Downtown OKC and Bricktown

[OKCRenaissance]

Having more people is actually not a good thing. Bigger cities are the ones with the most problems.

That means we have twice the ghetto of you guys! NOT GOOD!

Lighten up guys. I've already stated my opinion, I think Omaha is a cool city. So I'd like it if some of you didn't just lump Oklahoma City posters together, when none of us are the same.

[S33]

Having more people is actually not a good thing. Bigger cities are the ones with the most problems.

That means we have twice the ghetto of you guys! NOT GOOD!

Lighten up guys. I've already stated my opinion, I think Omaha is a cool city. So I'd like it if some of you didn't just lump Oklahoma City posters together, when none of us are the same.

I understood Golden Eagles sarcasm from the previous post. None the less, its nice having posters from other cities on here and if they do have a legit negative opinion about Omaha that doesn't necessarily mean they are wrong...
The area around the zoo isn't nice(at all), lots of Council Bluffs is in bad shape...etc.etc.

This is after all an "elsewhere" thread and everything is fair game.

[Golden Eagle]

Guys. Seriously. I REALLY do like Omaha, but the reverse goes for you all--I know that you all are NOT so insecure that it makes a difference if I like Omaha or not, so I feel like I can make a joke every now and then with sarcasm. I can let it slide when you all do the same toward OKC trust me. Seriously, to prove it... uhhh... okay, Memorial Road in far far north OKC has a lot of mixed-use developments and a lot of traffic issues, and we've discussed on my forum emulating some things about Dodge Road to solve some of its traffic issues.

But there's no way anyone can say with a straight face that Council Bluffs is not a shithole. I've not just driven through Council Bluffs on I-29..but I've actually gone down its main little road (the one that bleeds into DTO) as well as exited off on the first exit coming FROM Sioux City in hopes of finding a gas station, but instead finding nothing but slum. I've probably seen...MOST of Council Bluffs. In fact the hoods that back up to I-29 are really only South OKC-bad, the hoods along CB's main street, and along that first exit street (like 16th or something) are Northeast OKC-bad, and that's bad.

[Omaha Cowboy]

But there's no way anyone can say with a straight face that Council Bluffs is not a |expletive|. I've not just driven through Council Bluffs on I-29..but I've actually gone down its main little road (the one that bleeds into DTO) as well as exited off on the first exit coming FROM Sioux City in hopes of finding a gas station, but instead finding nothing but slum. I've probably seen...MOST of Council Bluffs. In fact the hoods that back up to I-29 are really only South OKC-bad, the hoods along CB's main street, and along that first exit street (like 16th or something) are Northeast OKC-bad, and that's bad.

Do you care to respond to these comments on CB Icejammer?..

I'll start by saying that Council Bluffs, in its totality is NOT all slum..Not even close..For example, you have obviously not ventured into the area surrounding the Mall of the Bluffs..A very nice suburban area if you ask me..

Council Bluffs is a city of 60,000 people..It doesn't just have one little main road..

I have learned over the years to not simply broad brush my opinions of a city without really taking the time to learn and explore the area with some thoughtful thoroughness..Which based on your comments Golden Eagle, you have yet to accomplish..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

[Golden Eagle]

Well then I can think of 60,000 people that I feel really, really sorry for. That's also 60,000 people probably desperately wishing they had an Omaha address, or at least a Bellevue address, in my opinion. But hey, at least there are loads of casinos and strip malls in Council Bluffs.

[Stargazer]

A few photos I've taken from around Council Bluffs... it has a beautiful downtown district... and bluff side neighborhoods.   The -real- Council Bluffs is one of Omaha's best kept secrets... most Omahans aren't even aware of it.

A sampling...

[Brad]

A few photos I've taken from around Council Bluffs... it has a beautiful downtown district... and bluff side neighborhoods.   The -real- Council Bluffs is one of Omaha's best kept secrets... most Omahans aren't even aware of it.

Your right Jeff!  

My accountant is over there on that street and its just beautiful.

