Why I've Been Gone…
On vacation this past week (and yet I hope I kept you entertained for most of the week). I took the young one on a river cruise. Will be posting art and observations tomorrow.
In the meantime, coffee talk time:
I’ve noticed on the Tulsa-based sites a lot of animosity, jealousy and put-downs aimed at anything OKC-related (upon the Devon Tower announcement, they criticize downtown OKC, and with announcement of funding for the Indian Cultural Center, they claim it was stolen from Tulsa, and then there are comments that argue OKC doesn’t deserve the Mickey Mantle Museum).
So here’s my question to OKC-area readers – do you have the same ill will toward Tulsa? Do you want to see Tulsa fail in its similar ambitions to become a modern world-class city, or do you think Oklahoma would benefit from having not one, but two successful thriving metro areas?
Discuss amongst yourselves…. I’m going out with my favorite six-year-old to go fly a kite.
-Steve
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Comments
I live in Norman Ok. I think the pettiness needs to stop. OKC and Tulsa both have strong points, citizens of both cities should support each other, therefore making this Great State even better.
I live in Tulsa and never understood the whole rivalry with Tulsa and OKC. Personally I’m actually jealous of all of the success that OKC has been getting, but by no means does that mean I want them to fail. It’s unfortunate that Tulsa couldn’t pass the river tax because we might have started seeing some great things being built over here also. Vision 2025 did some good things like the BOK Center, but it wasn’t nearly enough. I love living in Tulsa but honestly I would prefer to live in OKC with all that’s going on. I hope OKC’s momentum continues and hopefully Tulsa will gain some momentum. I awesome would it be to see both cities prosper and grow. We don’t need to be rivals.
We all benefit if both cities do well. Anything good happening in OKC or Tulsa is good for Oklahoma.
With that said, I rarely give Tulsa a thought.
I have to disagree about Tulsa getting better concerts.. Heck one of the main reason they’re building BOK is to compete better with OKC for bigger concerts.
OKC and Tulsa need to give each other a pat on the back and wish the best for each other. After all, both are part of a great state. Just think how it would benefit Tulsa and OKC and Oklahoma if they pulled together and became buddies instead of rivalries. A bit of positive competition between them may be beneficial. Both cities would give their best and Oklahoma would be a winner with two world-class cities.
It’s probably just human nature at work when it comes to our big city rivalry, but it really bothers me when it devolves into nasty name calling and petty jealousy.
The cheap shots can get pretty personal on Internet forums (I’m a lurker at a few Oklahoma boards), and an online environment is ideal for spreading bile anonymously. Before, it was just Tulsa people talking to Tulsa people or rural folk about why they didn’t like OKC, and vice versa. Now folks have a handle to hide behind and can make all kinds of rude comments about their sister city without anyone knowing who’s really doing the talking.
I’m with Daniel, Brad, Phillip and Beth. Our state is way too small to benefit from any kind of petty rivalry. If we serve as inspiration for each other to improve our communities, then GREAT! Otherwise, it just sounds like a bunch of Okies dissing their cousins!
i wish tulsa the best… but it’s hard to forget all the hateful, condescending verbal abuse they’ve spewed towards okc.
The Maps Projects have definitely helped intensify the up & comings of Oklahoma City. And it’s because of that that I enjoy living here. But Tulsa has always had something for years that OKC is just sprucing up–a river with actual trees lining it’s banks with a shaded walking/running/biking trail. And that trails system actually connects with the trails system that runs along the Creek Turnpike all the way around to the east side of Tulsa. I also like a few of their city street corridors (like 71st St. from Riverside Dr. to the east. & Yale Ave. from I-44 south to 81st St.). If OKC actually put concrete down instead of asphalt we’d actually have some city streets that last. Hopefully that will come with the city election bond that we passed last December. I’ve always enjoyed Tulsa’s skyline as well because of their ‘taller’, but that will soon be changing!
