Didn't know where else to post this:

More than 30,000 people attended H&8th Friday, organizers say | News OK (http://newsok.com/more-than-30000-people-attended-h8th-friday-organizers-say/article/5405846)

Husdson between 6th to 10th street pretty much completely full of people, plus spilling over onto 7th and into Industry Flea and Bleu Garten, plus over to OCU Law...

Seriously, it was mayhem over there. I don't doubt the number.

Yeah with how big and stretched out it was this year with Bleu Garten and Industry Flea, I can definitely see that number.

Yeah, it was an absolute ton of people

…And it was a little bit chilly…Had the weather been about 10 degrees warmer…I think April is going to be insane.

The Food Trucks must have killed it, I've never seen so many ridiculous lines.

I was just going to bring up the semi-chilly weather(depending on ones definition of chilly of course.) I know they have had 30,000 people before during the warmer months but to have that many this early is incredible. As others have said, the event has already spilled over to neighboring streets. And I know that surrounding businesses like McNellie's get slammed during the H&8th time, mostly because people don' want to wait in line. Of course the wait for a table at these places can be over an hour so what can you do. Reminds me of that old quote, forgot who said it, that went something like that place is so busy that nobody goes there anymore. Can't wait to make it to Aprils event. H&8th is a feather in the cap of OKC!

There's one that comes down from Stillwater I've noticed.

I was thinking that as well. Reach out to surrounding cities because there needs to be more options.

I absolutely hate waiting in lines and I have given up many times at H&8th because the lines are simply ridiculous. I end up just enjoying the surroundings with an empty stomach...

Love the gathering, but as a family we've stopped eating at H&8. Too long of lines and not necessarily worth the wait. They should add another 20 trucks or so to provide more options and reduce the waits.

The lines are so long its not even worth it for me. Sure, there is the social appeal & its fun being a part of something so massive but waiting in lines is probably my biggest pet peeve & I don't want to wait 30 minutes to an hour to get some slightly overpriced food. Due to the lines its almost near to impossible to tell if what you are going to get is even going to be worth it, unless you've had it before but where is the fun in that?

I just wish they'd double the amount of trucks & increase the space equally as much.

I'm sure this comes off more negative than I intend it to be, but its really just not worth the time or effort for me as it currently stands. I'd even pay MORE for the food if the lines were shorter.

I don't think I'll ever understand the food truck thing. I don't think I'm cool enough. Still, if it's a big success then good for Midtown and the people behind it. If there are that many people coming down for it, and the lines are that long, I don't think it will take too long for more trucks to show up.

I was once told by the Bleu Garten folks that the number they use for truck calculation is 200. That's how many a truck can usually feed and how they figure out how many they should have based on the expected crowd. If that number is realistic (and obvs if I didn't hear something wrong, for example I don't know if that was 200 total or 200 per hour, etc), then they'd need 150 trucks to server that 30,000 (if they all ate). You can probably get 150 trucks in Austin. Not sure OKC has that many even.

I'm sure the organizers have already thought about this but if not, it might make sense to reach out to food truck groups out of other cities like Tulsa or even Dallas. While the long lines can be awesome to see, I know from personal experience, I've often ate less at H&8th or chose to feed the family first simply because the lines were so long or in some cases, folks would run out of food.

It could possibly be even bigger if lines were shorter and there were more options. If people knew they could try several different dishes from a variety of food trucks, this thing could go regional fast.

Again, hats off.

This may not be a bad idea. According to their website, theirs 27 active vendors; that is probably every food truck vendor in this area once you include Bleu Garten.

Thanks for sharing those pictures, Brian.

Food trucks have come down from Tulsa and Stillwater. I'm just not sure there are enough trucks.

Sometimes when I go with a group two of us will agree on a truck and just spend the wait chatting like we would otherwise. Unless I'm in a line solo I don't worry too much about the wait. But we've also decided to eat elsewhere in the area too. Once I go with the expectation of a long line it doesn't really bother me.

With the addition of Del Mar Gardens and the maturity of Bleu Garten, more food trucks will start to pop up.


As far as H & 8th, it just goes to show how hungry people in OKC are for things to do. It's a nice event but it's just some food trucks and a bit of live entertainment.

Just underscores how people in the area seize any opportunity to come to a central gathering place; and how we need a lot more of these types of things.

