This Forum is Depressing

[Townsend]

Not sure if it's the limited contributors.

Is it that Oklahoma and Tulsa have gotten so bad that there is no longer anything fun or exciting to post about anymore?

I was gone for a week or so and came back to a bunch of blah.

It's difficult to post about anything as it appears that our last big chance to upgrade Tulsa went to the police fund.

I'm hopeful something happens soon that is positive for Tulsa.

[erfalf]

Not that this forum is any indication, but it even appears Bartlesville is in a bit of a development funk too. At least in regards to downtown development. The Big Box thing seems to be working out just fine...for now.

[sgrizzle]

I hear we're getting an REI and Broken Arrow is getting a Dunkin Donuts.

Oh, and the line at Hurt's finally settled down.

[TheArtist]

There does seem to be a general malaise in the air.  We do have some hopeful big things in the works, but it's still going to take a little more time.  The Gathering  Place will definitely be wonderful (its basically going to be like something out of Disney World), new Gilcrease Museum, more route 66 stuff, etc.  If Santa Fe square and a few other developments get built that will anchor in downtown.

But, what then? What is the hoped for outcome and how do we capitalize on these things?  

Will we be able to pull in more economic and population growth?  Having all the nicest things in the world without getting any economic and population growth would be a terrible outcome.

I think the next phase isn't going to be so much about getting or building more "stuff", but promoting what we have and capitalizing on it. We will need to really promote Tulsa, talk it up, get the people to come see what we have.  Bring in those tourism dollars, get companies excited about coming here because of the energy and amenities we offer. That will then help spur the next wave of development.  

Tulsa is in a transition phase and in 5 years or so you will begin to see a very different city.  We won't be getting excited about seeing "another building fill in or get built" but will be more interested in "wow we had a record number of flights into the city for people visiting"  "Tulsa was mentioned in the news or pop culture because of what its known for and whats happening here" "another company announced its moving here".  That could happen if we play our cards in that direction and I think there are people in town that understand that we have to create a city thats a place people will enjoy visiting (and would then consider living and working in), that the future is more about creating and selling experiences rather than just making and selling things.  

Route 66 & Art Deco, Gilcrease and our other Museums, a solid downtown and lively urban scene, River parks and the Gathering Place.  Those can really be great "experience" anchors for us to promote and build on.

[RecycleMichael]

I want to complain that there ain't nothing worth complaining about.

[Red Arrow]

I want to complain that there ain't nothing worth complaining about.

Certainly you can find something.

(Notice I didn't call you Shirley.  )

[Conan71]

Sounds like all of you could use a week off to hit the re-set button.  I know of just a place...

[Bamboo World]

It's a matter of perspective, I suppose.

To me, it seems as though there are many things going on in Tulsa and being discussed here.

[erfalf]

Sounds like all of you could use a week off to hit the re-set button.  I know of just a place...

I mentioned your place to the wife and the first thing she thought of was a show she used to watch all the time (Gilmore Girls) that the main character owned an Inn called the Dragonfly. No plans for New Mexico in the near future though. Maybe in our twilight years if your still plugging away, we'll have to make a drive out west. I honestly have never been beyond Woodland Park, Colorado in terms of westward travel. Pretty sad I know.

[cannon_fodder]

Shenanigans.  Find positive, interesting, new or old things and post about them!  Users add life to forums. If we continuously post about the same thing, it gets old and depressing.  If we continuously complain instead of using constructive criticism, it gets old even faster. 

Things are happening.  I'd say about as much as has ever happened, this is all from memory but much of it has been discussed in here:

- Docs Wine and Food on Peoria just announced
- New condos being built in the Central Park neighborhood
- 2 new breweries around the downtown area, in addition to the existing Prairie Brew Pub, Marshalls, Dead Armadillo, the one across from the ball park (sorry, cant think of the nane atm), and Renaissance
- Santa Fe Square is coming - that's huge by itself
- Box Yard just opened, nearly fully occupied and should really be filled with life in the spring
- The new hotel near the ballpark should break ground soon according to the last report (Holiday Inn?)
- The Hanson brothers project
- The parking garage on Main and Cameron
- The OK Pop Museum
- Two new hotels currently under construction near the BOK Center
- The YMCA lofts
- The posible development diaganol from City Hall...which would be huge by itself
- The Enterprise Building is heading towards wrap up
- The renovation of the Tulsa Club
- The apartments across from the ballpark
- The new development next to Hey Mambo whose design was recently discussed on here
- Ross Group just won the right to develop across from the ball park
- The new BMX HQ
- A developer just bought the entire Nordam site and hasn't announced plans...which could be huge by itself

That's not even mentioning Gilcrease, work at Turkey Mountain, or other vision projects.

Things are happening. Go forth and start threads on them!

