It’s a fun place to stroll through on your way to somewhere else as well. About once a week we walk to a restaurant on the west side of town. It may be Joey’s Pizza in the Film District, Trattoria in the Montgomery, the Art Museum Cafe. We always make sure a walk through the Gardens is part of our route. And there are definitely people there. Pre-update, it was usually empty when I went by.

I especially enjoyed the picture of the woman practicing on the Water Stage – that’s just great!

Looks packed! Impressive! Bustling!

Just think how packed it will be when there is a giant new office building next to it filled with people who have all already driven home to Edmond by 5:00!

James, if the park was always packed, it wouldn’t be fun or relaxing. Sometimes people want a bit of a break from the crowds, which is why they go to a park in the first place.

James, it was 100 degrees outside, half the streets around it are closed, and it was a Tuesday evening.
I dare you to show me a suburban park with that sort of circumstance that would have half as many people. And if you really think downtown Oklahoma City is empty after 5 p.m., you’ve not been there in a very, very long time. Not everyone is driving “home” to Edmond these days.
During the hour I spent at the gardens last night, I saw more than two dozen people come and go through the park. That’s between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.

TWO DOZEN PEOPLE in an urban park on a summer night between 8 pm and 9 pm???? You are right Steve, amazing. Things are really happening.

Sorry Steve, I have to agree with some of the others here. While there are certainly extenuating circumstances, it is really hard to describe this the way you did. Now are the numbers you mentioned higher than before? Will take your word for it on that one, and if that is true, there certainly is a degree of success there. No doubt. But also consider how much it cost to get those extra people in there. Sort of like the gazillion spent in stilulous money that resulted in X number of jobs and when CNN did the math, came out to be 6 figure amounts (asst city manager salary level). Just cut out the middleman and hire those people at those salaries.

In answer to your question about suburban parks, I drove thru Will Rogers Wed night and there were easily a hundred people or more scattered about.

Steve, please understand, I know your intent is honorable and your heart is pure.

Right on Larry.

Or what about Hafer Park in Edmond. I guarantee there are more than 24 people at that park on any given summer night.

James, shut down Bryant and 9th Street around Hafer Park and let’s see how many folks go there at 9 p.m. on a Tuesday with 100+ weather. I don’t think you’re getting what I’m saying at all. What I’m saying is that despite some high odds against early adaptation of the still unfinished Myriad Gardens, the community is beginning to discover it and use it in a whole new way.

i get it, steve. my memories of oklahoma city stretch back half a century, and the fact that there IS ANY community is nothing short of amazing. it’s pretty easy to get families with kids into a suburban park. rebuilding an urban core that was totally and completely DEAD is an entirely different matter, and i think the results are astounding. i barely recognize my hometown.

Let me add the highest kudos to ANYONE who is doing an outdoor activity in this kind of heat. I was very surprised to see the number of people that I did at Will Rogers when I drove thru it on Wed around 8 pm. Same to those Steve saw.

This is ludicrous. A guy reading a book on a park bench is using that park “in a whole new way?”

James, I need to step back here before answering why I think this is a change for the Myriad Gardens.
I’ve always valued your contribution to this site. I want diversity of discussion. So when I ask this, it’s genuine, trying to understand your perspective, and not in any way meant to be condescending.
- Have you been a frequent visitor to downtown Oklahoma City or the Myriad Gardens the last 10 years or more?
- Are you a lifelong Oklahoma City resident, or have you lived in bigger cities and experienced a more active urban community?
- What are your expectations for the Myriad Gardens?

Larry, didn’t meant to ignore your comments – kind of interested in your perspective as well…. and ditto on what I said about James – you are one of the regular contributors to this blog who have made it the success it is today!

Steve:

I used to skate downtown in the areas in and around the myriad gardens as a high school student around 89-92 or so.

Back in those days, you would have seen these EXACT SAME pictures down there. The random dude reading a book. A few people milling about. A few homeless. Etc, etc.

Then I lived in Chicago late 90s to early 00s. Tromped up and down Millennium Park among other urban spaces.

My expectations for the Myriad Gardens and any major green space downtown? That it is an outdoor space that is routinely used for a variety of events and non-events. That one lone dude reading a book on a bench isn’t an occasion to triumph a major breakthrough for the community.

The bar for evaluating stuff in OKC needs to be raised. 24 people in an urban park on a summer evening is a disappointing use of the space. What is the metro population? 1.3 million? Even if the heat and streets are bad, this is at the very least not something to celebrate.

OK, now we understand each other better. Perfect. Now, here’s the deal; you need to go out to the Myriad Gardens yourself some evening. Your opinion probably won’t change. But I didn’t see any homeless folks. And as I said, it wasn’t just one guy reading a book that left me encouraged about the park’s future.
Remember, Millennium Park is in a whole different league than OKC. It’s second only to the Central Park in my folks’ esteem, and it’s an admirable bar to set.
But I’ve seen where downtown was at it worst. I’ve seen the Myriad Gardens at its worst. What I’m telling you is this is an encouraging sign of things to come – it’s an improvement in the harshest of conditions. You’re a glass that’s half empty kind of guy. That’s ok. I’m less concerned with whether the glass if half empty or half full, and more concerned with whether it’s filling up or draining down to empty. I see it filling up. And that’s cause for triumph. On the other hand, James, don’t quit expecting bigger and better for downtown. Hell yes, we’ve got a long way to go….

I understand James’s point. There needs to be more people, but OKC is just beginning to scratch the surface of it’s potential. On the other hand, it is a little unfair to compare Myriad Gardens to Millenium Park, Central Park or Golden Gate Park. Those parks are a part of 3 of the most dynamic, international cities in the world.

Steve:

Props for being so good-natured on this blog and for putting up with people like me. I couldn’t do it. Cheers.

Steve:

No worries here, I didn’t think I was being ignored. What “perspective” are you wanting? Are you asking the same thing you asked James? Or am I reading something into that?

One thing I would ask…the closed streets aside, are there really more people using the park now or is it just that one can see that people are using the MG since they removed the berms? I know the berms were seen as a deterrent and I can easily see where being able to see somebody use something will actually lead to an increase in people using it.

Believe it or not, I have run into that at many a fast food place where they actually told me they wanted to get me in & out as quickly as possible because if someone sees someone sitting in the lobby, a car in the parking lot or even in the drive-thru, that just attracts others. They want to close and go home!

The criteria you mentioned were nearly identical between the MG and Will Rogers (time of day/week/temp). The only thing missing was the restricted access (which undoubtedly would have an effect or is it affect?) And like I said I was very surprised to see as many people as I saw, especially considering we were under another Heat Alert Warning. Where outside activities are strongly discouraged by the authorities.