The Bridge To Nowhere And Back!

Growing up in Omaha in the 60's and 70's saw a real decline in the downtown area. It was dead, as my Dad used to say. There was an old library, an old courthouse and police station, abandoned warehouses, abandoned stores, and a smelly river. The place was to be avoided at all costs. There was nothing to do.

Then, in the early 1970's, people got embarrassed enough to start making an attempt to revitalize the downtown area. After all, despite the folks who live here who are afraid to go east of 120th Street for fear of being boiled in a pot of water by cannibals, downtown is the heart of a city. They built an outdoor mall, a new library, a new courthouse, a new police station. The powers-that-be remodeled the ancient Orpheum Theater into a fine concert hall. They built up the area known as the Old Market with restaurants and quirky stores. They began a plan to build up the riverfront. Oh, this didn't happen overnight, it took about 25 years, but it happened.

In the last 5 or so years, the riverfront project has moved into overdrive. We have a new concert hall, a new sports arena , and events Omahans had to go to Kansas City or Des Moines to see began to come here.

All this happened despite the small town loudmouths who live here and growl about anything new. Bah Humbug! We didn't have crap, and we liked it. These people are a cancer on any city.

But now, at a cost of $22 million in federal earmarks(gasp!), we have a footbridge leading over the smelly Missouri River that folks can use to walk to Council Bluffs and back. A project much hated by the anti-progress cranks, the conservative cranks, and fat people who can't walk that far, former Senator Bob Kerrey obtained the money to build this bridge and I thank him for it. They named it after him, it's open, and the cranks can just stay home and stew in their Palin-loving juices.

I know it's not the Golden Gate, though one guy has threatened to jump already. but it's ours. If you ever have reason to visit Omaha, take a walk across the Kerrey Bridge, realize you're in Council Bluffs, and walk back. It's great.