In case this expires:
Tulsa World, April 28, 2007:
TULSANS GET TIPS ON GREETING VISITORS
Beginning the process of bolstering Tulsa's image could be as simple as the saying, "It's not what you say, but how you say it."
That's what nationally known, West Coast-based brand strategist Duane Knapp believes, and that's why the Tulsa Metro Chamber Convention and Visitors Bureau brought him on board in a campaign to help Tulsans market their city.
Knapp, an author and brand adviser, was in Tulsa this week to conduct three "Train the Trainer" sessions for the people who most often make that important first impression to visitors -- taxi drivers, restaurant and retail employees, and hotel and entertainment venue staffers.
Knapp's sessions are the second phase of a branding campaign that started 18 months ago with a series of focus groups, surveys, and phone and face-to-face interviews with native Tulsans, frequent visitors and individuals from outside the area.
Local marketing and advertising firm Littlefield partnered with the chamber on the project.
The accumulated research produced "some very interesting comments," Suzanne Stewart, vice president of the visitors bureau, told those attending Friday's final training session.
"What makes people come here?"
Stewart said. "There's a science to figuring out who you are."
With $1.2 billion spent by visitors in 2005, finding an answer is vital to the future of Tulsa and its neighboring cities, which are definitely part of the brand package, she said.
Just like big companies or well-known products, cities, too, can have a brand, yet most communities don't have a strategy for building a brand image, Knapp said.
That process begins with a welcome that makes people feel wanted.
"How we are going to build our brand is by making people feel good," Knapp said.
And creating a memorable experience for visitors starts with that initial impression.
"You can't control the outcome if you don't have a greeting."
Knapp cited his own visit Thursday evening to Utica Square, where he wandered into shops and restaurants, taking note of employees' welcome and their approach to a prospective customer.
"Everyone was very nice and friendly," he said, but some went beyond the customary basics, and Knapp said those encounters influenced his shopping and dining choices.
Knapp said his personal experience here exemplifies what his message is all about.
"It's not just doing your job well, it's also how you make people feel," he said. "People spend money when they are comfortable.
"Every visitor's experience here begins with the greeting. . . . The challenge you face is to take this to the next level in your own way.
"If you all inspire one person a day, it will completely change the dynamics of your community in a year."
Marke Burroughs, senior sales manager for Cherokee Casino, said he will share the branding strategies gleaned from the session with the rest of his staff.
"It's just about getting all of Tulsa on the same page," he said. "It's important to all of us."
Stewart said the chamber will begin a marketing campaign to promote Tulsa in June through such promotions as billboard advertising and a redesigned Web site.
In the coming months, a trainer will either be added to the visitors bureau staff or contracted to hold staff training sessions at hotels and casinos, for instance, and to conduct follow-up sessions, she said.
The visitors bureau will also work personally with taxi drivers and airport employees to provide ongoing training.
The bureau is pairing with city, county and tribal officials, as well as people from neighboring communities, "to make this a reality," Stewart said.
"We want to make people excited about Tulsa," she said.
"Five years from now you don't recognize this part of the state, the surrounding area and the city of Tulsa."
-Debbie Blossom, World Stff Writer
I was expecting that there would be a "reveal" or something telling us what they found out about Tulsa. How they thought we could best be branded. But I haven't heard anything about it until this. Sounds like they have completed the study. I am very curious to know what they came up with.
I am from California and whenever I visit Tulsa which is about twice a year, I am really impressed at the friendliness of people from Tulsa. More friendliness won't make a difference.
What Tulsa needs is more media exposure as to how wonderful it is. A t.v. show based in Tulsa, or media/internet/t.v. ads showing some wonderful places/people.
I was truly surprised at how fantastic it is!
Is this the same company that came up with the "comfortably cosmopolitan" slogan?
Frankly, I find this an odd pr approach. The best thing Tulsan's have going, IMO, is their friendliness. Our lack of friendliness is definitely not what is keeping people away. And I don't think people travel just to meet friendly people (after all, people flock to New York dont they?[;)])
I think they need to take a look at the self-esteem of Tulsans. Too many people I know have a chip on their shoulder about how they are "stuck" here.
