What's cool in Tulsa?
June 28, 2017 4:33 PM
My brother is taking a job at a university in Tulsa. He knows nothing about the city. What is cool there? He's into the standard fare that many younger urban people like (music, food, bookstores, coffeeshops, etc.). What else should he know going in?
Thanks!
Oh boy four years have I waited for this question!
I grew up in Tulsa and although I moved to the other end of the turnpike a few years ago I still visit frequently. There's been a huge effort to revitalize Downtown Tulsa in the last few years and as a result the Brady Arts District and Blue Dome District just north of downtown have seen a lot of development. Arts District and Blue Dome are home to a lot of places that have the kind of vibe I think he'd be interested in -- bars, local restaurants, small stores, coffee shops, entertainment venues. Other interesting things in that area: Guthrie Green, Cain's Ballroom (historic! springy floor!), The Boxyard.
Other shopping districts of note: Utica Square is where the old money shops, Brookside is an old postwar shopping district that is shifting from trendy to upscale thanks to recent development (and it's where the Trader Joe's is) and the 71st St corridor from Sheridan to Garnett is where the big box stores, chain restaurants and major mall (Woodland Hills Mall) all live.
I was never really into the local music scene so I don't know much about it -- I recall hearing that it was both diverse and good. Touring music seems to be a little more hit and miss though; there are multiple large venues including the BOK Center, Tulsa Performing Arts Center and Brady Theater, but when I was living there it always seemed like everyone I wanted to listen to either went north and played Kansas City or south and played Dallas. If he's into performing arts at all there are multiple performance companies including dance, opera, drama and orchestra. There are also a few major museums to visit if he likes them -- cookiethedude mentioned Gilcrease Museum but personally I prefer Philbrook Museum.
Food -- I think the food scene in Tulsa is pretty great, especially for its size and location. If your brother is coming from a much larger city it'll definitely be smaller than he's used to, but there's a lot of variety if you look around and everything is pretty good to excellent. Tex-Mex is particularly well-represented. The Blue Dome/Brady Arts/Pearl Districts have a high concentration of restaurants but there's great places across the city.
Other things about Tulsa to keep in mind:
- Like cookiethedude said, the weather. If he's not coming from someplace that's used to severe weather it can be quite a shock when a squall line develops and all of the major news stations go to wall-to-wall storm coverage. While Tulsa doesn't see many tornadoes compared to OKC (the last major tornado to hit was an F4 in 1993*) there's still a wide variety of severe weather including derechos, blizzards, ice storms, severe heat waves, flooding . . . If he's not used to tornadoes/severe weather it might be a good thing to review severe weather safety tips, just in case.
- Also, I joke that Oklahoma has four seasons: hot, cold, windy and wet, and sometimes we have them all at once. He'll want to have gear for all four seasons if he doesn't already. Long runs of 90°+ humid days are common in the summer and while our winters aren't known for being cold and snowy, 40° is pretty chilly with a stiff Alberta Clipper blowing through everything you're wearing!
- Transit: Public transit in Tulsa is pretty much minimal and in my experience, the city is extremely unwalkable. If he doesn't have a car, he's going to need one. He might also want to sign up for Pikepass as it's pretty much impossible to leave Tulsa without paying a toll, the only state with more miles of toll road is Florida.
- Religion and culture: Depending on where he's moving from, Tulsa might be more conservative and churchy than he's used to; Trump carried the county with 60% of the vote and Tulsa has historically been known as the "buckle" of the Bible Belt due to Oral Roberts University. That said, whatever his political, cultural or religious leanings are, he'll be able to fit in -- people are friendly and there are all kinds of communities.
Go Golden Hurricane and/or Eagles!
*though in fairness even an EF1 will ruin your day if it's your house it hits
posted by dislegomena at 9:24 PM on June 28, 2017
I grew up in Tulsa and although I moved to the other end of the turnpike a few years ago I still visit frequently. There's been a huge effort to revitalize Downtown Tulsa in the last few years and as a result the Brady Arts District and Blue Dome District just north of downtown have seen a lot of development. Arts District and Blue Dome are home to a lot of places that have the kind of vibe I think he'd be interested in -- bars, local restaurants, small stores, coffee shops, entertainment venues. Other interesting things in that area: Guthrie Green, Cain's Ballroom (historic! springy floor!), The Boxyard.
