Michael Overall: Tulsa isn't so jealous of OKC anymore
Posted: Monday, June 2, 2014 12:00 am | Updated: 9:57 am, Mon Jun 2, 2014.
By Michael Overall World Staff Writer
While we never liked to admit it, Tulsa used to be a little jealous of Oklahoma City and the way it actually had a downtown.
Technically, of course, we had one, too. But it was just kind of sitting here collecting dust. And Tulsans who didn’t have to work downtown weren’t entirely sure where it was.
Meanwhile, downtown Oklahoma City had Bricktown, a ballpark, the Myriad Gardens and real live human beings walking around, even after dark.
Like any good rivalry, one team’s success pushed the other side to get better. And downtown Tulsa probably wouldn’t be what it is now if downtown Oklahoma City hadn’t been what it was 10 or 15 years ago.
Now, however, I think we can stop taking our inspiration from the other end of the Turner Turnpike.
In recent years, while we’ve been reinvigorating and beautifying our downtown with the BOK Center, the Guthrie Green and ONEOK Field, Oklahoma City has been making a few changes to its downtown, too.
First came that glorified ditch in Bricktown, where tourists are supposed to be impressed by a boat ride that takes them a block and a half.
It was the most ridiculous thing in town until a giant, metal chicken claw showed up near a pedestrian bridge, dangling precariously over the eastbound lanes of Interstate 40.
I’m not sure exactly what it is, but one theory is that a tornado blew over a cellphone tower. And instead of cleaning it up, officials decided to call it “public art.”
But that’s not even the ugliest part of downtown Oklahoma City anymore. The skyline is dominated — no, not just dominated; overwhelmed — by the 844-foot Devon Tower.
An eyesore for miles around, it’s the prairie’s most conspicuous display of overcompensation, making every other building look like it came from a toy train set.
Some people in Tulsa would like to see a new skyscraper replace the vast parking lots that stretch across the south side of downtown. But honestly, if the new structure is going to look like Mordor, I’d rather keep the parking crater.
At least you can’t see it from the suburbs.
My family spent Memorial Day weekend in Oklahoma City, where we took advantage of the fine dining, world-class museums and, most importantly, the outlet mall.
Michael Overall 918-581-8383
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