A situation that is all too common to me is being at a party where one of the guests is a visitor with a rather unbiased opinion of the city. Other guests who are from Tulsa will often respond with "Why would you come HERE?" "Gee, i know it's probably a bore compared to where your'e from!", etc. While tihs could be considered "Friendly", I'm not sure it's really helpful. When the general attitude is to complain about how Tulsa doesn't have this or that, or to make fun of our sometimes backwards culture, I try to deflect and call upon some of the city's positive attributes. For instance, if people make fun of our downtown's lack of life, I point out how stunning the skyline is, or how affordable real estate is, or how friendly the place is.
After being back in Tulsa for 6 mos now, I'd like to say...... well....... the biggest problem with Tulsa is.....
what tulsa1603 just said.
so ditto that. [:D]
quote:
Originally posted by pmcalk
Is this the same company that came up with the "comfortably cosmopolitan" slogan?
Frankly, I find this an odd pr approach. The best thing Tulsan's have going, IMO, is their friendliness. Our lack of friendliness is definitely not what is keeping people away. And I don't think people travel just to meet friendly people (after all, people flock to New York dont they?[;)])
Agreed. Friendliness? Every small town in America promotes its' friendliness. Tulsa needs to focus on what makes it a cosmopolitan city, i.e. arts, culture, nightlife, and beautiful architecture. It should celebrate its diverse geographic influences.
In many ways, Tulsa seems like a much smaller city than it actually is because it doesn't promote its cosmopolitan attributes that are typically associated with big cities.
I greet a lot of folk from out of town or are new in town, and steer them toward Brookside and Cherry Street. I think more B&B's in those districts would be a huge draw, but ultimately this all has to do with jobs.
<tulsa1603 wrote:
A situation that is all too common to me is being at a party where one of the guests is a visitor with a rather unbiased opinion of the city. Other guests who are from Tulsa will often respond with "Why would you come HERE?" "Gee, i know it's probably a bore compared to where your'e from!", etc.
<end clip>
I've heard that crap everywhere I've lived in the Midwest. It's not just Tulsa.
I like being here, and I ain't afraid to say so.
quote:
Originally posted by hazleton
I am from California and whenever I visit Tulsa which is about twice a year, I am really impressed at the friendliness of people from Tulsa. More friendliness won't make a difference.
What Tulsa needs is more media exposure as to how wonderful it is. A t.v. show based in Tulsa, or media/internet/t.v. ads showing some wonderful places/people.
I was truly surprised at how fantastic it is!
We Had "Rodney," "The Torkelsons," "UHF," and several episodes of "Friends."
quote:
Originally posted by sgrizzle
quote:
Originally posted by hazleton
I am from California and whenever I visit Tulsa which is about twice a year, I am really impressed at the friendliness of people from Tulsa. More friendliness won't make a difference.
What Tulsa needs is more media exposure as to how wonderful it is. A t.v. show based in Tulsa, or media/internet/t.v. ads showing some wonderful places/people.
I was truly surprised at how fantastic it is!
We Had "Rodney," "The Torkelsons," "UHF," and several episodes of "Friends."
They may have shown the friendliness, but Rodney and The Torkelsons gave the impression that we were all a bunch of poor rednecks. I can't remember UHF that well, but I never had the impression that it was set in Tulsa. And don't get me started on the slew of insults we got from "Friends". Smoking in the office? Come on! And lest we forget the motel chain commercial where the boss sends his underling to Tulsa, but don't worry, you'll be staying at a "_________ Motel". I can't remember the name. We regularly get battered in the media for being bland, boring, backwards, etc. No wonder everyone has such low self esteem. :)
Often when young families move to Tulsa from places like Dallas, they settle in South Tulsa, Owasso, and Broken Arrow. The stereotype of a boring city is prevalent when they move here, and perpetuated by the fact that most locals they run into have no idea what kind of interesting things there are to do or see in Tulsa. I graduated from a suburban Tulsa high school in which about half of the kids were not born in Tulsa. Many of them would have gladly explored places like Brookside and Cherry St. if they hadn't been told by so many local citizens that those places were dangerous because they were in the city core.
In marketing there is something called the AIDA model which stands for: Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action. Awareness is the first step towards effectively marketing Tulsa. The article I posted is about making citizens that have a great deal of contact with out-of-towners aware of Tulsa's unique attributes. If our own citizens are aware of our unique characteristics, then we will have a much better chance of promoting those charactericstics to outsiders.