Other shopping districts of note: Utica Square is where the old money shops, Brookside is an old postwar shopping district that is shifting from trendy to upscale thanks to recent development (and it's where the Trader Joe's is) and the 71st St corridor from Sheridan to Garnett is where the big box stores, chain restaurants and major mall (Woodland Hills Mall) all live.
I was never really into the local music scene so I don't know much about it -- I recall hearing that it was both diverse and good. Touring music seems to be a little more hit and miss though; there are multiple large venues including the BOK Center, Tulsa Performing Arts Center and Brady Theater, but when I was living there it always seemed like everyone I wanted to listen to either went north and played Kansas City or south and played Dallas. If he's into performing arts at all there are multiple performance companies including dance, opera, drama and orchestra. There are also a few major museums to visit if he likes them -- cookiethedude mentioned Gilcrease Museum but personally I prefer Philbrook Museum.
Food -- I think the food scene in Tulsa is pretty great, especially for its size and location. If your brother is coming from a much larger city it'll definitely be smaller than he's used to, but there's a lot of variety if you look around and everything is pretty good to excellent. Tex-Mex is particularly well-represented. The Blue Dome/Brady Arts/Pearl Districts have a high concentration of restaurants but there's great places across the city.
Other things about Tulsa to keep in mind:
- Like cookiethedude said, the weather. If he's not coming from someplace that's used to severe weather it can be quite a shock when a squall line develops and all of the major news stations go to wall-to-wall storm coverage. While Tulsa doesn't see many tornadoes compared to OKC (the last major tornado to hit was an F4 in 1993*) there's still a wide variety of severe weather including derechos, blizzards, ice storms, severe heat waves, flooding . . . If he's not used to tornadoes/severe weather it might be a good thing to review severe weather safety tips, just in case.
- Also, I joke that Oklahoma has four seasons: hot, cold, windy and wet, and sometimes we have them all at once. He'll want to have gear for all four seasons if he doesn't already. Long runs of 90°+ humid days are common in the summer and while our winters aren't known for being cold and snowy, 40° is pretty chilly with a stiff Alberta Clipper blowing through everything you're wearing!
- Transit: Public transit in Tulsa is pretty much minimal and in my experience, the city is extremely unwalkable. If he doesn't have a car, he's going to need one. He might also want to sign up for Pikepass as it's pretty much impossible to leave Tulsa without paying a toll, the only state with more miles of toll road is Florida.
- Religion and culture: Depending on where he's moving from, Tulsa might be more conservative and churchy than he's used to; Trump carried the county with 60% of the vote and Tulsa has historically been known as the "buckle" of the Bible Belt due to Oral Roberts University. That said, whatever his political, cultural or religious leanings are, he'll be able to fit in -- people are friendly and there are all kinds of communities.
Go Golden Hurricane and/or Eagles!
*though in fairness even an EF1 will ruin your day if it's your house it hits
posted by dislegomena at 9:24 PM on June 28, 2017
As my username may suggest, I an a TU alum. Unfortunately, I graduated almost 20 years ago and I was a homebody engineering student when I was there, so I don't know if I can help you much. TU especially has grown in footprint dramatically from when I was there. If your brother is going to the university in south Tulsa, tell him for us to have a blessed day; he won't be going to any bars anyway. I REFUSE TO ACCEPT THE EXISTENCE OF ANY OTHER UNIVERSITIES IN TULSA.
It's worth driving around on Lewis (close to campus), Utica, Peoria to see some of the swankier parts of town. As mentioned, 71st street (on Memorial, just west of 169) is where the big mall is, and still where lots of big commercial stuff is (Fuji is awesome sushi, or at least it was 15-20 years ago). 15th street is also called Cherry street, if you hear about that.
They have built the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks, which is really nice and unexpected.
The Mecca Coffee Company at 41st and Peoria sells homebrew supplies, in addition to coffee, tea, and spices.
Starship records and tapes appears to still be in business, but moved down the street. When I was there, they were on the corner of Delaware and 11th (now absorbed by TU), and they had one house for CD's/music/etc, and one house for "exotic smoking supplies" that would get busted by the cops from time to time.
