OG&E Tower

[warreng88]

I was in BT Friday night meeting some friends for a friend's going away party. I parked south of Bass Pro and walked to Michael Murphy's to say hi to a friend then back to Toby Keith's (not my choice) for dinner. On the 20 minute walk or so that I had, I encountered fans from MN, PSU, Iowa, Ohio, Illinois. I was alone and walking with a predetermined destination in mind, so I guess I looked local. They asked for good places to eat (several recommendations based on their likes), what to do (bowling, movies, Myriad Gardens, Spokies, canal boat ride) and a group of guys asked for good places for hot girls. I will keep my answer to that one to myself. In the times I responded to them, I always remained positive and the only issue I ever brought up was mass transit which didn't bother any of them because they were staying in BT/DT and walking everywhere. Not one person complained about OKC being backwards, boring, etc. Most of them were impressed with what was going on and couldn't wait to come back to visit. I even passed out a few business cards if they had questions to e-mail me.

[okclee]

Soondoc speaks the truth.

I have been holding off but I am going to say it now........ .

I got a real "laugh out loud" at this line by bchris.

[bchris02]

Sorry about my negativity everyone.

[king183]

I saw plenty of out of state wrestling fans in the Plaza this weekend, shopping and eating. They all seemed to be enjoying themselves and didn't appear to think they were trapped in a glass case of doom. I think bchris and the other guy are just projecting their own opinion of OKC onto others in search of a bit of validation.

ANYWAY....Stage Center Tower. Wool!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[boitoirich]

Is there a way to move the spirited discussion above to its own thread? I love this forum, but there is a severe lack of topic discipline that detracts from the experience.

[OKCisOK4me]

Man...I'd love to see an update on everything that is at the top of the New Posts section too but folks like soondoc are too old to realize what they're doing...which is trying overly too hard to make an impression. Can't pad your post count like that, lol. Probably a good thing we don't have a reputation button.

If you see a topic like this blowup with 25+ posts in an hour then you know it's real ;-)

[UnFrSaKn]

Everyone just follow on Twitter. That's where Pete puts all the actual updates worth reading. There are daily tweets.

[PhiAlpha]

You officially lose all credibility in my books. As if anyone took you very seriously to begin with with all the nonsense you blabber on about OKC not being good enough. OKC can improve, but it's nowhere near the backwards black hole that you make it out to be. The ignore button is a very worthwhile feature when it comes to simple minded transplants like yourself that want to compare OKC to every other larger city in the U.S. and claim that's why OKC is still living in the 90's. I know you know about OKC's past and you make sure to say it's nothing like it was in the 90's, but you still seem to think that we're just supposed to leap 30 years into the future in spite of our slow start. I remember you complaining about Charlotte before you moved to OKC and right after you moved to OKC and the death trap that you made it out to be, so I don't think it's OKC you want to complain about. I think it's just what you do. The ironic thing is that you used to steer away from the positives on Charlotte and now you're advocating OKC to become more like Charlotte.

You can live in all the big and/or booming cities that you want, but quit comparing OKC to those cities because it's known by everyone on this board that OKC isn't quite booming population wise and it definitely isn't a big city (Dallas, Atlanta, etc.). If you think OKC is so backwoods because it's not Charlotte or Atlanta, then you should've stayed in those cities. I personally like what's going on in OKC, but I'm so fed up with reading your beyond negative opinion on everything that happens in OKC. There are those few times that you give props about something happening in OKC and I thank God for those posts because they are few and far between. The rest of the time it's posts about Tulsa gets everything first because OKC is viewed so negatively and Tulsa is just a better city to be in or OKC's grocery shopping sucks because Wal-Mart has a death grip on the market, which I don't really disagree with, and OKC not being ready for Costco or residential high-rise's, etc., and then of course the fateful comparisons to Charlotte, Austin, Nashville, etc. to further try and prove that OKC is small time. Just quit it already; other posters would like you a little bit more and wouldn't mock you all the time if you'd quit being that outside voice that's trying to convince everyone that OKC isn't as great as it's made out to be. We know we've got a ways to go but we also can see how far we've come; your lowly stance on OKC isn't changing our minds.

Don't forget the frequent doom posts about our severe weather and how it's the defining reason that everyone in america doesn't move here (in addition to Walmart's stranglehold on our market, which I still disagree with). He lost his credibility with the "Why would anyone ever live here?" post immediately after the Moore tornado on the city data forum. It really just shows his lack of familiarity with OKC and the fact that he unfortunately happened to move here during two of the most active tornado seasons in the last decade (or maybe just unfortunately moved here period). Seriously, you have a better chance of getting hit by a tornado in Florida then you do here, albeit a less damaging one. To most of us who live here, other than a very unfortunate handful of people, tornados and severe weather in general are just a nuisance that we all know we might have to deal with a few times a year.

