Drinks in Omaha's Old Market. Summertime visits to Omaha, Part 2; July 19, 2014

With a full belly after my breakfast at Lisa's Radial Cafe [see preivous blog post] I continued my walk eastward. I had to detour around a Color Run, and spent a minute with one of Omaha's finest wondering just how much of the colored dust thrown about was getting inhaled by the participants. It was interesting to note the volunteers hired to toss the powders were wearing masks.

Coming upon the Woodmen Tower always cracks me up. And what the Glob were they doing along 16th Street? Taking away its seedy charm along with the trees?

At ten o'clock on a Farmers' Market morning in the Old Market I was hoping to quaff a Bloody Mary, but to my surprise could find no bars open yet. Instead I settled on a pot of Moroccan Mint tea at The Tea Smith. The atmosphere was much akin to a coffee shop, as opposed the apothocary feel of my usual tea haunt, Gong Fu Tea in Des Moines' East Village [see blog post]. Gong Fu's table service spoils me a bit so as well.

While enjoying my tea a precocious lad asked me if I was there by myself or with a wife? I replied that I was "painfully alone." His poor mom was agog by his boldness. Before I left I bade the young man a good day, and told him to never stop asking questions.

Next door to The Tea Smith is Billy Frogg's Grill & Bar, a typical Old Market bar catering to your average Old Market patron. The doors opened at eleven whereupon I took up a barstool and finally got my cocktail. Despite an Absolut Peppar vodka backbone, the bottled Bloody mix used was sweeter than Ragú spaghetti sauce. I also had to fish the skewer of olives up from the bottom of my cocktail, losing an olive to the ice cubes in the process.

After some idle wandering around the Old Market, I settled down for a much needed decaf iced Americano at Howlin' Hounds on 16th Street [see blog post]. I've gotten to the age now where I lounge in tea and coffee shops as most do people do in bars. I rather miss flirting with down-and-out barflies though. Over the several hours I spent nursing one beverage after the other, the drink-of-the-month special at Howlin' Hounds was selling quite well.