[BG918]

I was downtown for lunch today and decided to take advantage of the warm and cloudy weather and walk around. Enjoy the pics!

BRICKTOWN (entertainment district with dozens of restaurants, bars, and nightclubs along Sheridan Ave. and along the canal, AT&T Ballpark, a movie theater, and a growing hotel and retail scene)
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BUSINESS DISTRICT (mostly office buildings, hotels, the central library, Ford Center arena, convention center, and the occasional shop or restaurant)
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Oklahoma City Bombing National Memorial
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ARTS DISTRICT (home of the OKC Museum of Art, Civic Center Music Hall, and a growing number of lofts and restaurants)
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AUTO ALLEY-N. BROADWAY (possible light rail route into downtown from midtown, needs more shops and restaurants)
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MIDTOWN (rundown area that is gentrifying through the conversion of old buildings to offices and loft apartments, just north of downtown)
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HERITAGE HILLS (wealthy oil baron neighborhood just north of midtown, some of the nicest homes in OKC are here)
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DEEP DEUCE (old jazz district now the main area for new residential construction in downtown, just to the east of the business district and north of Bricktown)
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[Evergrey]

amazing set... quite urban... and playful..... MORE!!!!!

[UglymanCometh]

this thread deserves the coveted backwards wow...

"WOW".

I obviously need to check out more OKC... that's quite a nice city there!

Thanks for sharing... looks very progressive!

[Boris]

Nice coverage, all the way to the residentials.

Love that riverwalk area.

[PhillyRising]

Certainly not what I expected a city in Oklahoma to look like. The big homes pictures could easily have been taken on our Main Line here in Philly. I really do like what they did for the OKC Memorial...it was simple yet powerful. I'd probably tear up if I saw it in person.

[PHX31]

I'm glad i decided to look at this thread... some very nice shots in there and those homes are amazing.

[BG918]

Certainly not what I expected a city in Oklahoma to look like. The big homes pictures could easily have been taken on our Main Line here in Philly. I really do like what they did for the OKC Memorial...it was simple yet powerful. I'd probably tear up if I saw it in person.

Yeah I thought the same thing walking through, but when I saw all of the flowers and cards left on the west fence with pictures of little kids killed in the blast, I definitely felt the emotion. A very somber place in the middle of downtown, a very peaceful park-like setting on top of what was once the Murrah federal building. The new federal building is right around the corner but I didn't go over that way.

I'm not from OKC but living in Norman I've grown to really like what downtown has to offer. Hopefully the city can continue to revitalize downtown, land a permanent NBA team, build light rail downtown, and extend commuter rail to Edmond and Norman. There is also a HUGE project that a lot of people are talking about in OKC called Core to Shore which is basically tearing down the elevated I-40 on the southside of downtown and burying it further south allowing for development of downtown (the "core") to the "shore" of the Oklahoma River about a mile to the south. The plans I've seen are really ambitious calling for a massive park in the center and thousands of new high density residential units, all connected by light rail to the rest of downtown and midtown.

[navyweaxguy]

This is one of the best OKC threads I have ever seen!! I miss the city so much. I left there 6 years ago when Bricktown was starting to really hit full stride. The canal had just opened. I'm very happy to see that the plants and trees along the canal have matured and it now feels more lived in than the Disneyland feel it had when it first opened. Are they still doing free theater in the park over at the performing arts center? I sure hope so. My Ex and I used to go over there every saturday to watch the productions. I cant wait to see more changes. Did they finally renovate the Skirvin Hotel? Oh and i love the food at Abuelo's!!!

[ryan]

Great set of photos, I absolutely love the tallest building (Chase Tower). Sure it is simple and boxy, but it is sleek and classy. I can only hope that one day Richmond's Canal Walk looks as good as OKC's.

[Wheelingman04]

It's nice to see OKC on here.

