Lincoln, Nebraska

I'd never heard of "Nebraska Nice," but we experienced it to the fullest on our trip to see MSU vs University of Nebraska football!

We try to go to one away football game a year, and this year Kris and I we met up in Lincoln with our friends: Kevin (from Nebraska originally), Jill, Andrew, Emily, Kris, Laurie, Jess, Peter, and Gage. Happily, it's within driving distance from Tracy and John, so they came too!

We fly into Omaha, rented a car, and drove to Lincoln. It was unseasonably hot (90 degrees), so we were able to go downtown and sit outside to eat. We chose McKinney's Irish Pub, and there were lots of Spartans and a lively atmosphere. The entire downtown is walkable and has lots of places close together. Some people went on to Brewsky's, but Jess and I walked to the capitol building to see it. I try to visit the capitol building in every state I'm in, and they are usually really impressive and built to last. This one was no exception. Solid and pretty, and artistic, too.

We checked into our Airbnb on D street, and it was lovely. Games, a really nice backyard area, and tons of bedrooms. Kris and Kevin went to get groceries from Russ's Market, I worked, some people took a quick nap, and Gage arrived! We all hung out in the pretty backyard and played games in the house, and then we went to dinner downtown. It was packed! Tons of people, and a lot of them watching the #1 University of Nebraska women's volleyball team. 

We put our name in Lazlo's, where there was an hour wait. We went to a rooftop place - Bierhaus Maisschäler - got a big pretzel, and joined them in cheering on their volleyball team. They even had the audio of the game on, which is rare even for the biggest sports at home. Everyone was very enthusiastic, and it was great. 

Our table was ready then, and we ate a really good meals. It was still hot, and only two miles from our house, so Jess and I walked most of the way home. Great atmosphere, lots of people, nice night. And so warm, you didn't even need a jacket!

Day Two

Jess and I ran around our neighborhood, which seemed to be adults, not university students. We were close to a pretty congregational church that played their bells. 

We had purchased a parking pass for the Pinnacle Bank Festival lot online for $35. Unlike at MSU, you get a lot and a specific parking place, so you don't have to get there early. We arrived at about 9:00 a.m. and walked to the stadium to see the lay of the land. Some really new buildings, nice campus, nice stadium. As we walked over, all in our MSU clothes past Nebraskans, we started seeing the Nebraska nice up close. People didn't just welcome us to campus. They invited us into their tailgates, apologized for the hot weather, actually wanted to have long conversations with you. It wasn't just one or two places, it was seemingly everyone. A parking lot attendant asked to take a picture with us. A guard chatted with us about the building and our team. The tailgaters called out to us things like, "Thanks for coming to campus! Good luck at the game! Welcome!"

We went back to our tailgate and met Kevin's Nebraskan friends who had the whole tailgate setup - grill, tent, tables, etc. Our friend Jan who is from Nebraska and lives in St Johns stopped by with her friends. Her earrings were little ears of corn. I asked a woman from a different tailgate if she would take a group picture. She hesitated, and I thought maybe she didn't want to do it. No, she walked back to get a chair to stand on so she could take the photo from a better angle. My goodness!

Gage just turned 50, so Tracy and John drove in with a big cake, and I'd brought stickers of his face that we all wore. Gage's friend Jen from the Academy came with her family, and we all had a lovely celebration. It was great being with my family!

We packed up and headed into the game. It was crowded getting there, but it was comfortable in the stands. They had a lot of really cool traditions - letting go of red helium balloons after the first touchdown, driving a tractor on the field, having a surprise guest turn on a siren in the middle of the field (Adam Devine, this week), taking one shoe off when there was a kick, and putting their arms together like an X for their defensive line called the Blackshirts. Every ad was for an agricultural company, and we felt right at home. 

We were close to some other MSU people, and one of them argued with young Nebraska fan, and he kept turning around and yelling at him when Nebraska scored, challenging the niceness we'd seen from other people. His friends kept trying to smooth things over, and we eventually surmised the hothead wasn't from there. 

Kevin told us that when there's a game, the stadium turns into the second biggest city in Nebraska. At the game they also celebrated the 407th straight sellout. AMAZING statistic. Everyone was really into the game, too. They beat MSU, which was a bummer, and we walked out into the masses of people in downtown Lincoln. 

We were able to secure a table in the basement of Brewsky's, and they had dueling pianos and volleyball on again. We went afterward to Screamers, which we originally thought was karaoke when we walked in, but instead featured servers who took turns singing. We sat outside and were treated to a parade of people who looked at our MSU clothes, stopped, and talked to us. Such a variety of people! A guy walking his dog, a group of young men, couples, a girl who offered to take our picture and apologized for beating us. 

"What is wrong with everyone else in the world?" Laurie joked.

We were delighted. It was such a nice night.

We walked back to our car parked in the original parking lot and walked past the Railyard, which was a huge open area filled with college students. They had a giant screen showing the Detroit Tigers game, so we watched it (outside the barriers) for a little while. I thought it was nice they had an entire open area for college students to gather.

Day Three

Gage flew home from Lincoln, and the rest of us flew home from Omaha. As we got in the rental car, the church next to us was playing their bells as a nice goodbye.

We got a text from Jill to our group chat: "Getting ready to board our last flight. We feel safer traveling with Gage."

She sent a picture of her backpack with Gage's face sticker prominently displayed on it.

As we left the Omaha Airport, a man wearing a Christian Brother Construction shirt asked if we had been to the game. We talked a little, and then he said, "Thank you for being here. We're so glad you came."

So that's how it feels to be in Nebraska! Five stars, definitely recommend going there for a game - win or lose!