Tulsa is indeed turning the corner, slowly but surely. There are already many more interesting places to go and see than there were just 10 years ago. Places like Brookside, Cherry Street, and several downtown areas, are finally taking hold and solidly growing. For years one would pick up then flalter, then the other would pick up a bit only to falter, and so on. But now they are all standing on their own, holding steady and growing. But after having lived through 30 years or more of faltered starts, complete collapses, and excitement dashed, my stomach still cringes when I dare to believe that what is happening now will last. I really think it will. But gosh it can be hard to believe. And indeed hard to even appreciate what has happened.
Many other natives can have even less knowlege about what has happened than someone like me who is really on top of whats going on, and have old ideas about what is what.
So there you have it, Old timers who remember "bad areas" and newcomers who know nothing about the neat historical and interesting things we do have.
My parents who lived here all their lives moved away in the 80s. There was a time around then when Tulsa almost turned into a ghost town. It was a horrible time for many people who lost everything. My aunt and uncle now live in South Tulsa. When I tell any of them about what is going on in such and such an area they give me this puzzled look and honestly can't imagine anything decent in those areas. Downtown and areas around it were written off ages ago. Anything around there might as well be another planet. I told my mom about the Blue Dome Arts Festival when they were in town today, She had given up on trying to do Mayfest years ago, said it was too hard to get a booth there. She didn't know what the Blue Dome district was. I showed her a pic of the Blue Dome building and she immediately remembered and was suprised there was a festival there and that the area was starting to refurbish. Many still remember Philbrook before it got its new addition and the gardens refurbished. It was always nice, but basically stayed the same forever. Today its much larger, more enjoyable, and even more beautiful than it ever was.
Old habits and views are hard to break. Its gonna be an uphill battle to educate the old timers and the new arrivals to what Tulsa has, what its "core" is about and its wonderful history and treasures.
Many of the places we have still need more work and improvement to really establish themselves and be more than "great starts". We are very close. And they can get there gradually with time.
If one of the East End developments takes off. I think you will see a sudden shift in peoples attitudes about Tulsa, their view of Tulsa will shift away from the south and back to the real heart of the city. I think a big bold new development like that would jump start people into feeling good about Tulsa. For the core really defines a city, not places like 71st and Memorial. An alive and interesting core is what will enable us to feel good about our city or not.
quote:
Originally posted by perspicuity85
Often when young families move to Tulsa from places like Dallas, they settle in South Tulsa, Owasso, and Broken Arrow. The stereotype of a boring city is prevalent when they move here, and perpetuated by the fact that most locals they run into have no idea what kind of interesting things there are to do or see in Tulsa. I graduated from a suburban Tulsa high school in which about half of the kids were not born in Tulsa. Many of them would have gladly explored places like Brookside and Cherry St. if they hadn't been told by so many local citizens that those places were dangerous because they were in the city core.
In marketing there is something called the AIDA model which stands for: Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action. Awareness is the first step towards effectively marketing Tulsa. The article I posted is about making citizens that have a great deal of contact with out-of-towners aware of Tulsa's unique attributes. If our own citizens are aware of our unique characteristics, then we will have a much better chance of promoting those charactericstics to outsiders.
Go to the upscale downtown areas or near town areas of Dallas, Denver, Miami, Houston, Atlanta, Austin etc and be an observer. Look at the people ... how they dress, what they drive, where they eat and you will figure it out pretty darn quick. People want flash, glitz and excitement. They could care less about the history of the Blue Dome. It is the reason that young people are deserting Oklahoma in droves for these places.
It is no secrect w
quote:
Originally posted by dinkleman23
quote:
Originally posted by perspicuity85
Often when young families move to Tulsa from places like Dallas, they settle in South Tulsa, Owasso, and Broken Arrow. The stereotype of a boring city is prevalent when they move here, and perpetuated by the fact that most locals they run into have no idea what kind of interesting things there are to do or see in Tulsa. I graduated from a suburban Tulsa high school in which about half of the kids were not born in Tulsa. Many of them would have gladly explored places like Brookside and Cherry St. if they hadn't been told by so many local citizens that those places were dangerous because they were in the city core.
In marketing there is something called the AIDA model which stands for: Awareness, Interest, Desire, Action. Awareness is the first step towards effectively marketing Tulsa. The article I posted is about making citizens that have a great deal of contact with out-of-towners aware of Tulsa's unique attributes. If our own citizens are aware of our unique characteristics, then we will have a much better chance of promoting those charactericstics to outsiders.
