While the holiday season descend upon Tulsa, Oklahoma, like every other part of the country, if the football team is doing well, they may barely notice the leaves turning color and the temperature dropping. Forgive the out-of-state relatives if they take you for a Boomer Sooner fan-or send them some fruit cake as a means of getting even. But when you get some time to pull yourself away from the television, radio and local sports authority; you will want to know what your options are for getting shopping down.

Holiday decorations are not just for Halloween, but there are plenty of decorations made to celebtrate Christmas, Kwanza, Chanukah, and if you have a crazy Scottish neighbor, you might even see a kilt appear for St. Andrew’s Day. So when the football is over and you need to get out of the house and get the shopping done, what are your options?

Tulsa, Oklahoma residents definitely live out of driving distance for the Mall of America, so it is probably good to rule that out. While online stores like eBay, Amazon.com, and Overstock offer great opportunities and deals to buy Christmas gifts for everyone, they are not the best place to find actual Christmas and holiday decorations. So what does Tulsa, Oklahoma have to offer?

First, let’s skip over the obvious choices. It is likely, everyone reading this knows they can go shop at Wal Mart, Kohls and Target to get just about anything they want or need, especially if it is a Super Wal mart, and the same can be said about Target and Super Target. In addition, you do not go online to find out about the mall that is just a few miles from you. So here are some resources in Tulsa, Oklahoma that are worth checking out:

Collectibles, Gifts and Novelties

Looking for a new cookie jar or relish container? One of these spots has what you are looking for — at least we believe they will.

1. Becky’s Hallmark Shop 11109 E 41st St # B. Tulsa, OK. (918) 628-1766
2. Collectible Toys 14002 E 21st St. Tulsa, OK. (918) 234-4806
3. Collector’s Choice Racing 9216 E Admiral Pl. Tulsa, OK. (918) 835-5855
4. Cookie Jars Of Tulsa 122 S Lewis Ave. Tulsa, OK. (918) 582-0245
5. Cornerstone Memories Inc 102 S 1st St. Jenks, OK. (918) 298-5962
6. Emporium 4265 Southwest Blvd. Tulsa, OK. (918) 445-9201
7. Fancy That 206 S Main St. Broken Arrow, OK. (918) 258-7499
8. Fast Thred’s 2122 S Memorial Dr. Tulsa, OK. (918) 664-3287
9. Glow Collectibles 1210 E 41st St. Tulsa, OK. (918) 743-5858
10. Heartfelt Collections 4980 E 105th St. Tulsa, OK. (918) 299-9986
11. I-44 Antiques & Collectibles 5147 S Peoria Ave. Tulsa, OK. (918) 712-2222
12. Karen’s Classic & Collectible 701 S Main St. Broken Arrow, OK. (918) 259-9057
13. Pat’s Hallmark 1105 E Kenosha St. Broken Arrow, OK. (918) 251-3116
14. Perfect Touch 4932 E 91st St. Tulsa, OK. (918) 496-8118
15. Postman Hallmark 6324 E Admiral Pl. Tulsa, OK. (918) 838-0573
16. Rathbone’s Flair Collectibles 211 E Main St. Jenks, OK. (918) 299-2349
17. Sooner Stamps & Watkins 4612 E 31st St. Tulsa, OK. (918) 749-5897
18. Weldon’s Collectibles 5026 S Sheridan Rd. Tulsa, OK. (918) 622-3613
19. White Bear Antiques & Teddy 1301 E 15th St. Tulsa, OK. (918) 592-1914
20. Williams Cottage 6216 S 72nd East Ave. Tulsa, OK. (918) 492-7125

We found these locations using Best of Tulsa Yellow Pages.

Crafts and Craft Supplies

Crafts and Craft supplies stores in Tulsa, Oklahoma are an abundant source of decorations, decoration ideas, and everything in between to really get you rolling for the holidays. Between all the Hobby Lobby, Mardels and Michael’s Arts and Crafts locations, we know you can find something to fancy up your home or office.

