You’re going where? Touring Oklahoma City
IT WASN’T for lack of trying - my husband and I had moseyed for miles, from the state’s first craft brewery in Bricktown to the independent boutiques of Midtown to the flashy street art of the Plaza District.
Long a bastion of the Old West, OKC is also a cultural heartland, a place to savour some of the country’s best Vietnamese food in the Asian District or listen to live music in the Deep Deuce District, a 1920s-era jazz hot spot. (Flaming Lips fans will want to stop by the Womb, a psychedelic-looking art gallery where frontman Wayne Coyne is often at work.) Signs of growth - and young people - abound in the city’s many walkable neighbourhoods, or districts; a streetcar linking some of them will arrive in 2018, followed in 2019 by Scissortail Park, a 70acre recreational green space named for the state bird, the scissor-tailed flycatcher.
A 200-foot-tall sculpture, also inspired by the species and illuminated nightly by LEDs, already sits atop downtown’s Skydance Bridge. Even with all this change, Oklahoma’s capital sticks to its guns as a cow town.
Visitors flock to Myriad Botanical Gardens for its lush tropical conservatory, and rightly so. But don’t skip the outdoor Prairie Garden, where shoulder-high stands of local grasses topped with blooms and aflutter with butterflies offer up a little taste of those famous Oklahoma plains. Red Earth Museum and Art Centre
Tucked away in concrete office land, the Red Earth museum and art centre feels like a refreshing oasis of culture. (Just look for the painted bison out front.) Work by Native American artists from Oklahoma and beyond make up the 1,000-piece collection of crafts, totem poles and sculptures, among other offerings. I was most captivated by abstract paintings that remixed native themes; the geometric mosaics by Benjamin Harjo Jr. earned him the nickname the “Picasso of Native American art.” National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum
From a 19-ton statue of Buffalo Bill to America’s largest set of triptych paintings - 46-footwide landscapes - the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum is, as you would expect, larger than life. Movie buffs will love the Western Performers gallery, with its John Wayne and “Gunsmoke” memorabilia. (Tired dogs? Take a load off inside a little theatre playing clips from classic Westerns.) My favourite artifact was an 1800sera split riding skirt that allowed trailblazing cowgirls to switch between sidesaddle and astride. The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum
The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum, which honours the 168 people killed in the 1995 bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, takes command of your senses and never lets go.
The tour begins with chilling audio of the blast, progressing through masterfully curated exhibits of the devastation, recovery, quest for justice and remembrance. At the Outdoor Memorial, the actual site of the bombing, I stood in the sprawling shade of the Survivor Tree, an American elm, the leaves of which were blown off during the disaster. Eat
Thanks to Anchor Down Draft & Dog, I can now say I’ve eaten a gourmet corn dog while sitting in a recycled shipping container. Part of OK-Sea, a first-of-its-kind multi-use development in the Deep Deuce District, Anchor Down caters to all with beef, vegan, vegetarian and chicken corn dogs. I indulged in the latter (fried deliciously in onion batter), with some strawberry hush pups for dessert. Meg, with the butterfly tattoo, invited us back to the popular late-night spot for craft cocktails like the Okie mule - Prairie Wolf vodka, hibiscus tonic, ginger beer and lime. Empire Slice House
Conversations with strangers come easily in OKC, and that’s how an employee on her afternoon off sent us to Empire Slice House (motto: Live free, pie hard) with specific instructions: Grapefruit shandy, garlic knots and a slice of Doug E. Fresh (white pie with roasted tomatoes). Much of the bustling New York style pizzeria’s menu is named for hip-hop stars, such as the Notorious P.I.G. Bricktown Brewery
Bricktown Brewery opened in 1992 when downtown OKC, according to its website, was “little more than tumbleweeds and cattle.” These days, the state’s first craft brewery is sandwiched between dozens of bars and restaurants, but the grand daddy of the neigh bo ur hood still holds its own. It also claims to go against the hipster grain (excuse the pun) as the only brewery in North America with two beardless brewers. Broadway 10 Bar &
Even with all this change, Oklahoma’s capital sticks to its guns as a cow town.
Chophouse
A hub for auto dealerships in the 1920s, Automobile Alley today is more bar than car. Broadway 10 Bar & Chophouse, located in the Buick Building’s light-filled former showroom, serves up wood-fired meats and creative sushi. After your meal, go out back to see a restored 1935 Buick Series 66c convertible, which you could’ve bought in this very spot nearly a century ago.
Dani welcomed us to Midtown’s Commonplace Books with a glass of red (“It’s Friday!”) and dove right into the store philosophy: Books are organised by and curated for your interests. Civicminded readers may be drawn to the activist section; ditto for intellectual, achiever, insider and so on. Shop Good
Eight years ago, Justin and Audrey Falk began making graphic tees in a barn with an old printing press.
Today, Shop Good has its own space on the first floor of a cosy, wood-shingled house in Automobile Alley, where it sells hand-printed tees as well as jewellery and gifts. Many of its creative designs celebrate Oklahoma - “steady reppin’ since 1907” - as well as camping and exploring. Best of all, the Falks donate five per cent of T-shirt sales to local charities. Langston’s Western Wear
Langston’s Western Wear, a Stockyards City institution, has outfitted ranchers and farmers for more than a century. We joined what looked like legit cowboys (finally!) waiting at the flagship store 15 minutes before opening on a Sunday. As country music wafted, employees in cowboy hats fanned out through well-stocked aisles of boots, hats and blue jeans, eager to help any greenhorns. My husband scored a plaid shirt and leather belt for less than US$50 (RM220). Painted Door
Shopping already lifts your mood, but a stroll through Painted Door is bound to make you laugh. The 26-year-old boutique combines the cheeky and practical with items such as a flying pig night light, therapy dough (basically Play-Doh for adults) and snarky dish towels (“Yoga class? I thought you said ‘Pour a glass.’ “) I scored two gifts for family - salt and pepper shakers in the shape of a burger and fries, and an “Alice in Wonderland” colouring book. The store will wrap your purchase free - and you don’t even need to ask for the bow. Stay
Though you can catch glimpses of the downtown skyline from the Rusty Gables Guest Lodge & Gallery, its 30-acre ranch feels a world apart. Innkeepers Sam Nicolosi and Don Paul make you feel at home in their large, highceilinged bed-and-breakfast, bedecked in Western decor. Enjoy a hearty country breakfast in the great room, which doubles as an art gallery and hall of fame for the ranch’s esteemed equines - some of which you can pet in the pastures outside. Be warned: Pepi, a handsome chestnut mare, likes to give kisses. Colcord Hotel
Built in 1910, the 12-storey Colcord Hotel was Oklahoma’s first skyscraper, and walking among the lobby’s swirly blackand-white marble instantly envelops you in the elegance of the early 20th century.
The hotel’s original touches include ornamental plaster ceilings and nickel-and-bronze letterboxes. I could also get used to the carafe of free coffee delivered to your door in the morning. — WP-Bloomberg