Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

Understand

Oklahoma City is the largest city in the state, as well as its political, cultural, and economic engine. The city is the third largest city in land area (608 sq miles), just behind Jacksonville FL (759 sq miles) and way behind Anchorage AK (1698 sq miles). The city is the 29th largest city in population in the nation and the largest city in the 5 "plains states" (Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and North and South Dakota). After decades of suburban sprawl and an ill fated downtown "urban renewal", a 'sudden' burst of investment in the 1990s has given the city additional big city attractions as well as a pleasant quality of life that often is the envy if not surprise of visitors from other cities, making Oklahoma City more of a tourist destination in of itself. Oklahoma's state capitol building is the only capitol in the world with an oil well under it. Although its legal description is Capitol Site #1, it is referred to as Petunia #1 because it was originally drilled in the middle of a flower bed.

Geography

Oklahoma City is located in the Frontier Country region of Central Oklahoma, in the Southern Plains of North America. Contrary to popular belief, the geography is not flat and treeless (like in the true high plains) but rather gently rolling hills covered in places by dense low trees, shrubs, and grasses. The city is roughly bisected by the North Canadian River (recently partially renamed the Oklahoma! River in a flight of civic exuberance). The North Canadian is not very impressive as rivers go; it was once substantial enough to flood every year, wreaking destruction on surrounding homes, until the 1940s when the Civilian Conservation Corps dammed the river and turned it into essentially a wide ditch for the next 50 years. In the 1990's, as part of the citywide revitalization project known as MAPS, the city built a series of low water dams, returning water to the portion of the river flows near downtown. The city also has three large lakes, Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser, in the northwestern quarter of the city, and the largest - Lake Stanley Draper, in the sparsely populated far southeast of the city.

Get in

By plane

Will Rogers World Airport offers over 180 flights a day including non-stop service to over 30 cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, and Washington DC. The International airport (originally built in the 1960s) has completed the first phase of a major expansion and modernization project and is attracting additional non-stop flights to the city.

By train

Amtrak offers daily service to Fort Worth, Texas aboard the Heartland Flyer line, which can be boarded at the Santa Fe Station in Bricktown. The Flyer has multiple connections to other regional Amtrak lines in Fort Worth. Plans have been proposed to expand the line north to Kansas City via Tulsa and to Newton, KS, but with Amtrak's financial future in jeopardy due to budget cuts, the expansion of the service seems to have stalled.

By car

Oklahoma City is located at the intersection of two of the nations longest continuous interstate highways, I-40 and I-35, as well as I-44. It is also on historic Route 66.

By bus

Greyhound has service from the Union bus station in downtown Oklahoma City, as well as the suburbs of Guthrie, Edmond, Norman, Shawnee, Midwest City, El Reno, and the International Airport.

Get around

Getting around Oklahoma City is ridiculously easy by car. If you're coming to OKC, you will likely want to either rent a car or plan on staying around downtown, because public transportation is rather limited. There is a pretty good trolley bus system around downtown with service to the airport and the cluster of museums and attractions in the northeastern part of the city, but if you want to really explore without renting a car, you'll either have to use the not too stellar bus system or call a cab.

If you happen to hire a car, then getting around OKC is very simple. The streets are laid out in a grid, with named streets running north and south and numbered streets running east and west. The main thing to remember when driving the city is that when you're on the north side, the numbered streets increase from south to north, while on the south side they increase from north to south. (NW 23rd street is a very different place from SW 23rd street, and you don't want to get them confused.) Aside from that minor issue, navigation is a breeze- there are very few one way street mazes or "Texas Turnarounds" to worry about, and the interstates in town are usually not congested, except during rush hour and construction.

The city is reasonably bicycle-friendly in the Midtown areas of Oklahoma City due to the numerous through residential low-traffic streets. In other areas of the city, bicycle travel is more difficult due to the lack of low-traffic through streets.

