If You Were a Tourist in my Town
Get in loser, we're gonna eat a Runza.
Welcome to Lincoln, Nebraska. Smack dab in the middle of the United States. Where it might be the only place in the world where the 2nd largest city in the state also becomes the 3rd largest city at the same time on football Saturdays. I am going to take you on a little adventure on being a tourist in my town.
Green trees, wide streets, and enough stop lights to drive you mad yet questioning those long yellow lights that leave you baffled how three cars behind you made it through before turning red.
Hop in my shotgun seat, buckle up, and welcome to “The Good Life”.
If you were a tourist in my town…
I would take you to the top of the capitol building to see the view and take in the City of Lincoln and the Nebraska plains. I would tell you the inappropriate nickname for the building that I won’t type out here and we would laugh together and roll our eyes while admiring the beauty and history of the building. We would probably run into some state senators and I would tell you we could just go down to their office to say “hi”. We would without doubt see a woman in a wedding dress waiting to be married. You would be surprised you can just walk in for free, no need to pass through a metal detector either. We might even see some protesters on the front steps.
I would take you for a picnic to the sunken gardens and tell you this is one of my favorite places in the city. It’s a quiet pocket of nature in the busy capitol city neighborhood. If you had young children, we would visit the children’s zoo right across the street first and feed the giraffes. I would tell you my grandma grew up here just down the street, she was a professional ballerina in young adult years and bought a yellow convertible as her first car. She had kept a picture of that car and wrote freedom on the back. I would tell you I have a special connection with her and I am carrying on her pursuit of freedom that she didn’t get to complete in her lifetime.
I would suggest exploring the Sheridan neighborhood, hopefully it would be Autumn and the leaves would be changing colors with the houses decorated for Halloween. I would tell you this neighborhood exudes old money and in my opinion, is the most picturesque in the city. It’s charming and quiet while still being able to hear the buzz of traffic from historic 27th street and anyone with a deep affection for old, cottage style houses nestled among lush greenery will want to live here.
I would take you to a Husker Football game, against another Big Ten team. We would get you a bright Husker red shirt to match everyone else. We would tailgate before, getting full on beer and cream cheese dips and challenging middle-aged men to yard games. I would make you try a Runza1 and Valentino’s Pizza (hamburger only). After the game and hopefully a win, I would take you to downtown O street for Elkcreek water at Sandy’s, rooftop beers at Berry’s, frog shots and dancing at Iguana’s, and we would get late-night food on O Street while people watching and relish in the grand finale of nightlife in Lincoln. You will learn that nowhere else on Earth are there sports fans like Nebraskans. I would apologize in advance for the hangover and stomachache the next day but you will now officially bleed Husker red.
Congratulations, you are one of us. 🫶❤️🌽
We would walk around the University campus and I would tell you that Lincoln—along with being the state capitol city—is a college town and that energy is felt throughout the city. We would admire all the sorority and fraternity houses, your mouth would gape open as I would explain how much money it costs to belong and the rushing process. We would admire the impressive athletic complexes and I would tell you sports is a big part of our culture. Young adults excited for life and learning brings vibrance to this city and I am proud of the enthusiasm Nebraskans feel about their University and it’s sports while attracting faculty and students from all over the world.
I would take you to Holmes Lake to walk around, watch the sunset, and golf. We would swing away on nine holes and after admire the lily pads that seem to have exploded this year. I would explain that this is a land locked state so most of us Nebraskans gravitate to lakes, rivers, and green spaces.
Let’s go downtown to Haymarket for dinner? My treat. We would walk around the brick streets, wander through the charming but overpriced boutiques, drink craft beer at different breweries, watch the volleyball game in the Railyard, and finish the night with dinner out on a restaurant patio— where you can choose from almost every type of food you can dream of. My personal favorite is The Oven. I’ll buy dinner and after you can get us vegan ice cream cones at Ivonna Cone.
Lastly, I would explain that my capitol city is unique, diverse, and has depth. In 2016 Nebraska resettled the most refugees per capita in the United States. In our Lincoln Public School system there are over 100 languages spoken and our students and families represent 152 different countries. I would tell you my town is more multi-cultural than most of the other communities and countries I have traveled. This is one of the facts about my state that gives me the most pride and how Nebraskans welcome those in need of a new home.
I would tell you that most people who live in Lincoln all want the same things, whether born here or not. We want to make this community safe, welcoming, and beautiful for all. I will tell you that Nebraskans and people who move here are some of the most resilient, hard-working, and kindest individuals I have ever known and that we will always help our neighbor or a stranger in need—even if we don’t look the same or we don’t totally agree on everything.
A BIG midwestern hug goodbye to you and thanks for being a tourist in my town. Take some Runza’s for the ride home and that red Husker shirt is forever yours.
I hope you return real soon.
xoxo,
Sarah
What about you? Where would you take me if I were a tourist in your town?
A Runza is a mixture of spiced ground beef and cooked cabbage stuffed in the center of soft bread baked to perfection. I personally like mine with cheese, dipped in a slurry of ketchup and mustard. It’s the traditional Nebraska food item and a must try while visiting. It’s best consumed at Memorial Stadium or on temperature Tuesday’s in the winter, where the temperature outside at 6 a.m. is the price of a Runza sandwich for the day. 20°F on temperature Tuesday? You pay 20 cents for your Runza sandwich that day and that is the epitome of Nebraska nice.
“Can you feel it” is part of a remix mashup for a pump up song during Husker football games at Memorial Stadium. It’s catchy and will be stuck in your head all day long. The song was written about triumph, uniting people, and that we are all the same. So after visiting…. can you feel it?
Even this IOWA fan thinks that sounds fun 😌❤️