Tulsa Billionaire Becomes Thunder co-owner

[WTSooner]

So OKC is better than Tulsa b/c it has more restaurants DT than Tulsa?

lol

And you bashed me for pointing out where restaurants tend to open first?

Fine, OKC wins DT. Now how do they compete with with our casinos? With Utica Square (always packed)? With Cherry Street? With Brookside? With the 71st Street corridor? With the new construction out at 91st and Yale? With the Gathering Place, once it's built?

This crap about having to have anything and everything fun to do in a city crammed into downtown is just that.....crap. Dallas does just fine without having all of it's entertainment stuck downtown. DT Dallas is for tourist. The locals all go to scenes that are outside of DT Dallas.

 

[WTSooner]

Maybe I'm just easy to please, but I never have any trouble finding something to do on the weekend here in Tulsa. The bars were packed last night. Took me 20 minutes just to get into legends. The bars down the street were packed as well. Not sure where this notion that downtown is dead comes from.

Either people are lying about actually spending time in DT Tulsa (thus they don't really know), or they are simply having a difficult time admitting that things have changed.

Tulsa has never had a difficult time getting people downtown for night time activities. Their problem has always been that they simply didn't have much down there. But what was down there, always brought in nice crowds. Case in point, there were a handful of bars/dance clubs down there back in my younger years, 10-15 years ago. They were always crowded Thur-Sat nights. There just weren't very many of them. It doesn't surprise me at all that as DT Tulsa has added restaurants, bars, and other entertainment pieces, that more and more people are coming out to take part.

 

[Vinny78]

Either people are lying about actually spending time in DT Tulsa (thus they don't really know), or they are simply having a difficult time admitting that things have changed.

Tulsa has never had a difficult time getting people downtown for night time activities. Their problem has always been that they simply didn't have much down there. But what was down there, always brought in nice crowds. Case in point, there were a handful of bars/dance clubs down there back in my younger years, 10-15 years ago. They were always crowded Thur-Sat nights. There just weren't very many of them. It doesn't surprise me at all that as DT Tulsa has added restaurants, bars, and other entertainment pieces, that more and more people are coming out to take part.

Again, LITTLE BROTHER, lol. Open your eyes or just keep them shut, lol. We all know by now that you LOVE Tulsa and won't hear anything else. Fine, live in a bubble and don't admit reality. Again WT, why did the Tulsa leaders ask OKC leaders to Tulsa for advice on how to do what OKC did? And Tulsa still doesn't have much to do downtown, OKC has stuff for adults/kids/families the whole bunch - deal with it. I'm done lol.

 

[BoulderSooner]

To remotely think OKC is in the same stratosphere with Houston is even more laughable. Twice as many people attend the Houston rodeo as live in the entire OKC metro are including Norman.

Same goes for Dallas. Denver is not close to the same league as Houston or Dallas but it's even double OKC.

Tulsa & OKC are comparable. OKC has more population while Tulsa is more affluent and has a higher per capita income.

the houston rodeo has over 2.6 mil in attendence .. wow ..

 

[WTSooner]

Again WT, why did the Tulsa leaders ask OKC leaders to Tulsa for advice on how to do what OKC did?

1. I doubt they did in the context and timing that you said they did. You're a proven liar. Tough to believe anything you say at this point. lol. Benches. Bwahahahaha

2. Would it not be smart to ask a city that went thru a process before you, about said process? I'm sure OKC talked to other cities before they did their stuff. SA maybe. I'm sure SA asked somebody before they did their stuff. That just makes good sense.

 

[BoulderSooner]

You are missing the point. Tulsa isn't better than OKC because we get chain restaurants first. Tulsa gets chain restaurants first because it is "better" (or at least, higher on the pecking order). Don't worry, I'm sure NYC gets them before Oklahoma has even heard of them. And I don't know how far back you are going on your NYC used to not have any chain restaurants claim, but I visited about 20 years ago, any there were EVERYWHERE. Not that it matters. NYC is unique enough as an American city that there is nothing about a comparison of NYC to any midwestern city that makes any sense at all.

except that the fact that tulsa gets all the chain restaurants (or stores) first .. is old info and now simply not true ..

 

[hoopsaustin]

1. I doubt they did in the context and timing that you said they did. You're a proven liar. Tough to believe anything you say at this point. lol. Benches. Bwahahahaha

2. Would it not be smart to ask a city that went thru a process before you, about said process? I'm sure OKC talked to other cities before they did their stuff. SA maybe. I'm sure SA asked somebody before they did their stuff. That just makes good sense.

soooo butthurt.

