OMAHA, Neb. — If you told me two weeks ago to name one place in the nation where I would like to vacation at a specific time of year, I would say probably have said California in the summertime or Las Vegas anytime.Not anymore.Omaha, Neb., during the College World Series is the place to be.If you haven’t been, then go — or geaux, whichever you would prefer. Even if it takes 16 hours one way and seven states to get there, as it did for me, it’s worth it.Doesn’t matter if LSU is here or not, it is still a great time (although I’m sure having experienced it with the Tiger faithful and talking to Omaha natives that it is much better with the Tigers and their fans here).You really can’t beat watching top-notch baseball every day, getting free press box food (chicken fried chicken, spaghetti, lasagna and Mexican just to name a few) and meeting Erin Andrews.Oh, wait. Sorry. Not everyone enjoys those last two.But anyone can get into the Mecca of college baseball — Rosenblatt Stadium — and watch some great competition.From the 13-inning thriller between Arkansas and Virginia to the last-second Texas heroics against Arizona State to all of LSU’s games, college baseball doesn’t get much better than it did at Rosenblatt.Oh, and the stadium was more than breath-taking, by the way.But the great part about the trip was that baseball wasn’t the only thing going on in Omaha. Apparently, as I found out, Omaha is a pretty big city with a lot going on all year.During the two weeks the College World Series is in town, the city basically turns itself into its own world as different parts of the city turn into hot spots for fans of each of the eight teams. It’s their version of Mardi Gras, only it runs longer.And the people around the city are just wonderful. They always want to know which team you are in town rooting for (to which, of course, I would be objective and reply, “I’m here for great baseball.”)But while the people’s hospitality reminded me a lot of back home, there was one thing that reminded me far too much of home that I wasn’t expecting — the weather.I realize it reached nearly 100 degrees in Baton Rouge, but it got into the low 90s frequently in Omaha and the surrounding areas.The first few days were beautiful — I mean, absolutely gorgeous weather. Then, as LSU coach Paul Mainieri put it, “We got spoiled, and it turned hot.”But I can’t complain too much.The city itself was way bigger than I ever imagined, and it’s expanding thanks to the new stadium being built to host the College World Series. Downtown Omaha reminds me of a mix between Memphis and Baltimore with a bit of that New Orleans spice in their Old Market area, which contains tons of unique shops and damn good food.And the food — well, let’s just say it’s some of the best I’ve ever had.We went to a few different restaurants, including LSU hotspot Barrett’s Barleycorn Pub & Grill, where the cheese fries were delicious. But none stuck out more than the one we decided to splurge on with our small journalist salary — The Drover’s Restaurant.This place had the best steak I have had in quite some time.And steak comes from cows, and cows are animals, and animals are at the zoo, and the zoo in Omaha is one of the best in the nation.So while “gorilla ball” was the talk of the tournament for LSU, seeing the gorillas was the talk of the team after its 2-0 start, as the Tigers got to go to the zoo. Naturally, we decided to join them and see what it was all about, and I must say, it was well worth it.It was so big with so many animals, I pondered how Noah fit all of those animals on his ark. And it is going to get even bigger in a few years as it will take over the spot now occupied by Rosenblatt when the new stadium is completed in time for the 2011 tournament.The zoo even had nutria, just like back home in New Orleans.And while I am happy to get back close to home, this is by far the best time I have ever had on a vacation. And I don’t think it has all even set in yet.Too bad I have two weeks of schoolwork to catch up on. Anyone want to help me with biology lab? 
 
 
—–Contact Andy Schwehm at [email protected]