Bricktown in Oklahoma City

Nearly psychedelic – type in bricktownokc.com and just groove on the many facets a ‘shopping mall’ can grow to include.

Man, this is way out – beyond what yours truly envisioned about a year ago, in this column. There’s not just art to be enjoyed (and bought – sorry, without commercialism, bro, it’s hard to keep eating) but at last count eight hotels, 45 restaurants, dozens and dozens of shops … and the architects of the project are including affordable housing and luxury condos in the future.

You could spend days in this getting-restored historic neighborhood in Oklahoma City and still not see everything. Even canal boats to relax on and see the sights from the water as you plan where you want to eat, shop or party.

Let’s encourage this multiple use type of building in our OWN neighborhoods, man. And no, I haven’t mentioned the skyscraper that’s supposed to be part of the huge mega-complex, and will be the tallest building in the US. That’s because what really jives with me is the down-to-the-personal level of the surrounding amenities that ideally everybody can enjoy at any age.

We’ve got to think big if we want to change things for the better for us and generations to come. Enjoy the mini travelogue! And then start bugging your city council, the mayor, the county commission, whoever’s in charge; The Man, right? Our cities should be built for us. – A.R. Tist