Omaha - Not As Flat As You Think!

The Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Meeting has long been on Billy's bucket list, so now that we're within driving range of Omaha (where it is held every year) we decided to make the trek. If you're wondering what the Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Meeting is, then you're on the same page as me. Berkshire Hathaway is Warren Buffett's company and the annual shareholder's meeting is a must-do for any finance enthusiast, so it goes without saying that Billy has been dying to go.

If you're wondering, "Why in the world would you willingly go to Nebraska for a finance meeting that you know absolutely nothing about?!", then you are in the same frame of mind I was when Billy asked me to go in the first place. Three things: free things, lots of shopping, and a 5K. The last may not be as compelling to some people, but I've been determined to do another one, so between that and the prospect of lots of free stuff, I agreed to make the pilgrimage to Omaha.

Surprisingly (or maybe not to anyone with a good sense of geography), Eastern Colorado was the worst part to drive of this trip. Nebraska had its rough patches, but made up for it in having the most horribly awesome restaurant to stop at - Ole's Big Game Tavern.

Was it disturbing that the every wall was filled with stuffed animals that Ole had killed back in the day? Yes. Was it weird to have them watching me as I downed a burger that inevitably came from a feedlot in Nebraska? Extremely. But if there was ever one establishment to sum up rural Nebraska in one place, it is Ole's. Plus, I got to expand my novelty t-shirt collection.

Nebraska also had some seriously cool attractions, including our second stop on our road trip, Buffalo Bill's ranch in North Platte. It's right off the highway, so if you're ever driving through Nebraska, I definitely recommend it! It's super cheap and really cool, plus the tour is self-guided and I can't imagine it ever being crowded. It was a great opportunity to stretch our legs, learn some history, and enjoy the view.

Once we arrived in Omaha, my first impression was that it was 500% hillier than I was expecting. Suddenly, I remembered all the hill work I didn't do in Denver in preparation for this "easy, flat 5K" in Omaha. So much for that! The shareholder's meeting was the main event of the weekend, and we got up bright and early Saturday morning to ensure we got seats.

"Is there actually that much of a demand for good seats?" is what you are probably wondering. When people refer to this meeting as a "pilgrimage," they are in no way exaggerating. This is Mecca for finance geeks (I mean enthusiasts).

We got these seats after arriving an hour early! The meeting itself was actually quite interesting. I understood more than I thought I would, and particularly enjoyed Charlie Munger's commentary during the Q&A session. Billy described him as the "George Morris of the finance world" and I would have to say he's pretty spot on, although I'm now realizing the comparison is completely useless to any non-horse people. After the lunch break, I did have to take a break from the Q&A, so I left Billy to soak in the experience while I went to soak in the shopping.

Warren Buffett owns basically everything

We wrapped up Saturday evening with an incredible dinner at the Jackson Street Tavern, where I indulged in an Omaha steak (that's exactly what you're supposed to do before a race, right? Binge eat?). We were joined by one of Billy's friends from the Navy and his wife, which was a ton of fun. After a big day, we packed it in early to try to get some rest before the 5K. I tried to ignore the fact that my legs were already tired from the hills of Omaha.

The weather had been perfect all weekend, but naturally the morning of the race it was freezing. Both of us only brought shorts, so we sought refuge in the nearby Hilton with the hundreds of other people from out of town that did not pack the right clothing. Unfortunately, Warren did not join us for the race, but I still set a new personal record and didn't get my butt totally handed to me by the hills of Omaha (seriously, who knew Omaha was hilly?!).

We wrapped up our weekend with a quick trip to the Joslyn Art Museum downtown, a stalkerish stop at Warren Buffett's house, and a long drive back to Denver (punctuated by a stop at Dairy Queen and the state capital). Omaha exceeded all my expectations and was a really beautiful city to stay in. The only thing we missed was the zoo - I was THAT tired after the 5K.

Fountain at the Joslyn Art Museum 

Heyy Warren

State Capital in Lincoln

I know I've gone on long enough, but a few last things. While casually stalking Warren Buffett, a nerdy looking young guy was walking aimlessly around the neighborhood. Billy immediately pegged him as looking for Warren's house while I insisted he give him the benefit of the doubt and that many people can't really be stalking Warren Buffett. As soon as that thought left my mouth, the guy stopped in Warren's driveway to take a picture. 

As usual, I highly recommend all the places mentioned in this post! The art museum is huge and very impressive, plus Warren Buffett's daughter made a big donation so that everyone can go to the museum for free this year. If you're ever in Omaha and looking for somewhere to eat, go anywhere in Old Market. Actually, just walk around Old Market even if you're not hungry. It's a really cool neighborhood/downtown area. Omaha rocks.

And just in case you think we abandoned the whole plastic dinosaur thing, here's me and Byron outside of a Sinclair gas station with one of Byron's relatives.