Go to the upscale downtown areas or near town areas of Dallas, Denver, Miami, Houston, Atlanta, Austin etc and be an observer. Look at the people ... how they dress, what they drive, where they eat and you will figure it out pretty darn quick. People want flash, glitz and excitement. They could care less about the history of the Blue Dome. It is the reason that young people are deserting Oklahoma in droves for these places.
It is no secrect w
Very very true. But here again, even that flash, glitz, and excitement is found in the core. Didn't mean to imply that interesting history is equally important or interesting to everyone. But knowing about it can still go a long way towards Tulsans believing in Tulsa. Not necessarily knowing about the Blue Dome, Cherry Street, Brookside, etc. but knowing that those areas exist and that they are up and coming areas of "flash, glitz and excitement". Plus some of us "older" people in our 30s and 40s really appreciate things of historic beauty like Philbrook, Philcade, Philtower, Cathedrals,The Rose Garden, Utica Square Area, Harwelden, McBirney Mansion, Art-Deco architecture etc. Heck plenty of people travel far and wide to go see it, but Tulsa doesn't promote the richness that it has.
To your point, had a younger friend go to OKC bricktown last weekend. He was really enamored with all the life he saw downtown. Said he could move there. I said "Well Tulsa is getting there" And then he said this...
"I don't want to wait until I am old, I want to enjoy my life now."
I get that a lot from people. So the question becomes. What can Tulsa do to speed up the process?
It was in my senior year of high school (at Holland Hall) when we, as students, were required to pursue internships with professions that we thought we would later pursue, following college. My friends were primarily actors and artists, so I was attending performances and exhibitions, as well as getting involved in the Tulsa nightlife, left and right. Let's just say that I was busy that year. There really was a lot to do.
I think that because of the business mindset of most Tulsans, there is an avoidance to getting involved with what else the city has to offer. For that reason, if we can effectively sell the part of Tulsa that pursues the arts (both locally and nationally), we might get fewer complaints from locals, and more visits from outsiders.
quote:
I get that a lot from people. So the question becomes. What can Tulsa do to speed up the process?
You are trying to start a fire without any wood.
What happens in the cities you would like to emulate is this. First and foremost, downtown in these cities is loaded with corporate jobs and a whole slew of corporate headquarters (Dallas has what ... something like 45 Fortune 500 headquarters). Anyway, these corporations are loaded with jobs that pay 100-200K$ and up. These are the people that drive BMW's and can afford 500K$ townhomes.
Because of brutal commutes, these yuppies decide to live close to town or in-town and that kind of development takes off. Restaurants and everything else comes in short order. The key is corporate jobs – that is what makes places like Dallas, Denver and the like hum. The people they employ have money to spend and drive development.
Tulsa is a net loser of those jobs – not a net gainer.
Aaactually, When you look at those rankings of best cities for job growth, for starting your career or business, etc. You will find that 8 out of 10 of them are in big college towns.
---- The jobs are moving where the educated people are. ----
Whether large college town or major city, those two places have something in common, an active, vibrant, interesting lifestyle with lots of things to do, the arts, etc. Big cities can produce that but large universities with lots of students in a smaller city can produce those same things. Plus universities themselves can create jobs, spin off companies from research and patents, etc.
Growing our colleges is one thing we can definitely do that will improve Tulsa.
One reason IMO Tulsa faltered was because it relied on only a few industries like Oil for its prosperity. For the longest time Tulsa was the largest city in the US without a publicly funded graduate university and TU was always a very small university.
Imagine if during the last 30 years or so OSU Tulsa had catered to 20 or 30 thousand or more students. I guarantee you Downtown, Brady Arts district, Blue dome, etc. would be very VERY different animals right now.
It was a terrible mistake to have spent the last 20 years continually growing the Stillwater campus and neglecting Tulsa. "Creative Class" Yuppy, type individuals are not going to want to live in Stillwater, way too small town, not enough job opportunities and not the type of lifestlye to want to live there into your late 20s and early 30s while persuing high level graduate degrees. Many I know that would like to live in Tulsa couldn't because they werent able to further their educations here. If you are older and have a career, perhaps a house or a family, how can you just pick up like a kid out of high school and go to Stillwater? But there are plenty of other cities with large univerities those people can go to. Tulsa was not a choice, Stillwater was not a choice. And its friggin killed us for years.
The right mix would have been the City of Tulsa with a large University.