[Top Of The Park]

...I didn't realize there was a river walk. Kind of looks like the one in Pueblo, Colorado

[Dream'n]

Great pictures. I'm impressed with how much has happened downtown albeit mostly in Bricktown. It seems kind of empty though, could be the day or time of day. I'm sure it's pretty happening at other times. I used to live in the Regency Tower for about a year during my 5 years of living in OKC. Are there any gay bars in Bricktown or are they still primarily focused all up on 36th and Penn? I always liked living in OKC when I was stationed at Tinker AFB. It has a lot going for it and should never feel less than it's greatness. I seriously wish though it would come through with a new tallest. It hasn't had anything build over 17 stories since what?, 1983. BTW OKC has one of the best and largest state fairs around. If you are there during one you should definetly stop and take a gander.

[BG918]

Great pictures. I'm impressed with how much has happened downtown albeit mostly in Bricktown. It seems kind of empty though, could be the day or time of day. I'm sure it's pretty happening at other times. I used to live in the Regency Tower for about a year during my 5 years of living in OKC. Are there any gay bars in Bricktown or are they still primarily focused all up on 36th and Penn? I always liked living in OKC when I was stationed at Tinker AFB. It has a lot going for it and should never feel less than it's greatness. I seriously wish though it would come through with a new tallest. It hasn't had anything build over 17 stories since what?, 1983. BTW OKC has one of the best and largest state fairs around. If you are there during one you should definetly stop and take a gander.

Yeah they seriously need a new tall building downtown, there are several large parking lots that would be excellent spots for sure! I'm not a big fan of many of the buildings, too boxy with that 70's and 80's look. The Skirvin Hotel though is one of my favs, and has been restored to its former glory and is now the finest hotel in the city once again. And yes the gay district is still centered around 36th and Penn and I'm sure it has grown a lot since you were last here.

[john_mclark]

My friends and I always go to OKC when the strip in Stillwater is getting old. It is always funny to me about the rivalry between Tulsa and OKC.

[Raraavis]

This is the best OKC thread I have seen.

What was the history of the Bricktown area before the ballpark was built?

[flar]

Thanks for showing off this rarely seen city. Lots of nice buildings.

[Austinlee]

Very impressive. Nice work!

[Philtower]

These are really impressive images of Oklahoma City, especially the shots of the canal in Bricktown and the Skirvin (now Skirvin Hilton) Hotel---the 23rd picture---one of the country's great hotels now restored to its former glory.

[Philtower]

This is the best OKC thread I have seen.

What was the history of the Bricktown area before the ballpark was built?

It was a warehouse district, with all the buildings constructed of red brick---hence the name. The ballpark was not the first development in the area. It was preceded by a number of restaurants and entertainment venues. Development continues apace including residential sites (Centennial on the Canal being the most notable). In the original Bricktown all new buildings had to be constructed of red brick to blend in with the older renovated buildings. However in the newer part (called "lower Bricktown") this is no longer required, much to the chagrin of many purists (including me!)

[Karried]

Very nice photography! Really good of you to post all of these pictures.

OKC is booming.. most weekends, the area is filled with people .... we have Horse Drawn Carriages, Canal Boat rides and Live Music overlooking the canal.. it's great on a warm balmy evening to have dinner, a drink and listen to live music, then go dancing and hit the clubs, etc etc.

Regarding the streets not being very full, we have an Underground Concourse Tunnel so some people are underground as well.

For those interested in Bricktown and the city.. we have an Oklahoman city board/forum in which we discuss Bricktown and all the happenings in our city and state OKCTalk.com.

We also have a 'historian' who has an incredible blog..not sure if I'm supposed to post links but you can Google - Doug Loudenback Blog

or if it 's okay to post links:

http://www.dougloudenback.com/downtownOKC.htm

He has Archives of Historical information on his site.. very well informed.

[Ex-Ithacan]

I knew there was a good skyline, but the riverwalk, restoration work, and stately old homes were a bit of a surprise, and a pleasant one at that. Thanks for the tour, good stuff.

[stranger]

I have been predicting growth in Oklahoma for some time now... the city's getting cleaner and cleaner every year and people are starting to realize that it even exists. Bricktown would be a prime place to purchase some real estate right now and throw up some lofts. (Actually, now that I think about it, I think they're building some nice ones right now)

[Jularc]

What a nice Oklahoma City walk. Heritage Hills has great homes. :cool:

[Karried]

What is interesting about these homes is that many of them have a price tag of less than a million dollars. Some even below $800,000.

