Midtown is exciting!

[ZYX]

As you may know I live in a land far, far away called Bixby. This little city prides itself with mile after mile of neighborhoods. After that, there is NOTHING. Nothing at all. What do you do in Bixby on a Saturday night? Go to Tulsa.

We had to pick a family member up at the airport, and decided we wanted to do something fun. We went down to Cherry Street and ate at Full Moon, and it was packed. The street was busy, the sidewalk was busy, and everything just felt alive. There were people out walking their dogs, going to restaurants, walking home, riding bikes, etc. There were idiots in trucks that don't know how to drive where there are pedestrians, and there were a lot of car horns and a couple of 'birds' flying around. But altgether, it was just really exciting and alive. It felt like a true urban district. Driving home we went through Brookside, and it was the same way. I just think that for all the complaints about slow progress we bring forth, we need to step back for a minute and realize what we have. And what we have is pretty good.

[Hoss]

As you may know I live in a land far, far away called Bixby. This little city prides itself with mile after mile of neighborhoods. After that, there is NOTHING. Nothing at all. What do you do in Bixby on a Saturday night? Go to Tulsa.

We had to pick a family member up at the airport, and decided we wanted to do something fun. We went down to Cherry Street and ate at Full Moon, and it was packed. The street was busy, the sidewalk was busy, and everything just felt alive. There were people out walking their dogs, going to restaurants, walking home, riding bikes, etc. There were idiots in trucks that don't know how to drive where there are pedestrians, and there were a lot of car horns and a couple of 'birds' flying around. But altgether, it was just really exciting and alive. It felt like a true urban district. Driving home we went through Brookside, and it was the same way. I just think that for all the complaints about slow progress we bring forth, we need to step back for a minute and realize what we have. And what we have is pretty good.

I noticed that same kind of dynamic on my photowalk in the Blue Dome today, on a Saturday afternoon of all days.  Saw quite a few people; more so than I would have expected at that time of day on a Saturday.

[ZYX]

I noticed that same kind of dynamic on my photowalk in the Blue Dome today, on a Saturday afternoon of all days.  Saw quite a few people; more so than I would have expected at that time of day on a Saturday.

We were down there from about 7:30 to 9:00, so I expected there to be a bunch of people, but I didn't expect nearly as many as there were.

[TheArtist]

  I went out with a group of people from Nowata/Vinita/Kansas area Friday night, and we met up with another group from Ponca City. We went to the Blue Dome and Brady Arts areas for dinner, then some drinks at the Max, then clubbing and dancing.  I was actually suprised at how many people were out, especially considering how hot it was at first, though it was very nice by the end of the evening, or should I say morning.

Couple things I noticed. When we were in the Brady Arts area at night you looked towards the ballpark and saw the lights there and the Spaghetti Warehouse. It was a clear and unobstructed view now that the park area has been cleared.  You could imagine what it would be like with the park done, and then the Matthews Warehouse projects done, and the streetscaping in.  You could then imagine walking from the Brady Arts to the Blue Dome.  Will be really nice when all thats done for as it was we debated walking, but then drove lol.  I wouldn't have minded it, but when we were with a group of people who were mostly unfamiliar with the place, well there were too many large, dark, gaps between the two.

  Other thing I noticed,,,, after our night of clubbing some wanted to do the requisite "lets go to Ihop", so we all piled in our cars and trekked way out to 71st and Lewis.  2:30 in the morning and it was packed too, likely from others who had to go all the way from downtown and midtown.  Would someone tell Ihop to build something downtown or in midtown lol.  I would say please have some local person do a non-chain diner type environment, but this might be an instance where a chain trumps a local deal unless its done just right and becomes well enough known.

[Red Arrow]

As you may know I live in a land far, far away called Bixby. This little city prides itself with mile after mile of neighborhoods. After that, there is NOTHING. Nothing at all. What do you do in Bixby on a Saturday night? Go to Tulsa.

