The Mrs. and I will be in Oklahoma City the second week in August for a medical conference. Any tips for enjoying the Sooner state? Keep in mind that in previous August trips we’d visited Phoenix, Palm Desert, San Antonio, Atlanta, and Baltimore. This implies a certain degree of inability to learn from our experiences, along with a definite level of sheer bloody-mindedness.
Dear GOD! We’re already under Heat Advisories here and August is the Month of Doom!
Dress cool.
Drink lots of water.
Visit Frontier City and ride the water rides or go into the air conditioned saloons.
Visit the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum
Do not miss the OKC Bombing Memorial
Or the Kirkpatrick Air and Space MuseumOmni Plex
The Zoological Park
Drop me an email. I live in Stillwater (about 75 miles away). If I’m in town, we can get together maybe.
**Tornado Siren **, where are you? She lives in OKC, I believe.
Thanks, Arden Ranger! My grandmother grew up in Yale, Oklahoma. She spoke of Stillwater.
I can’t imagine why 
Although Stillwater is the closet town to Yale and compared to it, Stillwater is a bustling den.
We have Oklahoma State University.
Eskimo Joes, which is actually a cool place if you can get in to get a table.
And all the other Stan Clark resturants [url =“http://www.eskimojoes.com/champs/”] Mexico Joes, Stillwater Bay & Joseppi’s :rolleyes:
The College Wrestling Hall of Fame at OSU
And, um… hmm.
Me. 
I grew up in Midwest City, for what it’s worth. I still have family in Del City, another suburb of Oklahoma City. Yes, the bombing site is quite impressive, and Frontier City rocks!
That’s really all I have to say; mundane and pointless, right? Actually I just jump at the chance to recognize my home city/state, seeing as how not too many people here in New York are familiar with Oklahoma.
While at the Omniplex, find the Foucault’s Pendulum (you can’t miss it–it’s a 1/2 ton brass pendulum). See if you can still see the crack in the wooden disc under it. If you can, look up at the skylight above. That crack was caused by my ass falling from the 35-foot skylight about 10 years ago (long story; I’ll tell it if there’s enough interest). Let me know if the crack’s still there.
What the hell were you doing up there?
DooWahDiddy, I think there may be a grand total of three Dopers in Oklahoma. 
I grew up in Midwest City! Most people think Midwest City is a strange name for a city.
I too have an Omni Plex story. I was at the grand opening of the new facility. (remember the old one at the fairgrounds with the mummy?)
Anyway my older brother was in HS and the band that he was was playing at the dedication. So I’m walking around bored out of my mind with those old people talking (the governer, mayor, and such) and I come across one the the things that tries to explain chance. For those of you who don’t know the Omni Plex is a science learning museaum that has some fun displays that demonstrate various scientific principals.
Now this is when the building is new and really not that full. Basically the inside is a nothing but a large concrete box. Concrete floors, concrete walls, and concrete celiengs in a huge room.
This machine I’m looking at drops ball bearings into rows and rows of pegs. With each hit the ball bearings may go left or right. There are slots down at bottom that will show how rare it is that they go constantly left or right but most end up in the middle.
I start the machine, while the mayor is talking. I realize what a bad idea it is and walk away before it happens.
Of course when the balls start to fall it makes a tremendous racket that echos around the room drowning out the mayor. It took three cops about 2 minutes to figure out to just unplug the thing. However I never got in trouble for it.
Well that’s my Omni-ples story now stofsky what’s yours.
Gotta go with Arder Ranger here. Dress light, it’s hotter than hell, about 104[sup]o[/sup] today, and August is usually worse.
104? Pah! Try 106. Heat Index 111. Humidity 26% - which means that the grasslands may erupt into flame at any minute.
No rain in the forecast.
Wow, Zebra, small world! And now we both live in NY (as I see by your profile)! Weird…
What school did you go to? I went to Carl Albert myself, class of '95 (okay I didn’t graduate there because I moved to Texas in 1992, but I WOULD have been class of '95.)
An OKC area Doper (…well, lurker at least) checking in. Good suggestions, Arden. I’d also suggest Bricktown (an area just east of downtown) as a good place to grab a meal, listen to some music, or partake of a few carefully hand-crafted brews. What’s the topic of the conference, Qadgop?
How about a few restaurants?
Take I-40 or I-240 east to Choctaw Road. Go three miles north and one east to Old Germany. Expensive, but good.
Want Asian? Take the Broadway Extension (you’ll use it to get to the Memorial to 23rd. Head west and you’ll spot a Thai House on your left, then Miriwa and Hong Kong Dim Sum for Chinese on your right, or keep going and turn right at Classen and go north until you see a strip mall with a vacant storefront named Mai-Son on your left. In there is a Vietnamese pho restaurant. Get the #25 and an avocado milkshake. Trust me.
Best Asian buffet on the planet: Golden Palace. Memorial Road a couple of blocks south of I-40. (Shepler’s Western Wear is between the highway and there, stop in for boots.)
If you’re over near Warr Acres, go to…I can’t remember the address. It’s near an IGA supermarket, I think at Meridian and 23rd. Las Palomas is the name, some of the best Mexican I’ve ever had. Try the sopes.
Never been to them, but I’ve heard Tacos San Pedro on South Penn and Tokyo House Sushi on North Western are great.
