S. 14th St

15 Howard St

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Howard St

16 Jackson St

Jones St

Jackson St S. 10th St

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S. 13th St

S. 11th St

Jackson St

Harney St

Historical Tour Union Station, 1931 Windsor Hotel, 1885-1887 H3 Omaha Fire House, 1903-1904 H4 Omaha Bemis Bag Company, 1887-1902 H5 Anheuser-Busch Beer Depot, 1887 H6 Skinner Macaroni Building, 1914-1915 H7 Aquila Court, 1923 H8 J.P. Cook Buildings, 1885-1889 H9 The Overland Hotel, 1903-1904 H10 Morse Coe Building, 1892-1893 H11 Hotel Howard, 1909 H12 Millard Block, 1880-1881 H13 Baum Iron Company Building, 1880 H14 Poppleton Block, 1880 H15 Burlington Building, 1879 H1

Harney St

Farnam St Omaha Convention & Visitors Bureau

S. 10th St

S. 15th St

S. 16th St

Farnam St

Jones St

Roads Interstate On-Ramp/Off-Ramp Railroad Walking Path/Trail Walking Tour

The Old Market District

Park Parking

S. 9th St

Pubs, Taverns & Lounges Health Services S. 6th St

Marcy Plaza

S. 10th St

Mayberry Plaza

S. 11th St

S. 12th St

S. 13th St

S. 14th St

Leavenworth Plaza

Restaurants

Leavenworth St Lea ven wo

Historical Tour

St rth

S. 15th St

START

Art Gallery Walk

S. 7th St

Leavenworth St S. 16th St

The Capitol District

Marcy Street

S. 9th St

Pacific St

S. 10th St

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Mason St

Pacific St

E N C O U N T E R â&#x20AC;&#x192; 40

Merchants Attractions

OLD MARKET · DOWNTOWN · RIVERFRONT Rock Bottom Brewery [F-14]...................402-614-9333 OLD MARKET Roja Old Market [E-14]............................402-346-9190 A R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T Spaghetti Works [F-15]...........................402-422-0770 Stokes Bar & Grill [E-15]......................... 402-408-9000 ART GALLERIES & MUSEUMS The Diner [E-14]......................................402-341-9870 Bemis Center for Trini’s Mexican Restaurant Contemporary Arts [E-18]........................402-341-7130 [F-15 in The Passageway]...................... 402-346-8400 Joslyn Art Museum [2200 Dodge St.]....402-342-3300 Twisted Fork Grill & Bar [F-15]................402-932-9600 KANEKO [F-17].......................................402-341-3800 Upstream Brewing Company [F-16]...... 402-344-0200 Omaha Children’s Museum [500 S. 20th St.] ....................................402-342-6164 F A S T- C A S U A L D I N I N G The Durham Museum PepperJax Grill [D-15]..............................402-315-1196 [801 S. 10th St.].................................... 402-444-5071 Wheatfields Express [E-15].....................402-991-0917 T H E AT E R & P E R F O R M I N G A R T S

Blue Barn Theatre 614 S. 11th St.].........402-345-1576 Brigit Saint Brigit Theatre [1002 Dodge St.].....................................402-502-4910 Holland Performing Arts Center [1200 Douglas St.]................................. 402-345-0606 OM Center [13th & Howard St]...............402-345-5078 Omaha Symphony [1605 Howard St.]....402-342-3560 Opera Omaha [1850 Farnam St.].......... 402-346-4398 Orpheum Theater [409 S. 16th St.]....... 402-345-0606 The Rose Theater [2001 Farnam St.].... 402-345-4849 Ticket Omaha [13th & Douglas St.]........ 402-345-0606

BANKING | LEGAL | BUSINESS SERVICES American National Bank [C-14]........... 402-457-1070 Bozell [G-18]........................................... 402-965-4300 Clark Creative Advertising [D-16]........... 402-345-5800 Cullan & Cullan [F-14]............................. 402-397-7600 First National Bank [E-15].......................402-341-0500 J. P. Cooke Rubber Stamp Co. [D-15]..... 402-342-7175 Klein Law Office [E-16]............................402-391-1871 Market Media [E-14].............................. 402-346-4000 Security National Bank [F-15].................402-344-7300 Stinson Leonard Street [D-14]................ 402-342-1700 Sutera & Sutera Law Office [F-15]..........402-342-3100