We had to pick a family member up at the airport, and decided we wanted to do something fun. We went down to Cherry Street and ate at Full Moon, and it was packed. The street was busy, the sidewalk was busy, and everything just felt alive. There were people out walking their dogs, going to restaurants, walking home, riding bikes, etc. There were idiots in trucks that don't know how to drive where there are pedestrians, and there were a lot of car horns and a couple of 'birds' flying around. But altgether, it was just really exciting and alive. It felt like a true urban district. Driving home we went through Brookside, and it was the same way. I just think that for all the complaints about slow progress we bring forth, we need to step back for a minute and realize what we have. And what we have is pretty good.

"Go to Tulsa".   It's a bit ironic on a forum about Tulsa but Tulsa is partly the cause of "NOTHING" in Bixby.  Downtown Bixby still existed in the early 70s when we moved her from a land even farther away.  We live in the addition south of 111th and east of Memorial, about 1 acre lots.  In the early 70s, our section of Bixby was held in the same regard many on this forum have for southeast Tulsa in general.  We didn't even have a fire station north of the river for many years.  I think the population was about 5000 or so.  Getting back on topic, it was just as easy to go to Tulsa as "South" Bixby for us.  We did go to Bixby for some things.  I had an account at the Citizens Security Bank of Bixby which was downtown.  Doc Daily was still in practice then. The Post Office in Bixby was the closest one to us.  Several car parts stores offered better prices than some in Tulsa.  Groceries were a different story.  Bud's Thriftywise had a somewhat captive audience and priced things accordingly.  We did most of our grocery shopping in Tulsa.  I can't speak to the entertainment options as I went back east to finish my senior year of college followed by 4 years in the Navy.  By the late 70s, downtown Bixby was declining. It was too easy to go to Tulsa.  The automobile made it unnecessary for the newer, denser (small lots compared to ours) additions to have corner stores.  The strip malls at the major intersections were enough. We knew when we moved here that a car would be necessary. 

There are people in our neighborhood walking dogs, riding bicycles etc. Probably not as many as you saw just due to the lower density or our area.  We don't have sidewalks so activities are literally on the street. It doesn't matter much though since there is little traffic.  Not too many car horns either, thankfully. We have lots of birds and squirrels.  I wish there were a few less squirrels in tomato season.  There are also some rabbit families.  I had to put rabbit fencing around my veggie garden.  There are some black snakes.  (To me every snake is a dreaded copper-water-rattler.)  There are some turtles and lots of noisy frogs.  I saw a few lightning bugs/fireflys the other night.  There are some pet ducks and a goose that live nearby.  They wander around the area and everyone makes sure not to run over them with their cars.  My neighbor can turn up his stereo or play his guitar at about 100 dB (inside his house) and not bother me.  I don't even hear it unless I'm getting in my car to go to Tulsa.  Walmart is less than a mile away on the NW corner of 111th & Memorial.  I used to be able to see a lot more stars at night.  About the first 30 degrees of elevation from the north is mostly starless anymore due to light pollution.  Looking overhead and to the south is still OK.

Being near Tulsa has some advantages even for me.  I can get almost anything I need in one or two days from Dallas.  That took some getting used to compared to being able to get almost anything the same day in the Philadelphia, PA area.  I don't need to travel several hours to get to a major airport with scheduled airlines.  Despite the remark about getting things from Dallas, most of what I want is available in Tulsa for a short car drive. 

Bixby is certainly not what you want from life, at least now.  I assume you will continue your education after high school.  If at all possible try to live on (or near) campus, even if you go to TU where you could commute.  You will probably like it.  I did when I went to college.  The one thing that bugs me about many of your posts  is what I perceive is an attitude that places like Bixby should not exist.  Some of us like things a bit more relaxed.