1. Crafters Market 9120 E 31st St # C. Tulsa, OK. (918) 622-0512
2. Heart To Heart Crafters Mall 114 W Dallas St. Broken Arrow, OK. (918) 251-5484
3. Mel’s Country Crafts Sand Springs, OK. 74063
4. OKHandmade Art, Gifts and Crafts Sand Springs 918-629-4785
5. Picket Fence 1000 N Elm Pl. Broken Arrow, OK. (918) 258-2969
6. Quilted Bear 14002 E 21st St. Tulsa, OK. (918) 438-4555
7. Sarah’s Arts & Crafts Designs 12640 E 31st Pl. Tulsa, OK. (918) 610-5142
8. Something Unique 110 E Main St. Jenks, OK. (918) 299-3322
9. Sullivan, Wayne 123 E Main St. Jenks, OK. (918) 299-0931
10. Airway Variety Store 8888 E Admiral Pl. Tulsa, OK. (918) 838-1901
11. Challenger N-Scale Hobbies 2230 E 56th Pl. Tulsa, OK. (918) 749-1634
12. Garden Ridge 11015 E 51st St. Tulsa, OK. (918) 660-0543
13. Hobby Lobby 720 W New Orleans St. Broken Arrow, OK. (918) 455-3710
14. Hobby Lobby 8929 S Memorial Dr # 370. Tulsa, OK. (918) 250-5135
15. Hobby Lobby Creative Ctr 5130 S Harvard Ave. Tulsa, OK. (918) 749-8736
16. Hobby Lobby Creative Ctr 11205 E 31st St. Tulsa, OK. (918) 664-7064
17. Jo Ann Fabrics & Crafts 5117 S Peoria Ave. Tulsa, OK. (918) 744-7621
18. Mavis Craft Shop 118 W Dallas St. Broken Arrow, OK. (918) 251-9799
19. Michael’s Arts & Crafts Inc 3116 S Garnett Rd. Tulsa, OK. (918) 622-8867
20. Michael’s Arts & Crafts Inc 8309 E 68th St. Tulsa, OK. (918) 254-2187
21. Rock Creek Emporium 2257 W Washington St. Broken Arrow, OK. (918) 451-5008
22. Silver Needle 6022 S Sheridan Rd. Tulsa, OK. (918) 493-1136
23. Tandy Leather Co 5010 S Sheridan Rd. Tulsa, OK. (918) 622-3996

Additional Shoppes of Interest

There are plenty of locations to start looking for holiday decorations in and around Tulsa, Oklahoma. You really just have to get out there, make a few stops and find what suits your desires best. We know of a few pretty decent locations to get some decorations for the upcoming holidays, so we thought we would share.

1. Pottery Barn at Utica Square 1864 Utica Sq. Tulsa, OK. (918) 743-1512
2. Pier 1 Imports at Utica Square 1926 Utica Sq. Tulsa, OK. (918) 742-1100
3. Pier 1 Imports 5255 S Sheridan Rd. Tulsa, OK. (918) 663-5546
4. Pier 1 Imports 9018 N 121st East Ave #500. Owasso, OK. (918) 272-4152
5. Garden Ridge 11015 E 51st St. Tulsa, OK. (918) 660-0543
6. Seasonal Concepts 10303 East 71st. Tulsa, OK. (918) 252-3396

Too Lazy to Light Up Your House

For many of you, storing, pulling out the lights, setting them up and making sure they stay lit for the holidays is a pain in the touche. If this is true, you could always check out Tulsa Christmas Lights, who will come out, get you setup with something beautiful and handle all the work for you!

The footnotes

There are plenty of resources in online yellow pages, super pages, white pages, and everything in between. We suggest you spend some time surfing around to find exactly what you are looking for. The absolute best place to get started is the wonderful Google, who can help you find local brick and mortar store locations and their online websites to help you find out if they have what you are looking for. Just in case you are new or visiting and not sure where the local Wal Marts and Target stores are, check out Yahoo! Search which we have linked up to outline their locations.

Watch with shock n awe, as the top Baristas from Green Country’s best cafés compete until one drops from a caffeine overdose. Not really, but you can catch the aromas, tastes and talent as Baristas challenge each other in a coffee contest that is a first for Tulsa and hosted by Café Topéca. Proprietor of
Café Topéca, John Gaberino III (Chip) says, “This will be an interactional event.” “Our (coffee) culture is at the right time for this (type of event)”.