See

Many of the attractions are located near downtown or on the north side of town. Highlights in downtown are Bricktown, the city's fast growing entertainment district and tourist showpiece, the new Oklahoma City Museum of Art, home to the largest collection of Chihuly glass in the world as well as an arthouse/revival theater and a restaurant, and The Myriad Gardens, an impressive urban park with a 7 story botanical garden. North of the museum is the Oklahoma City National Memorial and Museum. The memorial is both one of the most visible attractions in the city as well as its saddest, which has posed some problems for the city's tourism department. The outdoor symbolic memorial is free and open 24 hours a day, while the very well done Memorial Museum (located in the former Journal Record Building next door) can be visited for a small fee.

Many of the neighborhoods in the immediate vicinity of Downtown are textbook examples of urban blight, but to the northwest of downtown is a cluster of interesting early 20th century neighborhoods near the campus of Oklahoma City University. The most notable are The Paseo, a ramshackle artist colony located in a 1930s era urban neighborhood, and "Little Saigon" or as it's officially known, Asia District, home to the city's large Vietnamese and East Asian community. The Paseo was built in conscious imitation of Kansas City's Country Club Plaza in the early 20th century, but has since developed a gritty bohemian character that can feel like a breath of fresh air. Dozens of art galleries, restaurants, clothing stores and other related businesses are clustered in the area. Technically the Paseo is only comprised of a single street lined with deco Spanish revival buildings, but it has grown to encompass much of the surrounding neighborhood, including a stretch of storefronts on NW 23rd street, sort of the mainstreet of the Northwest side.

West of The Paseo along Classen Boulevard is the Asia District, home to the city's majority Vietnamese Asian community. After the fall of Saigon in 1976, one of the cities picked by the US government for the relocation of refugees was Oklahoma City. Since then, these initial refugees have been joined by later immigrants from both Vietnam and other southeast Asian nations, as well as by Vietnamese Americans from elsewhere in the country. The district is home to many great restaurants, too numerous to mention, as well as Super Cao Nguyen Supermarket, the largest Asian market in the state.

Just West of Asia District is Oklahoma City University which features a small art museum and a variety of cultural events and programming.

To the North of Oklahoma City University is the "NW 39th Street Enclave" the largest GLBT neighborhood in the state, Crown Heights and the Western Avenue District, which are home to businesses and restaurants catering to young urbanites (Sushi Neko, a fine sushi bar and Will's, a coffee shop, both inside the restored art deco Will Rogers Theater complex, are worth a look).

On the Northeast side of the city is the capitol complex, which is interesting in itself, and the Oklahoma History Center, set to open this fall. There is a medical research cluster northeast of Downtown centered on the OU Health Science Center that is large and growing, but unless you're a patient, a doctor, or a scientist, you're unlikely to spend much time there. (However the historic Lincoln Terrace neighborhood that is between the OUHSC and the state capitol is worth looking at if you enjoy historic architecture.) The Harn Homestead is also located nearby on NE 16th street.

North of the capitol is the "Adventure District" with the highly ranked Oklahoma City Zoo, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, and the Kirkpatrick Center (which features a children's science museum, an air and space museum, a photography museum and more), Remington Park and Casino a thoroughbred and quarter horse racing track with a Casino and off-track betting.

The Southside is notable primarily for Capitol Hill, a large Hispanic district, and the Stockyards, a neighborhood built around one of the largest cattle markets in the world. Cattle are still bought and sold there every Monday morning, much to the dismay of PETA and other local activists who can sometimes be spotted protesting nearby. The Stockyards resembles in some ways a wild west themed amusement park, sans rides. There are stores selling just about anything western themed that you could imagine, from saddles to belt buckles to truly giant hats. One of the few places in the city where your newly purchased giant hat will go mostly unremarked upon is the venerable Cattleman's Steakhouse, which has been serving up hearty steaks and "lamb fries" (a polite term for fried bull testicles) for over a century.