[Hoss]

"Go to Tulsa".   It's a bit ironic on a forum about Tulsa but Tulsa is partly the cause of "NOTHING" in Bixby.  Downtown Bixby still existed in the early 70s when we moved her from a land even farther away.  We live in the addition south of 111th and east of Memorial, about 1 acre lots.  In the early 70s, our section of Bixby was held in the same regard many on this forum have for southeast Tulsa in general.  We didn't even have a fire station north of the river for many years.  I think the population was about 5000 or so.  Getting back on topic, it was just as easy to go to Tulsa as "South" Bixby for us.  We did go to Bixby for some things.  I had an account at the Citizens Security Bank of Bixby which was downtown.  Doc Daily was still in practice then. The Post Office in Bixby was the closest one to us.  Several car parts stores offered better prices than some in Tulsa.  Groceries were a different story.  Bud's Thriftywise had a somewhat captive audience and priced things accordingly.  We did most of our grocery shopping in Tulsa.  I can't speak to the entertainment options as I went back east to finish my senior year of college followed by 4 years in the Navy.  By the late 70s, downtown Bixby was declining. It was too easy to go to Tulsa.  The automobile made it unnecessary for the newer, denser (small lots compared to ours) additions to have corner stores.  The strip malls at the major intersections were enough. We knew when we moved here that a car would be necessary. 

There are people in our neighborhood walking dogs, riding bicycles etc. Probably not as many as you saw just due to the lower density or our area.  We don't have sidewalks so activities are literally on the street. It doesn't matter much though since there is little traffic.  Not too many car horns either, thankfully. We have lots of birds and squirrels.  I wish there were a few less squirrels in tomato season.  There are also some rabbit families.  I had to put rabbit fencing around my veggie garden.  There are some black snakes.  (To me every snake is a dreaded copper-water-rattler.)  There are some turtles and lots of noisy frogs.  I saw a few lightning bugs/fireflys the other night.  There are some pet ducks and a goose that live nearby.  They wander around the area and everyone makes sure not to run over them with their cars.  My neighbor can turn up his stereo or play his guitar at about 100 dB (inside his house) and not bother me.  I don't even hear it unless I'm getting in my car to go to Tulsa.  Walmart is less than a mile away on the NW corner of 111th & Memorial.  I used to be able to see a lot more stars at night.  About the first 30 degrees of elevation from the north is mostly starless anymore due to light pollution.  Looking overhead and to the south is still OK.

Being near Tulsa has some advantages even for me.  I can get almost anything I need in one or two days from Dallas.  That took some getting used to compared to being able to get almost anything the same day in the Philadelphia, PA area.  I don't need to travel several hours to get to a major airport with scheduled airlines.  Despite the remark about getting things from Dallas, most of what I want is available in Tulsa for a short car drive. 

Bixby is certainly not what you want from life, at least now.  I assume you will continue your education after high school.  If at all possible try to live on (or near) campus, even if you go to TU where you could commute.  You will probably like it.  I did when I went to college.  The one thing that bugs me about many of your posts  is what I perceive is an attitude that places like Bixby should not exist.  Some of us like things a bit more relaxed.

But, conversely Red, there are some Bixby residents who thumb their noses at anyone who would admit to living in 'the City'.  Bixby (and her neighboring suburbs) wouldn't exist without Tulsa.  Tulsa, on the other hand, would likely exist without Bixby.  Not in the same fashion, but it would.

Many Jenks AND BA residents have this attitude to the 20th power.  Bixbians (or Bixbyites or whatever you guys like being called) not so much because most of you realize that Bixby starts pretty much south of the Creek.  But there are some...

[ZYX]

The neighborhood you live in is beautiful, and has a lot of character. It reminds me of midtown, and my family has considered buying a house in there and renovating it. It's not that I don't think Bixby shouldn't exist, it's that there is not much to do. I love riding my bike and running. The trails in Bixby don't go very far, and that is one thing that makes me less appreciative of it to say Tulsa or Jenks.

