Oklahoma- first week report
 

I grew up here and am busy exploring Oklahoma as a tourist now. Of course it was cold upon arrival and is now too hot to enjoy a day outside.

We've hit Taco Bueno and Sonic more times than I care to count. I have yet to try the fried pickles this trip. Of course you have to love the corn dogs, frito pies, and Strawberry Limeades. When I was growing up Vanilla Dr. Peppers were the favorite drink.

I mentioned earlier that Texas Roadhouse on I-240 and Chileno's in Norman were great places to eat with a child.

Today we saw the Clydesdale horses at the Express Ranch in Yukon. The owner has the biggest house I have ever seen. The horses were cool. The people were rude. And there was nothing to do other than take photos of the horses in the stalls. You think they would have pony rides or something to get you excited about being there. Even the gift shop was shabby.

Then we went to the Stockyards or Cowtown. It looked like most main streets in small towns. I did buy $40 pink leather, silver tipped boots for my 3 year old at Western Outlet. If we shopped around I may have found cheaper. I could smell onions in there air, but am not much of a steak gal.

Then we went to the Paseo Arts District. Most of the art studios aren't open each day. We did find a man making carosel horses. We found a quaint eatery called Galileo Bar and Grill. The menu sounded very appealing. The food was a bit of a letdown. Everything did taste over-grilled. I had hummus which wasn't very good. Over-grilled pita. And a Greek salad, but they forgot the olives. I will give them another chance because they have poetry on Weds nights.

Of course I've hit Penn Square Mall which now has a Pottery Barn Kids and also BabiesRUs. Victoria's Secret is having an awesome sale now too.

We have more plans museum plans for the rest of the week.

Wanted to add that the Paseo district has activities for kids each month. www.thepaseo.com

We were disappointed to discover that the Omniplex has the same equipment from 20 years ago. Someone needs to help that place out. It was fine for my three year old. I'm glad we got in free with a pass from a friend who works at Hitachi. The Omnidome Explorer movie was very good. The Titanic Exhibit proved too frightening for my daughter because of the dark and creaking boat noises. They went to great efforts to make it feel like you were onboard the boat. The ice that you could touch to feel the cold of the water was impressive. I was surprised there weren't more artifacts. To truly get the most out of it we needed to stop and read it all which we couldn't do with a small child. I believe they have a website so I can just order the books. Again I was glad we only paid $8 instead of the full $16.50 It was also hard to walk through the giftshop without a purchase of real Titanic china etc. The giftshop seemed to be the climax of the show.

My great-grandfather was supposed to be onboard the Titanic, however he was 10 minutes late.

Glad to hear from your stay, Islandmom! Dining is a matter of choice, and there are number of great local chains and fast food joints that Oklahomans uniquely enjoy. Braum's is your old fashioned drug store and soda fountain, where you can enjoy creamy and cold ice creams and sundaes. They feature a grocery that sells items such as cookies, ice cream pies, breads, milk/juice, eggs, and of course, dozens of flavors of ice cream. Many consider their freshly made burgers and fries to be the best in OK. Jimmy's Egg is another chain that serves up terrific breakfasts and lunches, and is famous for their omelettes. City Bites is your wacky pop art sandwich shop, with terrific hot, cold, and healthy subs. Java Dave's coffeeshops are perfect places to dish with friends. And you've hit OKC's rising star, Sonic, which is doing for drive-ins in America what McDonald's did for quick service restaurants. All these are scattered throughout OKC and child-friendly.

Stockyards City is indeed a Main Street district. Let's face it, the reason we go to small towns is for the distinctive offerings of their downtown businesses. That is what the state's Main Street program seeks to promote, and Stockyards City is a member. And unlike other Stockyards City districts, this one is an actual operating cattle market (check the place out on Monday mornings), whereas others are for show.

The Paseo Arts District is OKC's diamond in the rough. The Spanish village is nestled inconspicuously in a city neighborhood, and features artists of different themes and media -- southwestern, photography, clay, etc. Other businesses of note are Craig's Curious Emporium, a mystical gift shop, Cafe Bargoos, an intimate Malaysian restaurant, and Kathy's on the Paseo, a store of women's fashions. Check out Tom Lee's studio, a relocated steepled church.

If you want to go horseback riding, you should head to Thunderbird Stables in Norman.

I just wondered what germs you may have picked up at the nasty stockyards?

When you have the real thing, you have the real thing. Still, there are no public health worries. Did I mention Stockyards City also markets pork (Woo Pig Sooooie!)? The place is a fave with local butchers.

This week we went to Iguana Lounge which was a funky place. I'm wondering if they have MSG in the food from a reaction I had that night. Maybe it was just the stress of the day catching up.

Our next spot to hit is Bricktown and the carriage rides.

I'll agree that the Titanic exhibit is awesome, but it is not child-friendly. I saw it in Dallas a couple of years ago, and was very impressed.

