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I always thought Oklahoma City would be a cool place to spend a few days, it's a midsize city and call me Goldilocks because midsize cities feel like the perfect size - after two days in OKC, eh, I'm not sure.
Is there more to Oklahoma beyond OKC? Maybe. The Blue Whale of Catoosa is an iconic stop along Route 66. There's Indian Turnpikes. There's a great drive along Route 54 that passes through some small towns, like Guymon, and shows a side of cattle farming America that I found fascinating and is as different than any drive I've taken through the country. |
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OKLAHOMA CITY
Oklahoma City has one major defining feature — outside of Alaska towns and Jacksonville, FL, Oklahoma City is the largest geographical area city in the U.S. It’s land area is 606 square miles which makes the city larger than Houston (600 sq mi) and Phoenix (517 sq mi)—two cities known for their urban sprawl. Another familiar reference point, Philadelphia is only 134 square miles in size. Oklahoma’s city limits population is 580,000—Jacksonville (822,000), Houston (2,100,000) and Phoenix (1,445,000) all have considerably larger populations.
While driving through Oklahoma City the city feels empty (admittedly some of this had to do with COVID). There’s empty lots. Abandoned buildings. Not that those features are unusual but in Oklahoma City empty lots and abandoned buildings are nestled in the single family housing. I assume the city also has very, very loose zoning requirements. It was tough to understand a rhyme or reason as to how residential, multifamily, commercial, office, industrial, and warehouse spaces were located. The attitude seemed to be, if you want to build it, build it. It gave a sprawling and empty city an even stranger hodge podge type feel.
All that said, the people of Oklahoma City were incredibly friendly. I have a hate/hate relationship with Staples but I needed to pick up a notepad and some pens in Oklahoma City. As soon as I walked in Staples, a worker greeted me, asked if I needed any help, and then lead me to the notepad area. As I was searching for pens another worker asked if I needed any assistance. The cashier was friendly. I was confused if I was in a Staples. That friendliness continued as I went to coffee shops, restaurants, and microbreweries.
With all attractions shut down from COVID it didn’t take too long to drive around Oklahoma City and see a few neighborhoods. I visited Oklahoma City twenty years ago and still remember the National Cowboy Museum and the Oklahoma City Memorial being worthy places to stop.
I began my neighborhood drive heading north to Nichols Hills, considered Oklahoma City’s nicest suburb—a drive along NW Grand Boulevard and even someone just arriving could conclude that the areas wealthiest residents live in this town. A drive along NW Grand Boulevard, with mansions on either side, is similar to a drive down Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills—stunning homes to your left and right. There was a walking path through a park like median on NW Grand Boulevard.
While driving through Oklahoma City the city feels empty (admittedly some of this had to do with COVID). There’s empty lots. Abandoned buildings. Not that those features are unusual but in Oklahoma City empty lots and abandoned buildings are nestled in the single family housing. I assume the city also has very, very loose zoning requirements. It was tough to understand a rhyme or reason as to how residential, multifamily, commercial, office, industrial, and warehouse spaces were located. The attitude seemed to be, if you want to build it, build it. It gave a sprawling and empty city an even stranger hodge podge type feel.
All that said, the people of Oklahoma City were incredibly friendly. I have a hate/hate relationship with Staples but I needed to pick up a notepad and some pens in Oklahoma City. As soon as I walked in Staples, a worker greeted me, asked if I needed any help, and then lead me to the notepad area. As I was searching for pens another worker asked if I needed any assistance. The cashier was friendly. I was confused if I was in a Staples. That friendliness continued as I went to coffee shops, restaurants, and microbreweries.
With all attractions shut down from COVID it didn’t take too long to drive around Oklahoma City and see a few neighborhoods. I visited Oklahoma City twenty years ago and still remember the National Cowboy Museum and the Oklahoma City Memorial being worthy places to stop.
I began my neighborhood drive heading north to Nichols Hills, considered Oklahoma City’s nicest suburb—a drive along NW Grand Boulevard and even someone just arriving could conclude that the areas wealthiest residents live in this town. A drive along NW Grand Boulevard, with mansions on either side, is similar to a drive down Sunset Boulevard in Beverly Hills—stunning homes to your left and right. There was a walking path through a park like median on NW Grand Boulevard.
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The Airbnb where we stayed was near Oklahoma City’s Plaza District, the city’s hipster area. I thought this neighborhood would be similar to Philadelphia’s Fishtown, which has seen a ridiculous influx of restaurants, microbreweries, and unique stores. The Plaza District seemed similar, just not on the scale of Fishtown. Instead of several blocks, the Plaza District extended for two. The Mule, is a sandwich shop, located in the area and a go to lunch spot.
The Midtown area has a few more restaurants, a few more coffee spots and I got the vibe that if you have a good job in the business district and wanted to live in the city, this would be an ideal spot.