I think the reason downtown Bixby has failed, is not it's proximity to Tulsa, but rather that memorial is our main street. Everybody completely bypasses downtown. And I really don't think there is much of a way to fix that. I'm very dissapointed in the way Bixby has grown. It has lost almost all of it's character to cheesey development. When neighborhoods are built, the developers demolish every tree, and plant a single new one in every yard. Bixby is just not really designed to be an interesting area, which is why I don't like it. I have no desire to live in a city where there is no reguard for keeping the original character or history of the city.

If citizens here would support stores and restaurants other than national chains Bixby would be much more appealing to me. I enjoy going to the few that we have left and wish we could bring in more. To sum it all up, I don't like Bixby because it has gone from an interesting small town, to a city without an identity. Bixby needs an identity to be appealing to me.

[patric]

I used to be able to see a lot more stars at night.  About the first 30 degrees of elevation from the north is mostly starless anymore due to light pollution.

Actually, there is a way to have BOTH a vibrant urban nightlife and a star-filled sky.  We just need to outgrow some bad habits.

[SXSW]

The neighborhood you live in is beautiful, and has a lot of character. It reminds me of midtown, and my family has considered buying a house in there and renovating it. It's not that I don't think Bixby shouldn't exist, it's that there is not much to do. I love riding my bike and running. The trails in Bixby don't go very far, and that is one thing that makes me less appreciative of it to say Tulsa or Jenks.

I think the reason downtown Bixby has failed, is not it's proximity to Tulsa, but rather that memorial is our main street. Everybody completely bypasses downtown. And I really don't think there is much of a way to fix that. I'm very dissapointed in the way Bixby has grown. It has lost almost all of it's character to cheesey development. When neighborhoods are built, the developers demolish every tree, and plant a single new one in every yard. Bixby is just not really designed to be an interesting area, which is why I don't like it. I have no desire to live in a city where there is no reguard for keeping the original character or history of the city.

If citizens here would support stores and restaurants other than national chains Bixby would be much more appealing to me. I enjoy going to the few that we have left and wish we could bring in more. To sum it all up, I don't like Bixby because it has gone from an interesting small town, to a city without an identity. Bixby needs an identity to be appealing to me.

Bixby would be more appealing if when you crossed the bridge you were in downtown along Memorial, like how when you cross into Jenks you are within a few block of the historic downtown area.  It also would be better if the east bank trail that currently stops at the Jenks bridge continued south all the way to the riverside park on the north bank in Bixby.  That way you could bike from there all the way to midtown/downtown without ever crossing a street.  I do think that will happen someday, and Jenks will be connected to Turkey Mountain by river trails on the west bank.

And I agree with you about midtown.  It's a vibrant place where you can walk to tons of unique shops and restaurants of all kinds, and through fantastic older neighborhoods.  I am in the middle between Brookside, Cherry Street, Utica Square and the river and I wouldn't want to live anywhere else in the Tulsa area.

[Red Arrow]

But, conversely Red, there are some Bixby residents who thumb their noses at anyone who would admit to living in 'the City'.

Many Jenks AND BA residents have this attitude to the 20th power. 

I agree with your statement.  I am not one of them though.

[Red Arrow]

Actually, there is a way to have BOTH a vibrant urban nightlife and a star-filled sky.  We just need to outgrow some bad habits.

I'm not sure about star-filled but it could certainly be a lot better.

[Red Arrow]

... it's that there is not much to do.

Depending on what you want to do, I agree.  We have some parks that didn't exist in 1971.  There have been community improvements but obviously not the ones you would prefer.   I would like to see the trails in Bixby connect to the ones from Jenks and Tulsa too.  I don't ride but it would be a nice thing to have.

I think the reason downtown Bixby has failed, is not it's proximity to Tulsa, but rather that memorial is our main street. Everybody completely bypasses downtown. And I really don't think there is much of a way to fix that. I'm very dissapointed in the way Bixby has grown. It has lost almost all of it's character to cheesey development. When neighborhoods are built, the developers demolish every tree, and plant a single new one in every yard. Bixby is just not really designed to be an interesting area, which is why I don't like it. I have no desire to live in a city where there is no reguard for keeping the original character or history of the city.

