Latest Blog Posts
Brushes With Fame
Yesterday’s post by Scott Adams made me try to think if I have ever had a close encounter of the celebrity kind in Lincoln. I haven’t, as far as I can recall. Have you?
My only real celebrity close-encounter was the time I nearly stole Larry King’s cookie at the Rose Bowl. I had a press pass for taking photographs of the Cornhusker Marching Band‘s pre-game and halftime performances from the roof of the press box. I was thinking about picking up this cookie when Larry King himself appeared from nowhere, said “I forgot my cookie”, and then disappeared into one of the private suites with his reclaimed dessert.
Edited to add: I can’t believe I forgot this story. One day while I was in grad school a couple friends and I ate at Yia Yia’s. As we left, we brushed shoulders with a small group of people headed inside. One of my friends froze and stared. I asked what was up. “You don’t know who that was? That was Connor Oberst. Bright Eyes. You guys don’t know him?” We didn’t. Then my friend did one of the strangest things I’ve ever witnessed. He closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, and dreamily said “Oh man, you can still smell him.”
Taco Bueno is Coming to Town
Lincolnite Jesse Whidden sent in this tip several days ago, but it got buried in my inbox. Sorry for the delay, Jesse, and thanks for the tip!
Taco Bueno is coming to Lincoln. I noticed last weekend that a building on N 27th. St. (near Wal-Mart) that could only be a Mexican fast-food restaurant was nearing completion. A quick Internet search confirmed that it will be a Taco Bueno.
In other taco news, King Taco is (supposedly) coming to the former Taco Inn on Highway 2 / 9th Street / 10th Street / whatever that street is called just south of Van Dorn. It has been “coming soon” for a while now.
Billboards for the ADHD Generation
I like the concept behind Lincoln’s new digital billboards. Most importantly, they aren’t nearly as obnoxious or distracting as the naysayers swore they would be. If I were an advertiser, though, I’d be very annoyed at the short 10-second display time. Ten seconds often isn’t enough to fully digest all the content on a sign. And ten seconds is only if you catch the sign at the beginning of its display cycle; you’re more likely to only see the sign for a portion of that 10-second window.
I can see the digital billboards being great for promoting a brand (e.g. RibFest, Nebraska State Fair), but not for disseminating details about that brand. And if your brand isn’t already well-known, you’re going to have a very difficult time with a digital billboard. That’s my take, anyway.
…Well, Not That Easy
In contrast to Verizon’s experience, things aren’t going so well at 48th and O Streets. That intersection is a good example of why I don’t like it when government gets too wrapped up in that sort of project. Limited involvement by local government can sometimes be good, or even necessary. But more often than not, taxpayers get less than they were promised more slowly and with more difficulty than promised. The intersection of 48th and O is prime real estate. The redevelopment shouldn’t be so difficult. Should it?
9 South Reviewed in the LJS
Jeff Korbelik reviews 9 South Chargrill in today’s LJS. I’m bummed I wasn’t able to make it there first, but considering the review’s knock on 9 South’s service, I’m glad The Missus and I didn’t try to take Robbie there. Iffy service + energetic toddler = trouble.
Big Brother
Sometimes I think the Journal Star spends as much time talking about Omaha as they do about Lincoln. Today’s article focuses on Omaha’s so-called “cultural renaissance”. Good for them. No, seriously. Because more often than not, what’s good for Omaha is good for Lincoln. A portion of Omaha’s success is likely to come to Lincoln in the form of “hand-me-downs” (thanks, big brother!). On top of that, any time a new door opens for Omaha, Lincoln has an opportunity to get there first. That’s the most interesting part.
How do you think Omaha’s successes help Lincoln? How do they hurt us? Is the Omaha hype just that, or is it real?
Doing Business in Lincoln is Easy
Lincoln has been criticized as a difficult place to do business. Verizon doesn’t think so, and that’s great news. In fact, according to Kent Gregory, one of the developers, he has “never had a project go through a city as quickly as this project in Lincoln”. Now that’s what I like to hear.
Jones Coffee Opens
Noticed today that Jones Coffee at 11th and G is now open. Apparently it opened sometime earlier this week, but I didn’t notice it until walking back from work tonight. One of the owners left a note here earlier in the year with a description, and it sounds pretty cool. Score for me I only live a stone’s throw away. This neighborhood could use a nice wireless coffee place, and I like their ethics. I have a feeling it will probably be popular with the students in the area and others who like coffee and locally-owned business. I’ll try and head over there this weekend.
An A For His Effort
Husker volleyball coach John Cook has been rewarded for his efforts with a new contract and a pay raise. Cook’s teams are an astonishing 220-14 (94%) with two national championships. Glad to see you’re hanging around, Coach Cook.
Zion Church Blog
Keep an eye on Zion Church’s recovery by bookmarking their newly-redesigned website.
Topics to Talk About
Hmph, no time to write this morning. I’m on my way to an all-day workshop. Maybe I’ll have time to post something between sessions. We’ll see.
Anyway, here are some topics you can talk about while I’m away:
- Evil ice cream men
- Football players as role models
- Theories explaining foxspit’s username
- And that Lincoln classic, the weather
Have fun!
Muzak in June
The Missus just returned from Jazz in June. She said that as of 7:40 the live music hadn’t begun (it’s supposed to start at 7:00), and there hadn’t been an announcement explaining why, as far as she knew. They just played piped-in music over the speakers. What gives?
Fuming Mothers
I’ll bet there were some maaaaad mothers on Sunday when Lincoln Southwest’s roster of graduating seniors was replaced by those from Lincoln Southeast in the Journal Star. I know my mom would have been ticked off. Today’s Journal Star fixes the error.
Extreme Whittier Makeover
Twenty-five years after being purchased by NU Foundation, the former Whittier Junior High will finally get the makeover it deserves beginning next fall. As expected, the historic building will be converted into research space for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In addition, the University has committed to remodeling 13,000 square feet into a new childcare center that may hold up to 150 kids.
It’s about time.
Arturo’s Bites the Dust
After 46 years, Arturo’s is no more. And without so much as a going away party.
I only visited Arturo’s once, and it happened to be just a few weeks ago. I was not impressed. For example, the article quotes Denise Roesler as saying that “[Arturo’s] had the best chips and salsa in town”. I found the staple to be average at best, and they weren’t free like they are at most Mexican restaurants these days. In addition our service was humorously bad. It was our server’s first night on the job and it was obvious that his training had consisted of “the kitchen’s in the back. Now go wait some tables.”
Not that I’m cheering the loss of one of Lincoln’s oldest restaurants, of course. If Arturo’s was really as bad as my first impression implied, it would have closed long ago. Based on what I have heard from family and friends, Arturo’s was usually a fine place to get a meal. Problem was, it wasn’t on the tip of anybody’s tongue when somebody asked “Where should we eat tonight?”
The comments on the article over at the LJS site devolved into a debate over the effect of the smoking ban on Arturo’s business. I’m no fan of Lincoln’s smoking ban, as I have made clear in this space many times, but I think it’s long past time for blaming restaurant and bar closings on the ban. Any place that was going to close is already gone. No, I have to suspect that Arturo’s closed due to other factors.
In any event, 46 years is a hell of a run. So long, Arturo’s.
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