Growing our colleges is definitely one thing that the city can do to make a change.
All the belief in the world couldn't make it so that you could go to college here if there weren't any colleges offering what you needed. I still know people who cant move here. And young people that have to leave. And we keep wondering why we arent getting the high tech jobs and companies and are getting more call center jobs instead? All of that impacts the kinds of people and businesses that are here, and the kind of lifestyle that results.
quote:
Originally posted by dinkleman23
Go to the upscale downtown areas or near town areas of Dallas, Denver, Miami, Houston, Atlanta, Austin etc and be an observer. Look at the people ... how they dress, what they drive, where they eat and you will figure it out pretty darn quick. People want flash, glitz and excitement. They could care less about the history of the Blue Dome. It is the reason that young people are deserting Oklahoma in droves for these places.
It is no secrect w
I've been to many of those places and then some. The point is, almost every trendy US city has undergone some sort of reorganizing process that preceded the glitz and excitement you speak of. 20 years ago suburban St. Louis residents would have dropped dead before hanging out in their downtown. But now there is a new energy in downtown St. Louis that is a combination of private enterprise and public investment. Beyond that, downtown St. Louis is marketed very effectively to the entire St. Louis metro area as well as other day-trip target markets.
Tulsa's biggest problem in my opinion is its marketing approach (or lack thereof). The Blue Dome is not or was never intended to be marketed as a history site. You're exactly right, no average nightlife or urban lifestyle customer gives a damn about the history of the Blue Dome. The history behind the Blue Dome area only serves to provide a sense of unique community identity. "The Blue Dome" is just a Tulsa-specific brand name for a product, that product being nightlife and an overall urban lifestyle. Without names like Blue Dome, we resort to generic brand names such as "out by the mall" or "just off the interstate."
quote:
Originally posted by dinkleman23
quote:
I get that a lot from people. So the question becomes. What can Tulsa do to speed up the process?
You are trying to start a fire without any wood.
What happens in the cities you would like to emulate is this. First and foremost, downtown in these cities is loaded with corporate jobs and a whole slew of corporate headquarters (Dallas has what ... something like 45 Fortune 500 headquarters). Anyway, these corporations are loaded with jobs that pay 100-200K$ and up. These are the people that drive BMW's and can afford 500K$ townhomes.
Because of brutal commutes, these yuppies decide to live close to town or in-town and that kind of development takes off. Restaurants and everything else comes in short order. The key is corporate jobs – that is what makes places like Dallas, Denver and the like hum. The people they employ have money to spend and drive development.
Tulsa is a net loser of those jobs – not a net gainer.
Mods, seriously.
This is Davaz again, it's not going to go well, it never does. Can we be rid of him now?
BLAH BLAH BLAH
quote:
Originally posted by swake
Mods, seriously.
This is Davaz again, it's not going to go well, it never does. Can we be rid of him now?
Swake gets the gold star.
I think it depends a lot on where you live in Tulsa. I know people who moved here from out of state and made the unfortunate decision (mainly based on cost) to get a place in southeast Tulsa or Broken Arrow. Because of that they have more of a negative view of the city. However I also know people who moved here and rent or own houses around Brookside and Cherry Street and they absolutely love it. They like the character of their neighborhoods, the trees, the large amount of younger people, and easy access to shops/restaurants/nightlife.
Tulsa is lucky to have such a great Midtown with Brookside, Cherry Street, Utica Square, and RiverParks. Those that live in this area, even though it can be expensive, seem to enjoy living here a lot more. Now I just wish downtown would revitalize itself quicker but I think one of the main deterrents is that midtown is so strong. I still am baffled why uptown just south of downtown and along the river isn't seeing more development, seems like the perfect place and somewhere I would definitely want to live...
I really do find it ironic that our chamber brought in someone from the west coast to tell us how to market ourselves. I did say I found it ironic, not surprising, since the MTCC and the city government apparently don't believe there is any talent in Tulsa when it comes to consulting services and key positions.
Citizen's images of their cities depend on whether or not their glass is half-empty or half-full.
There are plenty of people who live in Dallas, Houston, LA, NYC, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, etc. who can't see beyond the crime, pollution, congestion, being overrun with illegal aliens, urban sprawl, etc. to appreciate the glitz, activities, mountains, beaches, etc.