Capitol Hill to the east is one of the city's great contradictions; riven with poverty and violence, it can also be one of the liveliest and most welcoming neighborhoods in the city. Capitol Hill's main street along SW. 29th st. is full of bustling Mexican owned shops and restaurants, as well as the somewhat out of place seeming Oklahoma Opry.

Do

• National Cowboy and Western History Museum, 1700 Northeast 63rd Street, (405) 478-2250. Open 9 AM - 5 PM Daily.
• Omniplex, 2100 NE 52nd Street, (405)602-OMNI. Open Monday thru Friday 9 AM to 5 PM, Saturday 9 AM to 6 PM, and Sunday 11 AM to 6 PM.
• Oklahoma City National Memorial, 620 N. Harvey Street, (405) 235-3313. Open 24 hours every day. A three-acre site memorializing the 1995 bombing of the Alfred F. Murrah Federal Building. The event was the most devastating act of terrorism on US soil until September 11th, 2001. The memorial includes the remnants of the federal building, as well as a reflecting pool, a sculpture of 168 chairs (one for each person who died in the blast), and the Survivor Tree, an elm that survived the blast. Free.
• Six Flags Frontier City, located in far north Oklahoma City on I-35, between Hefner Road and NorthEast 122nd Street. Saddle up for some good ol' Wild West fun at Frontier City. You'll find over 50 thrilling rides and attractions to explore, featuring ErUPtion!, Oklahoma's TALLEST thrill ride, four nail-biting roller coasters, fantastic water rides, and hours of fun for tthe kids. Buy your tickets online for just $19.99, a savings of $8 off the full-price admission! And with Print-N-Go, you can print them at home then visit the park.
• Oklahoma City Museum of Art, 415 Couch Drive, (405) 235-6262.
• Melton Art Reference Library, 4300 N. Sewell, (405) 525-3603.
• Blue Sage Studios - Glass Works and Gallery, Glassblowing demonstrations and more. 1218-C N Western Ave, OKC OK - phone 405-473-0754

Learn

• Oklahoma State University - Oklahoma City
• Oklahoma City Community College
• Downtown College Consortium
• Oklahoma City University
• Oklahoma Christian University

Work

The largest employer (by persons employed) is the state government. Other major employers are Tinker Air Force Base, Dell Corporation, Tronox, Devon, SONIC, Chesapeake Energy, Federal Aviation Administration, Six Flags Theme Parks, Hertz, Bank of Oklahoma, Southwest Airlines, Gaylord Enterprises, Globe Life and Accident Insurance, Express Personnel Services, OG&E Energy, and Dominion Energy.

Buy

• The Colonial Art Gallery and Co., 1336 N.W. 1st Street, Open since 1919, Colonial is a full-service gallery, buying and selling investment-quality artwork, as well as framing, restoring, and appraising art.
• Size Records, 8915 N. Western, Oklahoma City's best independent record store.
• Blue Seven, 5028 N May Ave, Modern furniture, unique gifts, and vintage clothes.
• Full Circle Bookstore, 50 Penn Place, A great local independent book seller. They have great service and a very decent selection of everything from children's books to the latest news. (North Penn and Northwest Expressway)
• 30 Penn Books, A great used book store located at NW 30th & Penn
• Book Beat and Company, Describes itself as "an independent bookstore . . . specializing in Beat Generation And Counter Culture Books, High & Low-Brow Art Books, Political Thought, Radicalism, Anarchism, Communist & Socialist Literature, Poetry, Philosophy, Sci-Fi, Metaphysical Studies, Classics, Avant-Garde Literature, Fiction, Eastern Religion, T-Shirts, Compact Discs, Vinyl, Videos & DVDs, Posters & Prints, as well as unique handcrafted gift items from the local artists of Oklahoma."
• Route 66, Rare and hard to find gifts and personal care products as well as several lines of women's clothing. Also located at 50 Penn Place (Penn and North West Expressway)
• The Lime Leopard, Northpark Mall.
• Bohemian Spirit Vintage Wares & Wearables, 3021 N. Classen- Your neighborhood vintage department store.
• Wilshire Village, located on Western, north of 63rd, at the intersection of Wilshire and Western. Has a great variety of shops, such as:
  • The Learning Tree, Toy store offering lots of educational toys and much more.
  • The Makeup Bar, Good makeup that you might not be able to find in Dillard's at any of the malls. Very popular for boutique buyers.
  • Urban Classic's, Good clothes
  • Gil's, Hip, modern clothing. Great jeans selection.
  • The Lingerie Store, Carries good brands of lingerie, very soft bathrobes, and good pajamas.