If there were 6, diverse options that drew 5,000 instead of one for all 30,000, I would go. As it is now, I avoid Midtown all together on H&8th night, and cancelled some Fassler Hall plans last week because of it. For me, it's just far too large to be enjoyable. Glad we have - it's just not for me.

If there were 6, diverse options that drew 5,000 instead of one for all 30,000, I would go. As it is now, I avoid Midtown all together on H&8th night, and cancelled some Fassler Hall plans last week because of it. For me, it's just far too large to be enjoyable. Glad we have - it's just not for me.

Do you go to Premier on Film Row, Live at the Plaza or Shop Hop?

All those seem to be of a more reasonable scale.

I haven't been to Shop Hop. Premier is a great event. Live on the Plaza would be ideal if I lived within walking distance of the Plaza, or could convince my wife to ride a bike across Penn.

There's one that comes down from Stillwater I've noticed.

Stillwaffles, if I remember correctly. Andolini's Pizzeria was there as well - they're from Tulsa.

I wonder what the threshold is to make it worthwhile for Austin or Dallas trucks to bother coming up here? Probably would have to be weekend long or something...

I wonder what the threshold is to make it worthwhile for Austin or Dallas trucks to bother coming up here? Probably would have to be weekend long or something...

If they worked with Bleu Garten, they could take some time up there. Maybe the Ambassador would provide a cheap room for out of town food truckers to lower expenses.

Also, I don't see Austin trucks making the trip…Dallas trucks maybe.

I have no problem with lines, per se. It's just that the reward is limited for the offerings available. Honestly, I would rather hit up one of the Mexican taco trucks more than the H&8th trucks. Perhaps as this event goes on the quality of offerings will improve.

I forgot all about it, we might have tried to head down there if I would have remembered it was going on. I was still fairly tired from the drive down from Denver though, my stamina for those type of things still isn't back to where it was before my illness a year ago.

Is this anything? Or are they just doing a little maintenance?

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What you see is a leveling the site and installation of decomposed granite to serve as the new base for Industry Flea and other events. The haunted attraction that was there immediately prior to the Holiday PopUps damaged the sod, and crowds at HPU and IF have continued to cause wear and tear (and mud). Speaking as someone who personally helped spread dozens of bags of mulch (that only sortof worked) prior to/during HPU, this is a major improvement for the site.

Asking because I don't know... does decomposed granite=gravel?

Asking because I don't know... does decomposed granite=gravel?

Not really... it's nicer. DG is used all over Myriad Gardens.

It sortof falls somewhere between pea gravel and sand as far as size is concerned, but like cafeboeuf says it looks/feels a little bit more luxurious. Really popular in landscaping.

Asking because I don't know... does decomposed granite=gravel?

It's way nicer and considerably more expensive, as I've used both for big home improvement projects.

Decomposed granite is crushed to a pretty fine level, and then heavily compacted; you can even use some binders to make it very stable. In the end, it's pretty durable and porous. So, it pretty much stays in place and allows water to run through rather than just run off somewhere else.

This is why they used it at the Hart Building and why it was proposed for the 700 West project. It's cheaper than permanent paving but there are also some pretty nice other features, such as absorption and it just looks much more natural. It's become a green alternative to asphalt and concrete.

Gravel is just cheap and doesn't stay compacted. It's just the least expensive, most temporary way to go.

So it's that brown stuff all over the gardens?

So it's that brown stuff all over the gardens?

Yes, I think that's right.

Decomposed granite is really good stuff. When we installed about 5,000 sq. feet of flagstone we used it. Does stay in place pretty good. But maintenance is still required. You average rain doesn't wash hardly any away and it holds up to landscaping blowers well. We lose some from sweeping and if we have the jet hose nose on when cleaning outside. They keep huge piles of it in several different colors (styles) at many landscaping/rock retailers. We get ours at Buckley's Sticks and Stones by the truck bed full and then by the 5-gallon bucket ($5) for filling in once or twice a year.

In case you didn't know, the Jerky.com brick and mortar is now open. I went in and talked to Doug today. Super nice, and the place looks sharp. He said business is good too. Also, he informed me that less than a block away, there is a building being renovated that is set to become a new ramen restaurant.

