Tulsa Pictures: Downtown

BG918 · #1 Posted **Dec 21, 2006, 1:00 AM**

Posted this in Texas/Southcentral, thought it would be good to spread some Tulsa love here as well. It was a bit cold and rainy but I was downtown this afternoon and decided to take my camera. Enjoy!

GoogleEarth map with Photoshopped downtown districts so you know where the pics are coming from:

Tulsa: A New Kind of Energy

Looking north down Boston Ave., the heart of the Business District

7th and Boston, they are working on making this street 2 way and adding landscaping

6th and Boston, future site of Centennial Park

The next few shots are some of the towers along Boston Ave.

Looking south down Boston Ave.

4th and Boston looking west

3rd and Boston

Looking up from the Performing Arts Center at 3rd and Cincinnati

4th and Main

Business District from 3rd and Detroit

Blue Dome District, 3rd and Detroit

The actual Blue Dome, a popular bar, at 3rd and Elgin

Blue Dome nightspots along Elgin

1st Street

Brady Arts District, across the tracks

Warehouse to office conversions abound

North Main St., the heart of Brady

Taken from atop the railroad bridge

The arena (Bank of Oklahoma Center) U/C as the sun comes out

View from the arena, a 20 story Westin hotel/condo tower will soon rise in the middle of this pic

Old motel near the arena about to undergo a full renovation

Entering the Business District again at 4th and Cheyenne

Lens got wet as I walked down Cheyenne

The Mayo Hotel at 5th and Cheyenne, about to become lofts

Looking south at 5th and Boulder

5th and Main

5th and Cincinnati looking west

Trinity Episcopal Church

Uptown skyline

Downtown skyline

Paintballer1708 · #2 Posted **Dec 21, 2006, 1:22 AM**

Very underrated city. Nice pics.

soleri · #3 Posted **Dec 21, 2006, 1:40 AM**

Nice buildings but where are the people?

Tulsa reminds me of Nashville but without the C/W honkytonks. I guess you're deep into Southern Baptist territory here so it's unlikely that much will change. Still, imagine if Oklahoma got liberal and gays starting flocking there. Or instead of moving elsewhere, stayed put. I could see Tulsa becoming something cool. But demographics is destiny, and Oklahoma is one of this nation's most reactionary states.

mSeattle · #4 Posted **Dec 21, 2006, 1:42 AM**

Both of you can say that again. Likeda had a heart attack when the third picture scrolled up.

There is so much potential. Maybe it'll attract some straight moderates fleeing high-priced cities and create a beach... er plains-head there for more liberalness. Look at those crazy Tulsa freeways...

BG918 · #5 Posted **Dec 21, 2006, 1:53 AM**

Downtown has some pockets of activity and a growing number of residents, but large parts of it are still pretty dead. On a cold and rainy day you won't see too many people out and about unless it's lunch hour or at night on Fri. and Sat. There are some big projects that are working to change that, including a redevelopment of the East End next to Blue Dome that includes a lot of retail and restaurants, 800 residential units, and a new minor-league ballpark. OSU-Tulsa, a commuter school on the north end of downtown (Brady Heights), has an ambitious goal to get 20,000 students living downtown by 2020. And yes Oklahoma is largely conservative, but inner city Tulsa is not.

stupac14 · #6 Posted **Dec 21, 2006, 2:26 AM**

Awesome thread, thanks for posting these pictures of a very underrated city and skyline. Downtown does look a little dead in those photos but it is still a great area with mass potential. You would not happen to have any pictures of Oral Roberts (or whatever that building in the south (west) Tulsa is called these days) would you?

JManc · #7 Posted **Dec 21, 2006, 2:35 AM**

as i mentioned over at SSC...this city is under-rated. nice tour.

Cory · #8 Posted **Dec 21, 2006, 2:36 AM**

Some of these shots would have made a great "guess the city". I'm surprisingly interested by Tulsa in some areas from what it looks like.

Urban Enthusiast · #9 Posted **Dec 21, 2006, 2:51 AM**

LOL, you all thought downtown looked dead, but to me, that was as active as I have ever seen it! Of course, I have only ever been downtown during the day on a Saturday and the day after Christmas last year, when it was really dead, except for the transients. Ah, but alas, Tulsa is just such a wonderful city. Truly one of my favorites and just wreaks of potential. I bet by 2015, Tulsa is going to be just awesome. Let's hope!

shane453 · #10 Posted **Dec 21, 2006, 3:53 AM**

Tulsa's getting with the program. Things will be vastly different in a few years, with East End, the arena, and new residential units.

To be fair, it was a cold, rainy day when he took the pics. Not ideal weather for clubbing or going outside.

Inner Tulsa and OKC both have big liberal communities (OKC has a pretty large and open gay community centered around 39th st). One thing I think is true about Oklahoma (at least what I have seen) is that Oklahomans are tolerant- They might not agree with or condone certain behaviors, but they try to understand and tolerate them in most cases. Obviously there are exceptions, but it's in the Okie culture to just mix everyone up and be friendly to anyone who crosses your path.

Once again, great pictures BG! Thanks!

DetroitSky · #11 Posted **Dec 21, 2006, 4:48 AM**

Great city and nice photos.

Wheelingman04 · #12 Posted **Dec 21, 2006, 6:26 AM**

Best downtown Tulsa thread I have seen. That city does have potential.

austin356 · #13 Posted **Dec 21, 2006, 8:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by jmancuso

as i mentioned over at SSC...this city is under-rated. nice tour.

Could I be given a link to the rankings? I have never seen the list before.

ChrisLA · #14 Posted **Dec 21, 2006, 8:55 AM**

Some interesting buildings, as others have said it has potential. Now in defense of Tulsa, I remember years ago when I was 18 years old (1982). We stopped off for a few hours layover on Greyhound. It was in June, and it was quite warm and humid. Yet I recall the downtown being active. Not super busy, but it wasn't dead either. Pretty much what was to be expected for a city its size.