O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

Okay, we’ll quit with musicals but not until we share this mural that was along our 10K volksmarch through various districts in the Oklahoma City.

This walk started in Automobile Alley where well-preserved mid-twentieth century auto dealership buildings have been transformed into shops, restaurants, architectural offices, etc.

Along the way we saw several buffalo.

We walked through Bricktown, another well-done redevelopment project.  The artificial canal is much like the San Antonio Riverwalk, lined with restaurants and bars, more fun at night than during the day, but a good place to walk or take a boat.

At the end of the canal is a larger-than-life bronze depiction of the Sooners, the madcap settlers who participated in the land rush of the Oklahoma territory.

Our walk ended in the Arts District.  Back in Auto Alley, we stopped to photograph this Chevy truck in an old dealership cum home decor shop. 

A lovely young women greeted us at the shop and recommended a lunch stop.  It was along our walk and we enjoyed one of the best lunches we have had (Anna Lee still extols the three-salad plate). 

Not wanting to waste a forkful of lunch, we were the last of the lunch crowd, for which we were rewarded.  The barista asked us if we liked coffee.  We said yes, and she GAVE each of us a cup of coffee that she was assessing.  Mmmm.

At the end of the walk we felt it was only polite to shop at the bakery where we had left the car.  We bought great bread and a fabulous brownie with cherries.

The next morning we went to the OKC National Memorial. 

 We had been to the memorial when we helped our son Jeff move back to NY.  At that time we visited the memorial at dusk as the lights under each of the chairs was lit.  The best word we know to describe this memorial is poignant. 

On this trip we went into the museum which starts with displays of minutes before the bombing and ends with the trials of Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.  It is a difficult journey through the museum, especially the personal stories and the loss of small children, but the museum is well presented and intended to say never again and to show the reaction of the US to such a tragedy, a reaction we sadly have had to repeat.

After the sad history of the memorial, we went to another museum, the Oklahoma Museum of Art with its Dale Chihuly room.

We have found Chihuly’s glass sculptures all over the world and never cease to enjoy them.  This lovely museum, with a generous photo policy, has a large display, mainly because Mrs. Chihuly is from here. 

We also enjoyed the early American art, similar to that we just saw in Bentonville.  The more modern art was quite interesting.

The woman at the visitor’s center at the Oklahoma border the previous day had recommend Cattleman’s Steakhouse (not the chain) so we drove the deserted streets of OKC to the crowded restaurant where we did have an excellent dinner (quite a treat for the non-beef eating Anna Lee).