I think TU runs the Gilcrease now, and are the recipients/managers of Bob Dylan's stuff.
Oklahoma miscellany:
- If there are active tornado warnings in the TV broadcast area, the TV weather people will break into the broadcast and track the storms (in great detail) until they're gone. This can take awhile, but at least you won't be caught by surprise. I, too, despite living in Oklahoma for 8 years and Texas before that, have never seen a tornado live with my own eyes.
- I think Oklahoma is still a 3.2 beer state, but real beer is sold in liquor stores.
- Politically, Oklahoma nowadays belongs to people who believe that Texas is too liberal; there does seem to be a reaction starting against the governor and the state government's inability to do math.
- I have seen people wear jeans to church, often.
- Coney I-Land-er is fast food coneys, small chili cheese dogs (you order 2-3 typically). Once your palate adjusts to the flavor combination of their chili, they're fantastic.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 5:00 AM on June 29, 2017
It's worth driving around on Lewis (close to campus), Utica, Peoria to see some of the swankier parts of town. As mentioned, 71st street (on Memorial, just west of 169) is where the big mall is, and still where lots of big commercial stuff is (Fuji is awesome sushi, or at least it was 15-20 years ago). 15th street is also called Cherry street, if you hear about that.
They have built the Oklahoma Aquarium in Jenks, which is really nice and unexpected.
The Mecca Coffee Company at 41st and Peoria sells homebrew supplies, in addition to coffee, tea, and spices.
Starship records and tapes appears to still be in business, but moved down the street. When I was there, they were on the corner of Delaware and 11th (now absorbed by TU), and they had one house for CD's/music/etc, and one house for "exotic smoking supplies" that would get busted by the cops from time to time.
I think TU runs the Gilcrease now, and are the recipients/managers of Bob Dylan's stuff.
Oklahoma miscellany:
- If there are active tornado warnings in the TV broadcast area, the TV weather people will break into the broadcast and track the storms (in great detail) until they're gone. This can take awhile, but at least you won't be caught by surprise. I, too, despite living in Oklahoma for 8 years and Texas before that, have never seen a tornado live with my own eyes.
- I think Oklahoma is still a 3.2 beer state, but real beer is sold in liquor stores.
- Politically, Oklahoma nowadays belongs to people who believe that Texas is too liberal; there does seem to be a reaction starting against the governor and the state government's inability to do math.
- I have seen people wear jeans to church, often.
- Coney I-Land-er is fast food coneys, small chili cheese dogs (you order 2-3 typically). Once your palate adjusts to the flavor combination of their chili, they're fantastic.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 5:00 AM on June 29, 2017
First Friday - the first Friday of each month the art museums are free in the Brady district. Everyone walks around looking at art and listening to live music and eating and drinking.
Coffee - he'll want to try Doubleshot and Chimera - maybe Gypsy and Phoenix too.
One really great thing about Tulsa is ease of access to nature. Turkey Mountain and Mohawk Park are both within city limits, I think, and the Riverparks are great too. (You can rent a bike for free).
The Tulsa Botanic Garden is lovely - still in progress but what's there is very nice. Sometimes they have live music in the evenings.
Heat - if he doesn't have access to a pool at home, he'll want to get to know someone with a pool and make friends.
Nam Hai - international supermarket, sometimes has better deals on produce than the regular groceries.
Speaking of groceries, we do have a Trader Joe's on Brookside. There are a few Whole Foods locations. The big supermarket is Reasors - they have pretty much everything (except for some international products) but usually you get a better deal at TJ's, Sprouts or Aldi's.
Frozen Custard. If he hasn't tried it yet, he should start right away.
Other things:
Tulsa is the site of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot, or Greenwood Massacre. The city is still very divided. North of Admiral is considered "North Tulsa," predominantly occupied by African-American people, and some white people won't go into North Tulsa (which is silly, I've gone several times).
If he has any other questions I'm happy to help, or meet up for coffee if he wants to meet a local.
posted by bunderful at 5:45 AM on June 29, 2017
Coffee - he'll want to try Doubleshot and Chimera - maybe Gypsy and Phoenix too.
