Mapping the path

WESTERN MIDWEST BASEBALL

Omaha, Nebraska

Pioneer Courage Park

Dad and I began the day’s drive right at 9:00 a.m., which is always my goal. Occasionally — and especially on this Western Midwest Baseball Road Trip, with so much open space between ballparks — we will ratchet up that time a bit to squeeze in an unmissable sight or to accommodate a particularly long drive. But this day hewed to a tried-and-true template, designed to go off like clockwork.

Well-rested and excited for our final Triple-A game with the Omaha Storm Chasers, we made the easy drive south on I-29, with the Missouri River just to our west for most of the journey. We chatted and listened to our podcasts, and the time breezed by.

As we reached Omaha, we made a brief stop at Pioneer Courage Park, a public art project featuring more than 100 heroic-sized bronze and stainless-steel sculptures spanning several city blocks — one of the largest outdoor sculpture installations of its kind in the United States. Pioneer wagons pulled by oxen and horses drive dramatically through landscapes peppered with Native Americans and buffalo, symbolizing the westward expansion of settlers across the Great Plains.

Lunch at Wilson & Washburn

We continued to our chosen lunch spot for the day, Wilson & Washburn, a homey spot with exposed-brick walls. The pub is named for Anna Wilson and Josie Washburn, two of Omaha's most notorious and influential madams during the city's "Wild West" era in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Wilson was a particularly successful businesswoman who, upon her death in 1911, bequeathed her 25-room mansion to the city of Omaha to be used as a hospital.

Omaha claims to be the true source of the Reuben sandwich (my favorite). Lithuanian-born grocer Reuben Kulakofsky (or Reubin Kay) is said to have created the sandwich for a late-night poker game in the 1920s. Meanwhjile, New York City asserts that German-Jewish delicatessan owner Arnold Reuben created the "Reuben Special" around 1914, though it apparently substituted ham, turkey, and cole slaw for pastrami and sauerkraut, and at that point we are clearly not talking about a Reuben sandwich. Advantage Omaha.

I tried a Reuben at Wilson & Washburn with an Omaha Stylee IPA and loved it. Dad enjoyed his open-faced ham-and-egg sandwich with hash browns.

The Old Market

We drove a few blocks more to the Old Market District of Amaha, which was in full swing on a Saturday. The district is known for its well-preserved brick warehouses from the 19th and early 20th centuries, which have been converted into shops, restaurants, and galleries — a spot for tourists and locals alike to gather.

Dad waited as I wandered around to take a few quick photos. As I pointed my phone down the Old Market Passageway, I spotted a homeless man coming my way, surrounded by flies.

Joslyn Art Museum

We finished our sightseeing day at the Joslyn Art Museum. Like the Nelson-Atkins Art Museum in Kansas City, the St. Louis Art Museum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Joslyn an oustanding collection of art from real masters and is completely free. Free!

The Joslyn is the largest art museum in Nebraska, with about 12,000 objects in its collection spanning 5,000 years of human achievement. It’s housed in an art deco building and opened in 1931 as a gift to the city in memory of Omaha businessman George A. Joslyn made by his wife, Sarah. A major renovation in 2024 added 42,000 square feet of gallery space and other amenities.

I was impressed by the range and variety of art on display, particularly the breadth of artistic styles captured from the 19th century alone.

Midwestern scenes of rural life are prevalent in explorations of the early 20th century.

Dad’s favorite section of the museum was the new Rhonda & Howard Hawks Pavilion, which contains larger modern art pieces exploding with texture and color.

I finished with a stroll through the sculpture gardens and a fine view back toward the Joslyn. Art museums are something that most of us take for granted. They can be filled with everything from the earnest expression and unique perspectives of local artists to actual masterworks from around the world. They ease the mind of its digital yearnings and infuse the soul with a better understanding of the human experience. And in many cases, all of this is free. Go find one soon.

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