DINING BAKERIES & SWEET SHOPS

Bliss Bakery [F-17]..................................402-934-7450 Cupcake Omaha [F-15].......................... 402-346-6808 Dolci Old Market [G-15]..........................402-345-8198 Hollywood Candy [E-16]..........................402-346-9746 Juice Stop [E-15].....................................402-715-4326 Old Market Candy Shop [G-15].............. 402-344-8846 Ted & Wally’s Ice Cream [E-16]...............402-341-5827 Wheatfields Express [E-15].....................402-991-0917 COFFEE & TEA

13th Street Coffee Co. [D-16].................402-345-2883 Aromas Coffeehouse [F-17]....................402-614-7009 Beansmith [E-14].................................... 402-614-1805 OM Center [D-15]....................................402-345-5078 Scooter’s [E-15]......................................402-991-9868 The Tea Smith [E-15]..............................402-932-3933 Urban Abbey/Soul Desires [G-16]...........402-898-7600 CASUAL DINING

Ahmad’s Persian Cuisine [G-15]............. 402-341-9616 Blue Sushi Sake Grill [E-15].................... 402-408-5566 Bricks & Mortar Bar & Bistro [F-17]....... 402-934-0005 Falling Water Grille [G-15] ..................... 402-346-9000 Himalaya’s [G-15]................................... 402-884-5977 J’s On Jackson [F-16]..............................402-991-1188 Jackson Street Tavern [E-16]..................402-991-5637 Julio’s Old Market [D-15]....................... 402-345-6921 M’s Pub [F-15]........................................402-342-2550 Matsu Sushi [G-13]................................ 402-346-3988 Michael’s Cantina at the Market [F-14]...402-346-1205 Nicola’s Italian Wine & Faire [D-16]........ 402-345-8466 Old Chicago [F-14]...................................402-341-1616 Omaha Tap House [C-13]........................402-932-5131 Plank Seafood Provisions [E-15].............402-507-4480

Zio’s Pizzeria [F-15].................................402-344-2222 FINE DINING

801 Chophouse at the Paxton [C-13]......402-341-1222 Le Bouillon [F-15]....................................402-502-6816 Omaha Prime [F-15]................................ 402-341-7040 The Boiler Room [F-17]........................... 402-916-9274 V. Mertz [F-15 in The Passageway]........ 402-345-8980

The Hair Market Salon [F-15]................. 402-345-3692 The Nail Shop [H-12].............................. 402-595-8805 Urbane Salon & Day Spa [G-13]..............402-934-2909 Victor Victoria Salon & Spa [F-15]......... 402-933-9333 Wonder Foot Spa [E-14]..........................402-618-7595 TAT T O O PA R L O R S

Big Brain Productions [E-17]...................402-342-2885 WELLNESS

Alegent Creighton Clinic [C-18]...............402-280-5500 Anytime Fitness [F-17]............................402-991-2333 Commercial Optical Co. [D-16]...............402-344-0219 Natural Therapy [D-18]...........................402-995-9874 Old Market Massage [D-15]................... 402-850-6651 OM Center [D-15]....................................402-345-5078 Omaha Dental Spa [F-15].......................402-505-4424 Omaha Yoga School [F-15].....................402-346-7813 Wonder Foot Spa [E-14]..........................402-618-7595

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DOWNTOWN HOTELS

FA S T F O O D

Courtyard by Marriott [G-11]...................402-346-2200 Little King [E-15]......................................402-344-2264 DoubleTree Hotel [A-11]..........................402-346-7600 Subway [D-15]........................................ 402-341-8814 Embassy Suites Old Market [555 S. 10 St.]....................................... 402-346-9000 S P E C I A LT Y F O O D Fairfield Inn and Suites Cubby’s Old Market [D-16].....................402-341-2900 [1501 Nicholas St.]...................................402-280-1516 La Buvette Wine & Grocery [F-15]......... 402-344-8627 Hampton Inn [1212 Cuming St.] ............ 402-345-5500 Hilton Garden Inn [G-11] .........................402-341-4400 NIGHTLIFE Hilton Omaha [10th & Cass St.]............. 402-998-3400 BARS Holiday Inn [1420 Cuming St.] ............... 402-341-0124 Bar 415 [D-15]........................................402-346-7455 Homewood Suites [1314 Cuming St.].....402-345-5100 Barry O’s Old Market Tavern [G-15]........402-341-8032 Hotel DECO XV [B-14, 15th & Harney]....402-991-4981 Billy Frogg’s Grill & Bar [E-15].................402-341-4427 Hyatt Place [E-16]...................................402-513-5500 Eat the Worm [E-15]................................402-614-4240 Magnolia Hotel Omaha [A-15].................402-341-2500 Havana Garage Cigar Bar [G-15].............402-614-3800 Residence Inn by Marriott [B-12]............402-342-4770 J D Tucker’s [G-15].................................402-934-5190 MOVING & STORAGE Mr. Toad’s Pub [G-15]............................ 402-345-4488 Parliament Pub [E-14].............................402-934-3301 The Storage Loft [E-18]...........................402-807-2537 The Hive [E-14]....................................... 402-504-4929 U-Haul [D-18]......................................... 402-346-9322 Urban Storage [D-18]..............................402-342-4449 The Stadium Club Sports Bar & Grill [G-15].........................402-359-1290 PRAISE & WORHIP The Tavern [G-16]................................... 402-341-0191 The Market Church [D-17]..........TheMarketChurch.com C R A F T C O C K TA I L S / Urban Abbey Worship Service [G-16].....402-898-7600 MICROBREWERIES