One really great thing about Tulsa is ease of access to nature. Turkey Mountain and Mohawk Park are both within city limits, I think, and the Riverparks are great too. (You can rent a bike for free).
The Tulsa Botanic Garden is lovely - still in progress but what's there is very nice. Sometimes they have live music in the evenings.
Heat - if he doesn't have access to a pool at home, he'll want to get to know someone with a pool and make friends.
Nam Hai - international supermarket, sometimes has better deals on produce than the regular groceries.
Speaking of groceries, we do have a Trader Joe's on Brookside. There are a few Whole Foods locations. The big supermarket is Reasors - they have pretty much everything (except for some international products) but usually you get a better deal at TJ's, Sprouts or Aldi's.
Frozen Custard. If he hasn't tried it yet, he should start right away.
Other things:
Tulsa is the site of the 1921 Tulsa Race Riot, or Greenwood Massacre. The city is still very divided. North of Admiral is considered "North Tulsa," predominantly occupied by African-American people, and some white people won't go into North Tulsa (which is silly, I've gone several times).
If he has any other questions I'm happy to help, or meet up for coffee if he wants to meet a local.
posted by bunderful at 5:45 AM on June 29, 2017
If he's interested, Tulsa also has one of the best collections of art deco architecture around. There are tours even.
posted by nushustu at 7:09 AM on June 29, 2017
posted by nushustu at 7:09 AM on June 29, 2017
Tell him to check out Chimera for coffee and vegan (and other omnivorous) food, and just down the street is Tulsa's best bar, Soundpony, where you can indulge a love for bicycles and free concerts, or trivia nights on Tuesdays. I've seen tons of great shows there, from Big Freedia to Night Demon, and the crowd is always young, hip and fun. Speaking of bikes, Tulsa is home to Tulsa Tough, a great 3-day series of races that culminates in a huge street party called Crybaby Hill. It's a young man's game. Downtown is also home to some good cocktail bars like Valkyrie, Hodges Bend, and Mixco. There is a great farmer's market on 15th Street on Saturdays. You can take fun classes on everything from screenprinting to metalsmithing at AHHA. The Tulsa Ballet is world-class and does both contemporary and traditional pieces. The Colony is a dive bar where you can catch great local live music in a venue where Eric Clapton and Leon Russell used to jam. Kids from TU will also be hanging out at The Bucc, billed as Tulsa's oldest bar and immediately adjacent to the school. Bigger shows usually hit the already-mentioned Cain's, BOK, or Brady Theater. Tulsa has really changed in the last 5-10 years, and a lot of the development is in downtown or downtown-adjacent areas. He may want to look into living downtown for easy access to nightlife etc., or you can go to Brady Heights or Owen Park and get a pretty big house for very cheap while remaining minutes from downtown. The neighborhoods near TU are also good (Florence Park, Renaissance, or Swan Lake/Cherry Street).
posted by hilaritas at 7:19 AM on June 29, 2017
posted by hilaritas at 7:19 AM on June 29, 2017
I forgot to mention, he should follow Booksmart Tulsa for author events and other literary fun. The same people are also about to open a bookstore downtown (Magic City Books) which should be cool.
posted by hilaritas at 7:26 AM on June 29, 2017
posted by hilaritas at 7:26 AM on June 29, 2017
I spent a winter in Coffeyville Kansas, right on the Oklahoma state line (about 75 miles north of Tulsa). Here are two things I thought were cool in Oklahoma. First is Frank Lloyd Wright's only skyscraper in Bartlesville, the Price Tower with tours available. Second is the Tom Mix Museum in Dewey, but you need to know who he was. It's a small museum but interesting.
posted by MovableBookLady at 7:36 AM on June 29, 2017
posted by MovableBookLady at 7:36 AM on June 29, 2017
I grew up in Tulsa but moved away 19 years ago. Going back to visit my parents I've been struck by how some things change but other things pretty much don't. The part of town I grew up in (near St. Francis Hospital and LaFortune Park) has changed largely for the worse, as the sorts of people who used to buy houses there have moved farther south. There is a lot more crime in that part of what's nebulously called "midtown" on the news than there was when I was a kid.
On the other hand Cherry St (mentioned above) seems to have pretty much the exact same vibe it did even if some of the restaurants have closed and had others replace them.
