“Oklahoma City is boring.”
This is something you’ve probably heard at least once before. At first glance, Oklahoma City is not easily compared to New York City or Los Angeles. However, it encompasses more than you would expect. Oklahoma City has experienced a tremendous amount of revitalization during the past decade, bringing residents closer than ever before. As a result, there is a place for everyone to fit in allowing locals to come together. The city is defined by the people in it and the impacts that they have made. It is a place that you can never genuinely describe as dull. |
| Oklahoma City's Iconic Building - The Devon Tower |
Cayla Lewis, the executive director of the Plaza district, expresses the importance of recognizing Oklahoma City by itself.
“There is always something to do, something that’s worth your time.”
She also believes that the city has an enormous amount of potential and might even be able to become a pedestrian city in the near future.Steven Grounds, a Native American street artist who started out in Concho, Oklahoma, paints a mural combining David Bowie and Geronimo in the Plaza District. He noticed the lack of Native American-themed art in Oklahoma City, despite its high native population. He connects his heritage with his art style. “It makes sense to me to have that sort of representation. I don’t know but I see it as an opportunity.”
The only Native American art he had seen was associated with galleries. “Often times, I’ve noticed that people feel that if they are not in the art scene directly, then they might feel hesitant or don’t have the knowledge base in order to feel comfortable in that environment... But with public art, it doesn’t matter. You don’t have to necessarily know anything or know people. You can just experience public art and just see it. It doesn’t matter who you are, you can just enjoy it.”
Steven believes that art can have an immense influence on teens. His advice for the youth is to stick with their gut if they feel artistically inclined and to be creative as possible without any fear. "Street art is sort of a renegade art form. Everything is on the fly, everything is done quickly and intuitively."
Diana Harris has owned Bad Granny’s thrift shop in the Plaza District for 7 years. She depends on the surrounding community to support her. She said that the Plaza district gives teens an opportunity to stay out of trouble. (Since crime rates have declined, panhandlers and drug addicts have also moved on, allowing artists and talent to prevail.) Ten years ago, she would have not thought that the Plaza was a good location for her store. People have now started to move back into the inner city from the suburbs, causing business to thrive once again. When asked how the youth can get improve Oklahoma City, she said,
“Shop local. Keep the money in our city.”
Kim Cooper-Hart, an urban planner for Oklahoma City, finds that the Asian District gives Oklahoma City a diverse and unique perspective of other cultures. “What I love about it is that it doesn’t say Chinatown, because it’s not a Chinatown. It’s full of a variety of Asians of which the majority is Vietnamese. "
Bleu Garten, a successful food truck park influenced by Portland and located in the Midtown district, is owned by Hunter Wheat. The idea of Bleu Garten was to promote a social atmosphere. Oklahoma is fun because there’s still a lot more that can happen to Oklahoma, he said. Instead of leaving, many are starting to stay and branch out on their own business. “If you really want to do something, you just have to work for it. Go for it. If you believe in it, you can make it happen.”
The Escape OKC on Uptown 23rd is an entertaining and exciting hour-long mind game. Bridget Trowbridge, who is the marketing director, talked about the district’s development and growth, even though they are not funded by large sponsors despite their size. Uptown is one of the larger districts and has become extremely prosperous. “When the businesses succeed, the districts get cleaner, and more people move in, which is kind of like a win-win situation. I can guarantee you that I have not been to any other place that is as community oriented and business oriented as Oklahoma City. I have never met people like what we have here.”
Cary Pirrong, longtime resident who has been involved in the development of Uptown 23rd, said that a decade ago, there wasn’t much to go to on NW 23rd Street.
“It became really popular to say Oklahoma City is boring but it’s just one of those things that people say but don’t know really why they say it. “
“There are a lot of cities that can say they’re friendly but not many can say they are genuine. We take it for granted and just don’t realize how special it really is. ” said Mike Carrier, the president at the Oklahoma City convention and visitor bureau. He said that we are as authentic as we are perceived to be. If Mike could describe Oklahoma City in four words, it would be warm, friendly, inviting, and inclusive.
“Why not continue down the current road to be the best Oklahoma City we can be? I like what’s happening in OKC and I believe in the coming years we will see this city continue to grow and prosper in numerous ways.”
