TU Golden Hurricane Sports
by BixB
The University of Tulsa athletic teams are mostly overshadowed in the press, even in Tulsa, by the exploits of Oklahoma's much larger public universities, but relatively low ticket prices plus high-quality on-campus venues makes attendance at a TU sporting event an all-around good deal.
TU is a private school with about 3,500 students, and is one of the smallest institutions in the U.S. participating in all sports at the NCAA Division I-A level. Nonetheless, it regularly fields highly competitive teams in a number of sports - most noticeably men's basketball, women's golf, and men's soccer. Because of its size and very high academic standards, the "Golden Hurricane" (always singular, never plural) often struggles to be as competitive in football, but on occasion thrills fans with a breakout season, most recently in 2003 and 2005 (when it won the first ever C-USA Championship).
The Reynolds Center, home for TU basketball, is a first-class facility built in 1998. The main arena seats about 8,400. The futuristic building with its curvaceous roof sits prominently on the southeast corner of the campus at 11th & Harvard. The ticket office for all TU sporting events is on the north side of the Reynolds center.
Football is played at Skelly Stadium, immediately west of the Reynolds Center. Skelly was originally built in 1930 and has been expaned several times. It now seats about 40,000. There is nothing wrong with the stadium, but it is currently lacking in some of the amenities of more modern stadiums. A major renovation began in 2005 , featuring the replacement of the north end-zone bleachers with a new building containing athletic offices and some suites overlooking the field.
In recent years TU expanded the campus to the west and added terrific new facilities for tennis, softball, soccer, track and other sports. The Case Tennis Center is one of the best in the country and hosted the 2004 NCAA tennis finals. All of these facilites are very attractive and provide great venues for watching some exciting action.
Chuck E. Cheese on Steroids
by BixB about Tulsa's Incredible Pizza Company
Encompassing over 90,000 sq.ft., "vast" is the best way to describe this 1950's-themed pizza and entertainment emporium.
All-you-can-eat pizza, pasta, salad, and desserts are served buffet style in a spacious central serving area. The food itself is surprisingly good given the industrial quantities produced. The restaurant claims the pizza dough is made fresh on site.
Once you've filled a plate, you can choose to eat in one of the four large themed dining rooms. Perhaps you'ld like the chrome and formica "Diner," or the "High-School Gym" replete with folding tables and chairs. You could also eat in front of the TV in the Leave-it-to-Beaver-set "Family Room." Or maybe the latest double feature in the "Drive-in" is more your scene (the mostly 1950's B-movie offerings actually change from week to week).
Following your meal, what the TIPC owners really hope you'll do is mosey on back to the cavernous "Midway." There your money will be gladly changed into a refillable magnetic card used to play dozens upon dozens of arcade games.
Video games not to your liking? Then perhaps you'ld prefer to bowl on one of the eight full-size or four pint-sized lanes.
Not into wearing rented shoes? Then how about 18 holes on the Route 66-themed miniature golf course.
Or maybe you'ld prefer to bounce each other around in the cheerful animal-themed bumper cars.
Still not found your niche. Then how about a spin around the go-cart track? And I don't mean some dinky kiddy version. Amazingly, we're talking full-size, gas powered, go-fast carts set into a special vented track area.
This is definitely not the place to go to relax and enjoy quiet conversation, but if you've got a family or group to feed and entertain, or a child's party to plan, then Tulsa's Incredible Pizza Company should definitely be on your list.
Tulsa - A Treasure Worth Discovering
by BixB
In 2001, "Southern Living" magazine published a special issue entitled "Southern Living Favorites: The Best of the South." To the surprise of many, except those already familiar with the city, Tulsa was named one of the editors' five "Favorite Southern Cities." In good company with Atlanta, Dallas, Nashville, and Charleston, SC, was mid-size Tulsa, a gem of a destination often overlooked by travelers. Writer Gary Ford aptly descibed Tulsa as "a place of graceful, green neighborhoods, small clusters of shops, and a tall Art Deco downtown. All at once, Tulsa feels Southern, Eastern, and Western - a big city that lives like a small town." I couldn't agree more and that is why Tulsa, in addition to being my home, is one of my favorite American cities. I invite you to stop by for a visit, spend a few days "Livin' on Tulsa Time," and see if you don't find yourself someday repeating the lyrics of another classic tune - "Take Me Back to Tulsa!"
Parking Lot Is Where Grotto Courts Used To Be
The streamline-style Phoenix cleaners
The Bear Dance, Catlin, 1847
Los Cabos Outdoor Dining and Singers