Del Rancho is a quintessential OKC drive-in. The best ones are in MWC, SW 44th, and Moore (my recommendation, you can sit inside insead of fighting the heat). Steak sandwich supreme…um!
Norman has Misal’s of India, which moved out by the highway and is in with a Barnes and Noble, and the only BBQ I like, Van’s Pig Stand. Take the left exit outside of town near the air conditioner plant and drive through the country a ways, or take Robinson Street east to Porter, then go south.
As for other sites, there hardly aren’t any. This ain’t much of a tourist town. About the only thing Arden Ranger missed is the Sam Noble Natural History Museum, which I’ve never been to because I’m pissed with OU. You’re not, and it’s supposed to be good, so you might like it.
Damn! OK Dopers coming out of the woodwork!
We need a DopeFest. Can’t have Chicago and California have all the fun.
Qadgop the Mercotan, will you have a weekend in Oklahoma or would we need to find weekend time for a get together?
I second the idea for a DopeFest, Arden. I’ve been thinking of heading north to escape from the heat the week Qadgop will be here, but nothing is set in stone. Anyway, if I left I’d probably miss some of the glorious thunderstorms that I love so much. Takers? With that, I’m off to bed - nothing like a long week of night shifts to wear one down…
Steak Sandwich Supreme mmmmmmm…
Also go to a Braums Ice Cream and Dairy store for a great sundae. Concina de Mino is a great Mexican place but I’m not sure about the exact locations.
DooWha I went to a catholic HS in the city called Mt. Saint Mary’s. (class of '82)
OKC is a great place to visit, but in August?! Light clothes and sunblock are a necessity if you plan to spend much time out of doors.
It seems that most of the previous posters have covered the main attractions, but I’ll take a little time to second my faves:
The Omniplex is a great place to start, especially if you have any little Mercotans making the trip. There is the science museum and planetarium, which is well worth the money. The OKC Zoo is right next door and the National Firefighters Hall of Fame and Softball Hall of Fame are on the other side of the zoo. The Cowboy Hall of Fame, which has an incredible collection of Western art, is just a mile or so up the street (All are near the I35/I44 interchange just west of I35). Also nearby is the 45th Infantry Division Museum (NE 63rd & ML King). The 45th Museum has an extensive collection of Bill Mauldin prints.
Bricktown is a great place for nightlife, just east of downtown. The Bricktown Brewery and the Varsity Club are my favorites. The bombing memorial is nearby in the northern part of the downtown area.
Eats: don Jaime hit the high spots, but there are some other great places. As good as the Steak Sandwich Supreme[sup]TM[/sup] is, I think the Chuck House (at NW 10th and Meridian, near the airport) is better. If you’ve never had a chicken fried steak sandwich, you need to try it. If you’ve had one somewhere else, you still need to try Chuck House.
Old Germany is really good, but if you can make it, I also recommend Keller in the Kastle at NW 10th and MacArthur (also near the airport).
The Bangkok on north MacArthur (near Wilshire), is as good as any Thai restaurant I’ve ever visited.
Van’s in Norman is good, but the original in Shawnee is even better. Steaks in the basement dining room is an old family tradition with us. Shawnee is about 20 miles east of Tinker AFB.
For lunch fare, pop into any City Bites location for a sub(they’re spread out all over the metro). The decor just has to be seen. The bathrooms alone are worth the trip. Trust me, to say any more would spoil the surprise.
Another metro great is Eischen’s Bar in Okarche. The fried chicken is heavenly. Okarche is a bit out of the way, but Eischen’s chicken is worth the trip. Just get on Northwest Highway (SH3) and keep going, and going, and going. Once you realize you’re completely out of the city and well into the boonies, you’re getting close to Okarche. Did I mention the fried chicken is good?
One thing you can be sure to encounter if you visit Oklahoma in mid-August (besides the heat) is football fever. We’ll all be anticipating whether Bob Stoops & Co can pull off an eighth national championship! (apologies to Arden Ranger and the rest of the poor souls in Stillwater who’ll be breaking in a new coach this year).
All that aside, I think this calls for a Dopefest. Give us details and we’ll find a place to get together. My vote is for the Bricktown Brewery.
Cool, that’s where my mother went, although I’m embarrassed to say I don’t know what year it was. I would think a little before '82 though, maybe more like '75 or '77. Still a pretty big coincidence.
[evil Emperor voice]
Qadgop the Mercotan!
Come forward and give us your schedule!
[/eEv]
Which of the OKC Dopers is willing to handle the details?
I haven’t been to Bricktown Brewery, but isn’t it really busy?
And as a special request, can we have someplace that isn’t too pricey? It has been a strapped summer for us.
I can’t believe I didn’t think of it before, but there is a restaurant in OKC with a very unique Oklahoma flavor and a long (but not always distinguished) history. No, I’m not talking about the Red Dog Saloon, I mean Cattlemen’s Steakhouse. Best steaks in town and around here, that really means something. It also happens to be right near the stockyards, so the beef is really fresh.
Other possibilities are In Cahoots (a large bar), the Varsity Club (there’s three of them), Tapwerks, Wilds Restaurant and Nature Farm northeast of El Reno (family-friendly).
Screw it! Why don’t we just convince everyone to go to Stillwater. I’ve never been to Eskimo Joe’s[sub] I could lose Oklahoma residency for admitting that[/sub] and this would be a great opportunity to rectify that.