I visited Oklahoma City Wednesday. I gambled at Remington Park, vomited at the Science Museum’s Wild Ocean movie and walked through Bricktown. I wanted to eat at Bobo’s, but I left my glock on my dresser.
You might think it’s overrated, but to an outsider, Bricktown is the best part of OKC. It represents growth, city pride and is an example of urban renewal gone right. I’m sure you have your share of complaints, but as a visitor I had none. I took almost 200 photos. Click here to view what I posted.
Why doesn’t Tulsa have a Bricktown? Because we vote down new taxes and resist change. A Bricktown in Tulsa would remove something old and upset a small group of people. This would result in a lawsuit. After years of litigation, construction prices would increase and we could no longer afford our Bricktown. It’s easier to not try at all.
What I didn’t know about OKC is that parts of city are divided into descriptive districts. Remington Park is in the Adventure District, Bricktown is in the Entertainment District and Asians are in the Asian District. We call that segregation in Tulsa. Tulsa districts are named for nearby buildings: Brady Arts District, Blue Dome District and Greenwood Historical District. Other than that, Tulsa has Midtown, North Tulsa, South Tulsa, East Tulsa and West Tulsa.
Tulsa needs descriptive districts. If I’m in an adventurous area of Tulsa, I’d like to know. I recommend The Asbestos District for older neighborhoods; The Hooker District for 11th Street prostitutes; the Gravel District for the neighborhood with the worst streets; The Blonde Gnome District for any Kathy Taylor project; The Incontinent District for the residents near Utica Square; The Hispanic District for East Tulsa; The Tent District for Tulsa’s tent city; The Snoot District for Brookside and Cherry Street; The Drive-by Shooting District for sections of North Tulsa; The Sweet Tea and Candy District for the registered sex offenders in West Tulsa motels; and The Stud District for my neighborhood.
Yeah, I’m the heart of Stud District.
Didn’t Tulsa vote down a 0.3% sales tax to build an entertainment district along the river?
Yes we did vote it down. It wasn’t planned out very well, plus we had just approved a tax increase a few months previous. Plus there is a river entertainment disrict already being built, PRIVATELY FINANCED. It just happens to be in a suburb and not Tulsa Proper. Plus the one tax we were all waiting on to approve was something to fix the freaking streets. So we voted down entertainment as a statement on getting something real done for our roads.
Such a great post. The tourism dept should hire you. Nothing about the Memorial? Do Tulsans ever go there or is OKC more for entertainment to Tulsans? Just a curious question.
Clark: Yes we did, but the big concern was the roads, and like ScottyB said, it wasn’t planned very well. In my opinion, they also ignored the most resistant demographics and focused on the groups that already supported it.
Casey: Memorial is for shopping and teenage cruisers. There is more to do in OKC.
I believe Casey was asking about the OKC Bombing Memorial. But your observation of Memorial Road is correct.
Oops, I read the comment wrong.
Forgive me if I’m wrong, but before I graduated from college I remember hearing some clamoring of a man made island on the Arkansas river? Was supposed to cost a billion dollars or something, what happened to that?
Bosley: Yes, it was called The Channels. A group called Tulsa Stakeholders wanted to build islands in the Arkansas River for Tulsans to “live, work and play.” Critics said it was an idea that only benefited a few wealthy Tulsans. The fact that their name was Tulsa Stakeholders probably added to this concern. The group would’ve invested $100 million dollars and taxpayers would’ve funded the other $600 million. It never made it to a vote. The plan died off. Focus shifted on Arkansas River development, which Clark mentioned in the first comment.
Not all of our district names are as descriptive as those mentioned. Many just tell who where you are and you have to figure out what to do for yourself, like MidTown, Uptown, Western Ave. (half of which should just be renamed the Chesapeake district), and the Paseo. Others are just named after stuff that’s not there anymore, like Belle Isle and Automobile Alley. The historic districts (Heritage Hills, Mesta Park, Crown Heights, Edgmere Park, etc.) are named after people or as a result of winning contest submissions. Memorial is named as a tribute to the death of character and the rest of the city is called the “South Side”.
Sorry I’m late to the comment party, but wasn’t the Tulsa River project put forth as a county tax? Might explain why it got voted down since the folks out in Owasso and BA didn’t feel like paying a local tax to finance a Tulsa project. MAPS was an OKC-only millage, IIRC.