I'll second the recommendations for cocktails at Valkyrie. Hodges Bend can be good but our experiences there have been hit and miss. We're friends with a lot of hospitality industry people here in DC so maybe our expectations are too high, but it was hard to watch them take so long to make drinks (and the first time we went to Hodges Bend the drinks weren't at all worth the wait). I can't personally vouch for MixCo but one of the principals was just hired to be the GM at my parents' club, so that's at least an endorsement of his palate. And a drinks writer I trust was really impressed by the Saturn Room.
If you're buying liquor or beer, know that the liquor stores are closed Sundays and by law they can only sell alcoholic beverages (including beer over 3.2% alcohol by weight, which is not refrigerated) so if you need mixers or cold beer (which is 3.2% alcohol by weight or less) you have to go to a convenience store or supermarket.
BTW if the university in question is ORU, it's been an open secret forever that ORU professors don't always follow the rules about drinking. Most of them just know not to drink in the hotel bar across from campus where they might be seen. (When that hotel opened, ORU insisted it not serve alcohol, which lasted only as long as the original management contract with whatever hotel brand it was. Turns out hotels need to sell drinks to make a profit on their restaurant operations. I forget if they actually broke the contract or just renegotiated that requirement away. The hotel has changed management many times since then).
For coffee I didn't like the coffee or the vibe at Doubleshot and I've never been to Chimera, but I thought Topeca was pretty good. They still haven't got freshness down (oh hey, month-old beans on the shelf) but for the most part they do a good job. Way way back when I used to buy all my beans from Mecca, so I'm glad to hear it's still around.
Fuji sushi was fine when my wife and I needed a non-beef meal on a recent trip, but I wouldn't say it's in my top five all time sushi places (but again: we live in DC).
Tulsa's a pretty beefy town. Goldie's is a must visit for "charburgers" and local tradition. Ron's Hamburgers and Chili is pretty good (they have a burger served on a plate with chili on top that my sister always gets, but I get the sausage cheeseburger). I'm a huge fan of the Coney I-Lander because I grew up with it, but my wife is not impressed. Don't get the tamales or Frito pie. Tulsa also has a number of Lebanese steakhouses. My dad liked Jamil's and went to college with Tyrone from Eddy's, and my sister went to high school with the son of the owners of the Silver Flame. Not sure which one would be best on any given night. Mazzios is the local pizza chain of my high school days and it's fine. Hideaway is better, though. Tucci's (on Cherry St) did a more Neapolitan style pie (and was opened by a friend of my sister's from high school) but I haven't set foot in the place in 20 years so I don't know how it holds up.
For navigation purposes, learn the names and numbers of all the expressways: I-44 is the Skelly Bypass (and may be called by either name, or Skelly Drive). I-244 is the Crosstown Expressway. 64/59 is the Broken Arrow Expressway (usually just the BA). 169 is the Mingo Valley Expressway, but will probably just be called 169 by most people. 75 had the quaint name of the Okmulgee Beeline for my entire childhood, but I have no idea if anybody ever calls it the Beeline anymore. For five miles from the center of town, avenues east of Main were named in alphabetical order after cities east of the Mississippi river (Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit, Elgin, all the way out to where the alphabet gave up at Sheridan and the avenues were just numbered after that). Five miles west of Main, same thing (Boston, Cheyenne, Denver, etc). North of center (Admiral), streets were named after people. The Brady of Brady St was a Klansman, so there have been some awkward but incomplete discussions about maybe renaming the street and not just having commemorative signs by the Woodie Guthrie Museum. And south of Admiral streets are numbered. You can usually figure out where in town an address is just by reckoning, as long at you know your US geography.
Cain's Ballroom really is legendary. I saw Cake and They Might Be Giants play there (among others). The Brady Theater (AKA the Old Lady on Brady) was built as an opera house and can be fun for concerts, but I'm pretty sure acoustic issues are still a constant there. It's also supposed to be haunted.
posted by fedward at 2:46 PM on June 29, 2017
On the other hand Cherry St (mentioned above) seems to have pretty much the exact same vibe it did even if some of the restaurants have closed and had others replace them.
