As Rogers and Hammerstein wrote, Oklahoma is a place with “plen’y of heart and plen’y of hope.” Tragically brought to international attention, Oklahoma City, or “OKC,” as the locals call it, is now a city filled with optimism. From its thriving downtown through the myriad of museums to its compelling memorial, OKC is a city filled with heart and hope.
Economic optimism is evident in the success of Bricktown. Overcoming previous financial missteps, Mayor Ron Norick led the way with a plan called MAPS (Metropolitan Area Projects) and a municipal tax. The result is a terrific entertainment center filled with restaurants, theaters, hotels and shops.
Start your tour of Bricktown with a water taxi ride on the mile long canal that cuts right through the center of activity. Then get out and stroll on either side of the canal. If you don’t like the view along the water, climb up to the higher level and watch the scene from above. Pause to enjoy the buskers juggling, breathing fire and generally entertaining the crowd. When you are hungry, restaurants of all flavors are located along the path. Later you can spend time at the multiplex movie theater or any of the clubs. Check the schedule to catch a Triple-A baseball game with the Oklahoma Redhawks or take in a hockey game with the Blazers.
Be sure to visit the buffalo herded into a corral in Bricktown. Sponsored by Nature Conservancy, this public art project is guaranteed to bring smiles. Some of the buffalo have strayed about the city, but most remain herded at 1 E. Main Street.
If shopping is your delight, gift and souvenir shops abound. But the biggest store reels in the fishing crowd. Bass Pro Shop has a huge complex east of the canal. Bricktown is definitely the place to spend a day and most of your evenings.
For those who want to explore what’s beneath the streets, head Underground. Open during weekdays, this is a concourse of businesses, shops and restaurants located in tunnels under the downtown streets.
Returning up to street level, it is time to amble through the 17-acre Myriad Botanical Gardens. The main feature of the Gardens is the newly renovated Crystal Bridge Tropical Conservatory. On all sides teem plants and animals displaying lush greens and exotic reds, yellows and oranges. A walk through the 224-foot long glass tunnel is like being transported from the arid southwest to an exotic jungle.
A great way to get around Oklahoma City is to park your car and hop aboard a vintage trolley. Used by residents to commute, they are also a fun way to visit major tourist sites. To learn more about the area, take The New Century Tour, a 45-minute audio tour of major downtown sites.
A Museum Town
William Baziotes said of art, “Each painting has its own way of evolving...When the painting is finished, the subject reveals itself.” OKC has revealed itself as a city that takes pride in many kinds of culture. It is a museum town catering to such diverse interests as art, science, military, cowboys, firemen and even carrier pigeons.
I’m a museum lover and my favorites are the art museums. I particularly enjoy museums with exhibits of glass, especially Dale Chihuly glass. The Oklahoma City Museum of Art is filled with Chihuly installations including the spectacular three-story tower in the main lobby. The permanent collection contains 17 more installations and more than 2,000 additional glass works including two life-size glass boats originally created in Finland. This is rated the premier Chihuly exhibit in the world.
This museum offers more than glass. Works by such noted American artists as Georgia O’Keeffe, Frank Stella, Helen Frankenthaler, and Alexander Calder are included. European artists include Henry Moore, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Gustave Courbet and Marcel Duchamp. Photographic and drawing exhibits fill additional halls. The Noble Theater offers dinner and movie evenings with a prix-fixe menu, prior to shows ranging from independent films to the ever-familiar Oklahoma.
As a youngster, I spent Saturday afternoons at the movies watching my favorite stars Dale Evans, Roy Rogers and Gene Autry. As an adult I have remained a fan of westerns in big screen movies and television series. Entering the Great Hall of Western Performers in the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum, my mind filled with scene after scene of glorious rides into the sunset. The Hall pays tribute to the actors who paid tribute to the development of the West. Inductees include my childhood favorites and later performers such as Robert Duvall, Clint Eastwood, James Arness, Amanda Blake, Ronald Reagan, and Gregory Peck. John Wayne’s personal collection of firearms, art and memorabilia is on permanent display.
Works by the great western artists Fredrick Remington and Charles Russell are prominently featured among 2,000 other paintings and sculpture. A stroll through Prosperity Junction, a 19-building replica of a western town, takes you back to life in the late 1800s. The culture and artistry of Native Americans are presented in a 4,000-square foot hall. Check the calendar for the many monthly activities for adults and children.
After a trip to the museum, head to real-life cattle country, Stockyard City. A hundred years ago this was a major center for meatpacking. Today, it has undergone redevelopment and contains restaurants serving primarily steak and shops selling western wear. But cattle are still a major business with public auctions held Mondays and Tuesdays.