So what is a “Barista”? A “barista” is a person who is a expertise in the making a espresso-based coffee drink. You know how cool those “art forms” on the top of the crème of your latte are and how quick you like your tasty beverage to be in your hands. Now is your chance to see artists at work during a day long competition against the best in Oklahoma right here in your own T-town.

The competition will be taken on by one representative from each participating café. They will get 10 minutes to perfect a espresso, cappuccino, and a personal “signature” drink (in the epitome of the Iron Chef”) for two USBC certified sensorial judges using manual grounding, dosing and tamping of the coffee beans. How serious is this? Besides the 2 sensory judges (one flying in from Nashville),
there will be 1 Technical judge and 1 head judge in the mix. The two sensory judges will judge
timeliness, consistency, cleanliness, quality, taste and presentation. 1st place gets $100, 1/2
day roasting class on a Detrich IR-12 Roaster., 2nd place-$50, 3rd place-$25 and 4th place a
can of Folders.

Participating cafés will be: Jews Coffee & Health, Coffee House on 15th Street, Café Topeca, DoubleShot, Shades of Brown, and Coffee Slingers.

All the details

Where Café Topéca, 115 West 5th Street (south-east side of the historic Mayo Hotel)
When Saturday, December 6th, 2008 at 10:00AM

One Million Miles! That’s correct, Tulsa’s been challenged by the mayor to walk, run, bike, even swim 1,000,000 miles.

Mayor Taylor says from the site, “It’s not just about weight loss. It’s about being active for life! I challenge everyone in Tulsa to make fitness and health a top priority in their lives.”

So basically, by making ourselves healthier; we’re happier and the city looks good in the process. Tulsa’s notorious for being an obese city. In 2005, we were ranked 22nd in the Top 25 Fattest Cities. The then Tulsa Mayor LaFortune took this information and challenged Tulsa to get healthier. It worked and in a recent study Tulsa is now 13th Fittest Cities. That’s impressive, but its not enough.

When our state’s most favorite foods consist of barbecue, fried “anything”, cornbread, etc…its no wonder why we’re fat! So get of your duff, get out in the city and get some exercise. Its good for you, good for your health, and good for our city to try to become more fit.

Soon, Tulsa will have a new technology that will be able to trace the location of a wireless 911 caller. On October 22nd, Tulsa’s new E-911 system goes online and should prove to be a valuable service for all Tulsa callers.

This new system will allow the 911 dispatchers to be able to locate a wireless caller within a half-block of their call. John Hampton, the manager of Tulsa’s 911 call center states “It’s based on the strength of the signal reaching each one of the (cell) towers…”.

Even though Tulsa’s E-911 system will be online this month, the cell phone providers are not required to adhere to this for another six months.

Is that acceptable to you? If not, call your cell phone provider and demand they expedite this process for the safety of all their customers.

Just for your convenience, ThisTulsa has provided all the customer service numbers for most of the local cellular companies. Call and demand they step up!

Updated:

AT&T

1-800-331-0500

Sprint

1-800-877-4646

T-Moble

1-800-T-MOBILE

US Cellular

1-888-944-9400

Verizon

1-800-922-0204

Abengoa Bioenergy Corporation, the North American division of a company based in Spain, soon plans to build a new biorefinery in southwestern Kansas that will be the first of its kind in the United States.

Oklahoma scientists are looking to use switchgrass as a component of ethanol at this facility. Realistically, this building wont be completed until mid 2011 right about the time this switchgrass will reach time for its full harvest. Even though this seems to be far off - time wise - it will form a sustainable form of income for the state and be a significant contribution to the biofuel industry.

Cellulose is the main ingredient in a plant’s cell walls and is “the most common organic compound in the world.” The biorefinery will use a “biochemical and thermochemical process” to convert said cellulose for its use in ethanol.

The demand for ethanol continues to outpace ethanol production which doesn’t help the transition from gasoline to ethanol. Many continue to be skeptical because of this inability to meet demand in our country.