[PhiAlpha]

You officially lose all credibility in my books. As if anyone took you very seriously to begin with with all the nonsense you blabber on about OKC not being good enough. OKC can improve, but it's nowhere near the backwards black hole that you make it out to be. The ignore button is a very worthwhile feature when it comes to simple minded transplants like yourself that want to compare OKC to every other larger city in the U.S. and claim that's why OKC is still living in the 90's. I know you know about OKC's past and you make sure to say it's nothing like it was in the 90's, but you still seem to think that we're just supposed to leap 30 years into the future in spite of our slow start. I remember you complaining about Charlotte before you moved to OKC and right after you moved to OKC and the death trap that you made it out to be, so I don't think it's OKC you want to complain about. I think it's just what you do. The ironic thing is that you used to steer away from the positives on Charlotte and now you're advocating OKC to become more like Charlotte.

You can live in all the big and/or booming cities that you want, but quit comparing OKC to those cities because it's known by everyone on this board that OKC isn't quite booming population wise and it definitely isn't a big city (Dallas, Atlanta, etc.). If you think OKC is so backwoods because it's not Charlotte or Atlanta, then you should've stayed in those cities. I personally like what's going on in OKC, but I'm so fed up with reading your beyond negative opinion on everything that happens in OKC. There are those few times that you give props about something happening in OKC and I thank God for those posts because they are few and far between. The rest of the time it's posts about Tulsa gets everything first because OKC is viewed so negatively and Tulsa is just a better city to be in or OKC's grocery shopping sucks because Wal-Mart has a death grip on the market, which I don't really disagree with, and OKC not being ready for Costco or residential high-rise's, etc., and then of course the fateful comparisons to Charlotte, Austin, Nashville, etc. to further try and prove that OKC is small time. Just quit it already; other posters would like you a little bit more and wouldn't mock you all the time if you'd quit being that outside voice that's trying to convince everyone that OKC isn't as great as it's made out to be. We know we've got a ways to go but we also can see how far we've come; your lowly stance on OKC isn't changing our minds.

Double post

[Plutonic Panda]

Everyone just follow on Twitter. That's where Pete puts all the actual updates worth reading. There are daily tweets.

It would be really nice if there was a feature where posts that actually include useful info like updates to a project, announcements, photos of the profess etc.. could be filtered and the opinions and criticism would be hidden(if chosen by the user). So whenever you post something, you click "fact or opinion". If it is anything that is not an update, announcement, or a photo, it is classified as an opinion and the option would be there to filter it out.

[okcpulse]

I think once again people are placing too much emphasis on OKC meeting "big league" expectations. A city doesn't need a professional team or upscale amenities to be big league. Being home to a professional team is a testament to Oklahoma City's economy. Likewise, upscale amenities is a symptom of having a successful economy. It represents an established city, not a big league city. A city becomes 'big league' only once it becomes well established as a place of influence in industry, culture and politics.

Oklahoma City is in the process of establishing itself. This isn't something that happens overnight. It's a transformation. A caterpillar doesn't crawl onto a tree to become a butterfly overnight. It will take time.

We need to let Oklahoma City perfect its own process, overcome its challenges and establish its identity over the course of time. Rushing OKC into being something that long-established cities are is a bad idea. Bickering over where OKC is compared to other cities is a useless endeavor because tomorrow, it is still in the same place it is today.

There is nothing wrong with wanting the best for OKC, but we just want what is the best for OKC by standing behind our community, not against it. Get involved, hammer city hall. Hammer property owners. Hammer developers. Demand nothing less than superior quality. We are already starting to see evidence of this taking place. Now let's cultivate it.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^^^

Fantastic post. Sometimes on this site we lack this type of mature perspective. The type of changes we hope for (and are experiencing) usually require a generation or two. We are seeing amazing change and growth every 2, 3, 5, 10 years. It's not always easy to be patient when you are watching every brick being laid, but this will be a different city in 10 years than it is today, and many, many communities cannot say that.

[soonerguru]

i think once again people are placing too much emphasis on okc meeting "big league" expectations. A city doesn't need a professional team or upscale amenities to be big league. Being home to a professional team is a testament to oklahoma city's economy. Likewise, upscale amenities is a symptom of having a successful economy. It represents an established city, not a big league city. A city becomes 'big league' only once it becomes well established as a place of influence in industry, culture and politics.

