Omaha, NE - Durham Museum.

Time to see some of the best parts of Omaha in this and the following post - the Durham Museum and the Henry Doorly Zoo. Both are definite highlights in the city and for good reason, they both offer something you normally get in a big city, but with Omaha charm mixed in. We had good times in most of the Omaha places (minus the weird stuff) and these two were no exception. I highly recommend both.

The Durham is billed as the museum that captures the country during the expansion from east to west. I actually thought it was a great way to learn more about the history of Omaha, while at the same time learning about how Omaha helped, literally, supply the move west. It focused a great deal on the railroad, which played a large part in the expansion.


[the museum is housed in Omaha's original Union Station. What a cool way to re-use an old, historic, very cool building - kudos]


[welcome]


[they left much of the "first floor" of the museum as you would have found it in the middle of the 1900s - very interesting]


[this is the old train schedule]


[they installed more than a few of these bronze(ish) vignettes around the first floor. this depicted a young couple saying goodbye (all scenes had sound played over), another showed two guys going to war, etc.]


[stately art-deco marble, metal, and glass interior - check!]


[one of the coolest things in the place was on the "basement" floor, which is where the main museum begins. they house about 8 old railroad cars from various eras and in various configurations. some normal passenger cars, a sleeper car, a steam engine, a public transportation car, etc. the best part was that you could walk through most of them and see them in their original condition. what a neat way to see how it was "back in the day"]


[this is the lounge car - what a great place to have a drink as the clickety-clack of the rails go by - another manhattan, barkeep!]


[many of the cars reminded me of a grandparents house, circa now]


[many rooms in the cars had small sinks, even toilets]


[this was what i would call a "day car". there was a two-seat and a fold-down bed above. the small ladder unfolded to allow access to the sleeper bunk. kids must have at this shit up back then. heck, i'd still love to travel this way (ok, maybe for one night)]


[this car looked like a prison passenger or worker's car. it was sparsely outfitted and almost entirely colored in a hideous blue-green hue - yikes]

[strong old steam engine]

[i'd go so far as to say these things built america. and they gave us a ton of laughs at dinner later that night when we were reminded how much of a role they played in Steven Seagal's movie "Under Siege - Dark Territory" - don't BS me, I know you saw it on local TV late one night with your dad too]