I'll second the recommendations for cocktails at Valkyrie. Hodges Bend can be good but our experiences there have been hit and miss. We're friends with a lot of hospitality industry people here in DC so maybe our expectations are too high, but it was hard to watch them take so long to make drinks (and the first time we went to Hodges Bend the drinks weren't at all worth the wait). I can't personally vouch for MixCo but one of the principals was just hired to be the GM at my parents' club, so that's at least an endorsement of his palate. And a drinks writer I trust was really impressed by the Saturn Room.
If you're buying liquor or beer, know that the liquor stores are closed Sundays and by law they can only sell alcoholic beverages (including beer over 3.2% alcohol by weight, which is not refrigerated) so if you need mixers or cold beer (which is 3.2% alcohol by weight or less) you have to go to a convenience store or supermarket.
BTW if the university in question is ORU, it's been an open secret forever that ORU professors don't always follow the rules about drinking. Most of them just know not to drink in the hotel bar across from campus where they might be seen. (When that hotel opened, ORU insisted it not serve alcohol, which lasted only as long as the original management contract with whatever hotel brand it was. Turns out hotels need to sell drinks to make a profit on their restaurant operations. I forget if they actually broke the contract or just renegotiated that requirement away. The hotel has changed management many times since then).
For coffee I didn't like the coffee or the vibe at Doubleshot and I've never been to Chimera, but I thought Topeca was pretty good. They still haven't got freshness down (oh hey, month-old beans on the shelf) but for the most part they do a good job. Way way back when I used to buy all my beans from Mecca, so I'm glad to hear it's still around.
Fuji sushi was fine when my wife and I needed a non-beef meal on a recent trip, but I wouldn't say it's in my top five all time sushi places (but again: we live in DC).
Tulsa's a pretty beefy town. Goldie's is a must visit for "charburgers" and local tradition. Ron's Hamburgers and Chili is pretty good (they have a burger served on a plate with chili on top that my sister always gets, but I get the sausage cheeseburger). I'm a huge fan of the Coney I-Lander because I grew up with it, but my wife is not impressed. Don't get the tamales or Frito pie. Tulsa also has a number of Lebanese steakhouses. My dad liked Jamil's and went to college with Tyrone from Eddy's, and my sister went to high school with the son of the owners of the Silver Flame. Not sure which one would be best on any given night. Mazzios is the local pizza chain of my high school days and it's fine. Hideaway is better, though. Tucci's (on Cherry St) did a more Neapolitan style pie (and was opened by a friend of my sister's from high school) but I haven't set foot in the place in 20 years so I don't know how it holds up.
For navigation purposes, learn the names and numbers of all the expressways: I-44 is the Skelly Bypass (and may be called by either name, or Skelly Drive). I-244 is the Crosstown Expressway. 64/59 is the Broken Arrow Expressway (usually just the BA). 169 is the Mingo Valley Expressway, but will probably just be called 169 by most people. 75 had the quaint name of the Okmulgee Beeline for my entire childhood, but I have no idea if anybody ever calls it the Beeline anymore. For five miles from the center of town, avenues east of Main were named in alphabetical order after cities east of the Mississippi river (Boston, Cincinnati, Detroit, Elgin, all the way out to where the alphabet gave up at Sheridan and the avenues were just numbered after that). Five miles west of Main, same thing (Boston, Cheyenne, Denver, etc). North of center (Admiral), streets were named after people. The Brady of Brady St was a Klansman, so there have been some awkward but incomplete discussions about maybe renaming the street and not just having commemorative signs by the Woodie Guthrie Museum. And south of Admiral streets are numbered. You can usually figure out where in town an address is just by reckoning, as long at you know your US geography.
Cain's Ballroom really is legendary. I saw Cake and They Might Be Giants play there (among others). The Brady Theater (AKA the Old Lady on Brady) was built as an opera house and can be fun for concerts, but I'm pretty sure acoustic issues are still a constant there. It's also supposed to be haunted.
posted by fedward at 2:46 PM on June 29, 2017
You can get by sans car in a few parts of Tulsa. A bike or occasional car access is a big help, though. Back when I was living near TU, I usually biked to the grocery store and most other places within a couple of miles. North of 41st and west of Yale or so, people are reasonably courteous to cyclists. There is also a decent network of recreational trails, but in most cases they aren't terribly useful for transportation. Riding the Katy Trail between 15th Street and the river is particularly nice.
