The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

(http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/tulsaworld.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/f/fa/ffa18829-f129-55d2-9efe-7ea5314d5fe4/55074ba459f0e.image.jpg)
 
Yep.  I'll be walking here.  I'll be walking to this development.  And then I'll be walking from store to store, enjoying myself as I stroll along the narrow, tree-lined boulevards and bump into my neighbors and their kids as they walk to get an ice cream cone...  Ahhh, the human scale, the unique and diverse shopping opportunities, the easy access to transit, the way this mixed-use retail/residential area transitions seamlessly into the surrounding neighborhoods, the way walking here just makes you feel good...

Not.

Because nothing says "take your kids for a stroll" like a 30' tall sign and acres of asphalt.

Another ironic touch at Tulsa Hills are the sidewalks on the little tree islands in the Sam's parking lot.  When I saw them, I literally laughed out loud.

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7614/16843920332_7f8e8ae83e.jpg)

I wonder if the developer highlights this as an example of how the development is "pedestrian friendly?"

We just went to the Hills yesterday to Best Buy. Too much for our midtown sensibilities. It was like a dog sticking its head out the window to take in all the different smells at once. Crazy parking lots with limited egress and kamikaze drivers. Every chain store you could imagine. Looks like Smith farms in Owasso topped off with LifeChurchTV.com. Batshit crazy to us. But it is a suburban reality. If you grow up with this suburban shopping experience, it seems normal. My wife and I did not.

Its like our perception of the river. I drive the 75/244 bridge over the Arkansas River at about 6:30-7 am as the sun is rising and the moon is setting and marvel at the beauty of the reflections on the river and the skyline. It is breathtaking because of its mixture of textures. Rushing water from night time releases, rapids to the north, still waters of Zink lake punctuated with sand bars to the south, street lights, haze, refinery lights, and the skyline. I absolutely feel privileged to get to see it all.

As we return from Tulsa Hills, crossing the I-44 bridge just north of Turkey Mtn after a harrowing series of merges from 75,  my wife comments on how arriving visitors see the city. No water in the river with long stretches of sand bars, the smell of sewage, a huge car lot and nothing of interest save a downtown skyline in the distance.

Come on, there's a sidewalk around those trees! That's totally urban, and wild at the same time. It's like walking along the River Trails! Plus, you get to encounter the Esuvee monster I keep hearing about.

Maybe the developers want people to live in their cars parked in the parking lot. They could get all their supplies at Gander Mountain.

"Getcha a Gander"?

The name is because it is supposed to include pedestrian connections to the neighborhood behind it.

So they can walk from their drive way to the parking lot.

Chris and I went by this new development the other day and of course hee-hawed a few choice remarks over the name lol.