Oklahoma city is in the process of establishing itself. This isn't something that happens overnight. It's a transformation. A caterpillar doesn't crawl onto a tree to become a butterfly overnight. It will take time.

We need to let oklahoma city perfect its own process, overcome its challenges and establish its identity over the course of time. Rushing okc into being something that long-established cities are is a bad idea. Bickering over where okc is compared to other cities is a useless endeavor because tomorrow, it is still in the same place it is today.

There is nothing wrong with wanting the best for okc, but we just want what is the best for okc by standing behind our community, not against it. Get involved, hammer city hall. Hammer property owners. Hammer developers. Demand nothing less than superior quality. We are already starting to see evidence of this taking place. Now let's cultivate it.

like!

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

Nothing on this page belongs in this thread. I don't give two sh*ts about opinions of this city in the context of this thread, I come in here for STAGE CENTER TOWER information. Instead, I wind up scrolling past out of place diatribes and paragraph after paragraph of butthurt. Do you people seriously have no idea how to internet?

[Of Sound Mind]

Nothing on this page belongs in this thread. I don't give two sh*ts about opinions of this city in the context of this thread, I come in here for STAGE CENTER TOWER information. Instead, I wind up scrolling past out of place diatribes and paragraph after paragraph of butthurt. Do you people seriously have no idea how to internet?

Talk about butthurt...

[Oh GAWD the Smell!]

I am pretty torn up about it.

[OKCRT]

So did they get the stage building built yet? It's so small I couldn't see it from I-40 today.

At least this post in ON TOPIC!

[OKCRT]

No doubt. I was at the NCAA Wrestling Championships and sat by two Minnesota fans that were raving about OKC. They had been to two previous championships in St. Louis and said that OKC was far superior in regards to convenience and things to do downtown.

Whoever told you that doesn't know what they are talking about. There's so much more to do in St. Louis VS Okc it's not even debatable. Of course the St. Louis area is right around 3 mil. in pop vs 1.3 Okc.

[Urbanized]

They post didn't say they felt OKC was a bigger place or more cosmopolitan or had more to offer overall. It specifically said OKC was "superior in regards to convenience and things to do downtown." I heard the same thing myself from a number of the wrestling fans.

I've never been to downtown St. Louis, but OKC performs very well compared to many larger cities for people who are staying downtown for an event, conference or convention. It is remarkably compact, walkable and has a diverse offering of entertaimment and dining options. I regularly talk to sports fans and conference attendees who express surprise and admiration for what OKC offers in this regard.

[Jim Kyle]

I've never been to downtown St. Louis, but OKC performs very well compared to many larger cities for people who are staying downtown for an event, conference or convention. It is remarkably compact, walkable and has a diverse offering of entertaimment and dining options. I regularly talk to sports fans and conference attendees who express surprise and admiration for what OKC offers in this regard.

I have been, not very many years ago, and while it's true that the place is much larger than is OKC, it's also true that over the years it has suffered much more sprawl also, with the result that the majority of "things to do" are rather far from the downtown area -- and downtown itself isn't much more pedestrian friendly than is the OKC CBD. Just to visit the Arch, for instance, requires first driving to its parking area, which is a bit difficult to locate and is well-removed from the actual entrance, which can be reached only through a nicely landscap3ed but oh so spacious park...

[bchris02]

Many larger cities may have many of their amenities clustered in areas other than downtown even if those amenities are far above and beyond what OKC offers. For visitors, convenience and ability to easily get to those amenities is just as important as having them available. With that in mind, I can see how OKC may beat out a larger city like St. Louis.

[Urbanized]

^^^^^

Like. I think.

[Spartan]

Whoever told you that doesn't know what they are talking about. There's so much more to do in St. Louis VS Okc it's not even debatable. Of course the St. Louis area is right around 3 mil. in pop vs 1.3 Okc.

Yeah OKC does perform well as a host city even up against some larger cities, but St. Louis is probably not one of those. That is a city steeped in soul and vitality.

[Rover]

St. Louis is steeped in soul and vitality, but the inner city suffered. It has had long periods of deteriorization and crime downtown. Downtown OKC has a much better, cleaner, and safer feel and reality with as much vitality...especially on the weekends with events.

[soonerguru]

Yeah OKC does perform well as a host city even up against some larger cities, but St. Louis is probably not one of those. That is a city steeped in soul and vitality.

It's been a few years since I've been there, and while it is a fabulous city, its downtown area was not a very vibrant or tourist-friendly place.