The new refinery will be able to convert both starch-based and cellulosic products for their use in ethanol. Starch based products of course include corn, cereal grains, etc. and currently are the majority of the ethanol produced. The transition to more cullulosic products will help the demand by allowing more and more products to be used for this production.

Unfortunatly, this type of thing cant really happen quickly. This takes time. Facilities like this new biorefinery are paving the way forward for US companies.

Tulsa, Oklahoma seems to be filled with individuals who love to get outside: running, riding, walking, and playing around. Being said, September is a perfect month to get off the sofa and get active for a good cause. If you have been in Tulsa, Oklahoma for your entire life or just a few months, we do not discriminate, Tulsa based organizations could use your help! With the fall season drawing near and the weather cooling off, Tulsa citizens finally have no excuse for not going outside; no more filling up six buckets of sweat per person!

If biking is your thing, September 13-14, Tulsa’s own SemGroup, and nearly 30 other Tulsa based businesses and organizations; are sponsoring 2008 Bike MS Oklahoma Ride. You have always been up for a good challenge and Ride MS 2008 in Oklahoma is sure to provide one. This meeting can make a world of difference — unlike any other! A distance of 150 miles, across two days through beautiful Oklahoma that will challange you and reward you at the same time. Your will power tested. Being active versus chilling on the sofa. It’s the 2008 Mike MS Oklahoma Ride!

Go on.. RIDE!

The bike riding fanatics will begin with breakfast at SouthCrest Hospital in South Tulsa, Oklahoma on September 13^th and start riding at an early hour; 7:30AM.
Riders will have plenty of opportunities to meet fellow Tulsa citizens and regional attending bikers during the event. Riders will bike through Northeastern Oklahoma visiting: Broken Arrow, Catoosa, and Sageeyah. Ending the first night of 2008 MS Oklahoma Ride will be dinner provided at Pryor Creek Recreation Center in Pryor, Oklahoma. Entertainment will also be provided at the Tent Village.

September 14th at 2:00PM kicks off Mile 151 Party in the parking lot at SouthCrest Hospital, Tulsa, Oklahoma. You, your team, and all the awesome individuals you met along the way; chilling, celebrating, and congratulating your 150 mile journey for an incredible cause!

Register for BIKE MS 2008

For online registration visit www.nationalMSsociety.org/oke
Fax registration: 918-488-0913
Voice registration: 800-FIGHT MS or 800-344-4867 (press 2)

If you are old school and refuse to conform to the advances in technology, you can mail your registration in:

Oklahoma Chapter - NMSS
4606 East 67th Street, Suite 103
Tulsa, OK 74136

“The National MS Society helps people affected by MS by funding cutting edge research, driving change through advocacy, facilitating professional education, and providing programs and services designed to help people with MS and their families move their lives forward”.

On September 25, 1958 Quiktrip opened its doors to Tulsa, Oklahoma at its first store on South Peoria. Now it’s time for the Tulsa based convenience store chain to celebrate their 50th year anniversary with live music from a variety of both local and regional acts. Quiktrip is also throwing a huge fireworks display to thank Tulsa citizens and the community for fifty years of support. The event will be held at the River West Festival Park (on the West Bank of the Arkansas River behind the Amphitheater) in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Best of all, you can get your tickets at all Tulsa area Quiktrip locations for free! 

Bands, Bands, and More Bands!

• Uche and the Crash - These guys will take Stage 2 at 12pm
• Little Chair - Stage 1 at 12:50pm
• Crooked X - Stage 2 at 1:40pm
• Rattle and Hum -  Stage 1 and 2:30pm
• Midlife Crisis - Stage 2 at 3:20pm
• South40 - Stage 1 at 4:10
• Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey - Stage 2 at 5pm
• Leon Russell - Stage 1 at 6pmHanson - Stage 1 at 7:50

What about beer, restrictions, and food?

Glad you asked! Quiktrip Mobile will be on site with concessions, the same food you have learned to enjoy from their deli sandwiches to egg rolls. Best of all, Budweiser will be on site with their beer garden, providing a nice environment to sit back and drink-up! There is a double fist limit of two beers per visit to the beer concession and the beer stops flowing at 9:30PM when the fireworks demonstration begins. Quiktrip has outlined all the details of their Tulsa festival on their website www.quiktrip.com/festival/QTfest_faq.asp.

