Myriad Gardens

[Thunder]

So glad everyone is enjoying the new Gardens. We certainly are, and so far, we've had nothing but RAVE reviews. And this is just the beginning!

If anyone is around, I'm happy to do an impromptu tour at 3 this afternoon. Meet at the North End of the Crystal Bridge. If interested, let me know here, or give us an @reply on twitter @myriadgardens. I can do one a bit later, too, if that fits your schedule.

Do the place provide interpreter access?

[Dustin]

FritterGirl, can you explain what this is? Will it eventually be a water feature?

[UnFrSaKn]

[Thunder]

I don't think the fishies will like disturbance. :-(

[UnFrSaKn]

I don't think the fishies will like disturbance. :-(

I can picture you spending all day down there in a fish outfit and sign that says, "Do not disturb the fishies".

[metro]

All I can say is WOW! World Class! Not many parks like it in the country. I took about 300 pics between last night and today at lunch, I will post some of my favs. If someone has a request, let me know and I will try to post more of a certain area of the grounds. Not sure why, but Photobucket rotated some of the pics against my will. I've still got about more favorites I want to upload, but don't have time right now, but here's a tease until then!

[dmoor82]

WOW!This is far more than what I expected and this has to be One of the better Urban parks!Nice pics Metro!

[kevinpate]

Nice shots. Thanks for the share.

[UnFrSaKn]

Going to be a while until my videos are up. Inside the Crystal Bridge will be its own video.

[soonerguru]

That looks sharp!

[Pete]

Very, very impressed with the work on the gardens!

Imagine next year during the festival when the Devon complex is complete, those translucent panels in the lobby aglow, the LED lights flashing up and down the indentions and at the crown, the Garden Wing open with several restaurants, the Rotunda all lit up and crowded with people, their own park sparkling and the auditorium hosting events of of it's own. Not to mention, the MG will be complete with it's new cafe and the landscaping much more mature.

Also, a good chunk of Project 180 will be finished as well.


As good as things are, they are going to get considerably better in the very near future!

[Doug Loudenback]

Thanks for sharing, Metro. Nice job.

[Dustin]

Did anyone else notice the pictures that line the park showing what improvements are to come? The cars have Texas plates... What's up with that?

[Andrew4OU]

Wow! Very impressed with the renovations! Top notch. LOTS of people walking around and enjoying the new gardens - families, kids, teenagers, & couples enjoying the park and gawking at Devon Tower. Pictures do not do the MG justice. You have to see it in person. I can only imagine what it will be like when complete. Please excuse the quality of the photos, I took them with my phone.

[king183]

I expected the renovated Myriad Gardens to be good, even very good, but I did not expect it to be as amazing as it is. You truly must see it for yourself to understand how great it is. It's definitely a place I will be visitin often. Those who live downtown have an excellent place to hang out, take the kids, or just go for a walk.

This renovation makes the real estate surrounding the gardens even more valuable.

[PennyQuilts]

Terrific photos. Thanks, so much.

[Larry OKC]

Stupid question #248...

What are the green partially buried letter sculptures supposed to be?

G
r (or n, m)
o
l (lowercase L)
l

[OKCisOK4me]

Is it just me or do the orange and yellow balls look like they're in the home of the teletubbies?! LOL

[Dustin]

Is it just me or do the orange and yellow balls look like they're in the home of the teletubbies?! LOL

I'm wondering if they are nailed down or not... Are they bouncy balls or what?

[Dustin]

I'm dying to see what the childrens interactive fountain is like!!!!! Thats going to be interesting!

[metro]

Did anyone else notice the pictures that line the park showing what improvements are to come? The cars have Texas plates... What's up with that?

The office of James Burnett designed the park, they are based in Houston, so I imagine their software has Texas plates as a default.

Stupid question #248..
What are the green partially buried letter sculptures supposed to be?
G
r (or n, m)
o
l (lowercase L)
l

Grow......

[maestro6]

Not sure, but I think it may be GROW.

Stupid question #248...

What are the green partially buried letter sculptures supposed to be?

G
r (or n, m)
o
l (lowercase L)
l

[Larry OKC]

That makes sense in context of the gardens, that things would grow, but where is the third "leg" of the "w" (I am only seeing 2 parts)...maybe it hasn't grown yet? LOL

[Watson410]

It's a "W" laying down... Lol. That's the clearest letter out of all of them. Maybe not from these pics but for sure in person. Also, It's in the Children's Garden... I think it has more to do with them growing rather than the gardens growing. Just my opinion.

[ljbab728]

Well, technically it's the other way. Both the Myriad Gardens redesign and the new park follow a pattern of new, more active parks that are often termed "highly-programmed" meaning that each space has a purpose. It's just that the Myriad is too small and condensed to have much room for athletic fields, although you could probably organize some ultimate frisbee on the new lawn, although I imagine that space will primarily be a huge hit for music festivals.

The new park won't exactly have room for baseball or soccer, until the south of I-40 expansion is completed, which will have more athletic fields. My concern with that is that OKC's climate is such that athletic fields are usually really unattractive spaces. In climates that aren't as sunny and oppressively hot, athletic fields tend to be more lush and green, whereas in OKC they tend to get brown and ugly.

I don't think we disagree about the first part of your statement except "technically it's the other way". I have no idea what you meant by that.
When I said the new park was more passive, I did not mean there would be no areas for designated activities or functions. I meant more passive and it will be because it's not as condensed. I have no particular worries about athletic fields in the park getting brown and ugly. That's what water is for and I suspect there will be provisions for watering the park.