I’ve never understood the rivalry. Tulsa is fun, but I’m glad to be in the OKC metro better generally. One source of Tulsa envy I have is that they do get some events that we don’t get here…for instance, Margaret Cho performed stand up in Tulsa within the last year or so, as well as Kathy Griffin….would have LOVED to have seen them here. I guess things like that are good excuses for a Tulsa roadtrip….
Oh, and their topography of rolling hills/tress is generally more aesthetically pleasing than ours, but I can deal…
I grew up in Tulsa and lived there until I was 18. I use to think Tulsa was a lot better than OKC, but things have changed. While OKC has progressed with projects like MAPS, Tulsa has been relatively stuck in the mud. Tulsa has a more outspoken and motivated group of anti-tax Republicans that have helped stall efforts like the River Tax. What does that result in? Me thinking that I’ll stay put in OKC
I’ve lived in OKC for going on 3 years now. I used to work split from OKC to Tulsa, that was really my first and only trips up there. I like OKC because this city seems to be moving forward and is progressive. Tulsa from what I understands lacks the support to move in that direction. I did like the change in scenery up there and seemed like a very attractive city. When I moved here I was told that OKC is the “cowtown” and Tulsa was more “cosmopolitan”. I think since OKC is the bigger brother, there will always be some rivalry. I’m glad they build the Bok Center, it may complete with the Ford Center to a degree but competition is good and keeps both cities trying to keep pace with each other. I don’t give Tulsa a lot of thought, but they shouldn’t place blame here, they need to get out and drive change instead of spinning their wheels.
I do not share the same ‘ill will’ towards Tulsa. In fact, I spent my childhood traveling from McAlester to the ‘big city’ of Tulsa to attend the State Fair, eat at Casa Bonita and shop at Utica Square.
Tulsa is a beautiful city and I hope that their revitalization plans go as well as OKC’s.
That being said, Tulsa rarely enters into my discussions with people. I absolutely love living in OKC!
I’m with Regina Jet. My name is Nick Roberts and I operate probably the more…flamboyant of the OKC forums with regards to frequency of the OKC v. Tulsa flame wars. It is bad. This came about because I have always refused to ban anyone for ‘acting up’ and I don’t babysit or excessively moderate the boards like other site’s do. I don’t understand why but all people from Green Country seem to want to talk about is spreading the Gospel on how OKC is the devil. It’s disconcerting.
I think that the State drops a lot of balls, and is pretty incompetent in general, and Tulsa’s lack of funding and support is not malice since OKC gets some of that, too. And as for OKC being the Capitol City, the ENTIRE state voted on it, unlike probably any other state capitol in the country.
Flamboyant? Now, now…
As someone who reads http://www.okmet.org daily, I have no problem letting everyone know it’s an interesting read and I’ve often found myself surprised by tidbits of developments and rumors I find there. And yes, some of these rumors have turned out true.
I’m honestly more amused by the weekly blow-ups of people that are like, “oh well I’m not gonna post here no more!” and the flame wars that ensue, often getting personal. Like when you have swake (the anti-OKC Tulsan) calling ed (the anti-Tulsa OKCer) a child molester and ed coming back with ’swake n bake’. I need to get better at moving threads to the Fight Club section..
I saw that you were going on the river boats, and I read your story about it. I did this Sunday afternoon. Very enjoyable and not over priced, the boats are very nice and I was pleasantly surprised. However, the Oklahoma river was filthy! The boat captain even joked about it and pointed to the waterfall by the Chesapeake boathouse that isn’t working but has a healthy collection of trash pilling up around it. Then as we are departing the docking area by the boathouse I look over the side and all I see is a line of trash floating along the side of the river. Why can’t we get the river at least some what cleaned up, or at least decent around the boat house…? I would be embarrassed to have the water look like that around a facility that is boasted as world class.
I don’t think about Tulsa much… other than, not bad to visit, they get better concerts, and it has more trees. It’s kinda like OU vs. OSU (in football). To OSU, it’s the game of the year, but to OU, the OU vs. Texas game is it. OKC has bigger fish to fry than fighting with Tulsa.