• Canterbury UK Imports, Recently moved from Classen Blvd. to its' new location at 2913 N. May Avenue. The only shop in the area that carries a full line of British grocery store imports including a large selection of teas from the United Kingdom as well as gifts and novelties and much more.

Eat

American

• Cheever's, 2409 North Hudson Avenue, Uptown, Specializing in American cuisine with Southwestern influences.
• Bunny's Onion Burgers, N.W. 50th & N. Meridian.
• Cattlemen's Steakhouse, 1309 S. Agnew. Listed in Patricia Schultz's 1,000 Places To See Before You Die.
• Deep Fork Grille, 5418 N. Western. Excellent upscale seafood, steaks, and pasta.
• Galileo Bar and Grill, 3009 Paseo.
• Hooters, 111 E. California St.
• Irma's Burger Shack, 1035 N.W. 63rd St.
• Kamps Market and Deli, 1310 N.W. 25th St. An Oklahoma City institution, Kamps has been serving OKC for almost a century.
• The Haunted House, 7101 N. Miramar Blvd.
• The Museum Café, 415 Couch Dr.
• Nichols Hills Drugstore, 6411 Avondale Dr.
• Saturn Grill, 6432 Avondale Drive,
• VZD's Club & Restaurant, 4203 N. Western,

Barbecue

• Iron Star Urban BBQ, 3700 North Shartel Avenue.
• Banta's Ribs & Stuff, 1200 N. Meridian.
• Big D's B-B-Q, 1701 W. Britton Rd.
• County Line Barbecue, 1226 NE 63rd St.
• Earl's Rib Palace, 6816 N. Western. A local favorite, voted Best BBQ by readers of Daily Oklahoman and Oklahoma Gazette
• Leo's Bar-B-Q, 3631 N. Kelley Ave.
• Swadley's Smokehouse, 824 SW 89th St.

Brazilian/Argentinean

• Cafe Do Brasil, 440 N.W. 11th Street, MidTown. Brazilian bakery and deli with live jazz on Saturdays.

Cafeterias

• Boulevard Cafeteria, 525 NW 11th St.
• Luby's Cafeteria, 9410 N. May Ave.

Cajun

• Pearl's Oyster Bar, 928 N. W. 63rd St.

Chinese

• Dot Wo, 3101 N. Portland Ave. Great Chinese restaurant specializing in seafood.
• Grand House, 2701 N. Classen. A classy and authentic Chinese restaurant in the heart of Asia District. Features Dim Sum on the weekends.
• Nothing But Noodles, 2410 W. Memorial Rd.
• Pei Wei Asian Diner, 1841 Belle Isle Blvd.
• P.F. Chang's China Bistro, 13700 N. Pennsylvania Ave.
• Snow Pea, 6600 N. Western Ave.
• Chens Chinese Restaurant,Windsor Hills Shopping Center, N.W. 23rd and Meridian. A full buffet.

Delis

• Gourmet Deli, 7300 N. Western Ave.
• Jerry's Deli, 14000 Quail Springs Pkwy.
• Panera Bread, 6800 N. Western Ave,
• Someplace Else Deli and Bakery, 2310 N. Western Ave.

Eclectic

• Nona's, 1 Mickey Mantle Dr., Bricktown.

Ethiopian

• Queen of Sheba, 2308 N. MacArthur Blvd. Great selection of vegetarian options.

