OKC's not so boring

Oklahoma City may not be Dallas (or insert large city); but if you look hard enough you can find fun, unique and free things to do. The OKC Underground is one of those things; it is a series of underground tunnels (and skywalks) connecting much of the Central Business District. Originally just one tunnel constructed in 1931, it was expanded and renamed the Conncourse between 1972 and 1984. It became a decrepit relic rarely used. In 2007 Elliott and Associates (headed up by Rand Elliott) refurbished the tunnel by adding new carpets, colorful and interesting fluorescent lights and rehabbing some the walls. The project was approximately $2 million dollars. The result has been numerous awards and an astounding increase in downtown workers using the tunnel and generally curious explorers. The best points of entry is through Leadership Square or the Skirvin Hilton. More info here.

More Architecture....

Rand Elliott, a native Oklahoman, has created some of the most inspired works in the state.

Is It Art?

Art, in my opinion, can be found in everyday objects. When ever imagination and care is put into mundane objects, beautiful things can be produced.

Eero Saarinen
Produced in 1956, it won the Winner of the 1969 Museum of Modern Art Award. Eero Saarinen is most famous for designing the St. Louis Arch.



Santiago Calatrava
Calatrava is a world-renowned Valencian Spanish architect; his stock began to rise after he designed the Quadracci Pavilion at the the Milwaukee Art Museum in 2001. The building below is a part City of the Arts and the Sciences, a planetarium known as L'Hemisfèric. The project was designed to enhance Valencia's image.

Chicago

Often known as the second city. Chicago is finally coming into its own; the White Sox and Cubs are playing better, and the Bears, well they still suck. Speaking of the Bears, who play at the incredible Soldier Field, Chicago's architecture is breathtaking; I'm not just talking about the Willis [Sears] Tower (the Hancock Building is much better looking), but Louis Sullivan buildings and Frank Gehry amphitheaters. Even the neighborhoods are beautiful, "Wrigleyville" has a working class feel full of bars and pubs and the ivy covered namesake; Hyde Park is the historic neighborhood in which the Obamas have their personal mansion; the Gold Coast so named for the wildly expensive mansions overlooking Lake Michigan, where the original Playboy Mansion stands. Enjoy some original pictures and take in a few tunes in tribute to the Windy City.






"Chicago" The Uglysuit [MP3 link]
"Chicago" Sufjan Stevens [MP3 link]
"Homecoming" Kanye West feat. Chris Martin [MP3 link]