Above us lurks the skywalk subculture
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BY MICAH MERTES / Lincoln Journal Star
Crystal Jaeger, 24, grew up in Nebraska but never learned to love the harsh winters. When the temps are bitingly cold, she refuses to go outside unless she absolutely, positively has to.
Luckily, she can walk from her place of work, Security National Properties at 13th and N streets, to grab coffee, eat lunch, take a speed-walking break and even make the short trek to a parking garage at the end the day — all without going outdoors to face Jack Frost in all his gleeful sadism.
See, Jaeger is part of a different species of Lincolnite: the Skywalkers.
Though downtown's skywalks are still used, the odds of any new ones on Lincoln's horizon are nil, said Dallas McGee, assistant director of urban development for the City of Lincoln.
While the skywalks used to serve as the connectors of commerce, now they link a few office buildings and parking garages, mostly. They're convenient for employees of those buildings, but they're not booming with retail.
And the city hopes to keep it that way, McGee said.
"The trend is to continue an emphasis on keeping retail active on the street level," he said. "This is typical of cities all over the country."
He said some cold-weather cites still continue to build skywalks, but the focus has shifted to maintaining a vibrant ground level.
The last skywalks built in Lincoln are the two jutting out of the Embassy Suites over 10th and 11th streets. Those opened in 2000.
Unless the downtown strategy pulls a 180, those two might be the last skywalks erected in Lincoln.
As for now, the Lincoln skywalks remain artifacts of '70s and '80s America. But as long as there's winter, the skywalks remain relevant.
Places to eat on the skywalk level
-- Sky Mart Snack Shop
7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays
1111 O St., skywalk level
Food: Burgers, wraps, sandwiches, nachos
Lunch price: Between $2 to $3.50
-- The Coffee Trader & The Plump Tomato Pizza Company
6 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays
1200 N St., Atrium Skywalk
Food: Espresso, coffee, bagels, sandwiches, pizza
16-ounce cup of coffee: 95 cents; pizza, about $3 a slice.
-- Norm's
6:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays
1201 O St., skywalk level
Food: Soup, sandwiches
Lunch price: A few bucks
What we overheard on the skywalk level
-- Woman to small group of friends: "It smells like cheese and glue in here."
-- Woman to co-worker: "She doesn't do her job. She calls in sick all the time."
-- Middle-aged business man in suit to other middle-aged business man in suit in a conversation about the stock market: "There's always somebody overlooking their treasure."
-- 30-ish guy waiting in line for food: "Hey, it's no hurry. I work for the state, you know."
-- 20-ish guy: "I am embarrassed financially."
-- Another 20-ish guy: "I might go to bed right here, yo."
-- Woman speed-walking: "We need to walk around and do the wine and cheese tasting."
-- Two other women speed-walking (subject undefined)
Woman 1: "That's disgusting!"
Woman 2: "It gives me the chills!"
— Micah Mertes
“It’s really handy being able to do everything I need to do indoors,” she said while motioning outside, “especially on a day like today.” On this particular day, several inches of snow covered the sidewalks, and a brisk wind howled through downtown.
All up here on the second level stay warm and cozy as they look down at the citizens below, bundled and trudging through the muddy slush.
The skywalks were proposed about 40 years ago and became part of the Lincoln skyline starting in 1979 in an effort to stimulate downtown commerce. The idea was to give shoppers a chance to stay indoors as they navigated a maze of retail.
The first skywalks branched from 11th and O streets, where the Centrum Plaza used to be. The downtown mall served as the hub of the skywalk network and the heart of the downtown shopping community. But then, retail on the second level started to dwindle, then disappear.
The Centrum was sold to the Municipal Energy Agency of Nebraska in the mid-’90s and now houses Southeast Community College and the Municipal Energy Power Pool.
Offices and a few eateries have replaced the shops and department stores. The offices look modern, but the skywalks and buildings still carry that ’80s retro feel: the linoleum tiles, a few neon signs, the gummy escalators.
You won’t find shoppers here. Just office workers, students and speed-walkers bustling through the buildings, going about their day without going outside.
And it all makes for an uncanny little community, a secret little world tucked above downtown.
“You see a lot of the same people every day,” said Cindy Clark, owner/stylist of Salon Vibe in the 12th and O streets building, one of two hair salons in the skywalk network. “We don’t know a lot of their names, though.”
So Clark and stylist Mollie McPherson have given nicknames to a few everyday passers-by.
There’s Sky Guy. Swings-his-arms-a-lot Guy. The mullet men. Perhaps that look is an effort to blend with the interior design.
You’ll also find a surge of skywalk speed-walkers squeezing in a short workout over their lunch hour.
They’re easy to spot. Usually women in pairs, dressed business casual except for white sneakers and a faint sheen of sweat.
Shani Mach and Jean McKinnon, for instance, do a 30- to 45-minute workout every weekday. They’ll probably walk outside again when spring comes, but the skywalks are a lifesaver at the moment, they said.
The cold might be a bummer for exercising, but it’s a boon for Gregg Roberts, owner of Sky Mart Snack Shop in the old Centrum building.
“Any extreme weather is good for us,” he said. “If it’s too hot, we notice better business, too. People would rather just stay inside and get something to eat.”
About 10 past noon, Sky Mart really picks up, a line typically winding out the door.
The clientele is mostly students and office workers from adjacent buildings, but he has a few wildly devoted patrons who come from without the skywalk universe.
“There’s this couple who comes here from Beatrice once a month,” Roberts said, “just to get our nachos and taco salad.”
In addition to owner, Roberts is also the sole cook, hammering out burgers, wraps and BLTs as quickly as possible. It helps that he remembers the names of about 75 percent of his patrons, most of the time knowing what they want before they order.
And Roberts also serves as amateur comedian, tossing out a barrage of knowingly bad jokes from the kitchen.
“Hey Gregg,” a customer ordering a sandwich said, “hold the tomatoes.”
“How long you want me to hold ’em?” Roberts responded.
“You know, Gregg,” a woman in line jested, “if we’re going to be forced to be entertained by your jokes, you’re going to lose your customers.”
Roberts pretended not to hear her. She said it three more times.
Once she realized he was messing with her, she took her food, smiled and said, “See you tomorrow.”
Reach Micah Mertes at 473-7395 or mmertes@journalstar.com.
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Dan wrote on February 12, 2008 7:35 am:
From the 80's wrote on February 12, 2008 7:50 am:
I use to walk the skywalk everyday. Those days are long gone and it is to bad that Lincoln can not support a downtown retail outlet somewhere. "
Victor Van wrote on February 12, 2008 8:25 am:
OOPS wrote on February 12, 2008 8:27 am:
Michael wrote on February 12, 2008 8:54 am:
matt wrote on February 12, 2008 9:33 am:
Kristin wrote on February 12, 2008 1:14 pm:
NOT a state worker wrote on February 12, 2008 3:24 pm:
Renee wrote on February 12, 2008 8:04 pm:
State employee wrote on February 12, 2008 8:37 pm:
Second, thanks for another "slam the state employee" comment. Truly wonderful. I think I'll just work slower tomorrow in your honor. Hope you don't need a driver's license! "