Fine Dining

• Red Prime Steak, 504 N. Broadway Ave., Automobile Alley. This is Oklahoma City's new signature steak joint in hip A-Alley, due North of the Central Business District.
• The Coach House Restaurant, 6437 Avondale Dr., Nichols Hills
• The Grill, 2824 W. Country Club Dr.
• Aria Grill, One N. Broadway, Downtown.
• Park Avenue Grill, One Park Avenue, Downtown, This upscale restaurant features Contemporary cuisine with the adventure of Southwestern fusion.
• The Metro Wine Bar and Bistro, 6418 N. Western.
• Nikz at the Top, 5900 Mosteller Dr., NW Business District.
• Rococo Restaurant and Fine Wine, 2824 N. Pennsylvania.
• Tom & Jerry's Steak and Fish Grill, 1501 N.W. 23rd St. Uptown.

Fine Dining Clubs (Member Only)

• Petroleum Club 100 N. Broadway, Floors 33-36 Chase Tower, Downtown.
• The Beacon Club 210 Park Avenue 24th-Floor Oklahoma Tower, Downtown. The posh Beacon Club was originally located in the Beacon of the First National Center in the Central Business District. Today, they are located in the Oklahoma Tower; they will serve non-members but reservations are required.

French

• Soleil, 15 N. Robinson Ave. Downtown.
• La Baguette, 7408 N. May Ave.
• Le Cep Bistro, 231 S. Coltrane.

German

• Ingrid's Kitchen and Delicatessen, 3701 N. Youngs Blvd.
• Jutta's Keller at Castle Falls, 820 N. MacArthur Blvd.
• Old Germany Restaurant, 15920 SE 29th,
• Royal Bavaria, 3401 S. Sooner Rd.

Greek

• La Greek Restaurant, 2839 S Douglas Blvd, Ste 102, Midwest City
• Akropolis Greek Restaurant, 1809 S. Air Depot Blvd.
• Mediterranean Imports and Deli, 5620 N. May Ave.
• Ole'Town Gyros & Kabob, 402 E. Main St., Downtown.
• Zorba's Mediterranean, 4621 N. May Ave
• Suzy's, 119 N Robinson Ave Ste B5, Downtown.
• Dimitris Peacock Greek Restaurant, 517 W Reno Ave, Downtown.
• Sweis' Gyros & Pita, 1901 Nw Expressway St

Ice Cream

• Braum's, 4335 NW 23RD ST, and throughout city.
• Marble Slab Creamery, 216 Johnny Bench Dr.

Indian

• Ajanta Cuisine of India, 11921 N. Pennsylvania Ave.
• Gopuram, 4559 NW 23rd St.
• KhaZana, 4900 N. May Ave. Excellent buffet with many vegetarian options. North and South Indian cuisine.
• Taj Indian Cuisine, 5801 NW Expressway.

Irish

• McFinn's Pub, 902 Straka Te.

Italian

• Bravo! Cucina Italiana, 13810 N. Pennsylvania Ave.
• Caffè Pranzo, 9622 N. May Ave.
• Cascata Ristorante Italiano, 801 Signal Ridge Rd.
• Mama Lucia's, 12325 N. May Ave.
• Othello's, 1 S. Broadway.
• Papa Dio's, 10712 N. May Ave.
• Sophabella's, 7628 N. May Ave. A great local Italian restaurant.
• Trattoria Il Centro, 500 W. Main Street, Downtown.
• Vito's Ristorante, 7521 N. May Ave.
• Flip's Wine Bar & Trattoria, 5801 N. Western Ave.
• Zio's Italian Grill, South of Reno and Meridian or in Bricktown.