In case you didn't know, the Jerky.com brick and mortar is now open. I went in and talked to Doug today. Super nice, and the place looks sharp. He said business is good too. Also, he informed me that less than a block away, there is a building being renovated that is set to become a new ramen restaurant.


Tamashii Ramen - OKCTalk (http://www.okctalk.com/showwiki.php?title=Tamashii+Ramen&highlight=ramen)

I just wanted to say that the massing developing between 12th/10th and Classen/Shartel is nothing short of breathtaking. It makes the drive into downtown via Classen far more compelling and really has stretched the urban fabric to the NW in a wonderful way.

Kudos to LIFT, Catholic Charities, and Midtown Renaissance (Francis Apartments).

Any way you could get a pic? I haven't been able to get over there (and I live in DD!) in a while as I have been out of town quite a lot lately.

yes, pics are very much appreciated!! :)

Took a neat picture of Devon Tower while the storms were rolling in last Wednesday.

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Has there been any development to this building?

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Has anyone else noticed how parking is becoming a premium commodity in the area? If I had a say in any future MAPS project, I would include several, multi-story parking garages in the downtown/midtown area that are FREE! If anyone has ever been to The Plaza in Kansas City you know that there are several parking garages there and the parking is free, because they actually WANT you to come and spend money. My wife and I went by H & 8th on Friday night and there were thousands of people downtown. What an awesome sight! We were lucky enough to find a single parking spot on 8th and Robinson. So we walked through H8th and then went over to McNellies. And then as we were leaving McNellies we walked by Brown's Bakery where a church group had set up and was charging $20 to park! Now, I'm pretty much a Bible-thumper, but if there had been an atheist group, charging $5, I'd have given my money to them! $20?!? Are you kidding me?!? Will there ever be free parking in these areas? Or will it eventually turn into another Bricktown? Parking is the reason we don't even go to Bricktown anymore. But now, Midtown is starting to get full, as well.

Has anyone else noticed how parking is becoming a premium commodity in the area? If I had a say in any future MAPS project, I would include several, multi-story parking garages in the downtown/midtown area that are FREE! If anyone has ever been to The Plaza in Kansas City you know that there are several parking garages there and the parking is free, because they actually WANT you to come and spend money. My wife and I went by H & 8th on Friday night and there were thousands of people downtown. What an awesome sight! We were lucky enough to find a single parking spot on 8th and Robinson. So we walked through H8th and then went over to McNellies. And then as we were leaving McNellies we walked by Brown's Bakery where a church group had set up and was charging $20 to park! Now, I'm pretty much a Bible-thumper, but if there had been an atheist group, charging $5, I'd have given my money to them! $20?!? Are you kidding me?!? Will there ever be free parking in these areas? Or will it eventually turn into another Bricktown? Parking is the reason we don't even go to Bricktown anymore. But now, Midtown is starting to get full, as well.

I hope we never build another parking garage in OKC ever. So what if you had to pay to park? That's how it should be! You can either then park a bit farther for free and walk, or not come. If you don't go to bricktown because of the parking situation then you're insane. Bricktown is basically half buildings and half surface lots. Sorry to break it to you but if your vision for midtown is to create another memorial ave with oceans of free parking, it's not gonna happen - or at least I hope it doesn't - and I'm pretty sure most downtown residents will be with me.

I hope we never build another parking garage in OKC ever. So what if you had to pay to park? That's how it should be! You can either then park a bit farther for free and walk, or not come. If you don't go to bricktown because of the parking situation then you're insane. Bricktown is basically half buildings and half surface lots. Sorry to break it to you but if your vision for midtown is to create another memorial ave with oceans of free parking, it's not gonna happen - or at least I hope it doesn't - and I'm pretty sure most downtown residents will be with me.

I hate to break it to YOU, but no, that is NOT my vision. I want someone to look at the Plaza in KC and figure out how to make a multi level parking garage, that doesn't detract from it's surroundings. Have you never been there? I got a little depressed when I went, because I realized we have NOTHING in the same league in OKC. High end retail. High end dining, and nightlife. And FREE parking. What a concept! I would love to have someone in OKC figure out that the end game isn't to make a few bucks from parking fees, but it's ACTUALLY to get people to come to the area and spend MORE money.
And I'm insane? Because I don't want to pay at least $5 every time I want to eat? Or drink a beer? If you like paying to park, then go ahead. My car won't be there to take your spot.

