SI's Chris Ballard paints a rather unflattering portrait of OKC

[oneforone]

The fast food argument is a tired one. My military career took me all over the country and all over the world. Every city I have been in has just many fast food places as Oklahoma City (if not more).

Fast Food is popular anywhere pepople gather. What I think is funny is the people that turn their noses up at fast food are in the drive thru line just as much as the rest of us.

[MikeOKC]

I find it interesting that a couple of Seattle columnists have done mea culpas since the team's been here. It's because their perception of the city was shattered after making multiple trips during and after the team's move. When these magazine reporters or freelancers come in for a day or two and only go to certain places, they get a skewed perspective. Betts is right, the Denny's quip is not just misleading, it's a flat-out lie. It's one thing to battle real problems without having to answer to total fabrications.

[OKCisOK4me]

And in regards to the Purina plant. That smell dissipates over the distances that it travels through the air. Not all people in Edmond smell it. Trust me. I grew up there.

And it's not like he has to get acquainted with the smell for much longer. I used to work at Bob Howard Nissan & half of the year it was the Purina plant, the other half, Sara Lee. They don't have it that bad...

[mugofbeer]

Never been to Houston huh?

I read it somewhere and Steve L. posted the backup a while back on another thread.

[dismayed]

Well, of course we have work to do. But again, sorry, but soonerguru, are you dining at Denny's because there are no other options? I could write an article about virtually every NBA city that is equally unflattering if I pick a couple of square blocks to describe.

That author is either a Sonics' fan with a bone to pick, or he's an urban snob.

I think they key words were late night dining options.

[dismayed]

I find it interesting that a couple of Seattle columnists have done mea culpas since the team's been here. It's because their perception of the city was shattered after making multiple trips during and after the team's move. When these magazine reporters or freelancers come in for a day or two and only go to certain places, they get a skewed perspective. Betts is right, the Denny's quip is not just misleading, it's a flat-out lie. It's one thing to battle real problems without having to answer to total fabrications.

You know that is a real problem... one short random trip and you're likely to see some unpleasant parts of the city. That should not be the case. This is the result of horrible, horrible planning for decades on the part of this city. For example, you come in from the west on I-40 and what's the first thing you see... a trash heap. You come in from the east on I-240 and what's the first thing you see... Mount Trashmore. You come in from the north on I-35 and what's the first thing you smell... the new Edmond city dump. You come in from the south and what's the first thing you smell at I-35 and 34th Street... the Moore City Dump. How about driving through the heart of our downtown in OKC on the central west side... is that an RC park, trailer homes, or both? These are gigantic planning mistakes. Virtually all of the high visibility, easily accessible real estate in this metropolitan area is blanketed with bad choices like the above, or horribly unattractive corrugated metal structures housing industrial businesses, or car lots.

I love this city but we need to take a hard look at it. It's not pretty. It's getting better, but it isn't happening fast enough. Hold your politicians and local business leaders accountable.

[PennyQuilts]

To hear some people talk, the whole city should be "hip" so no one stumbles on a real town instead of a party district.

[dismayed]

I don't believe that Penny, but I do think that if a role of the dice will leave you with total blight or general ugliness 75% of the time then that's a real problem.

How about a MAPS that focuses on major throughfare and highway beautification?

[okcpulse]

You know that is a real problem... one short random trip and you're likely to see some unpleasant parts of the city. That should not be the case. This is the result of horrible, horrible planning for decades on the part of this city. For example, you come in from the west on I-40 and what's the first thing you see... a trash heap. You come in from the east on I-240 and what's the first thing you see... Mount Trashmore. You come in from the north on I-35 and what's the first thing you smell... the new Edmond city dump. You come in from the south and what's the first thing you smell at I-35 and 34th Street... the Moore City Dump. How about driving through the heart of our downtown in OKC on the central west side... is that an RC park, trailer homes, or both? These are gigantic planning mistakes. Virtually all of the high visibility, easily accessible real estate in this metropolitan area is blanketed with bad choices like the above, or horribly unattractive corrugated metal structures housing industrial businesses, or car lots.