I really don't mind Tulsa. Why does it need to be a Dallas or an LA? I appreciate short commutes from anywhere in the city, relatively low crime, cleaner air than many other cities, convenient recreational lakes, our history, etc. I really don't care to see Tulsa become a 1.5mm or 2mm pop. monolith. If you want a large city, there are plenty to choose from. IOW- I don't see the need to make Tulsa into something it isn't.
I was at a comprehensive plan meeting last night, where someone spoke of Tulsa's earlier flag, and the need to readopt its motto: Unlimited Opportunity. I think that truly speaks to Tulsa's history, and to her future. From the Native Americans who came here for a new home, to the immigrants who looked to opportunities to strike it rich, Tulsa has always provided opportunity. We may not have everything, but right now we do have the opportunity to become great. What we do with it is up to us.
(http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/u/us-oktu1.gif)
I am more of this mind, myself. I'm not moving to Tulsa because I want it to be like NYC or Seattle or Boston or LA. I'm moving to Tulsa because it's Tulsa.
I do know what everyone is referring to about Tulsans needing to stop whining about Tulsa, though. It's really aggravating. Everyone from smaller cities/towns/communities seem to do it (particularly young people). It's because it's been drilled into people's minds by television shows, books, radio, media of all types, that small towns and communities are riddled with inbred, racist morons. Which is, of course, a completely elitist and wholly ignorant assumption. And frankly, it's not the people of Tulsa's (and other communities) job to convince them otherwise, or educate them. Always ironic to me that people are content to embody the ignorance they assign others.
It will be a glorious day when I no longer hear kids (or adults) from smaller cities/towns/communities apologize for where they're from, but instead be proud of it and stick up for everything that it is.
Every place on earth has its problems. Some of the most racist, elitist, moronic people I've ever met have been the citizens of major U.S. cities (and northern cities were the worst, fwiw). I can tell you, I've gotten into several "discussions" when they bring up racism and the like, and I point out to them all the ways their city is equally (if not more) racist than say, Tulsa. Because those cities have never been highlighted for those things in a well known history book or written about in the New York Times, doesn't mean it isn't there. And large and in charge, for that matter: enforced, supported, and maintained by very well-educated people of means. At least in Tulsa everyone knows what's happened, and isn't pretending otherwise. Ignorant people are everywhere. Cities aren't exempt.
Tulsa should continue to make up its own mind about what the city is and will become. When it looks at what the city has to offer, it should look at what the -area- has to offer, too. It's not all about downtown or downtown culture.
In Phoenix I remember chuckling about all the people that would move there and say it had no culture. Phoenix is absolutely loaded with culture. Really unique and interesting culture. It just wasn't downtown culture, or white, european culture. You want that, go where it is. Don't come looking for it/demanding it where it isn't. The same people were always trying to grow grass yards and ivy there, too. D-E-S-E-R-T mean anything to them? 120 degree summers anyone? Um, no. They wanted that grass and that downtown. They were okay with local mexican and indian people mowing their lawns out in front of their pseudo adobe homes, but seemingly unwilling to recognize them as the long-standing local residents/natives there. The ones who built the first adobe homes and inhabited the area. The ones with all the amazing, vibrant local culture.
It's a good thing the city wants to review its image (I don't know if this can ever be bad, really). But not good if it thinks it needs to determine what that image is by looking at other cities that are absolutely nothing like it, or by trying to make Tulsa appear to be something it isn't.
BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH is right....lol...[}:)]
quote:
Originally posted by Conan71
I really do find it ironic that our chamber brought in someone from the west coast to tell us how to market ourselves. I did say I found it ironic, not surprising, since the MTCC and the city government apparently don't believe there is any talent in Tulsa when it comes to consulting services and key positions.
Citizen's images of their cities depend on whether or not their glass is half-empty or half-full.
There are plenty of people who live in Dallas, Houston, LA, NYC, Atlanta, Chicago, Miami, etc. who can't see beyond the crime, pollution, congestion, being overrun with illegal aliens, urban sprawl, etc. to appreciate the glitz, activities, mountains, beaches, etc.
I really don't mind Tulsa. Why does it need to be a Dallas or an LA? I appreciate short commutes from anywhere in the city, relatively low crime, cleaner air than many other cities, convenient recreational lakes, our history, etc. I really don't care to see Tulsa become a 1.5mm or 2mm pop. monolith. If you want a large city, there are plenty to choose from. IOW- I don't see the need to make Tulsa into something it isn't.
quote:
Originally posted by S.