For those who remember Willie and Joe, the dogface soldiers featured in Stars and Stripes during WWII, a visit to the 45th Infantry Division Museum is a trip to the past. On display are over 200 cartoons by Pulitzer Prize winning artist Bill Mauldin, Willie and Joe’s creator, who served in the 45th. The museum also contains one of the best collections of firearms from the Revolutionary War to Vietnam. The adjacent park contains tanks, aircraft, artillery and armored personnel carriers. The museum is a tribute to the six-decade history of the 45th infantry division and the troops who bravely served their country at home and abroad.
For a history of women in the air, visit the 99s Museum of Women Pilots. Amelia Earhart was the first president of the 99s. Her feats and those of thousands of women who followed her up into the air are commemorated on the grounds of the Will Rogers International Airport. Membership ranges from the ladies who competed in the Powder Puff Derby to the women who today fly military and commercial planes.
Another kind of flyer, the pigeon, has its own World of Wings Pigeon Center. A visit here will change your attitude from considering pigeons pests to enjoying the beautiful variety and amazing abilities of these underappreciated birds. The fancy breeds show off a variety of colors and feather textures. Summer visitors can watch loft flying demonstrations.
Fire engine buffs need to stop by the Oklahoma State Firefighters Museum. Here they will find firefighting apparatus dating back almost three hundred years to the first firefighting company headed by Benjamin Franklin. Fire trucks from the early 1900s stand lovingly restored. Collectors will admire the treasure trove of more than 7,000 fire department patches from around the world.
If you are looking for a one-stop spot for museums, the Omniplex is the place. It contains museums for bicycles, hats, toy trains, hands on science, aviation, photography, and most importantly, the Kirkpatrick Air and Science Museum. All this on a ten-acre site. When you need to stop and rest, visit the OmniDome for a 360-degree cinema adventure or the Planetarium for a trip to the rest of the universe.
Honoring Sports
Oklahoma City lays claim to two sports halls of fame. The National Softball Hall of Fame is dedicated to over 400 players, coaches, umpires and administrators who have earned this distinction. Exhibits honor the inductees as well as the gold medal teams from both the 2000 and 2004 Olympics. The adjacent stadium hosts national and international games.
Nadia Comaneci is one of the many honorees in the world’s only International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. The award is based upon competitive achievements and participation in the development of gymnastics. Eighteen paintings by renowned artist, Sam Bailie, Jr. and eight by LeRoy Neiman are featured. In addition, photographs and sculpture showcase the feats of the best gymnasts from all over the world. The banner from the 1936 Berlin Olympics is displayed in the historic exhibits.
The Memorial
I didn’t want to visit the memorial. Memories of that day seemed emotional enough for me. The designers must have understood because what I felt there was more serenity and respect than pain. What I heard was silence not sobs.
The first sight to greet the visitor upon approaching Oklahoma City National Memorial is a large gate with 9:01 atop the arch. This is not a clock; the time does not change. It represents the city’s innocence before the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building. Opposite stands a twin gate with 9:03 representing a city and country shaken by domestic terror. In between these gates floats a reflecting pool bringing quiet and comfort.
On a knoll near the pool sit 149 chairs, each etched with the name of an adult lost in the bombing, and 19 smaller chairs for the children. The young are also memorialized with a wall of painted tiles created by children throughout the country. A series of giant chalkboards welcome more drawings by young visitors. The names of survivors are inscribed on the only wall remaining of the original building. Across the pool is the symbolic Survivor Tree, a 90-year old elm that survived the blast and is still standing tall.
We first visited at dusk, and I recommend you do too. The setting sun cast a warm glow upon the scene. As the sun set, lights under the chairs came on, illuminating the area and reflecting the mournful mood.
The memorial is a national park staffed with rangers as usual, but the rangers themselves are anything but usual. They are chosen for their compassion and resilience. They provide understanding and comfort to those seeking answers and solace after such tragedy. They provide strength to those whose lives have been touched by horror. Their orientation program, “Between the Gates of Time,” presents both the facts of that tragic day and the meaning of the symbols of the memorial.
The Memorial Museum is housed in a 1923 building that survived the blast. Its mission statement is:
We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived and those
changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope and serenity.
The people of Oklahoma City have achieved their goal and more.
Anna Lee Braunstein is a freelance writer who lives with her photographer husband, Jerry, in Rocklin, California, when not traveling about in her Monaco Coach.
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