[thenewguy]

Well then I can think of 60,000 people that I feel really, really sorry for. That's also 60,000 people probably desperately wishing they had an Omaha address, or at least a Bellevue address, in my opinion. But hey, at least there are loads of casinos and strip malls in Council Bluffs.

these are not my photos, i'll start off by saying that.  I'm not a photographer, and my digital camera isn't nice enough to get the lighting right, adjust shutter speed, etc, so i'm sorry these aren't samplings of my own work.  But enjoy.

historical squirrel cage jail

inside squirrel cage jail

old public library, now Union Pacific Museum

lewis and clark monument


black angel (Ruth Anne Dodge Memorial)

western historic trails center

bayliss park

first congregational church


Don't feel sorry for me, or anyone from Council Bluffs.  Many of us (including me) like it here.  Sarcasm or not, most people that live here do NOT wish to have an Omaha address (or Bellevue, for that matter).  Obviously, there's more going on than just casinos and strip malls.  There are bad parts of town, yes.  The 'road leading to downtown Omaha' has started to undergo some improvements because it was, for a long time, neglected and let go.  Thomas Jefferson on broadway ('that road') has made some great improvements to their campus, including new street lamps, brick sidewalks, pillars, etc.  The area around 16th street (which you described) does have bad neighborhoods.  However if you travel north on 16th (or may have already, since you have pretty much seen all of Council Bluffs) there is a good sized campus development for victims of domestic abuse that, while its existence is because of something sad, has done a lot to revamp the area and clean up the neighborhoods.  They've taking out many dilapidated homes and businesses and will serve a good purpose in the community.  

Many neighborhoods around main street and downtown have many nice homes (as you saw in the other pictures above--also some of those are also on the national historic register), that are undergoing a huge revitalization of downtown replacing many store fronts, streetscapes, etc.  Sounds like you've driven down 16th, broadway, and the interstate around Council Bluffs (most likely, not recently, or you'd have known all this) and gotten a half assed image of town.  By the way, if you're looking for a gas station in Council Bluffs and couldn't find one, you probably weren't looking hard enough--sometimes i wonder if we don't have the highest number of stations per capita anywhere (and of course i'm kidding).  I'd look into things a little more before making commentary.  I personally wouldn't go through the bad parts of OKC and say, "well, OKC has nothing but a million people wishing their city wasn't a shithole, or that they could relocate to Dallas/Houston/St. Louis/Whatever, because they have a nice downtown but the rest is basically a huge pile of |expletive| because i've just about seen it all."  

You could see how that would make me look like i didn't know my head from my [expletive] in regards to your city.

[Stargazer]

Until I saw it from the air... I guess I thought Bricktown was more urban.  It almost looks like a canal running through Village Pointe (well, with a ballpark next door).  I guess the area surrounding TD Ameritrade Park won't look much different.

[DTO Luv]

Wow.

[CapitalGuy]

I have learned over the years to not simply broad brush my opinions of a city without really taking the time to learn and explore the area with some thoughtful thoroughness..Which based on your comments Golden Eagle, you have yet to accomplish..

You must have turned over this new leaf fairly recently.

[Omaha Cowboy]

I have learned over the years to not simply broad brush my opinions of a city without really taking the time to learn and explore the area with some thoughtful thoroughness..Which based on your comments Golden Eagle, you have yet to accomplish..

You must have turned over this new leaf fairly recently.

And you must be confused and referencing someone else..

I ask for an example of any posting I've made here that reflects otherwise..

If you have an axe to grind with me, send me a PM and we'll hash it out in private..In the meantime, quit trying to stir up poop when there is none to stir..

Tnanks..

..Ciao..LiO....Peace

[thenewguy]

admins: are you able to resize the image of the church in my post up above?  It's not mine, so i don't want to copy it, resize it, host it, and then repost it.  It's just so big right now, i don't want to make the page hard to read.  Thanks

[Golden Eagle]

I don't know why we got off talking about Council Bluffs. I attacked it as an example of what Omaha is nicer than..
FYI, the actual neighborhood boundaries of Bricktown stop at Reno Avenue. So the lifestyle center is actually what
is called "Lower Bricktown" because it is not "actual" Bricktown. The Bricktown Merchants Association made sure
that they wouldn't be insulted by Lower Bricktown's reputation. Actual Bricktown is a collection of about 15 blocks
of historic brick warehouses that have been revived. The Bricktown Canal is colloquially divided into two, the "Lower
Canal" and the "Upper Canal." And you're right, the Lower Canal looks like a nice little canal running through a
lifestyle center -- the "Upper Canal" however is very impressive.

