Core to Shore Revisited
A vision of Oklahoma City's "Core to Shore"
Earlier today this blog post accidentally got published after I thought it was made private. Due to Obama’s visit, it appeared as if the story Core to Shore was being cut due to space. That did not happen.
I do hope all of you will give the story a read.
Then and Now
Downtown Oklahoma City, circa mid-1990s.
Downtown Oklahoma City, 2012, great photo courtesy of Cooper Ross
Renewed Energy
Jay Marks, Adam Wilmoth and Paul Monies
Change, it seems, is unending. Sometimes it’s good, sometimes its bad, sometimes it’s just … different. Right now, it’s good. There’s a renewed spirit in the newsroom. There’s a new emphasis on quality, in-depth journalism, and I’m hearing from many of you that you’re noticing the difference. Over on the business desk, we’ve been blessed to have two of our best former writers and reporters – Adam Wilmoth and Paul Monies – returning to the fold to take on the challenge of making The Oklahoman one of the country’s top sources for energy news. hey join Jay Marks, who has been doing a great job tackling the industry on his own the past couple of years. I’m really hoping those of you who quit subscribing to The Oklahoman come back as well – I have every reason to believe and hope that the improved coverage you’re seeing will only get better in the months to come.
To read more about The Oklahoman’s new energy coverage, go here. You can keep up with all energy news by going to The Oklahoman’s energy page.
Night Views
I lingered downtown tonight after attending the Project 180/ULI presentation (too many of you missed out on a pretty cool talk by the landscape architects behind the project). Kinda sad to see the Colcord sign not working right. But everything else was simply wonderful – and dozens of other folks were strolling the Myriad Gardens as I took it all in about 8 p.m.
Myriad Gardens Presentation Tonight
MYRIAD GARDENS RENOVATION IS FOCUS OF FREE, PUBLIC TALK
AT OKLAHOMA CITY’S SKIRVIN HOTEL
OKLAHOMA CITY (March 7, 2012) — The new design of the Myriad Gardens, along with other improvements aimed at enhancing the pedestrian environment of downtown Oklahoma City, is the focus of a free, public lecture scheduled for 6 p.m. Thursday, March 15, at the Skirvin Hotel, 1 Park Ave., in downtown Oklahoma City.
The lecture is being hosted by the Oklahoma Chapter of the Urban Land Institute. Featured speakers are the designers of Project 180, which provides a significant street and public space overhaul in downtown Oklahoma City. Both speakers, James Burnett and Jereck Boss, are principals at the landscape architecture firm the Office of James Burnett.
In addition to many other projects around the country, the Office of James Burnett is responsible for the designs known as Project 180, a four-year, $160 million effort to improve the pedestrian environment of downtown with landscaping, art, lighting, bike lanes, on-street parking, and renovated parks and plazas.
The registration cost for non-members is $10, with registration available online at oklahoma.uli.org.
The same presentation will be delivered at 4 p.m. that day in the Buskuhl Gallery of Gould Hall, 830 Van Vleet Oval, on the University of Oklahoma Norman campus. OU’s Institute for Quality Communities will serve as host for the afternoon presentation as part of its ongoing Streets for People lecture series. For accommodations on the basis of disability for the presentation at OU, please call (405) 445-4477.
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For more information about the Institute for Quality Communities, visit http://iqc.ou.edu.
Design Review Bait and Switch?
Sun Moon Plaza at NW 23 and Western - as built after years of delays, changes requested through the Urban Design Commission.
Sun Moon Plaza as originally promised.
More photos:
Acting on a Dare
This story starts back in December, when it appeared as if a great little restaurant in MidTown was going to fail – not because the young couple who ran it were not likable, not because they didn’t serve great unique dishes, and not because of the location.
No, the imminent failure of the old little diner at 1220 N Hudson, which originally opened as “Foodies Express,” could only be attributed to a lack of marketing, branding and word of mouth.
It was only word of mouth – an urging by Marva Ellard, who owns the neighboring Sieber Hotel Apartments - that got me in the doors. Those who read this blog know I was already in love with this half century old diner and it didn’t take me long to take a liking to the food and the owners. Quyen Le and Bang Bui are truly “foodies.” Their diverse menu is unlike anything I’ve ever encountered in Oklahoma. It’s not a Vietnamese restaurant, though that influence can be found in much of their menu. It’s not a Greek restaurant, though they have some of the most original gyros in town. It’s not a chicken wing place, though they have a diverse variety of wings that include a “suicide” batch made with ghost peppers. It’s not a burger place, though they do serve burgers and chili. It is, as summed up by people far smarter than I, an Asian American Diner.
I shared this discovery with Chad Huntington, who in turn became a regular customer himself. And it was on one night in December, just a few weeks after Foodies had opened, that Chad shared with me his fear the restaurant wouldn’t make it. He also went on Twitter and shared with the local social media world what they were missing.
Brian Winkeler, one of several people I’ve become acquainted with in the creative community who I truly respect and admire, gave his best smart ass response. He dismissed the restaurant, saying he’d be more likely to visit if they had a better looking sign, logo and overall presentation.
Bad move, Mr. Winkeler. I said just as much. Knowing he possessed the skills to address Bang and Quyen’s biggest shortcomings, and knowing Winkeler to be someone who cared about the neighborhood, and understood how a successful restaurant in this location could make a world of difference, I challenged him “pass it on.”
Winkeler, joined by his kids, met me at Foodies not long after. And he too discovered why Marva, Chad and I all wanted to see this young Vietnamese immigrant couple succeed. Winkeler, whose recent work included the rebranding of the Bricktown Brewery, accepted the challenge and drafted a fellow talent, Phillip Schroeder.
I’m happy to say that Bang and Quyen are doing well now – they’re getting great reviews on sites like Urban Spoon. And after working a few weeks with Bang and Quyen, Brian and Phillip amazed everyone by creating far more than a new logo and sign. They created new menus, and a new look for the diner itself. Bang is hoping the transformation will begin sometime this month. In the meantime, here’s a glimpse of what’s to come (and yes, Bang reports the bars are about to be removed from the windows!):
If You Give Folks a Basketball Court, They’re Going to Want a Tournament….
A lot of folks are cheering news that Downtown Oklahoma City Inc. is preparing to install a basketball court south of the Myriad Gardens. Over at OKC Talk, Pete Brzycki, the site’s host, recalls how three-on-three tournaments were once played with temporary goals in and around Kerr Park.
“Whatever happened to this?” Pete asks. “I remember it was very popular. Really easy way to bring people downtown.”
Couldn’t Get it Right
Bringing Hoops to Downtown
In November, I noted the very cool Kevin Durant Nike commercial that showed off outdoor basketball courts around Oklahoma City. I also made the following comment:
This whole commercial, however, makes me think back to a post I wrote earlier this year on the lack of any public courts downtown – and how relatively inexpensive additions like this could really add to the quality of life in our urban core. Maybe now that he’s getting set to be paid again ole’ KD could team up with the team and make that happen?
Indeed, it was not the first time I had written about such a possibility. But the November post was the first one to get the attention of Jane Jenkins, president of Downtown Oklahoma City Inc. She contacted me soon after that post and promised she would take me up on the challenge. And guess what? On next week’s Downtown Design Review agenda, her organization has an application to create a real urban basketball court on the parking lot at Hudson and Reno, across from the Myriad Gardens.
Yes, today may very well be one of those days where I’m very, very much sitting back and admiring the crew at Downtown OKC Inc. This is very, very cool.
Read the application here basketball court application