R E A L E S TAT E

Brickway Brewery & Distillery [E-15].......402-933-2613 Rock Bottom Brewery [F-14]...................402-614-9333 R E A LT O R S The Berry & Rye [F-15]........................... 402-613-1333 America First Companies [G-13].............402-444-1630 The Boiler Room [F-17]........................... 402-916-9274 Berkshire Hathaway Real Estate Upstream Brewing Company [F-16]...... 402-344-0200 [13th & California].................................. 402-493-4663 Blackthorne Real Estate Development... 402-884-6200 LOUNGES Bluestone Development [B-17].............. 402-505-9999 Bricks & Mortar Bar & Bistro [F-17]....... 402-934-0005 Grubb & Ellis/Pacific Realty.................... 402-345-5866 Omaha Lounge [C-14].............................402-709-6815 Investors Realty, Inc................................ 402-330-8000 Sake Bombers @ Blue [E-15]................ 402-408-5566 Mercer Management Co. [F-15]............ 402-346-4445 Waters Edge Lounge NP Dodge Condo Sales...........................402-255-5099 at Embassy Suites [G-15]....................... 402-346-9000 NuStyle Development Corporation...........712-647-2041 Old Market Life [D-16]............................402-305-8106 PUBS Sandi Downing Real Estate [E-15].......... 402-502-7477 Dubliner Pub [E-14].................................402-342-5887 Shamrock Development, Inc. [D-13].......402-934-7711 O’Connors Irish Pub [D-15].....................402-934-9790 Omaha Tap House [C-13]........................402-932-5131 S H O P P I N G Stiles Pub [E-15]......................................402-991-9911 ANTIQUES T. Henery’s Pub [F-14]............................402-345-3651 Antique Annex [E-16]..............................402-932-3229 WINE Fairmont Antiques & Mercantile [E-16]402-346-9746 Bricks & Mortar Bar & Bistro [F-17]....... 402-934-0005 Flying Worm Vintage [E-16]....................402-932-3229 La Buvette Wine & Grocery [F-15]......... 402-344-8627 Joe’s Collectibles (E-16 Alley]................. 402-612-1543 Nosh Restaurant & Wine Lounge[G-11].. 402-614-2121

H E A LT H & B E A U T Y S A L O N S & S PA S

Four Old Market

Reserve Goodwill [D-15].........................402-342-4102 Second Chance Antiques [C-14]............ 402-346-4930 The Imaginarium [D-15]..........................402-594-7061

Curb Appeal Salon & Spa [G-16]........... 402-345-0404 A R T G A L L E R I E S RARE [D-15]............................................402-706-9673 Anderson O’Brien Fine Art [F-16]...........402-884-0911

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 41

Fresh chocolates and fudge made in our own kitchen. OldMarketCandy.com • 402-344-8846

Travel essentials plus souvenirs and Nebraska-made gifts. OldMarketSundries.com • 402-345-7646

Authentic Italian desserts, coffee, and FlavorBurst TMice cream. DolciOldMarket.com • 402-345-8198

All located at 10th & Howard

Izard St

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Mike Fahey St

TD Ameritrade Park Omaha

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E N C O U N T E R â&#x20AC;&#x192; 42 N. 10 St