[Stargazer]

Sort of reminds me of one of those modular HO scale train layouts... you know... where you go from one module to the next, each maintained by a different person, and one has alot nicer landscape work than the other... but when you step back... you find there's just a bunch of particle board and empty space surrounding all of the modules anyway... a nifty illusion pulled off.

Now that said... I'd like to see the same thing happen to more of north downtown Omaha.  The two areas are actually quite similar... OKC's just further along.

[Golden Eagle]

I would think comparing Bricktown and Omaha's North Downtown would be pretty silly, unless you mean "further along" in the most hyperbolic sense. Comparing Bricktown and the Old Market makes a little bit more sense, our newspaper did it (apparently the KC Star started this massive chain of newspapers across the country comparing downtowns). I think that the Old Market might be preserved better, but I don't think it's quite as large as Bricktown.

I don't know what I would compare North Downtown to, because I don't really know the area very well. There seem to be some major new development projects proposed for the area, which would be akin to the Riverside area south of Downtown OKC, but Riverside is mostly greenfield and abandoned buildings, and it's an area with almost a square mile. I don't think North Downtown is that blighted either.. at least two obvious comparisons would be OKC and Omaha's Midtown districts, which are both pretty similar (nice mix of historic and new going up on the verge of downtown).

Overall I think it's obvious that Downtown Omaha is much more established than Downtown OKC, but OKC has much more construction and stuff underway right now. It's interesting and a bit dubious to compare two cities, esp when one has a lot of catch up to do, but is on a completely different level. Those are just my observations, from someone that now lives in Calgary..

[DTO Luv]

I can only assume that you mean that DT OKC is catching up to DT Omaha. You yourself where lamenting the fact that our DT population is almost double of OKC's and the lack of certain stores available in DTO and not DTOKC.

[Golden Eagle]

I'm confused.

But yes, DT OKC is catching up to DT Omaha. DT Omaha is older and more matured I guess as far as downtowns go, thanks to urban renewal in OKC. DT OKC has more "new stuff" though than DT Omaha.

[Brad]

So I drove through OKC Thursday and Saturday....

Is that stretch from where your turn to the south to about Norman one of the worst stretches of Interstate in the Midwest?

[Golden Eagle]

Don't know what you mean by worst, or "where you turn" but traffic is usually pretty rough going down to Norman, and let's just say that the Inner South side is out little Council Bluffs..

But here's something I did for fun just for you all. I placed the First National Tower right where Devon's new 700 footer is gonna go.



I think that the First National looks better in OKC than it does in Omaha! (there's the bait lol, any takers)

[DTO Luv]

Um, nope.

[TitosBuritoBarn]

I think that the First National looks better in OKC than it does in Omaha! (there's the bait lol, any takers)

That's because the architects of this building employed some pleasant design elements so it doesn't look like a large rectangular box sticking out of the ground. The contrast to the rest of your skyline is what makes it look so nice there.

[Golden Eagle]

Eh. I like OKC's First National Tower better.



I was just joking around. Besides Omaha's FNT would look better on the Northwest Expressway, not in DT OKC.

[Louie]

*cough* FNC is taller *cough*


ps this isnt smack talk

[Greg S]

I was in OKC and went to Bricktown earlier this week.  Definitely a lot of building going on.  I was surprised in the canal area how many vacant spaces there were.  Also look like some had already tried and failed (Margarita Mama's looked like it had folded).  Also on the main street just down from Bricktown Brewery, a sports bar that I used to like had closed too.

Really enjoyed the canal ride though.  The hotels Marriott has put up with one more coming look great.

Greg

[Golden Eagle]

*cough* FNC is taller *cough*

You wanna talk about taller?

Just kidding.