Japanese

• Musashi's Japanese Steakhouse, 4315 N. Western Ave.
• Okura Sushi and Grill, 7502 N. May Ave. In the old Samurai Sake House building.
• Sushi Neko, 4318 North Western.,
• Bricktown Raw, 103 E. California Ave, Bricktown.
• Tokyo Sushi Bar, 7516 N. Western Ave.
• Yamato Japanese Restaurant, 7101 N. W. Expressway.
• I Love Sushi, 1900 NW Expressway St Ste R.
• Shogun Steak House of Japan, 11900 N. May Avenue

Korean

• Bwon Korean Restaurant, 4517 S. Sunnylane.
• Korean House, 4813 S. E. 29th St.
• Bon-Jom Korean Restaurant, 4428 SE 44th St.
• Seoul Garden Korean Restaurant, 6012 SE 15th St.

Mexican

• Abuelo's Mexican Embassy, 17 East Sheridan Ave., Bricktown.
• Adobe Grill, 5102 North Shartel.
• Birriera Aguascalientes, 601 S. Western Ave.
• Casa Juanito, 4718 S.E. 29th St.
• Chelino's Mexican Restaurant, 5900 N. May Ave. 1 of 10 metro locations.
• Los Palomas, 2329 N. Meridian.
• Los Mariachis, 3655 NW 39th St.
• San Marcos Mexican Restaurant, 4024 N. May Ave.
• Tacos San Pedro, 2301 S.W. 44th. This is real Mexican food, not Taco Bell.
• Ted's Cafe Escondito, 2836 NW 68th St. (just off N. May Ave.), Phone: (405) 848-8337. You may have to wait to get into Ted's, but it is worth the wait. Some of the best Mexican food in Oklahoma City.

Pizza

• Falcone's Pizzeria & Deli, Lower Bricktown.
• Hideaway Pizza, 2 Mickey Mantle Drive, Bricktown. 4 metro locations.
• Hemi's Pizza, Uptown. Delivery area.

Seafood

• Boca Boca, 9610 N. May Ave.
• Pelican's, 291 N. Air Depot Blvd.

Thai

• Bangkok Restaurant, 7906 N. MacArthur Blvd.
• Sala Thai, 1614 N.W. 23rd Street.
• Tana Thai Bistro, 10700 N. May Ave.
• Thai Kitchen Cafe, 327 Dean A Mcgee Ave

Upscale Steakhouses

• Ranch Steakhouse, 3000 W. Britton Rd.

Vegetarian

Though not exclusively vegetarian, these restaurants have many vegetarian dining options.

• Khazana, 4900 N. May Ave. Buffet with many vegetarian options. North and South Indian cuisine.
• Queen of Sheba, 2308 N. MacArthur Blvd. Excellent Ethiopian cuisine.
• Red Cup Coffeehouse, 3122 N. Classen Blvd., Funky atmosphere, veggie food and free Wi-Fi.

Vietnamese

• Banh mi Bale, 2426 N. Classen Blvd, Asia District
• Cafe Bella, 9018 S. Pennsylvania Blvd. Coffee, tea, bubble teas, and Vietnamese sandwiches.
• Lang Bakery, 2524 N. Military Ave. #110, Asia District
• Lido, 2518 N. Military #110, Asia District
• Minh Deli, 2800 N. Classen Blvd. Suite 104, Asia District
• Mr. Pho Noodle House, 1133 N.W. 25th St, Asia District
• Pho 89 Café, 2800 N. Classen Blvd, Asia District
• Mr. Pho, 1133 NW 25th St. Next to Super Cao Nguyen asian grocery in Asia District.
• Pho Hoa, NW 23rd St, Asia District. You will find this spot crowded with local Vietnamese.
• Bahn Cuon Tay Ho, 2524 N. Military #110, Asia District.

Drink

• Bin 73 Wine Bar, 7312 N. Western Ave.
• Catchers Sports Bar & Grill, 501 N. Mustang Rd., Serving greater Oklahoma City metro with every televised sport on lots of big screens, live music, full bar, tasty menu, dancing, juke box, karaoke, pool, darts, poker tournaments, and friendly staff and crowd.
• The Conservatory, 8911 N. Western Ave.
• Galileo Bar and Grill, 3009 Paseo. Funky bar in the Paseo Arts District, with poetry readings, open mic nights and outdoor patio seating.
• Henry Hudson's, locations throughout OKC and surrounding suburbs offers a casual bar atmosphere with occasional karaoke. Also, monthly drink and appetizer specials.
• Hi-Lo Club, 1221 NW 50th.
• Junior's, 2601 N.W. Expressway St.
• UCO Jazz Lab, 100 East Fifth St.,
• VZD's, 4200 N. Western Ave.