[Conan71]

Some of what Townsend says is reality, but it is mostly all perspective.  I think Southies live in big box hell so that's all they notice, move back to mid or downtown Townsend.  

There is a lot of positive local development in Tulsa to be happy about.  Tulsa has a really good, visionary mayor.  I know he's lost some of you over the REI struggle.  It has been pointed out time and again he was handed a legal sh1tburger and he made a good attempt at a compromise.  He presented it, encouraged public input, and left it to the Council to vote on it.  If you are really upset about that passing, it was the council, not the mayor who gave approval to the project so remember that at election time.  I also like that GT is still a regular guy who still pops up on Facebook and comments on people's posts.  (Interestingly enough, his grandfather either still is or used to be on the board of Philmont Scout Ranch which is four miles from us).

I specifically recall MC and I were out Christmas shopping, we made a few stops on Cherry St., stopped in at Decopolis, then went to the grand opening of the box yard.  We were somewhat lamenting our timing for leaving Tulsa as so many neat things have come to fruition in the last few years and many more are to come.

We definitely left behind many conveniences moving to a place with less than 1000 residents in the village proper, but I can't say that sucks.  Being surrounded by mountains has a calming effect on the spirit, that's worth the trade off to me.  You just have to plan ahead a bit when you make a provisioning trip or use the interwebz.  I was worn down from years of commuting and always being on a schedule.  I probably felt some malaise just from being in the same groove day after day.

Something I've tapped into which I believe dampens the mood is how local news prioritizes their coverage.  They always lead with murder, muggings, and robbery.  This has always been the case in Tulsa and I've been looking forward to moving to a place for years where the worst crimes are petty vandalism or the occasional public drunk and that is even a rare occurrence.  

We've tuned into the news from Albuquerque the last couple of nights and I was instantly reminded of how poorly leading with crime news makes a city look to its citizens and visitors.  Last night the lead story was about an out of towner who had flown into ABQ for some golf and he was robbed at gun point in the airport parking lot.  Does that reflect well on a city when that is the lead story?  It makes it sound as if that is the tempo for a city.  

There are many good things to celebrate about Tulsa, it's all in how you prioritize in what you see about the city.

[Townsend]

Some of what Townsend says is reality, but it is mostly all perspective.  I think Southies live in big box hell so that's all they notice, move back to mid or downtown Townsend.  

Can't - schools.  I've seen and read what my friends are going through with TPS...pass.

As far as the positive things being talked about?  Super...I was talking about the forum.

It used to be a fun place to stop and read.  It doesn't seem that way anymore...at least to me.

I remember more excitement on the development happening in Tulsa. 

Now it's "this is getting built, but here's a few reasons it, Tulsa, the state of  Oklahoma and the country suck...oh and here's 23 posts on three threads about the police."

I get it...We have a horrible state government and our education system is still sinking.

We used to be able to say "Well, at least we're not Alabama, Mississippi or West Virginia."  But now they can say "at least we're not Oklahoma."

AND we're landlocked so we doubly suck.

BOOM - depressing forum subjects are easier to produce

[Conan71]

Can't - schools.  I've seen and read what my friends are going through with TPS...pass.

As far as the positive things being talked about?  Super...I was talking about the forum.

It used to be a fun place to stop and read.  It doesn't seem that way anymore...at least to me.

I remember more excitement on the development happening in Tulsa. 

Now it's "this is getting built, but here's a few reasons it, Tulsa, the state of  Oklahoma and the country suck...oh and here's 23 posts on three threads about the police."

I get it...We have a horrible state government and our education system is still sinking.

We used to be able to say "Well, at least we're not Alabama, Mississippi or West Virginia."  But now they can say "at least we're not Oklahoma."

AND we're landlocked so we doubly suck.

BOOM - depressing forum subjects are easier to produce

Mid-town is in the Cascia Hall or BK district.  Undercroft Montessori is an amazing program.

[Tulsa Zephyr]

"The Oklahoma House has adopted a resolution that asks voters to return a Ten Commandments monument to the Oklahoma Capitol grounds" (KFOR-4)

On the plus side, our state legislator is just as good as it was before Ralph Shortey left...My wife and I have been thinking about moving to New Mexico since November...

I'm a Tulsa native and I can remember growing up in America's cleanest city, Oil Capitol of the World.  I am extremely proud of the development in recent years.  I remember what Greenwood and Archer were like in 1966 when I was in high school.  The Gathering Place will be breath-taking.  We can't wait for the Gilcrease expansion and Oklahoma Pop Museum, and we really enjoyed being downtown last Friday and Saturday to see all the visitors walking all over the place.  I think the malaise is due, in part, to what's going on in our state and national capitol...and I pay attention to what I watch so as to not get hopeless about it all...

[Breadburner]

Lol...Forums are dying as a platform....But you go ahead and blame Tulsa....