I hope we never build another parking garage in OKC ever. So what if you had to pay to park? That's how it should be! You can either then park a bit farther for free and walk, or not come. If you don't go to bricktown because of the parking situation then you're insane. Bricktown is basically half buildings and half surface lots. Sorry to break it to you but if your vision for midtown is to create another memorial ave with oceans of free parking, it's not gonna happen - or at least I hope it doesn't - and I'm pretty sure most downtown residents will be with me.

There is nothing wrong with parking garages in an area with little parking as long as they aren't that prominent. Surface parking is what should be avoided. I would much rather the surface lots be developed and a parking garage or two be added to some of the less prominent lots. I think midtown renessance is eventually putting a parking garage where midtown mutts is anyway. How does adding a parking garage or two instead of surface parking make midtown anything like memorial road?

Has anyone else noticed how parking is becoming a premium commodity in the area? If I had a say in any future MAPS project, I would include several, multi-story parking garages in the downtown/midtown area that are FREE! If anyone has ever been to The Plaza in Kansas City you know that there are several parking garages there and the parking is free, because they actually WANT you to come and spend money. My wife and I went by H & 8th on Friday night and there were thousands of people downtown. What an awesome sight! We were lucky enough to find a single parking spot on 8th and Robinson. So we walked through H8th and then went over to McNellies. And then as we were leaving McNellies we walked by Brown's Bakery where a church group had set up and was charging $20 to park! Now, I'm pretty much a Bible-thumper, but if there had been an atheist group, charging $5, I'd have given my money to them! $20?!? Are you kidding me?!? Will there ever be free parking in these areas? Or will it eventually turn into another Bricktown? Parking is the reason we don't even go to Bricktown anymore. But now, Midtown is starting to get full, as well.

Why Free Parking Comes at a Price: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/business/economy/15view.html?referrer=

Midtown is going to need structured parking as the area fills in. Same with Bricktown. The trick is integrating it into the urban fabric in ways that doesn't impede street life or create barriers to development, something that has not yet been done in OKC. Developers have countless other cities to look to for examples on how to do this, Kansas City being one of them.

MidtownR has always had plans to building structured parking to the north of Fassler Hall.

MidtownR has always had plans to build structured parking to the north of Fassler Hall.

Does MidtownR have a master plan for the district, or is it pretty much just slow infill as deals happen?

I hung out at Campus Corner in Norman this weekend and I really think its the most impressive urban district in the state. The charm, density, character, and critical mass is great and everything there works together as a part of the greater district (total opposite of Lower Bricktown). I would like to see Midtown become something like that but on a grander scale with more mixed-use development.

I hung out at Campus Corner in Norman this weekend and I really think its the most impressive urban district in the state. The charm, density, character, and critical mass is great and everything there works together as a part of the greater district (total opposite of Lower Bricktown). I would like to see Midtown become something like that but on a grander scale with more mixed-use development.

I agree though Campus Corner has lots of room for more infill and needs more urban housing in and around it for it to really reach its potential. The whole University Blvd corridor is ripe for denser development as well.

I agree though Campus Corner has lots of room for more infill and needs more urban housing in and around it for it to really reach its potential. The whole University Blvd corridor is ripe for denser development as well.

I agree. One thing that's missing from Campus Corner is significant residential infill. The district has such great bones however I don't think it would take much to really take it to the next level. Midtown on the otherhand is being built from scratch and one can only hope the finished product has that kind of synergy.

Does MidtownR have a master plan for the district, or is it pretty much just slow infill as deals happen?

I'm sure they have a master plan, they just aren't sharing it.

Took a neat picture of Devon Tower while the storms were rolling in last Wednesday.

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Nice shot!

I hate to break it to YOU, but no, that is NOT my vision. I want someone to look at the Plaza in KC and figure out how to make a multi level parking garage, that doesn't detract from it's surroundings. Have you never been there? I got a little depressed when I went, because I realized we have NOTHING in the same league in OKC. High end retail. High end dining, and nightlife. And FREE parking. What a concept! I would love to have someone in OKC figure out that the end game isn't to make a few bucks from parking fees, but it's ACTUALLY to get people to come to the area and spend MORE money.
And I'm insane? Because I don't want to pay at least $5 every time I want to eat? Or drink a beer? If you like paying to park, then go ahead. My car won't be there to take your spot.