Coffee Houses

• Backdoor Coffee House, 3214 N. Classen Blvd. Outstanding selection of loose teas. Lots of indoor and outdoor seating space and an outdoor maze for walking meditation. Sandwiches and snacks. Free Wi-Fi. Closed temporarily March 2007
• Cafe Bella, 9018 S. Pennsylvania Blvd. Comfortable cafe serving sandwiches, soups, and more. Serving fine locally roasted coffees. Also featuring a selection of teas and a bubble tea bar. Free Wi-Fi.
• Cafe Oasis, 1135 NW 25th St, next to the Super Cao Nguyen asian grogery. This cafe is really more of a "Bubble" Tea House although they do serve coffee as well. They also serve a variety of chinese food. It feels like you are stepping into a modern Japanese hot spot. Free Wi-Fi.
• Full Circle Bookstore Cafe, 1900 NW Expressway, inside 50 Penn Place. Nice cafe with free Wi-Fi inside an excellent independent bookstore.
• Java Dave's, 10 NE 10th St, 6025 W. Reno Ave. Suite C., 7936 N. May, 9101 S. May. Big, with a diner atmosphere. Free Wi-Fi.
• Red Cup Coffeehouse, 3122 N. Classen Blvd., Funky atmosphere, veggie food and free Wi-Fi. An OKC gem.
• Will's Coffee Shop, 4322 N. Western Ave., inside the art deco Will Rogers Theater complex. Free Wi-Fi.

Microbreweries

• Belle Isle Brewery, 50 Penn Mall, (405) 840-1911. Free Wi-Fi
• Bricktown Brewery Bricktown, 1 North Oklahoma Ave., (405) 232-2739. They have free Wi-Fi, also a happy hour special from 4-7 weeknights and pints are $1.50
• Coach's, 20 S. Mickey Mantle Dr., inside Bricktown Ballpark. (Brewery is in Norman)
• Royal Bavaria Restaurant and Brewery, 3401 S. Sooner Rd. Unique atmosphere, with large, shared tables and live Bavarian music.

Sleep

Budget

• Brass Lantern. Located in North Downtown, Arts District area.
• Bricktown Plaza Hotel.
• Value Place, 3033 Tinker Diagonal, Del City, OK (2-miles from Downtown), Phone: (405) 677-5700, E-Mail: mailto:okci40east@myvalueplace.com. Extended stay as low as $159.00 per week.
• Microtel Inn & Suites Oklahoma City (MacArthur Road), 624 South MacArthur Blvd., Tel: (405) 942-0011.
• Value Place, 3800 North I-44 Service Road, Phone: (405) 917-6300, E-Mail: mailto:okc73112@myvalueplace.com, Extended stay as low as $159.00 per week.
• Value Place, 4112 East I-240 Service Road, Phone: (405) 619-9495, E-Mail: mailto:okci240east@myvalueplace.com, Extended stay as low as $159.00 per week.

