What happened to NW OKC?

[bluedogok]

Isn't that corner owned by someone named Shadid? If so, is there any family ties with the other Shadid?

As far as biker bars go, remember the Draught Board somewhere on May across the street from about where Lynn Hickey was?

The former Lamplighter on 10th street is now Margarita Island or somesuch and seems to draw a crowd along with some bikes. They don't look like 1% bikers.

Yes, they are closely related.

There are quite a few of the Shadid family in business in OKC, I lost track of how many there were a long time ago.

I worked at Britton & Broadway for 11 years, about 2 years of that was on a night shift and a lot of other nights spent there when I was working days. Had a friend who grew up at 88th & Classen and as bad as that area can be I never felt "threatened" driving through there to see her or going home when I lived in The Village. Had some friends who lived in the neighborhood behind the Lyrewood apartmentville, while it looks bad I think it's reputation is worse than actuality. Most crime in those areas seems to be among known acquaintances and not just random crime on innocents wandering through.

To some people a place that doesn't look pristine and almost Truman Show-ish is "sketchy", they just need to stay in their suburban bubble if they are that afraid of the rest of the world.

[mkjeeves]

There are quite a few of the Shadid family in business in OKC, I lost track of how many there were a long time ago.

I worked at Britton & Broadway for 11 years, about 2 years of that was on a night shift and a lot of other nights spent there when I was working days. Had a friend who grew up at 88th & Classen and as bad as that area can be I never felt "threatened" driving through there to see her or going home when I lived in The Village. Had some friends who lived in the neighborhood behind the Lyrewood apartmentville, while it looks bad I think it's reputation is worse than actuality. Most crime in those areas seems to be among known acquaintances and not just random crime on innocents wandering through.

To some people a place that doesn't look pristine and almost Truman Show-ish is "sketchy", they just need to stay in their suburban bubble if they are that afraid of the rest of the world.

The crime map linked above also supports that as the safest place to be. I don't think it was suburbanites fearing NW OKC for the most part though.

I regularly drive NW 10th from Council to the urban core, day and night, frequent the businesses along the way and never feel scared. I have on a couple of occasions been in other parts of the city that did scare me, south side, capitol hill mainly. (The only place I've seen a random dead body homicide victim.) But it doesn't scare me driving through and I still go there on business pretty regularly in the daytime. (I haven't had a reason to go there at night.) Things seem to have settled down a bit there too. I quit watching local news some time ago which may have something to do with my perspective.

[TechArch]

Some good news for NW OKC - the apartments on Portland between NW23rd and NW36th across from Will Rogers Park are under new ownership. Work has already begun on renovating one of the buildings (probably as a model apartment building to show possible renters). The new exterior is siding but it looks a lot better than the existing buildings. The new name of the complex is Portland Peake.

[bluedogok]

The crime map linked above also supports that as the safest place to be. I don't think it was suburbanites fearing NW OKC for the most part though.

I regularly drive NW 10th from Council to the urban core, day and night, frequent the businesses along the way and never feel scared. I have on a couple of occasions been in other parts of the city that did scare me, south side, capitol hill mainly. (The only place I've seen a random dead body homicide victim.) But it doesn't scare me driving through and I still go there on business pretty regularly in the daytime. (I haven't had a reason to go there at night.) Things seem to have settled down a bit there too. I quit watching local news some time ago which may have something to do with my perspective.

I grew up close to there (Hilldale area) and my father is involved with the West Tenth neighborhood group as they still live in the same house. I get to see the area whenever I am back in town. The area has definitely changed a lot in the 48 years they have lived there.