The Midtown area has a few more restaurants, a few more coffee spots and I got the vibe that if you have a good job in the business district and wanted to live in the city, this would be an ideal spot.
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In April 1995 two terrorist set off a bomb in Oklahoma City that destroyed the Alfred P. Murrah Building and damaged hundreds more buildings in the surrounding area. 168 people were killed in what was the largest U.S. terrorism act until 9/11. A solemn memorial exists at the bomb site. I toured the memorial in 2000 and found it to be a very personal and very emotional walkthrough. Each of the 168 people who were murdered had a short biography and personal items included in the memorial.
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The Bricktown area (near the junction of I-40, I-35 and I-235) has undergone a significant urban revival since my last visit. There’s a new(er) minor league baseball stadium and an entertainment district that has a small man-made river/canal flowing through. Sonic has located their headquarters in the neighborhood.
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The Oklahoma Stockyards district is located on the southwestern side of town. I came here to order a steak dinner from Cattlemen’s, one of the city’s venerable steakhouses. When I exited my car there was a distinct smell of urine and I initially thought wow they must have a lot of drunks and homeless in this area. But the smell was so pungent and so strong that I thought that couldn’t be correct. Then I thought, wait that’s the smell of bull urine. So I tolerated the smell knowing I was getting a fresh cut of beef.
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A few shots from around town - image on the left is the Airbnb and an example of the neighborhood; image on the right is an old school ice cream shot in the Midtown area.
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The Blue Whale of Catoosa
I-44 and I-40, west of Oklahoma, stays relatively close to the road line created by Historical Route 66. There’s plenty of interesting attractions along Route 66 but the one that has always caught my eye is the Blue Whale of Catoosa. The Whale is five minutes off I-44. We spent ten minutes walking around and, on the whale, and it’s an endearing experience. I loved the Whale.
I-44 and I-40, west of Oklahoma, stays relatively close to the road line created by Historical Route 66. There’s plenty of interesting attractions along Route 66 but the one that has always caught my eye is the Blue Whale of Catoosa. The Whale is five minutes off I-44. We spent ten minutes walking around and, on the whale, and it’s an endearing experience. I loved the Whale.
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Guymon
So how does one reach Guymon? When you been fortunately to be able to drive cross country several times, you begin looking for new destinations and new routes. The new destination: Wichita, Kansas. The new route: US Route 64. We left I-40 at Tucumcari and headed north on US-64. Nara Visa was the first town we past - it was an abandoned shell of a town. We then crossed into Texas and the road became a little better. Through Dalhart. Through Stratford. A few small towns in between. Huge bull ranches. We knew we were approaching a town when we could see the enormous granary peeking over the horizon. The granaries were run as Co-Ops among the ranchers in the area. We crossed into Oklahoma and the road became a little better.
We reached Guymon and made a left on Main Street. Guymon was the first town of substance - the first town where a softy like me could stop and grab a coffee. Urban Bru was the destination, and it had a cool, hipster vibe as though it was in a major city. Guymon's Main Street was quiet. But since Guymon is a hub for the local economy and has steady population levels there's still some activity and entrepreneurs trying to new concepts - Golden Crown is a Co-Op that sells crafts from locals.
So how does one reach Guymon? When you been fortunately to be able to drive cross country several times, you begin looking for new destinations and new routes. The new destination: Wichita, Kansas. The new route: US Route 64. We left I-40 at Tucumcari and headed north on US-64. Nara Visa was the first town we past - it was an abandoned shell of a town. We then crossed into Texas and the road became a little better. Through Dalhart. Through Stratford. A few small towns in between. Huge bull ranches. We knew we were approaching a town when we could see the enormous granary peeking over the horizon. The granaries were run as Co-Ops among the ranchers in the area. We crossed into Oklahoma and the road became a little better.
We reached Guymon and made a left on Main Street. Guymon was the first town of substance - the first town where a softy like me could stop and grab a coffee. Urban Bru was the destination, and it had a cool, hipster vibe as though it was in a major city. Guymon's Main Street was quiet. But since Guymon is a hub for the local economy and has steady population levels there's still some activity and entrepreneurs trying to new concepts - Golden Crown is a Co-Op that sells crafts from locals.
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Look at those perfectly 90 degree intersections! While moving the map around on US-64 in search of coffee shops a unique geographical formation - perfectly straight roads that went on for miles. People like mountains. Rivers. Buttes. Plains. But these perfectly straight roads are as odd a landmark as I've seen in my travels. We briefly left US-64 at Optima and drove down 19 / Road Q. We past Mile 40 Road. Then Mile 41 Road. Eventually reaching Mile 46 Road where we made a left and headed back up to US-64. I loved this drive and the scenery as much as any landscape I've ever seen, with the exception of Torres del Paine and a few others.
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