Lodging

Pubs, Taverns & Lounges

Restaurants

Parking

Roads Interstate On-Ramp/Off-Ramp Railroad Walking Path/Trail

Downtown Omaha Map

N O R T H / S O U T H N U M B E R S 1 - 9 ( N U M B E R S 1 0 - 1 9 O N PA G E 3 9 )

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CenturyLink Center Omaha

midtown crossing & blackstone district Map

Blackstone District

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N O R T H / S O U T H N U M B E R S 1 - 9 ( N U M B E R S 1 0 - 1 9 O N PA G E 3 9 )

Restaurants Pubs, Taverns & Lounges

Parking

Artists’ Cooperative Gallery [F-14].................. 402-342-9617 Susie’s Baskets [D-13].................................... 402-341-4650 Goodnights Pizza Bar & Patio [D-4].................402-502-2151 Farrah Grant Photography [F-15].................... 402-312-8262 Tannenbaum Christmas Shop [G-15]..............402-345-9627 Heritage Food & Wine [B-13]..........................402-991-0660 Hiro 88 [D-16, 13th & Jackson]...................... 402-933-5168 ART GALLERIES [CONT’D] HOME FURNISHING & DECOR Jazz, A Louisiana Kitchen [B-13]....................402-342-3662 Garden of the Zodiac Iron Decor and More [E-16].............................402-346-6123 King Fong Cafe [B-14]..................................... 402-341-3433 [F-15 in The Passageway)................................402-341-1877 Niche [F-15]....................................................402-344-4399 Liberty Tavern [G-6]........................................402-998-4321 Mangelsen-Images of Nature Urban By Design [D-15]...................................970-214-7608 Mula [CC-22].................................................. 402-315-9051 Nosh Wine Lounge [G-11]................................402-614-2121 Gallery [E-14].................................................. 402-341-8460 Omaha Press Club [A-11]................................402-345-8008 Old Market Artists Gallery [F-15].....................402-346-6569 J E W E L R Y Omaha Clayworks [D-16]................................402-346-0560 Cibola of Omaha [F-15]....................................402-342-1200 Orsi’s Italian Bakery & Pizzeria [7th & Pacific].402-345-3438 Passageway Gallery Cornerstone Gem & Bead Co. [D-16].............402-346-4367 Siagon Surface [C-14].....................................402-614-4496 [F-15 in The Passageway]................................ 402-341-1910 Goldsmith/Silversmith [F-15]...........................402-342-1737 Storz Trophy Room [K-8]................................. 402-502-1643 Visions Custom Framing Perspective Jewelry Design Studio [E-14]......402-934-4416 Wilson & Washburn [C-14]..............................402-991-6950 [E-18 @ Bemis Center]...................................402-342-0020 COFFEE & TEA SMOKE SHOP White Crane Gallery [F-15 inThe Passageway]................................ 402-345-1066 Havana Garage Cigar Bar [G-15].....................402-614-3800 Archetype Coffee [CC-22].............................. 402-934-1489 Hooka Ran’s [E-15].........................................402-934-3100 Blue Line Coffee [D-4]....................................402-932-4463 BOOKS SG Roi Tobacconist [F-15]............................... 402-341-9264 FA S T F O O D Jackson Street Booksellers [E-16].................. 402-341-2664 Soul Desires/Urban Abbey [G-16]..................402-898-7600 Zesto Ice Cream [5-E].....................................402-932-4420 NEARBY

BARS

Crescent Moon [HH-22].................................. 402-345-1708 Farnam House Brewing Company [HH-22]....402-401-6086 Nite Owl [CC-22]............................................. 402-991-6767 Oasis Hookah Bar and TaZa Nightclub [B-13].402-502-9893 Scriptown [CC-22]..........................................402-991-0506 Storz Trophy Room [K-8]................................. 402-502-1643 Sullivan’s Bar [CC-22].....................................402-933-7004 MUSIC • DANCE

Capitol Lounge & Supper Club [G-11].............402-934-5999 Slowdown [C-4]..............................................402-345-7569 The Max [C-16]................................................402-346-4110 Whiskey Tango [B-13]..................................... 402-934-4874 WINE

Corkscrew Wine & Cheese [CC-22]............... 402-933-3150 Nosh Wine Lounge [G-11]................................402-614-2121

