bakerstreet

In my quest to eventually visit all 50 states, I checked off Nebraska over the weekend with a visit to Omaha for the annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting and am contributing my experience in case anyone not familiar with Omaha is contemplating doing the same thing another year.

I note that I became a (tiny) investor solely for the purpose of attending the meeting, buying a few Class B shares last year when I planned to go then, but the timing didn't work out so we went this year. In the interim, of course, Charlie Munger passed away so we missed seeing him but Warren Buffet is still very much in charge and ran this meeting.

I secured lodging months in advance and even then most hotel rooms were sold out, and at very high prices. I got an apartment on VRBO and was a little worried about it, generally preferring the no-risk hotel option, but it turned out to be great and well-located, in the "Old Market" area and within walking distance of the arena/convention center venue. We did get a rental car at the airport and the car lot is right at the airport. We mostly left the car parked in a garage.

On Saturday morning we left the apartment at 6:15 a.m. and got in the already-long line to enter the arena; doors opened at 7 a.m. and the meeting began at 8:45 a.m. It was an excited and almost festive crowd. We got good seats, grabbing (free) individually-wrapped breakfast snacks and canned drinks from large bins on tables just inside the entrance, and waited with the thousands of others in the rapidly-filling arena. CNBC did a live broadcast of the event.

The meeting opened with a movie that was a tribute to Charlie Munger and the close relationship between him and Warren Buffet over the many many years they worked together. It included snippets from past meetings and Charlie Munger's funny zingers and comments, and the scenes from Hollywood shows they had previously arranged and shown in prior years (such as with the cast of Breaking Bad except using See's candy peanut brittle instead of cocaine). If anyone is interested, you can find the movie on youtube.

The convention center floor in the same building was the site of a massive display and "shopping opportunity" by various Berkshire Hathaway companies. See's Candy was a popular store, and though I thought there might be discounts for attendees there, there were not; it did not stop me from spending $100 on candy to take back.

We explored some attractions in Omaha such as the John Kerrey pedestrian bridge, which spans the Missouri River with Nebraska on one side and Iowa on the other. The bridge has a painted state dividing line midway across so you can put your feet on either side of the line, standing in two states at once, and a sign on the bridge says doing that is called "Bobbing".

We had our photos taken with the statue of the most famous chef in America -- Chef Boyardee. (On Conagra Drive, of course.)

The Durham Museum was a delight to tour -- in the old Union Station train station old trains have been preserved and can be toured, and there are good displays of Nebraska history, heritage, stockyards, etc. An old-fashioned soda shop sells malts, phosphates, etc. My lunch that day was two different ice cream concoctions. There's a good zoo.

We spent one afternoon driving into Iowa and saw a lot of farmland, big skies, and windmills. Windy country.

I didn't find any food especially great, and the Old Market area lacks good Sunday morning breakfast restaurant options, but overall it was a fun visit and a city easy to get around. Glad my Nebraska visit was to Omaha.

esm

I enjoyed reading about your trip; thanks for sharing.

Moderator1

Trip Report flag added

tracilee

That’s a fun trip report, bakerstreet! We went to Omaha in 2018 to see the Oregon State Beavers win the College World Series. My husband and I were just talking yesterday about not having any memorable meals on that trip, of course we were probably at the ballpark during dinner hour each day so maybe not a fair assessment. If the Beavs continue playing well and make it there again, we might go and incorporate some of the things you mention!

bald0ne

Thanks for the report. We had actually bought a condo in Omaha in late 2019 to use as an Air bnb when we'd visit our son. Had it all furnished and ready to rent for NCAA basketball, Berkshire Hathaway, CWS, etc. Then C-19. All of that was canceled. Sold it after 5 months in Omaha. As far as restaurants go, there are plenty of excellent restaurants throughout the city. You may have to venture out a bit from the area near CHI center and the ballpark however.