I think the proximity to Tulsa is a factor, certainly not the only one.  I am most disappointed in the housing developments you are talking about.  If you want to live with your house 5 feet from your neighbor, you are not really a suburbanite.  Find a place in the city and be the urbanite you want to be.  (You being the generic here, not ZYX personally.)  Before the Banana Bridge was built, there was a bridge that crossed at Mingo on the north side of the river and went across ending a bit west of Mingo on the south side.  There were still some visible pilings in the early 70s but I think they are gone now.  I have tried to find some history but it is difficult to locate. There used to be a bunch of small business along Memorial, south of 151st. There used to be both a Chevy and Ford new car dealership there.  I think Joe Marina used cars is where Ramsey Chevrolet used to be.  I think the Ford place was right at 151st.

If citizens here would support stores and restaurants other than national chains Bixby would be much more appealing to me. I enjoy going to the few that we have left and wish we could bring in more. To sum it all up, I don't like Bixby because it has gone from an interesting small town, to a city without an identity. Bixby needs an identity to be appealing to me.

Supporting national chains is not only a Bixby problem.  Actually we didn't even support the Santa Fe Steak house at 121st and Memorial.  I won't argue that Bixby isn't interesting for someone like you.  It has gone from a farming community to a bedroom community.  I can understand why you wouldn't want to live here, it's not for everyone. 

[Red Arrow]

Bixby (and her neighboring suburbs) wouldn't exist without Tulsa.  Bixby starts pretty much south of the Creek. 

The west side of Memorial north of 111th is Tulsa. (Tulsa gets Walmart sales tax, Lowes pays to Bixby.) I think west of Sheridan north of the river is also Tulsa.  Bixby claims the east side of Memorial south of 101st.  I'm not sure where BA starts.  Your statement is essentially correct though.


I think Bixby could exist without Tulsa but it would be a small farming community rather than a big bedroom community.  At least for a while, there was a national market for Bixby produce.

http://www.conradfarmsmarket.com/History.html

It was in 1942 that Chester bought the land from Holt Malcolm on which Conrad Farms currently resides. During the early 1940's, he would take his produce to the Farmer's market in Tulsa. Eugene Conrad tells of the times that he would convince his dad to allow him to go with him to the market. Vendors would back their trucks into the stalls and sell their goods straight out of the truck beds. Eugene says that he always looked forward to the ice cream cart that would come down the middle of the stalls. Shortly after these times, Chester begin to sell primarily to chain wholesale companies, such as Safeway, Shculler Fruit, Nash Finch and Tulsa Fruit Co. Then in the early 1950's, Chester starting icing and shipping corn to surrounding towns and then eventually nationwide to places like Long Island, NY, Des Moines, IA, Cinncinati, OH, and Salt Lake City, UT. They shipped everything from cabbage and cucumbers to radishes and watermelons.

[dbacks fan]

   Other thing I noticed,,,, after our night of clubbing some wanted to do the requisite "lets go to Ihop", so we all piled in our cars and trekked way out to 71st and Lewis.  2:30 in the morning and it was packed too, likely from others who had to go all the way from downtown and midtown.  Would someone tell Ihop to build something downtown or in midtown lol.  I would say please have some local person do a non-chain diner type environment, but this might be an instance where a chain trumps a local deal unless its done just right and becomes well enough known.

Here is the place downtown needs. I have been to the one at Beverly and Laurel in LA and the food is good, and they do have a health concious menu as well. I was actually staying in the Beverly Laurel and it was great to have this place as a restaurant as part of the building. This one is open 6:30 am to 4:00 am daily.

http://www.swingersdiner.com/

[ZYX]

Red Arrow:

You can still see the pillars of the collapsed bridge if you look closely. The best view is at the end of the trail that goes down by the park where there is also a plaque, but you can see them from the bridge if you look closely.