Historic Tulsa - My View

[formerresident]

I have been a lurker on this forum for a while and finally decided to make a post.

I am amused at the 20 and 30 something's on this forum who gush over historic Tulsa and have no knowledge of what things were really like during that time. I have that knowledge since I was born there  in the late 1930's and lived in Tulsa until 1962 when I moved out of state to pursue further graduate work (my schools were Lanier, Horace Mann, Central and TU). I can view Tulsa from the standpoint of living in southwest plus both East and West coasts and overseas.

A great deal of rhetoric on this forum is tied up with this longing to "go downtown." When I was growing up we went downtown because there was no other place to go. I saw movies at the Orpheum, Ritz, Majestic and Rialto but to tell the truth the sound was crummy, the floors were sticky and the projectionists rarely stuck to schedule. Fond memories? Not hardly.

Shopping? Yes we had shopping downtown and stores like Brown Dunkin, Renbergs, Clarkes etc filled that bill. Selection was poor and like the movies, if you did not like that group of stores you were stuck because there was nothing else but Sears. I see nothing romantic about the stores in Tulsa at that time, just a few crumby stores in downtown was all it was – they are no great loss.

The last area I wish to speak of is Hotels and it seems the Mayo is an object of affection in this forum but I don't get why. It was just a big blocky looking downtown hotel and fairly ugly I might add. Famous people stayed there because there was no other place to stay; and I mean no other place.

Anyway, I think a lot of this romanticism about historic Tulsa is misplaced. When I left Tulsa it was just a Midwestern city trying to overcome a history of toxic racism and thinking about what it would take to become one of America's powerhouse places. Unfortunately for the current residents, Tulsa never came close.

Also, I don't see what the big deal is about the new convention center and stabs at gentrification in downtown. Why is Tulsa so slow? Most cities went through that stage 10-15 years ago.

I don't need any lectures about the greatness of Tulsa downtown – I've been there and it wasn't so great.

[waterboy]

Well, I was there 15 years later and it must have improved. I am no 20-30 something. I did Kendall, Wilson, Central (downtown). My view is vastly different than yours.

Downtown was bustling. The Mayo was one of a half dozen hotels that were suitable enough for the times. Shopping was brisk with lots of different choices, many of which you have probably forgotten. Building was at a fever pitch with new arrivals from eastern oil companies and banks wanting to serve them.

It was really cool for me. I'm sorry you missed out on that feeling, perhaps the depression and war times blunted your perception.

I am reminded of what my father, who grew up in Tulsa during the 1920's, told me when I wanted to restore an old '36 Ford. He said that most cars from tht period were poorly built cars that rarely lasted more than 30,000 miles, rattled and shook and he had pushed too damn many of them to ever want to see one again.

You can never come home again, eh?

[formerresident]

Well, I was there 15 years later and it must have improved. I am no 20-30 something. I did Kendall, Wilson, Central (downtown). My view is vastly different than yours.

\You can never come home again, eh?

Thanks for your views, I realize everyone sees these things differently.

As far as coming home again, no that would not be possible. Way too much of a time warp factor. The ultra conservative politics would fray my nerves.

[FOTD]

Thanks for your views, I realize everyone sees these things differently.

As far as coming home again, no that would not be possible. Way too much of a time warp factor. The ultra conservative politics would fray my nerves.

Racism? Conservatism?

We get it.

[swake]

Thanks for your views, I realize everyone sees these things differently.

As far as coming home again, no that would not be possible. Way too much of a time warp factor. The ultra conservative politics would fray my nerves.

And now Davaz is back.

I was thinking over the weekend that as bad as this forum has gotten lately, that all it would really need to take it over the edge is a return of Davaz. And here he is.

Where is the moderation lately?

Seriously, with and all the banned posters, FOTD, Davaz, Tim and Bear and others currently crapping all over the place on this forum it becoming mostly unreadable.

[FOTD]

And now Davaz is back.

I was thinking over the weekend that as bad as this forum has gotten lately, that all it would really need to take it over the edge is a return of Davaz. And here he is.

Where is the moderation lately?

Seriously, with and all the banned posters, FOTD, Davaz, Tim and Bear and others currently crapping all over the place on this forum it becoming mostly unreadable.

Equilibrium or just Librium?

[Admin]

When we moved forum codes it deleted all of our bans. That is why the back-from-the-dead posters. We don't talk in the public about people's status but we are watching and talking to problem posters. Davaz was rebanned (he gets no second chances) and the rest.. well we don't include "nonsense" or "insane conspiracies" in our list of banned content. An oversight, perhaps.

[TTownGen4]

Davaz:
I can only go by my grandmother's stories since she lived in Tulsa from around 1915 forward - and those stories totally contradict yours. She would talk about how much fun downtown Tulsa was in 30's, 40's, and 50's. She would put on a dress, hat, gloves and go shopping at Vandever's or Seidenbach's, then maybe catch a movie, and end up eating dinner at Bishop's. I worked at Renberg's, and Clarke's was next door. Poor selection was not an issue at either one of those stores. And if those stores didn't have what you wanted, they would find a way to get it. Those were the days of true customer service and employees who knew all about the items they were selling.

[cannon_fodder]

If you never really liked a city and left it decades ago, never to return, why would you lurk on an internet forum about that city and decide to post about how much you dislike(d) it?  That does not make sense:

[Hoss]

If you never really liked a city and left it decades ago, never to return, why would you lurk on an internet forum about that city and decide to post about how much you dislike(d) it?  That does not make sense:

Oh....See....Dee

[Rico]

And now Davaz is back.

I was thinking over the weekend that as bad as this forum has gotten lately, that all it would really need to take it over the edge is a return of Davaz. And here he is.

Where is the moderation lately?

Seriously, with and all the banned posters, FOTD, Davaz, Tim and Bear and others currently crapping all over the place on this forum it becoming mostly unreadable.

You are correct Swake...   Man how I long for the days of the revolving shield, Neptune, AJ and the like...

I don't see it ever returning....  Hope to Hell I am wrong!

[FOTD]

You are correct Swake...   Man how I long for the days of the revolving shield, Neptune, AJ and the like...

I don't see it ever returning....  Hope to Hell I am wrong!

What happened to IPlaw?

[sgrizzle]

What happened to IPlaw?

He is working for an OKC based firm now so I assume he moved.

[swake]

When we moved forum codes it deleted all of our bans. That is why the back-from-the-dead posters. We don't talk in the public about people's status but we are watching and talking to problem posters. Davaz was rebanned (he gets no second chances) and the rest.. well we don't include "nonsense" or "insane conspiracies" in our list of banned content. An oversight, perhaps.

Thank you for the reply. While I understand from a moderation standpoint not talking about a posters status, the same posters do keep coming back under other names with all the same bad habits.

I'm not asking that anything be censored, "nonsense" or "insane conspiracies" don't fall under the terms of service, and should not. This isn't about crazy or not, right or left. This is about posters whose goal is not to take part, but to be noticed.

Endless high jacking all sorts of unrelated threads for those "nonsense" or "insane conspiracies" posts is what is wrong, and it is against the terms of service. A thread can evolve over time, but lately a lot are getting run over. A poster can choose to ignore a single thread of idiocy, but when poster cuts and pastes pages of non-topical crap into ten unrelated threads at the same time, people stop reading, stop replying. It's killing the forum.

[sgrizzle]

While I haven't seen any of the above (i've been avoiding the national politics section) I'm pretty sure there is a notify function for that kinda stuff.