Can you imagine trying to purchase any of these mansions anywhere else?

Many wonderful, custom homes are going for less than $200 a sq ft. on huge manicured lots or acreage - mostly in the suburbs with great schools.

That's one attractive thing about OK. Your housing dollar really goes far. Not so much as before, but still great deals on some magnificent properties are out there.

Many people are amazed at what type of beautiful homes they can have by moving here.

[jbrown84]

Nice shots, BG. Great coverage of the overlooked CBD.

[LSyd]

great pics. i was there last weekend but didn't have the time to take many pics, but i did drive around a lot of the city. a lot of it is quite gritty which'll eventually make for some nice rehabbed lofts...it kind of reminded me of Birmingham in a way, minus the hills. i can't wait to get back and take a lot of pics next time.

-

[STLtrent]

Great shots. OKC Is looking awesome these days.

[Architect2010]

Here are some really great pics of Oklahoma City by Jbrown84 on Okmer.org.
Heres the url..... http://www.okmet.org/bb/index.php?topic=2185.0



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Hopefully this will put some life into this thread and maybe jbrown84 will post the rest of his great pics.

[john_mclark]

people always asked me why i left Texas to go to school in OK and OKC is one of the reason, and i needed something new in my life since i'm going back to my hometown after school.

[dharper6]

Someone mentioned Abuelos...it rocks! Much better Mex food than the place right on the river.

I love OKC. I've been touting it for years to people who have never been there and who refuse to believe me. There are lots of progressive people there, too, contrary to what a lot of people would have you believe. I always look forward to my business trips there. It's a no hassle city with nice people, good restaurants and hotels, and pleasant atmosphere.

[Top Of The Park]

...the river walk reminds me of Pueblo colorado's

[Buck]

Quite the tour! I'd like to visit.

[Buckeye Native 001]

We certainly don't see enough of this charmer in City Photos. Excellent, eye-opening job :tup:

[KevinFromTexas]

Good stuff. Thanks for the post.

[Architect2010]

Someone mentioned Abuelos...it rocks! Much better Mex food than the place right on the river.

I love OKC. I've been touting it for years to people who have never been there and who refuse to believe me. There are lots of progressive people there, too, contrary to what a lot of people would have you believe. I always look forward to my business trips there. It's a no hassle city with nice people, good restaurants and hotels, and pleasant atmosphere.

Are you talking about Chelino's??? Yeah Chelino's isnt that great, I'd rathers see Abuelos on the canal than Chelino's. Your absolutely right about the city, such a great place, but people just think negative of it for some reson and most of them have never been here and so they just go off of what other people say.

[MplsTodd]

I've never seen street level photos of OKC and I am very impressed! Years ago (in the early '90s) I visited Tulsa, which despite its great art deco buildings had a lifeless downtown. I guess I assumed OKC would be like that (Maybe it was). But it looks great today--looks very walkable, with a good amount of greenery, plazas, and a riverwalk.

[dharper6]

Are you talking about Chelino's??? Yeah Chelino's isnt that great, I'd rathers see Abuelos on the canal than Chelino's. Your absolutely right about the city, such a great place, but people just think negative of it for some reson and most of them have never been here and so they just go off of what other people say.

Yes, Chelino's. I didn't remember the name. It would be great if Chelino's and Abuelo's could trade places.

[Symi81]

OKC looks really nice. Nice street-level activity in most of your pics. The old mansions are gorgeous. Peace.

[Hot Rod]

Bump

[soonerfever]

Going up

[LSyd]

I love OKC. I've been touting it for years to people who have never been there and who refuse to believe me. There are lots of progressive people there, too, contrary to what a lot of people would have you believe. I always look forward to my business trips there. It's a no hassle city with nice people, good restaurants and hotels, and pleasant atmosphere.

i absolutely agree. :tup:

i like those pics from inside the art museum...i had too many other pics to put any in my thread. maybe i can do a "director's cut" thread like cityskyscrapers does...

-