We are. In fact, that’s why we started this blog.
And, who better than two girls whose families have made the Tulsa area home since, well, before Tulsa was even an official place, to pound the local pavement to help Tulsans learn about cool stuff to do in their town?
Rest assured we're not going to write to you about stuff you already know about Tulsa. Also, we're not here to talk only about how wonderful Tulsa is. If something in this town sucks, we’ll be the first to tell you.
We have invited some of the funniest, smartest, most well-connected local people we know to help us tour Tulsa and write this blog. We will take you to Tulsa in a way you only thought possible that one time you got dizzy as you stared at the floor tile in the bathroom at McNellie’s, or when you swore to yourself you’d climb to the top of the Golden Driller someday, just because you wondered about the view.
You folks have nothing to look forward to here except proof that there is tons to do in Tulsa.
And now: the bloggers.
Natasha.
As a fifth-generation Tulsan, a new downtown resident, and a girl who is willing to pay out-of-pocket to prove Tulsa is more than the sum of its histories, the “there’s nothing to do here” rhetoric, and art deco architecture, I figured I was the best person to coordinate this blog.
My favorite thing to do in life is debunk. That’s what I plan to do in my posts on this blog: subvert the mainstream stuff-to-do circuits in this town to find the true essence of Tulsa, and have fun doing it. I wanna make you laugh, too.
Learn more about me here.
Chester.
Hey, guys. I'm Chester. I'm Natasha's office fish.When I'm not helping Tasha make phone calls, I like to swim upside down. My favorite Tulsa restaurant is Sushi Train, my favorite local band is Citizen Mundi, and I think about Party Brenda on long drives.
Party Brenda.
Party Brenda asks that you read the following interview transcript to get a taste of what she'll be telling you about Tulsa on the TDT blog.
TDT: How long have you lived in Tulsa?
PB: Forever. Since the beginning of time.
TDT: What's your favorite memory of Tulsa?
PB: Hm. Hmm…Are you typing when I say hmm?
TDT: Yes.
PB: Okay. I don't think I really went anywhere as a child. The fair? Bell's Amusement Park? Many memories there at the haunted house…what was that called?
TDT: The Phantasmagoria.
PB: Yeah! I made out with everyone there.
TDT: What's your favorite thing to do in Tulsa?
PB: Wait…you said my favorite memory!
TDT: I know. I'm on a new question now.
PB: Oh. Well, one of them now is running at the river.
TDT: What do you like about that?
PB: On a windy day, it's exhilarating to run across the pedestrian bridge. It's empowering. And, I like looking at the other joggers. Makes me run a little bit further when they're running toward me and I know they're thinking, "If I could just get past that one person, then I could stop around this corner."
TDT: Okay. What is your favorite restaurant in Tulsa?
PB: More Than Noodles. I am a pasta freak – a fan-o-pasta.
TDT: What's your favorite thing to eat there?
PB: When I'm feeling sweet, it's the sesame lo mein. When I'm feeling – I don't know, not sweet – and any other time I don't want to eat the sesame lo mein, I eat the basil pesto pasta, which is what I have most of the time.
TDT: What is your favorite bar in Tulsa?
PB: The Continental. It's dear to my heart because of my job I held there for a short period of time. It's what made me who I am today – Party Brenda, since Matt Leland gave me that name.
TDT: Do you like Mayor Kathy Taylor?
PB: I don't know her.
TDT: Is she doing a good job?
PB: Um…Sure? With a question mark. Party Brenda really doesn't care about that stuff.
TDT: If you could change one thing about Tulsa, what would it be?
PB: The roads. They tear my car apart driving around here. Also, there are some unusual smells coming from the refineries. Other things Party Brenda wants to get political about are, I like the idea of urban revitalization rather than expanding into the disgusting river. But, you know, whatever.
TDT: If you could keep one thing about Tulsa the same, what would it be?
PB: I like the idea that we have trees. That's nice. And that one day, I will have to go to museums to see trees. And pay $1.50.
TDT: Pretty sure that's a Counting Crows song.
PB: Yeah. It is.
TDT: Where is the best spot to party in Tulsa?
PB: Wherever I am. Which is, The Continental, McNellie's – and the Gray Snail is pretty fun, especially during the summer time. Oh, and then Jenks Riverwalk – that's pretty relaxing. I like to hang out there.
TDT: Where is the best place to make out in Tulsa?
PB: The most popular one is probably Chandler Park, which is kinda gross. There's also that place downtown, where you can hear your own echo. The Center of the Universe.
TDT: What is the weirdest thing to ever happen to you downtown?
PB: Oh, crap. I believe I ate Chinese buffet that day, and I opened my cookie. It read: "Don't go down any dark alleys."
TDT: Yeah?
PB: Yeah. And that night, I was going to Mayfest. I don't remember who I was with, but I really wanted some fried pickles. So, we had to go all the way back around the block to get back to where the line of food carts was. I said, "Hey, guys! Look! We can just go down this dark alley."
So we start to walk down to dark alley. As I was saying to the people walking with me, "Hey, this is funny, because my fortune cookie said not to go down any dark alleys," – before I could even finish what I was saying, I fell into a pothole that was about a foot deep. I busted my knee open, and it started bleeding. I'm sure it got some homeless people feces on it. And, I ruined my favorite pair of jeans.
TDT: Oh.
PB: As I limped out of the alley and got my pickles, the whole time bleeding profusely from the knee, I decided I wouldn't go down dark alleys anymore.
TDT: I see. What do you think Tulsa will be like in 10 years?
PB: I think it'll be – hopefully - nicer to look at. I think they are doing some good things with putting condos downtown, and planting things. That's all nice. What I hope they do is clean up that river. It's disgusting. Every time I run across the bridge, I'm like, God, it's brown. Then I try to imagine it's chocolate. That makes it all better.
TDT: If you could offer Tulsa one piece of advice, what would that be?
PB: Stay up later. Seriously. Everyone goes to bed at, like, ten – nobody goes out during the week. Don't take life so seriously.
Stay tuned...