I am more of this mind, myself. I'm not moving to Tulsa because I want it to be like NYC or Seattle or Boston or LA. I'm moving to Tulsa because it's Tulsa.
I do know what everyone is referring to about Tulsans needing to stop whining about Tulsa, though. It's really aggravating. Everyone from smaller cities/towns/communities seem to do it (particularly young people). It's because it's been drilled into people's minds by television shows, books, radio, media of all types, that small towns and communities are riddled with inbred, racist morons. Which is, of course, a completely elitist and wholly ignorant assumption. And frankly, it's not the people of Tulsa's (and other communities) job to convince them otherwise, or educate them. Always ironic to me that people are content to embody the ignorance they assign others.
It will be a glorious day when I no longer hear kids (or adults) from smaller cities/towns/communities apologize for where they're from, but instead be proud of it and stick up for everything that it is.
Every place on earth has its problems. Some of the most racist, elitist, moronic people I've ever met have been the citizens of major U.S. cities (and northern cities were the worst, fwiw). I can tell you, I've gotten into several "discussions" when they bring up racism and the like, and I point out to them all the ways their city is equally (if not more) racist than say, Tulsa. Because those cities have never been highlighted for those things in a well known history book or written about in the New York Times, doesn't mean it isn't there. And large and in charge, for that matter: enforced, supported, and maintained by very well-educated people of means. At least in Tulsa everyone knows what's happened, and isn't pretending otherwise. Ignorant people are everywhere. Cities aren't exempt.
Tulsa should continue to make up its own mind about what the city is and will become. When it looks at what the city has to offer, it should look at what the -area- has to offer, too. It's not all about downtown or downtown culture.
In Phoenix I remember chuckling about all the people that would move there and say it had no culture. Phoenix is absolutely loaded with culture. Really unique and interesting culture. It just wasn't downtown culture, or white, european culture. You want that, go where it is. Don't come looking for it/demanding it where it isn't. The same people were always trying to grow grass yards and ivy there, too. D-E-S-E-R-T mean anything to them? 120 degree summers anyone? Um, no. They wanted that grass and that downtown. They were okay with local mexican and indian people mowing their lawns out in front of their pseudo adobe homes, but seemingly unwilling to recognize them as the long-standing local residents/natives there. The ones who built the first adobe homes and inhabited the area. The ones with all the amazing, vibrant local culture.
It's a good thing the city wants to review its image (I don't know if this can ever be bad, really). But not good if it thinks it needs to determine what that image is by looking at other cities that are absolutely nothing like it, or by trying to make Tulsa appear to be something it isn't.
BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH BLAH is right....lol...[}:)]
Well said, S. The whining is really aggravating, although as you point out it is not unique to Tulsa. And you are right on the mark about media influence.
Watching network and especially cable news coverage often gives one the impression that there are only two cities in the USA, New York and Los Angeles. The media seems to view the other 90-plus percent of the nation as "flyover" country.
quote:
Originally posted by perspicuity85
USRufnex, Tulsa will have a better chance of landing a MLS team when the entire metro area has a better concentric city focus, and downtown and midtown are viewed as high-equity brand names for real estate. Tulsa MSA residents have to believe in Tulsa before most outsiders will.
See, I really don't believe that requiring the entire metro area to focus on downtown and/or midtown is necessary or even warranted.
I think Tulsa makes mistakes when focusing on Madison Ave/Hollywood-style marketing campaigns or what Vancouverites Bing Thom and Alan Hart think is wrong with downtown Tulsa (Hart:
"So right now it's really isolated and it was isolated by the automobile about 40 years ago."--- Thom:
"The Channels is the broach, Tulsa needs sparkle." "The old is getting young, and the young is getting old.") Especially when these
experts have only experienced Tulsa for a few weeks at the most.
There are places you visit and places you live. Tulsa has always been the latter.
I met a western Canadian who lives in Tulsa and likes it here. Dare I say, he's lived here far longer than Hart or Thom could ever stomach living in T-town. I asked him what he thought of Vancouver.
"I'd never live there. It's far too crowded."When I asked him about downtown Tulsa and the future of Tulsa in general, he said this:
"I think Tulsa is trying to decide whether it wants to be Calgary or Edmonton... or Saskatoon."I responded, "Well, I've never really heard of Saskatoon."
"Exactly," he said.
[;)]