The fireworks will pop from the 21^st Street Bridge at 9:30PM in Tulsa, Oklahoma and continue until they’re out of the magical black power and star dust. Don’t miss out, come out to the River and enjoy some FREE live music and fireworks! See you there, Tulsa!

Article image thankfully jacked from quiktrip.com/festival/. Great artwork huh?

With the sun straight overhead, blazing heat, and plenty of water to go around; volunteers began to walk up. At 3:00PM today we arranged to assemble at the Tulsa Centennial Park time capsule between Peoria and Madison on Sixth Street. Today marked the day ThisTulsa.com put into motion a group of volunteers to assist in keeping Oklahoma beautiful.

With assistance from organizations like Tulsa MET and TulsaNOW we were able to gather many citizens to help with our goal of keeping the park in pristine condition.

“The park does not seem to be too dirty,” one volunteer stated, but by the end of our day at the park, you could definitely see a difference. The garbage that had collected near the outside of the ponds and water features was no longer there; the remains of once smoked cigarettes no longer called the sidewalks home; and the debris and garbage shoved between the stones were no longer there.

“The park looks great, I’m sweaty, and I still have a smile on my face,” said volunteer Nick Switzer, “this is something that definitely deserved my attention and it got me out of bed today.” Everyone seemed to really have a great time while assisting in the objective of cleaning up the park.

We had plenty of water and Redbull™ available to keep volunteers hydrated and Michael from Tulsa Metropolitan Environmental Trust gave us plenty of bags and gloves to help out.

We had a surprise visit from KOTV - Channel 6 in Tulsa, Oklahoma who did a 30 second clip on the local 5:30PM news tonight. To quote myself, “it’s great to see people taking this project serious.” We know we’re doing something wonderful for ourselves and our community — it is awesome to meet new people and make new friends in the process.

You can see the video on newson6.com and read their article here. Both on newson6.com.

If you missed out on the opportunity to help us clean up Tulsa Centennial Park, do not worry my friends, we will be doing more around the city in upcoming months. We have many new plans and projects in the pipe and we are just working on keeping things organized.

If you want to help support us, fundable.com has our current fund-raising objective which will help us finish up some legal paperwork and get our first set of T-SHIRTS printed.

Thank you to everyone who helped!

A special thank you to everyone who came out and assisted in the clean up today and to everyone supporting our cause.

Nick Switzer, Kristin Hatfield, Brad Vernon, Amanda McConnell, Travis Quinnelly, Carlos Morena, Broc Randall, Michael Patton, Shelley Umezawa, Mark Riddle, Pamela Curtis, Ryan Boyls, Lindsey Boyls, Lou Ann Lissonnet, Jesse Scott, Justin Kerr, Shannon Carpenter, Chris Speegle, Johnathan Bartlett, and everyone else who I might have missed.

Names above in no particular order and if you were left off the list please email justin {at} thistulsa {dot- com} with your name and I will add you.

If you have any ideas or suggestions for future projects or any area of the city that could use our attention, contact us immediately.

There’s no doubting Tulsa’s rich music history. We’ve always been a city captivated by live music, especially jazz. With the fall season starting to hit us, music is in full swing downtown, and we feel that its about time.

The Jazz Hall of Fame is celebrating their one year anniversary in their new building, The Jazz Depot; the BOK Arena is slated to open soon with tons of concerts already booked; and new businesses are either starting up or re-locating downtown. The new Downtown Tulsa is changing…and that’s a good thing.

Here’s what the Jazz Depot, who’s motto is "Creating Unity Through Music" has going on through the rest of the year:

September 14 – Songstress – Ms. Olivia Duhon

Ms. Duhon is a TU grad and hot new jazz vocalist with trio, Sonny Gray, Vernon Howard and George Toumayan.

September 21 – Two Gents of Song - Jason De Long and Devre Jackson

Two of the Jazz Hall’s favorites, Mr. De Long and Mr. Jackson are planning a knock-out performance, with Mike Leland on piano, Spike Gore on drums and Nigel Frye on bass.