Mid-range

• The Sheraton Hotel, One North Broadway Ave., Downtown. AAA 3.5-Diamond. The Sheraton was recently renovated and is the largest hotel in the Central Business District.
• Embassy Suites Hotel. Bricktown (coming soon).
• Hampton Inn and Suites. Bricktown (Under construction).
• Residence Inn. 400 E. Reno Ave, Bricktown, Extended stay accommodations in Bricktown's first hotel.
• Oklahoma City Marriott, AAA 3-Diamond, One of the NW Business District's finest hotels.
• Four-Points by Sheraton, Located at the International Airport.
• Crowne Plaza Hotel, AAA 4-Diamond, newly renovated hotel is located in the NW Business District.
• Hawthorn Suites Oklahoma City Tel. (405)840-1440. Located near Penn Square Mall, OU Health Sciences Center, Presbyterian Hospital, Novacare Sabolich, Baptist Medical Center, Fleming Foods, Oklahoma Publishing Company, Tinker Air Force Base, and Will Rogers Airport.
• Holiday Inn and Suites, North Central OKC.
• Hyatt Place Airport, Tel: (405) 682-3900. Located two miles north of Will Rogers International Airport in Oklahoma City.
• AmeriSuites Oklahoma City/Northwest, Tel: (405) 840-5557. Located 10 miles north of downtown Oklahoma City and 15 miles from Will Rodgers World Airport.
• AmeriSuites Oklahoma City/Quail Springs, Tel: (405) 749-1595. Located one mile from Quail Springs Mall and within 15 miles of all Oklahoma City attractions.

Splurge

• The Skirvin Hilton. One Park Avenue, Downtown.
• Renaissance Convention Center Hotel, 10 N. Broadway, Downtown, AAA 4.5-Diamond accommodations in the heart of the Central Business District.
• Waterford Marriott, AAA 4.5-Diamond hotel in the posh suburb of Nichols Hills just minutes from all of the downtown attractions.
• Colcord Hotel. 15 N. Robinson Ave, Downtown, This boutique hotel is in the heart of the Central Business District near the Myriad Botanical Gardens and is the city's new hip joint.
• Courtyard Hotel, 2 West Reno, Downtown, AAA 3.5-Diamond, this recently built hotel is also one of the hippest place to lay your head in the city!

Contact

Oklahoma City Convention and Visitors Bureau

189 W. Sheridan Oklahoma City, OK 73102 405-297-8912 800-225-5652 okccvb@okccvb.org

Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce

123 Park Avenue Oklahoma City, OK 73102 405-297-8900 Web Site

Stay safe

A little bit of common sense goes a long way. On the whole, the city is pretty safe, but you shouldn't take that as a cue to be careless. If you're downtown or in what looks like a sketchy neighborhood, nothing will probably happen to you, but you should still lock your car door, keep your valuables secure and not put yourself in potentially dangerous situations. Some of the worst areas are in the inner city districts just surrounding downtown, particularly parts of Mulligan Flats (SE-SW 15th Between I-35 and Western), NE 23rd St., NE 36th St., Martin Luther King BLVD, NW 10th St., S. Central Avenue, S. Shields BLVD, and S. Robinson Avenue are notoriously tough; you might want to avoid being there especially after sundown. I would also recommend that you steer clear of particularly seedy looking bars, although not all are created equal. Keep your wits about you and you'll be fine almost anywhere in Oklahoma City.

(Another Wiki writer says --- OKC is very safe compared to your average major American city. Most of the areas said to be "notoriously tough" are places that I bicycle through every day. Your only real danger in OKC is property crimes, not necessarily acts of violence.)

You might want to check the Tornado safety page if you are visiting Oklahoma City, as you must keep an eye on the savage of the plains.

Get out

• Norman Is a short drive south of downtown Oklahoma City is its largest suburb and the home of University of Oklahoma SOONERS. The university is the primary attraction in Norman, with a beautifully landscaped Victorian campus and several fine museums, including the Sam Noble Museum of Natural History and the Fred Jones Jr. Museum of Art. Norman is also significant for its leading role in meteorology (Doppler radar, the basis of modern weather prediction was invented there) as evidenced by the National Weather Center, currently under construction. North of the university is Campus Corner, a dense conglomeration of bars, music venues, restaurants, and retail catering to the college crowd. For those with less disposable income, cheaper bars, music venues, restaurants and retail can be found further north in Norman's small Downtown Core along Main Street.

• Edmond Is a rather affluent suburb due North of Oklahoma City. It has some great qualities, including nice restaurants, the third largest university in the state University of Central Oklahoma and some quaint, quiet neighborhoods near its uniquely successful downtown business district.