If you really want to see nice Clydesdales in a more family-friendly setting, go to any one of the Busch Gardens parks, or to Grant's Farm in MO. Most working horse farms are just that, and pony rides, etc. are usually not part of their business. It is rare for them to take the horses out of the stalls, especially when there are small children around, due to insurance liability. If your family likes horses, they would enjoy the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

islandmom, I was also disapointed in the Titanic exhibit when I saw it a few years ago in KC. Not near enough artifacts. They tried to stretch what they had, but for me it didn't work.

I got to attend as part of a party thrown by Time Warner, but wouldn't have been happy if I had paid and gone through the hasstle of getting a reservation to go through at a specific time.

eith

The operators of Iguana Lounge would never use MSG; they are known for using the freshest ingredients. The owner operates his own farm in Shawnee. With our proximity to Mexico and skyward growth in the Latino population, OKC's authentic Mexican and Tex-Mex offerings have been growing. Another terrific option is the Adobe Grill in Moore. Some great OKC-based chains are Nino's and Cocina de Mino, in addition to the ubiquitous Chelino's restaurants.

Adobe grill is a new name. I'll have to check it out.

Today we went to the Little River Zoo. It's somewhere above 100 degrees today and we went at 1pm. We had to wander all around yelling "hello" because there wasn't a person in site. This was a problem for everyone when they arrived. You had to track someone down, they paged someone else who would take your money, then they paged someone to meet you up with the tour. The tour was long and informative. Small zoo with rescued animals. They offer a zookeeper program for ages 6 and up. And a anti-violence program.

Oklahoma has many enjoyable experiences that the islands don't have. We had a cottontail in the backyard. We catch lighting bugs at night and go on turtle hunts during the day. And there are beautiful fields of wildflowers for photos.

I should add that the Little River Zoo had misting water around the trail to refresh us. We saw a bearcat for the first time too. Mostly they have monkeys and petting animals. A couple of big bears and other normal zoo items.

Today we need Tums! We tried Goldie's for the famous burgers. I found it like an old dirty diner. And don't get me started on adults who smoke while their children are eating in between them in a cloud of smoke! The burgers are over-rated. The beans and fries were yummy! Good waithelp and friendly.

Other new finds for us island folk were squirrels running aross phone wires and counting train cars.

We're having a little contest and so far 86 cars on a train is the most.

For those of you who take Fodor's forums seriously, there's a funky mix of things to do in Oklahoma City. Put away your preconceived notions, free your mind, and find out first hand how interesting and fun a trip to Oklahoma City can be:

*Enterprise Square, USA - A quirky audiovisual museum that educates students of all ages on the principles of capitalism, only in a much more fun way than any economics prof could. Meet industrial giants, learn about various careers, find about the dollar from George Washington himself, play business-related video games, and more..

*National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum - One of the of country's classiest showcases of its finest Western art (including works by Frederic Remington). Cowboy portraits, a replicated western town, Native American pieces, the powerful End of the Trail statue, and more can be found atop Persimmon Hill.

*Bricktown - OKC's early 20th century warehouse center is now a dining and entertainment district, hosting restaurants, clubs, shops, and attractions. You can do it all: baseball in one of the finest minor league ballparks in the country, to VR games. Indoor climbing to water taxi floats. Carriage rides to jumping fountains. Cuisine? Asian Indian, Italian, Mexican, cajun/creole, sushi, and southwestern. Coffee, deli sandwiches, pizza, burgers, and ice cream. Sports bars and tributes to Mickey Mantle in the form of a classy steakhouse and statue. Native American collectibles, OU/OSU memorabilia, and other gifts. Nightlife? Jazz, blues, techno, salsa, a modernist art bar, seven-club complex, and more. Next year, a Bass Pro Shop and Harkins 16-screen theater will join the fun. In a few years, the heroic-size land run monument will commemorate one of the most dramatic events in American history.

*Myriad Botanical Gardens - Lush flora and some fauna, indoor and out. In what other place can you experience the climates of the desert and the tropics within a few hundred feet? In downtown Oklahoma City.

*OKC National Memorial - A poignant memorial and museum, designed by the same firm that formed the award-winning U.S. Holocaust Museum. The adjacent Catholic and Methodist churches have their own sanctuaries in addition. A new federal campus is taking shape next door.

*Oklahoma City Zoo - One of the nation's best, and the oldest in the Southwest. The GreatEscApe exhibit, featuring primates, is particularly fascinating.

*Remington Park - Even if you don't bet, the races at this track are simply thrilling in themselves.

*Lake Hefner - Locals use it to sail, bike, rollerblade, fly a kite, or jog. But they also go there to dine at one of three great restaurants; a seafood eatery, an upscale establishment popular with the after-work crowd, and a caribbean-themed restaurant; go there just before sundown, and you'll see a sunset unlike any other in OKC.

*State Capitol - Recently topped off with a dome, this neoclassical beauty has been given a facelift inside and out, and on the oil derric plaza. The Governor's Mansion and (soon) Oklahoma History Museum accompany it. Heading up north on Lincoln from downtown or I-40/I-35, you can see on the way the cradle of the city's emerging economies: biotech and health care. Heading south from I-44 on Lincoln, you can see the Lincoln Renaissance project underway.

