“I’d rather die in midtown than live in south Tulsa”

[heironymouspasparagus]

With American geographical knowledge the way it is you might as well tell them you live in the state North of Texas.  "Yes, North of the one where JR lived."

Texas is really Baja Oklahoma.

[Red Arrow]

I usually say I live in a suburb of Tulsa, which is usually followed by the question "Where's Tulsa".

Before life in Bixby, I lived near Norfolk, VA (VA Beach is actually somewhat recognized by many) and near Philadelphia, PA.

[heironymouspasparagus]

I usually say I live in a suburb of Tulsa, which is usually followed by the question "Where's Tulsa".

Before life in Bixby, I lived near Norfolk, VA (VA Beach is actually somewhat recognized by many) and near Philadelphia, PA.

If they don't know, they haven't been paying attention and are not worth the trouble to communicate with.  Move on.


Norfolk is where they build ships, isn't it?

[Red Arrow]

If they don't know, they haven't been paying attention and are not worth the trouble to communicate with.  Move on.

So you are in favor of keeping Tulsa a secret to those who don't already know about it?

Norfolk is where they build ships, isn't it?

I think most of the shipyard are in Newport News, across the James River but I'm not sure.  I was at NAS Oceana and rarely went to Norfolk except to the Navy Flying Club based are Norfolk Regional Airport (Now Int'l, I think.  It's been a few years.)

[joiei]

When I tell people I live in Tulsa, mostly they say "'why".   

[TheArtist]

I usually say I live in a suburb of Tulsa, which is usually followed by the question "Where's Tulsa".

Before life in Bixby, I lived near Norfolk, VA (VA Beach is actually somewhat recognized by many) and near Philadelphia, PA.

I remember telling someone I was from Tulsa and they said "Oh, thats in Arizona isn't it?".   I can be tricky trying to convice people that we actually have paved streets and electricity, that we don't have tumbleweeds blowing down dusty streets and piling up against barbed wire fences, and don't have cowboys and indians riding on horseback everywhere.  

[dbacks fan]

I remember telling someone I was from Tulsa and they said "Oh, thats in Arizona isn't it?".   I can be tricky trying to convice people that we actually have paved streets and electricity, that we don't have tumbleweeds blowing down dusty streets and piling up against barbed wire fences, and don't have cowboys and indians riding on horseback everywhere.  

That would be Tombstone.   Or any abandoned subdivision.

[AquaMan]

That would be Tombstone.   Or any abandoned subdivision.

Artist, that pretty well describes Oakhurst over west of town.

[heironymouspasparagus]

Family member in MO has a friend who happened to be traveling through OK Saturday night - stayed in Tulsa.  Texted about earthquake - said, "just another reason to hate Oklahoma...".

We got an image problem for sure.

[Conan71]

Family member in MO has a friend who happened to be traveling through OK Saturday night - stayed in Tulsa.  Texted about earthquake - said, "just another reason to hate Oklahoma...".

We got an image problem for sure.

No just some traveler with myopia.

[Hoss]

No just some traveler with myopia.

Probably a Missouri Tigers fan.

[heironymouspasparagus]

No just some traveler with myopia.

If it were just one or two or even just a few thousand, yeah, I would say just some myopia.  When so many are sending the same basic message and you ain't receiving - well, that's a problem.  We got an image problem.

[bacjz00]

If it were just one or two or even just a few thousand, yeah, I would say just some myopia.  When so many are sending the same basic message and you ain't receiving - well, that's a problem.  We got an image problem.

Wait, when did a friend of a friend turn into a few thousand?  Did I miss something or are you really just looking for reasons to pi$$ me off today?

[heironymouspasparagus]

Wait, when did a friend of a friend turn into a few thousand?  Did I miss something or are you really just looking for reasons to pi$$ me off today?

I always look for ways to pi$$ people off!!  Did it work??  (Please say yes!)

A few thousand is probably a slight exaggeration, but with all the years of travel I have done, I have talked to a considerable number of people - probably well into the thousands.  Most are polite enough not to knock where a person comes from (but a lot of times, you can tell what they are thinking), many were from Oklahoma, and there is always that 'chosen few' who are brutally open and honest about their feelings/thoughts.  The ones who have actually hated Oklahoma number somewhere in the mid-hundreds (probably between 350 and 650), which as a polling sample is pretty significant.   

There are many more who were friendly enough, but puzzled by why we are the way we are.  One small example; at one time before liquor by the drink, when we didn't allow people to have a glass of wine or cocktail with dinner in a nice restaurant, we were in the top 2 or 3 in consumption of hard liquor.  It's that kind of hypocrisy we are talking about.

Turnpikes are a big one with many vacationers and pretty much EVERY truck driver and trucking company.

Oral Roberts was a big topic before the even more radical religious practitioners of the last few years.  (Buckle of the Bible belt and all that.)

We've got a "hicks-from-the-sticks" reality outside of this state in virtually every corner of the nation.  We have out-Arkansas'ed Arkansas!  Remember my story elsewhere about the New Yorkers who were worried about the Indians being on the 'war path' if they came to visit?

Does this help pi$$ you off some more??  Better yet, get you to thinking about the wider topic of Oklahoma's place in the world?  And how it may relate to getting companies to consider us for, oh, I don't know....maybe a new facility or two, instead of moving the existing ones to Texas??

[Red Arrow]

Turnpikes are a big one with many vacationers and pretty much EVERY truck driver and trucking company.

I am about as fond of turnpikes as anyone but Oklahoma does not have a monopoly in that regard.

Pennsylvania TPK, NJ TPK, toll roads around Richmond VA, Florida TPK, MA TPK out of Boston, VA Beach Expressway (now free I've heard), Toll roads around Dallas, Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel, Bridges across the Delaware River from Philadelphia to NJ.....  Those are just the ones I remember first hand.

Toll roads are only in 26 states as of 2006. The majority of states without any turnpikes are in the West and South.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toll_roads_in_the_United_States