As far as where to live? If he's working at TU, Renaissance, which is immediately south of TU is pretty hard to beat unless he ends up also working a job way out south. Easy walk/bike to work, and good access to most everywhere else he might need/want to go by car. (The bus is even semi-useful there for going downtown or to Cherry Street!) Work, home, grocery store, nightlife, fast food, slow food, and Starship all within a mile, with Cherry Street and the Pearl 5 minutes away, and Brookside Brady/Blue Dome/rest of downtown only about 10 minutes away.
Ihateddidn't care much for Tulsa when I lived way out in the suburbs just north of Bixby. It wasn't terrible, just bland. I lived for our weekly sojourn to Sapulpa for a ribeye at Freddie's. (the best lebanese steakhouse in the area, to my mind) After moving north, I found a lot more to like about it.
posted by wierdo at 4:46 PM on June 29, 2017
As far as where to live? If he's working at TU, Renaissance, which is immediately south of TU is pretty hard to beat unless he ends up also working a job way out south. Easy walk/bike to work, and good access to most everywhere else he might need/want to go by car. (The bus is even semi-useful there for going downtown or to Cherry Street!) Work, home, grocery store, nightlife, fast food, slow food, and Starship all within a mile, with Cherry Street and the Pearl 5 minutes away, and Brookside Brady/Blue Dome/rest of downtown only about 10 minutes away.
I
posted by wierdo at 4:46 PM on June 29, 2017
Gah, the B Avenue west of Main is Boulder, instead of me typing Boston again. That is not a mistake I can imagine myself making because my dad had three different offices, all on Boulder. I blame post-work fatigue.
posted by fedward at 5:29 PM on June 29, 2017
posted by fedward at 5:29 PM on June 29, 2017
I am so very grateful for all this terrific information. Thank you!!
posted by persona au gratin at 12:28 AM on June 30, 2017
posted by persona au gratin at 12:28 AM on June 30, 2017
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1) Not the weather! It can get hot here and it will be humid. I've never seen a tornado with my own eyes in Tulsa so he's good to go avoiding big winds. That being said, one of the best aspects of living here, most years anyway, is exposure to 4 distinct seasons. We've had two blizzard warnings in Tulsa since my daughter has been on the planet (11 yrs) and both had snowfall of more than 10 inches. It shuts the city down which means even adults get snow days. Thats literally cool, right?
2) your brother is joining us just as we are about to open huge new public park on the banks of the Arkansas River- A Gathering Space for Tulsa. How yuge you might ask? Think 350 million huge, a total that represents the largest gift to a public park in the US in over 100 years. Designed by the Highline folks. It will be phenomenal and is much needed. http://agatheringplacefortulsa.com/
3) similarly, newish to downtown is , voted one of the top 10 new public spaces in the US by folks who know such things. A great place to take in a free concert and chill out.
3) across the street from Guthrie Green is the relatively new http://woodyguthriecenter.org/
The museum contains all of Woodys papers and memorabilia and regularly hosts exhibits on a range of musicians connected to Woody. It is first class all the way. Though not presented to the public yet, George Kaiser, the philanthropist responsible for funding all of the above, also recently purchased the entire collection of Bob Dylan. It will soon be displayed, I think through another great museum, https://gilcrease.org/
4) continuing the music theme, Tulsa is a wonderful city for live music. Think Austin without the traffic and Nashville with a more a bit more diverse genre. http://www.cainsballroom.com/ Is a national treasure, founded as the home of Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys, it birthed Western swing music and now hosts concerts almost every night from artists as diverse as Sturgill Simpson to Wilco to Beck. It's a wonderful place to see a show and we're really lucky to have it. If he prefers bigger venues http://www.bokcenter.com/ is consistently ranked one of the best arenas in the world to see a show. I just saw roger waters there and it was mind blowing. Apparently, he and his band rehearsed their tour for a week or two prior to setting out on tour because it is such a fantastic faculty.
I may come back to this, but that's a start.
posted by cookiethedude at 7:27 PM on June 28, 2017