Omniplex - A planetarium. Science musueum. Native American artifacts. IMAX-type theatre. Photography hall of fame. All at this "Amusement Park for the Mind".

Oklahoma City Art Museum - Andy Warhol pop art and an Alexander Calder mobile call this home, as do Asian Art, European Art from the 17th to 19th centuries, and American and European portraits. The largest Dale Chihuly sculpture in the world welcomes you. Go there Thursday nights for the socials and Friday nights and weekends for the foreign/arthouse/classic/local films. The heart of OKC's arts district downtown.

Little Saigon - OKC's own Chinatown, on the corner of Classen and NW 23rd. Great Vietnamese, Chinese, and Thai dining can be found here, as well as two wonderful Asian markets. Grand House and Sala Thai are the stars of this vibrant inner city district.

Blazers Hockey at the Ford Center - Hockey in Oklahoma? You bet. Oklahoma-style madness can be found at these games, arguably the most successful minor league operation in the country.

Civic Center Music Hall and Stage Center- Topnotch concerts, speeches, touring Broadway productions, local theatre, dance, choral music and OKC's Philharmonic can be found in the former, an Art Deco shrine. More independent theatre can found in the latter, a building so off-the-wall it was featured in Architecture magazine. Both are in the downtown arts district.

Besides the aforementioned western Stockyards City and Paseo Arts District, there are two other places of note: OKC's trendy and independent N. Western district, where you can find its finest local restaurants, shops, and bars -- and Capitol Hill, the Commerce street strip featuring Hispanic restaurants, bakeries, and OKC's Spanish language radio station.

Finally, OKC is working on its seven-mile river park on the N. Canadian river. The key attraction will be a Smithsonian-affiliated Native American Cultural Center, but you'll also be able to jog, bike, or rollerblade on its trails, participate in casual or competitive rowing, skate in an extreme-style skate park, fish, and take longer water-taxi rides. You'll most likely be able to do more -- live, dine, and shop on the river as well.

As one who likes to take in the culture and the best of the places I travel to, I encourage you all to free your mind and experience what Oklahoma City has to intrigue and entertain you...

Thanks, we went to the Asian market for items to make mochi. We also found fresh Lychee.

This is my fifth week now.

We enjoyed the OKC zoo eventhough it is still in the 100's here. It's almost as nice as San Diego Zoo. We even entered the contest to name the new grizzly bears which lost their momma in Alaska. We were sorry to hear they don't have dolphins anymore because they kept dying. They had a nice stroller to rent for $4. We got in free with my friend's pass. Thank goodness there was mist and drinks available- $2. The carosel ride was $1, but worth it to see my daughter happy to ride a wood elephant. We enjoyed the train ride which was $2. It saved much walking. Next year is their 100th anniversary so they are building and planning for a grand show. For $9 my daughter bought a disposible camera which kept her busy all day. I can't wait to see the zoo from her perspective.

I'm reading the paper now about Sorghum sold in Wewoka. 405-257-5580 There is also a festival. The Seminole Nation Museum is involved with it all.

And about gourmet food - www.mariaraes.com

This weekend is Bricktown's raggae festival.

Today I went to the Myriad Gardens Crystal Bridge to take wedding invitation photos for friends. It's a great spot for photos with beautiful flowers and small falls. I had a hard time paying $5 for a small garden of plants that surround my home in Hawaii. Other than that it was very nice with a nice gift shop.

Hey Islandmom,
Have you thought about visiting the campus of OU? It's in Norman, not far from the city at all. Their natural museum of history is pretty cool. It's new, and the building is interesting architecturally. Plus, they have dinosaurs, which is a big thing with my gang. The campus itself is beautiful. And the gift shop(bookstore) has lots of little things for the kids.

I think we will visit the campus - we're a third generation OU family. My grandparents and parents met there. I hope to check out La Luna too.

Thanks for your reports, islandmom. We live about 3 hours from Oklahoma City, and we go there for a weekend about once a year. We find a lot to do there. I think OKC is very underrated!

Starting my 6th week! LOL!

Today we went to United Design in Nobel. They make stone material gifts. They used to make them onsite. Now they are made in China. I'm sure you have seen their knick knacks or frame-ology frames. Their gift shop is pretty including a garden and fish pond. They even gave my daughter fish food to feed them. We bought her a small horse figurine on sale for $2.

Lunch was at La Luna on Campus Corner which I read in the Gazette is nominated for many "best" awards. I forgot we went there last year. If it wasn't so hot we could have sat in the fountain garden area. The food was fresh and excellent, service excellent and fast. The decor is artsy.

Down the street is a fun bath shop. I believe it is called Bath Fanatic. You mix your own bath products with the scent of your choice. Of course my daughter needed a rubber duckie inside soap.

Dobson's built a new health food store which opened this month on NW 36th and Robsinson. I was able to find items we could find here before.

And three cheers for the Motophoto portrait studio on 36th. They give me free doubles and free film with excellent quality developing!

My friends invited me to a spot downtown OKC that serves drinks on the roof with a view.

And my daughter wants to add that she is thrilled that there are rolly-polies, blue-jays and snakes which we don't have at home.