SHOPPING

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

A R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T

All About Me Boutique [F-15]..........................402-505-6000 Curbside Clothing [F-15] Drastic Plastic [E-15].......................................402-346-8843 Flying Worm Vintage [E-16]............................402-932-3229 McLovin [G-15]...............................................402-915-4002 Nouvelle Eve [F-15].........................................402-345-4811 Overland Outfitters [G-15]...............................402-345-2900 Reserve Goodwill [D-15]................................. 402-342-4102 Simply Fabulous [E-16]....................................402-812-2193 Souq, Ltd. [F-15 in The Passageway]............. 402-342-2972 The Lotus [E-15]..............................................402-346-8080 Wallflower Artisan Collective (1402 S. 13 St.).402-677-9438

Block 16 [A-13]................................................402-342-1220 Kleveland Clothing [CC-22]..............................402-401-6147 ART GALLERIES & MUSEUMS Kitchen Table [B-13]........................................ 402-933-2810 Lids Locker Room [E-5]..................................402-334-0183 Hot Shops Art Center [D-1].............................402-342-6452 Panda House Downtown [A-13].......................402-348-1818 Urban Outfitters [D-3]......................................402-280-1936 Modern Arts Midtown [GG-210].....................402-502-8737 Table Grace [17th & Farnam]...........................402-708-7815

FA S T C A S U A L

G I F T & S P E C I A LT Y S H O P S

M O V I E T H E AT E R

Greenstreet Cycles [D-4]................................402-505-8002 Inclosed Studio [D-4]...................................... 402-321-3442 Spencer’s for Steaks & Chops [G-11].............402-280-8888 The Shop Around The Corner SPORTS Sullivan’s Steakhouse [B-13]..........................402-342-0077 [E-15 The Imaginarium]...................................402-609-8046 CenturyLink Center Omaha [H/I-5/6]..............402-341-1500 The Flatiron Cafe [17th & Howard]..................402-344-3040 HOME FURNISHING & DECOR TD Ameritrade Park Omaha [E/F-3/4]........... 402-546-1800 Film Streams [D-4]..........................................402-933-0259 F I N E D I N I N G

Z O O • B O TA N I C A L C E N T E R

S P E C I A LT Y F O O D

Patrick’s Market [B-15]................................... 402-884-1600 Lauritzen Gardens, Omaha’s Botanical Center SPORTS BAR [100 Bancroft St.]. . ..........................................402-346-4002 Drastic Plastic [E-15].......................................402-346-8843 Homer’s Music & Gifts [E-15]..........................402-346-0264 Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium/IMAX Theater Burger Theory [B-2]........................................402-933-6959 [3701 S. 10th St.]...........................................402-733-8400 DJ’s Dugout Sports Bar/ FLOWERS Blazin’ Pianos [G-10]........................................402-763-9974 BANKING Old Market Habitat [F-15]...............................402-342-0044 Old Mattress Factory Bar & Grill [D-6] ........... 402-346-9116 Pinnacle Bank [10th & Douglas]......................402-346-9180 The Dugout [D-2]............................................402-934-5252 MUSIC STORES

G I F T & S P E C I A LT Y S T O R E S

Ashley’s Collectibles [E-15, L. Level]...............402-934-3100 City Limits [F-15].............................................402-345-3570 Le Wonderment [F-15]....................................402-206-9928 Old Market Sundries [G-15]............................402-345-7646 OM Center [D-15]............................................402-345-5078 Souq, Ltd. ]F-15 in The Passageway]............. 402-342-2972

CLOTHING & ACCESSORIES

DINING CASUAL DINING

NIGHTLIFE LOUNGE

9th Street Tavern & Grill [H-11]....................... 402-315-4301 Brothers Lounge [FF-22]................................402-558-4096 Blatt Beer & Table [E-5].................................. 402-718-8822 The Omaha Lounge [B-13]............................. 402-709-6815 Capitol Lounge & Supper Club [G-10].............402-934-5999 Farnam House Brewing Company [HH-22]....402-401-6086

J U LY / A U G U S T 2 0 1 5 43

Habitat ReStore [24th & Leavenworth]........... 402-934-1033 JEWELRY

Takechi’s Jewelry [17th & Harney].................. 402-341-3044 MUSIC STORE

Saddle Creek Shop [D-4, 721 N. 14th St.].....402-384-8248

VISIT US IN THE HISTORICAL RILEY BUILDING AT 10th & DOUGLAS ON THE MALL 402.346.9180 OR ONLINE AT pinnbank.com

T HE

W AY

B A N K I N G

S H O U L D

MEMBER FDIC

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july/august calendar of Events

3/19/15 2:24 PM