Omaha, in Nebraska, USA
where is it located?
That’s what I thought when I was accepted at the residency Bemis in Omaha. It is really in the middle of nowhere, that’s what I thought living in Amsterdam city.
Arriving in Omaha
Exited to do a residency, I left for Omaha, via New York. The last sense of a big city, energetic live, I arrived in Omaha. The road from the airport to the Bemis didn’t give much excitement. It seemed as a quiet back side of a city. But it turned out that the whole of Omaha was abandoned on the streets. Hardly any walking person on the street. The car is their holly cow. Half a mile is too far a distance to walk. Just take the car. I also could use a car of one of the fellow artist. A truck so that was a good US experience!
Or all together in a real Lincoln!
Bike
Ok, I have to admit there where some hills in town, and even as a Dutch person, used to a flat country I had trouble crossing the first hills on my bike, provided by the Bemis centre! But after a few weeks my muscles were trained some more and I could bike nice distances. Sometimes with my fellow artist in residence which was good fun!
In other US cities it is sometimes possible to load your bike on a bus, but not in Omaha. And then the distances. The other side of the city was 23 miles (32 km). I never saw the other side.
Luckily Bemis is located in an area in development. There are the old warehouses, well kept and in restoration. Many restaurants, shops and galleries in development. People walk around on these streets. It is an exiting development. Also the farmers market in summer time on Saturday attracts people, and they enjoy sitting on the terrace afterwards.