I love this city but we need to take a hard look at it. It's not pretty. It's getting better, but it isn't happening fast enough. Hold your politicians and local business leaders accountable.

The first thing you see when approaching Dallas from Houston are not one, but two trash mountains.

And in Houston, the blighted stretches along I-45 North and the Hardy Tollroad go for MILES, and I don't mean just run down properties, I'm talking blocks and blocks of rotted shacks as seen along the Hardy.

Does that mean OKC should take the back seat? Absolutely not. Just because OKC has turned in a good direction doesn't mean pre-MAPS OKC can just simply vanish without a trace. Transformation can only happen as fast as the market allows.

[okcpulse]

How about a MAPS that focuses on major throughfare and highway beautification?

Actually, that is a good idea. Been thinking about that for quite sometime. But the bad part about that idea is that we'd have to wait until 2017 for the next MAPS to kick in. Perhaps the next GO Bond election should cover that.

I think OKC Beautiful also needs to step up.

[PennyQuilts]

OKC has blighted areas like any other town. The Centennial, Hefner Parkway, I44 look good. They are redoing I40. Of course, those are interstates, primarily. But the writer of that article was being deliberately ugly - an "old" rabbit (how would be know the age?) the Purina plant (shall we drive them out of business?) - oil derricks (This is Oklahoma City - shall we just ignore our history and heritage and try to be more starbucky at the expense of local business that contributes to our economy?). The location described in the article is not in an area that any town would make a priority -certainly not to make sure some snotty writer will have something nice to write - because he won't. He was looking to trash the place.

[PennyQuilts]

Has anyone taken the train along the east coast between DC and NYC? It is one long horrible dump. Miles and miles (100's of miles) of blighted, horrible areas in DC, Maryland, Philly, the Garden State, NYC. I don't know how people live like that. It makes OKC look lovely and prosperous in comparison. You might be near a purina plant in Edmond but at least the area is habitable. Anyone complaining about it is not actually comparing it to the cities they frequently hold up as models. From OKC, all they look at are the travel and tourist brochures and we all know how those things paint things.

[okcpulse]

Has anyone taken the train along the east coast between DC and NYC? It is one long horrible dump. Miles and miles (100's of miles) of blighted, horrible areas in DC, Maryland, Philly, the Garden State, NYC. I don't know how people live like that. It makes OKC look lovely and prosperous in comparison. You might be near a purina plant in Edmond but at least the area is habitable. Anyone complaining about it is not actually comparing it to the cities they frequently hold up as models. From OKC, all they look at are the travel and tourist brochures and we all know how those things paint things.

Yupp, I remember my treks to New Jersey. I'll never forget the endless miles of businesses and strip malls along Route 22 that never left 1962. Frozen in time.

[progressiveboy]

The first thing you see when approaching Dallas from Houston are not one, but two trash mountains.

And in Houston, the blighted stretches along I-45 North and the Hardy Tollroad go for MILES, and I don't mean just run down properties, I'm talking blocks and blocks of rotted shacks as seen along the Hardy.

Does that mean OKC should take the back seat? Absolutely not. Just because OKC has turned in a good direction doesn't mean pre-MAPS OKC can just simply vanish without a trace. Transformation can only happen as fast as the market allows.

Agree. Transformation happens only if there is a market. But without any new headquarters or new high paying jobs coming to OKC then the city will always be a big dirty town. As I previously mentioned, what makes a city is it's inhabitants. A city's cleanliness is a reflection of it's people. OKC has such a tremendous amount of blight, no wonder Tulsa is alway dissing on OKC. OKC is improving, however, it has a long way to go! Dallas and Houston are much more cleaner!!!

[okcpulse]

Dallas and Houston are much more cleaner!!!

Depending on where you are in Dallas, but in Houston I cannot agree. There is enough blight in Houston to swallow OKC's urbanized area whole.