September 27 –  Kansas City, Mo. American Jazz Museum All-Stars

Greg Carroll (Executive Director of the American Jazz Museum), sax man Gerald Dunn, and other Kansas City jazz all-stars make appearance at the Jazz Depot with a slam dunk performance.

October 5 – Still Jazzin’ Our Way’ With the Midnight Social Club Quartet

Pam Van Dyke Crosby, local jazz vocal favorite sings up a storm with Bill Crosby on bass; guitarist, Frank Brown; drummer, Wade Robertson drums and Jeff Newsome on piano.

October 12 – Amy Cottingham and Friends

Pianist/vocalist Amy Cottingham brilliantly plays jazz, classical, pop and practically any other style of music. She will be joined by her trio.

October 19 – Chuck Gardner “Music From My Heart”

Pianist, Chuck Gardner is a jazz standard at the Jazz Hall and plans a special concert featuring original compositions of his, never heard before in Tulsa. He’s joined by Bill Crosby on bass and Tony Yohe on drums, with special guest vocalists.

October 26 – An Evening with Janet Rutland

The always top-notch vocalist will blow the roof off the Jazz Depot with guitarist, Randy Wimer and her special blend of music and style.

November 2 – Presenting the Annie Ellicott Trio

From young to old alike, Annie Ellicott has carved a niche in everyone’s heart with her shining vocals and wonderful scatting ability. She will be joined by her dad, Rod Ellicott on bass, Wade Robertson on drums, and Frank Brown on guitar.

November 9 – TU Big Jazz Band One

The swinging sound of big band music with TU’s stunning jazz ensemble, and vocalists will be on the bandstand too. Under the musical direction of Jazz Studies professor, Vernon Howard.

November 16 – Ernestine Dillard & the Tulsa Praise Orchestra

World-renowned gospel vocalist and Oklahoma music treasure, Ms. Dillard performs all of your classic gospel selections with the amazing Oklahoma Praise Orchestra.

November 30 – Ellington’s “Sophisticated Ladies” – The Stage Concert

Stage version of the Broadway hit, Sophisticated Ladies will feature a number of top-flight vocalists, with staging by Jazz Hall CEO, Chuck Cissel

December 7 – Jeff Shadley & His Big Band’s “Ring-a-Ding Ding”

“Ole Blue Eyes” shows up at the Depot in the form of vocalist Jeff Shadley and his big band performing your favorite Sinatra tunes, also with plenty of brand new music.

December 14 – Holiday “Jazz Jam” Session

Leon Rollerson’s Band will perform holiday tunes and collaborate with area jazz musicians and vocalists coming together to celebrate the Christmas holiday in an evening of straight-ahead jammin’.

December 21 – Gospel Workshop Choir of America

Making their annual visit to the Jazz Depot performing gospel selections with the choral sound only the Gospel of Workshop Choir can. Musical director is Jazz Hall Inductee, Dr. Joey Crutcher.

December 28 – J3 Acoustic Jazz and Blues Band

Back by popular demand, J3 took the Hall by storm on their first visit, and now they are coming back like a hurricane – to absolutely blow you away with their fine musicianship and vocals. Added treat will be holiday music on the menu.

Site: www.okjazz.org

All concerts are at the Oklahoma Jazz Hall of Fame building - The Jazz Depot. Its located at 111 E. 1st St.  Phone: (918) 596-1001

Tulsa, Oklahoma has seen an increase in its demand for downtown Urban living options. Personally, having lived in Tribune Lofts for quite some time and realizing all the pro(s) and con(s) to downtown Urban living, I can help offer a bit of insight. Downtown Tulsa has some extremely beautiful architecture, but you definitely have to get out and about to enjoy it. A neighbor of mine and I used to ride our bikes around downtown to the various locations we would visit. I know this is true for many downtown neighbors and especially those being able to live, work, and play downtown.

This article is going to be a part of a series, outlining some living areas and options in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Getting Around in Downtown Tulsa

Honestly, migrating from place to place in downtown is pretty simple these days. Unlike the past, downtown has been restructuring its streets allowing for more two-directional lanes (i.e. Boston Avenue). This has been a bit confusing to get used to driving, because most of the roadways were single direction until recently. The roads are always pretty clean though. There is enough space on the shoulders (near the curb) to ride your bike and not become a nuisance to any traffic. Most of the sidewalks are large and wide, allowing for both foot traffic and pedestrians on their bicycles.