Perfect! Because in the unlikely event that we go to Bricktown, we'll walk - we won't need a parking spot.

Is that parking garage you so clamor for free to build and maintain? If so, then free parking would be great! But as long as parking garages cost money to build and maintain, they're a massive waste of money and an eyesore. The "parking shortage" in midtown, plaza district, deep deuce is all part of growing pains - so as a city we can either plan for it by providing alternatives (paid parking, more transit options), or burn millions of dollars for no reason whatsoever.

Now, if midtownR builds a parking garage and charges for parking at a rate that sustains the maintenance and upkeep of the garage - then great!

MidtownR has always had plans to building structured parking to the north of Fassler Hall.

which is too bad. Someone posted an article in another thread about how other cities like SLC are demolishing parking garage as city leaders have realized they're nothing but a waste - but in OKC we seem to be building them by the bushel. Ridiculous.

Why Free Parking Comes at a Price: http://mobile.nytimes.com/2010/08/15/business/economy/15view.html?referrer=

Absolutely. It's funny how places that actually charge something that approaches that market price for parking such as Florence, Kyoto, etc - don't seem to have any "parking shortages" at all. But let's keep subsidizing the gas-guzzlers - after all, that's what drives our state's economy!

which is too bad. Someone posted an article in another thread about how other cities like SLC are demolishing parking garage as city leaders have realized they're nothing but a waste - but in OKC we seem to be building them by the bushel. Ridiculous.

"Building them by the bushel" is a bit melodramatic. The downtown area is nowhere close to having too much structured parking. However, we are still fairly saturated with surface lots and vacant land. There's no point in complaining about parking garages until the area is running low on infill properties. If the city reaches the point that developers need to start considering demolishing garages, I'd say we're doing pretty well at that point.

Absolutely. It's funny how places that actually charge something that approaches that market price for parking such as Florence, Kyoto, etc - don't seem to have any "parking shortages" at all. But let's keep subsidizing the gas-guzzlers - after all, that's what drives our state's economy!

You can't compare large European or Asian cities that are densely populated with great mass transit to a heavily suburban, car-centric city with limited mass transit. Parking will be an issue here for the foreseeable future. More residential growth downtown as well as the streetcar should help alleviate it some but its still going to be an issue. The real trick is to integrate structured parking in with development so that it isn't a detriment to the urban fabric. OKC isn't very good at that yet but other cities do it and it works well. As CS_Mike says, OKC needs to really focus on eliminating surface lots and vacant land. Those are two things that completely kill urbanity, far moreso than even the worst designed garages.

Completely eliminating parking in downtown OKC would be the fastest way to kill progress.

You can't compare large European or Asian cities that are densely populated with great mass transit to a heavily suburban, car-centric city with limited mass transit. Parking will be an issue here for the foreseeable future. More residential growth downtown as well as the streetcar should help alleviate it some but its still going to be an issue. The real trick is to integrate structured parking in with development so that it isn't a detriment to the urban fabric. OKC isn't very good at that yet but other cities do it and it works well. As CS_Mike says, OKC needs to really focus on eliminating surface lots and vacant land. Those are two things that completely kill urbanity, far moreso than even the worst designed garages.

Completely eliminating parking in downtown OKC would be the fastest way to kill progress.

Not saying completely eliminate parking - that's extrapolating a bit. All I'm suggesting is that fine - let's build all the parking we want - parking garages even! But then let's charge the market price for that parking. If we find that the land we use for parking is more valuable for parking than building, then so be it! I'm just skeptical that that would be the case.

And why do we care whether there's parking or not? If we're trying to build a truly urban, walkable district, who the hell cares if there's parking? The people who'll want to come will come. And the people who don't want to pay $5 to park (or walk a few blocks or take an Uber) won't come. And there's nothing wrong with that at all. I just have the feeling that for everyone that actually lives in the care within easy walking/transit distance of these thriving urban neighborhoods - well the availability (or lackthereof) of parking won't affect our lives one bit - and in fact the lack of free parking should do nothing but help the merchants that it serves. Study after study has shown that metered/paid parking helps facilitate turnover which increases business' receipts. I understand that in our car-centric world, that parking has a place. I've paid a pretty penny to park in cities all over the country. Pretty sure I've never parked for free in Chicago, Philly, or New York.