OKC, on the other hand, gets cleaner and cleaner each time I visit. The problem I see is that certain areas that have always been blighted have gotten worse.

Along the highway, however, the industrial zones on the west side should be cleaned up at the city's demand. As far as our own citizens, I do agree.

Hold them responsible. If they can't keep their properties clean, make them or else.

[betts]

My aunt and uncle were visiting last week, and I took them around downtown. Their comment, "What a clean city!" Agreed that the entrances to the city outside the city are less than attractive, but there are a lot of other cities with similar looks, as you drive towards downtown. I take the train into NYC fairly often, and visit relatives in NJ, and I always think precisely what Penny Quilts just said.....lots not to admire.

And dismayed, Ballard is talking about "nightlife" when he mentions Denny's, "not late night dining options". That may be what he meant, but it doesn't read that way. Luckily, the rest of the article is a paen to Kevin Durant, and is flattering towards our fans, but the intro is about as bad as anything I've read since the Thunder relocated.

[PennyQuilts]

Oh lord, our downtown is a treasure in terms of cleanliness. Really something to be proud of.

[EBAH]

Has anyone taken the train along the east coast between DC and NYC? It is one long horrible dump. Miles and miles (100's of miles) of blighted, horrible areas in DC, Maryland, Philly, the Garden State, NYC. I don't know how people live like that. It makes OKC look lovely and prosperous in comparison. You might be near a purina plant in Edmond but at least the area is habitable. Anyone complaining about it is not actually comparing it to the cities they frequently hold up as models. From OKC, all they look at are the travel and tourist brochures and we all know how those things paint things.

No, but I have taken NJ Transit out of Penn Station NY to visit friends near Edison, and it is was the most disgusting scenery I've EVER seen from a train. And that is counting a train trip from inner city Mexico City to Morelia.

[OKCMallen]

As though all the other cities only manufacture lilacs and potpourri.

[Architect2010]

Our weather is cold? Our nightlife is Denny's?

This article is beyond ignorant. It's downright pure idiocy.

I'm pretty sure there are 3 distinct districts, that I can think of, that have bustling night life. I'm also pretty sure that the only time our weather is cold in relevance to even the most mild of the northern states was this past snowstorm. And it was a rarity.

These type of journalists are just stupid. To put it bluntly. We know Oklahoma City is many times better than the picture potrayed here. That is not an Oklahoma City that I know, and this is what makes me upset. I want the world to see that my city is not a Purina Dog Food Plant smelling city with bitterly cold weather, but it seems stereotypes persists. Which is rather ironic seeing as how immaturely the bigger cities have put down the so-called podunk armpit of America. Who has been the bigger man, per se, throughout this whole Thunder fiasco? It's not Seattle, it's not NYC, it's not New Jersey. It's been OKC.

But I must admit, these types of atricles have become rarer and rarer. The general outlook of OKC from other point of views has only been getting brighter.

[okcpulse]

I guess Mr. Ballard doesn't own a dog.

[fredfredburger]

Our weather is cold? Our nightlife is Denny's?

This article is beyond ignorant. It's downright pure idiocy.

I'm pretty sure there are 3 distinct districts, that I can think of, that have bustling night life.

"night life" doesn't mean 6pm to 10pm at the arts museum or wednesday night youth group services.

There's no afterhours places in this city.

[workman45]

I guess Mr. Ballard doesn't own a dog.

Must be a cat lover.

[okcpulse]

"night life" doesn't mean 6pm to 10pm at the arts museum or wednesday night youth group services.

There's no afterhours places in this city.

Well, I guess your not satisfied with all of the clubs in Bricktown and others scattered across OKC that stay open until 2AM.

On another thread you expressed you wanted stuff to do in OKC at 4AM. I will agree with you there that OKC is lacking in 24 hour nightlife, but that is a rarity for any city our size.

[ljbab728]

Yes, Fred has made it clear before that he will only be happy with a 24 hour city like New York, Chicago, LA, or Miami. OKC will never be like that and I'm not sure we want everything that that lifestle brings with it.