The scenery in downtown Tulsa is more nice than not. If you ever have a chance to just stand in the middle of Boston Avenue, pick a direction (north or south), and you will understand the feeling I’m describing. The visibility is wonderful downtown. On one end you have Boston Avenue Church, which seems to just flow from the grass in which it sits, on the other end you have the BOKTower, which is definitely a sight to see. It is one of the tallest buildings in Oklahoma and seems to vanish into the sky on a cloudy evening.

Lining both sides of the street are various buildings: Atlas Life, Kennedy Tower, Mid Continent Tower, Thompson Building, PhilTower, and many more (I don’t know their names off-hand). The sidewalks and streets are usually pretty clutter free as their are a number of garbage containers along the walk-ways to allow pedestrians and commuters to throw away their garbage in route to their destinations. Tulsa and its citizens definitely appreciate the clean paths.

Vision 2025 promised a ton of downtown development to exist and there has been quote a bit, but I am not sure about $22M worth. However, if you’re looking for downtown living options in Tulsa, Oklahoma — let’s find something.

The Tribune Lofts in Downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma

Tribune Lofts at Main And Archer, Tulsa, Oklahoma

Some details about Tribune Lofts located at Main and Archer. The Tribune Builder itself is pretty dated, but is a great environment for Urban living in Tulsa. The building is near Caz’s (both bar and restaurant), Spaghetti Warehouse, Mexicali Cafe, Lola’s, Gypsy Coffee House, and numerous other locations up and down the North side of downtown. There are more locations on the South side of the tracks as you enter the downtown corridor: Arnies, McNellies, 1974, Dirty’s, and various other locations in the Blue Dome district.

The building was built back in the early 1900s and has a bit of history within it. The building has gone under renovations since its addition to the Downtown Tulsa Urban Living list in my head. My residence had concrete floors, spacious and generous areas for living, and an offset bedroom with three walk in closets. If you know me, you can appreciate me having three closets! The bathroom was large, with a spa/garden style shower/tub with a large vanity and storage area. The toilet, vanity, and sink for visitors was split off the main bathroom area. It was a nice feature that allowed guests to not see that I brush my teeth in the shower.

The units are lined with large windows (5′ x 8′). I had seven in all in my apartment. I was able to leave the shades open and rarely ever need any additional light in the day time hours. The evening brought a mysteriously anticipated and comfortable light and sound combination. It took some getting used to but the trains rolling through sent a resonated sound through the building and you definitely could not miss it. The lights outside shined in through the shades and foot traffic at the bar locations always made for an interesting evening to sit in the window seal and laugh at people.

Basement storage, roof access, elevator, and clean halls made Tribune a beautiful place to live. Parking is in abundance and there is a bit of lawn and greenery around the building to give any pets a small place to play.

More randomness about Urban living in Tulsa

Living downtown has some limitations. The closest grocery store I was able to find was AlbertsonsFood Pyramid at 15th and Lewis. It is located on the North-East corner and has a few other stores around it that make it a bit convenient to visit. Walgreens, Blockbuster, Office Depot, and some small liquor / wine store. Essentially, I was able to tend to a few errands while in the area. There is also Wild Oats on 41st and Peoria, near Brookside. Between the two locations you can definitely find about anything you need. Also by the Wild Oats is another AlbertsonsFood Pyramid.

Google map of downtown living

Other than grocery items, I tend to do most of my shopping online.. so it worked for me.

Additional Urban Living Locations

Mayo 420 | www.mayo420.com
Phil Tower | www.philtower.com
Central Park Condos | www.cptulsa.com
Uptown Renaissance Apartments and Tribune Loftswww.argtulsa.com
The Village at Central Park | www.thevillagebuilders.com

There are many projects currently under development in downtown Tulsa, Oklahoma — when finished we should have even more possible living options in Tulsa. We’ll keep you in tuned to what’s going on.

Article Photograph: Tonight Tulsa, next-day the world.. by Justin Shattuck