 

[WTSooner]

except that the fact that tulsa gets all the chain restaurants (or stores) first .. is old info and now simply not true ..

Wrong. It's something I started following closely after moving back to Tulsa from Dallas. There were so many chains in Dallas that I loved, that hadn't make it to Oklahoma. And as I followed along, Tulsa got all of them before OKC.

The only chain OKC has that I wish Tulsa had was Saltgrass Steakhouse. That place is pretty darn good at a reasonable price.

 

[campbest]

Chain restaurants...haha.

What times does the varsity game tip?

 

[DenverSooner]

You mean their fake river (canal)?

#TeamTulsa

I mean the North Canadian. I consider the canal part of brick town. I am not some huge fan of OKC, I just think they have done a lot more to make their city better than Tulsa and they will continue to do it. Tulsa sat back and watched for 20+ years *****ing about OKC and doing nothing.

 

[WTSooner]

I mean the North Canadian. I consider the canal part of brick town. I am not some huge fan of OKC, I just think they have done a lot more to make their city better than Tulsa and they will continue to do it. Tulsa sat back and watched for 20+ years *****ing about OKC and doing nothing.

Wrong again. The ONLY place Tulsa fell behind was in DT development. That's it. OKC didn't do anything outside of DT that Tulsa either didn't do, or hadn't done before. OKC is more than just Bricktown, just like Tulsa is more than just DT. Tulsa has done TONS over the years, just most of it wasn't downtown until recently. Why does Tulsa not get credit for everything they've done outside of DT?

 

[campbest]

They're the same city.

 

[sperry]

Yeah the chain restaurant argument is one of the most embarrassing things I've ever heard.


Chain restaurants are a blight on a city, and a high percentage of them speaks horribly of the citizenry of that city and their taste in food. The fact that you think Tulsa's getting them at a two to one rate to OKC makes it superior pretty much destroys any credibility you might have had on the matter. A cultured citizenry would not support chain restaurants in high volume.

 

[WTSooner]

Yeah the chain restaurant argument is one of the most embarrassing things I've ever heard.


Chain restaurants are a blight on a city, and a high percentage of them speaks horribly of the citizenry of that city and their taste in food. The fact that you think Tulsa's getting them at a two to one rate to OKC makes it superior pretty much destroys any credibility you might have had on the matter. A cultured citizenry would not support chain restaurants in high volume.

lol

Even the most cultured of cities have TONS of chain restaurants. Haha.....NYC has a Red Lobster in Times frickin' Square. Red Lobster. A seafood restaurant that even Oklahomans look down on. In today's world, regardless of how you feel about them, chain restaurants are a big part of society.

Even Paris France has a LONG list of what they consider chain restaurants.

Next?

 

[cvangild]

Wow. This has been some excellent Monday morning entertainment. I grew up in BA and now live in Jenks, so I have been in Tulsa the whole 41 years of my life and wouldn't change it.

Growing up as a kid, I always thought of Tulsa being the better of the two. Not sure why that is...but I had to have picked up that perception from somewhere. I will admit that over the past 20 years or so, it seems like OKC has defintely worked harder than Tulsa on certain improvements, etc. Tulsa has had some improvements that have tried to get pasted,but got voted down becuase of too much fat in other areas of the propsals. I can honestly say that there are several Tulsans who are still bitter by the name of the Thunder being OKC instead of Oklahoma or whatever. Face it, it felt like a slap in the face to some Tulsans who felt somewhat left out. I could care less about any of that personally.

Here are some of my opinions:

Tulsa:
*More old money and higher per capita income. Have you ever driven through some of the areas around Utica Sq or South Tulsa/Jenks area?? Every city has nices areas but Tulsa is a city loaded with $$$.
*HS football is dominant here (in green country Name another area that can hold the jock straps of Jenks, Union, and BA??? When I was growing up Lawton was a football powerhouse, but NE Oklahoma has dominated the football landscape over the past 20 years.
*HS education - I don't follow this that closely but I would venture to say the suburban public school systems of Jenks, Union, BA, Owasso, etc. plus private schools like Holland Hall and Casia Hall are considered better. I would say the school systems for the actual towns of OKC suck just as much as Tulsa's
*Tulsa's downtown is truley remarkable if you like art deco architecture...OKC can't come close to this.
*Downtown Tulsa - I read some of the comments from a few here who say they live in Tulsa and say the DT area is dead. My guess is (Vinny) you are simply in the wrong areas!!!! (My guess is you have felt this way since the Luby's on 15th St. closed). When I started working for a very prominent DT Energy firm out of college, I would totally agree with you! DT Tulsa was DEAD! Over the past 10 years, it has exploded with many many nice quaint restuarants, clubs, bars, coffee shops opening up. I still work in DT Tulsa (different Energy Firm) and have been somewhat amazed by the continued growth. Again (Vinny), I'll toss your comments up to simply not being in the right areas.

There just isn't anything better than taking a nice jog or bike ride down Riverside drive in the early fall or early spring!!


There's only ONE thing that would make Tulsa dramatically better...and this one this is why I have always envied people who live in OKC area...and that is having Norman 15 miles down the road. That in itself, has made my wonder what it would be like to live there. Bricktown was a cute addition to your downtown, although the Riveralk area or whatever the hell you guys call it is a far cry from SA....and was a really unoriginal idea...but at least you tried. I'll give you credit for that!

Overall, I'm just a proud Oklahoman!! OKC and Tulsa need each other. The fact is you would have never gotten the Thunder if it wasn't for Tulsa. We both need each other!!!

 

[skyvue]

lol

Even the most cultured of cities have TONS of chain restaurants. Haha.....NYC has a Red Lobster in Times frickin' Square. Red Lobster. A seafood restaurant that even Oklahomans look down on.

Times frickin' Square is for tourists only. Locals avoid the area unless they are attending a Broadway show and when they do, they darned sure avoid Red Lobster.

 

[cvangild]

Times frickin' Square is for tourists only. Locals avoid the area unless they are attending a Broadway show and when they do, they darned sure avoid Red Lobster.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaKuT3dIwfc[/ame]


One of my Favs!!

 

[SoonerSpock]

lol

Even the most cultured of cities have TONS of chain restaurants. Haha.....NYC has a Red Lobster in Times frickin' Square. Red Lobster. A seafood restaurant that even Oklahomans look down on. In today's world, regardless of how you feel about them, chain restaurants are a big part of society.

Even Paris France has a LONG list of what they consider chain restaurants.

Next?

The point is no one goes to NYC to visit the Red Lobster or any other chain. The attraction is in the uniqueness provided and from an Oklahoma perspective the Bricktown is unique. Just as the continued passage of multiple MAPS projects has been somewhat unique from the commitment of the citizenry toward municipal improvement perspective.

Part of OKC's uniqueness is it is a cow town. Part of Tulsa's Oklahoma uniqueness is they are more eastern cosmopolitan than is OKC if you consider that a good thing. Fortunately many don't. Tilting ones nose that high in the air can get one choked on a rainy day.

The real differences in the cities is that for the last 20-25 years the municipal leadership in OKC has out performed the leadership in Tulsa and as a result OKC is now more recognized on a national or global perspective than is Tulsa.

Tulsa has done many things well but most of it has been done a decade later than it was in OKC.

 

[sperry]

lol

Even the most cultured of cities have TONS of chain restaurants. Haha.....NYC has a Red Lobster in Times frickin' Square. Red Lobster. A seafood restaurant that even Oklahomans look down on. In today's world, regardless of how you feel about them, chain restaurants are a big part of society.

Even Paris France has a LONG list of what they consider chain restaurants.

Next?

Times Square is what entrepreneurs think middle class tourists from flyover states want to see. Apparently they are right, Re: Tulsans.


Chain restaurants may be a big "part of society." They are not a big part of the society that makes a city a high quality one. Pretty much the only positive thing that can be said about chain restaurants is that they are consistently mediocre from place to place. Meaning if you're in some hell hole like Joplin Missouri, you can get an edible meal at the Chile's and know that it's not going to be completely putrid.

 

[152219]

lol

Even the most cultured of cities have TONS of chain restaurants. Haha.....NYC has a Red Lobster in Times frickin' Square. Red Lobster. A seafood restaurant that even Oklahomans look down on. In today's world, regardless of how you feel about them, chain restaurants are a big part of society.

Even Paris France has a LONG list of what they consider chain restaurants.

Next?

LOL, good stuff here