Stories | Spirituality | Music | Climbing
Urban Living | Oklahoma City
This blog is a collection of stuff from the life-long journey of Daniel DeMoss.
Daniel's in transit, and each one of these posts is a stop on the way. Enjoy the journey.
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
There is a woman’s sweater left at security check. Ladies, check your things. Again, there is a woman’s sweater that has been left laying at the security check. Thank you.
Man on intercom at OKC Will Rogers World Airport
Dead Center film festival in Oklahoma City
Here’s a photo of the BoK building in downtown Oklahoma City. I think it’s International Style architecture, but it’s one that I like. That’s a rarity. Savor it, BoK building. You’ve won me over with your cool lighting and high columns.
Here’s another photo of one of my favorite subjects; the Oklahoma City skyline.
Tower Theater sign lights up with new neon on old Route 66
Oklahoma City’s Tower Theater is shining bright… well, sort of. The huge neon sign has been fully restored and all of the neon has been replaced. The theater itself is still in disrepair and is awaiting development. According to a NewsOK article from July 2009, the owner is planning to turn the second floor of the building into offices and renovate the first floor for retail and restaurant space. With the recent success of Cuppies & Joe and Big Truck Tacos, I’m hoping that the Tower building can attract some good tenants and be back in business soon. In the meantime, the sign looks beautiful at night. Stop by and take a look!
OKC Underground
I went on an adventure recently… underneath Oklahoma City. What I found was a sweet series of tunnels and an area that most people don’t even know about. It’s called, the OKC Underground.
The OKC Underground, formerly known as the Metro Conncourse, is a series of tunnels underneath downtown Oklahoma City. The first tunnel was dug in 1931 with many more tunnels having been added in the 1970s. The OKC Underground is about a mile long and connects various downtown buildings. Here’s a map of the tunnels. The Underground has some small businesses, including a few restaurants, a hair salon, and a couple other places. It’s open weekdays from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and can be accessed in many different places. Each entrance is marked by a small post that reads “Underground.”
The tunnels are carpeted, well-lit (for the most part), and are patrolled by a security officer riding a Segway scooter. They also have kiosk that display maps, directions and an occasional flat-screen television displaying CNN.
The odd and somewhat eerie thing about the Underground is the level of activity… or lack thereof. There are times when the tunnels seem almost entirely deserted. Combine the lack of people with the odd lighting in parts and the elevator style music piped throughout and you get a sort of post-apocalyptic zombie movie feel. The attention and effort that’s been put into it lately has largely been to make it more welcoming and to make the area feel more lived in. The resulting effect is that the Underground gives the impression that it’s many occupants vanished into thin air only moments before you entered.
It’s rather intriguing to be down there and know that many of the people walking above on the street level have no idea that you are right below them. I very much enjoy hidden places in the midst of urban centers and the Underground seems to fit the bill.
All in all, the Underground is a really cool idea and a well-kept place that is out of the public eye and largely unknown. Hopefully more people will find out about it and take advantage of it, but in the meantime, it’s fun to roam the tunnels pretending to elude zombies.
I finally found an apartment! It’s called the Betty Lou and it’s a building from the 30s in the Mesta Park neighborhood.
What’s the capitol of Oklahoma? OKC, of course!
