O....klahoma!

 




For President's Day weekend we ended up in Tulsa, as Clara's dad had an assignment there, and we tagged along. I asked some moms on Momfilter's Facebook page to give me some suggestions, so we could hit the ground running. Here are our finds from the weekend:

We stayed at the Hotel Mayo, a historical property that has undergone a nice renovation—it has some huge rooms with kitchens. It also has a fantastic coffee shop, Topeca, in the lobby—a Tulsa-based coffee company that's been in the same family since the 1800s, and they have their family farms in El Salvador.

Miss Jackson's is probably my favorite women's department store I've ever been to...the ground floor has an exquisite edit of housewares (even tea from Bellocq!) and sales associates that are gracious and informed about their product. On the second floor is the women's department, where the sales associates each have their own desk, and keep great notes on all of their clients. They know exactly who has bought what, for which occasion, and make sure that nobody who shops at Miss Jackson's is going to show up at an event wearing the same outfit as someone else. We were so in love with the place that one of the kind sales associates took us around on a little tour. On the third floor, there is a beauty salon.

Frankoma pottery comes from Oklahoma, and you can find it in the antique shops, flea market (there's a great one on Saturdays at the Expo Center), and at the junk shops. Yes you can find Frankoma all over the country, but here, you'll find it in colors you probably haven't seen before. Flea Market is on Saturday 8am-4pm 4145 E. 21st St. See the Driller (top picture)while you’re there.

Back Alley Blues and BBQ: decent and in downtown, although we preferred Wilson's, below.

Bison and Bear: Small men's shop in downtown area, with a great edit of clothing and products made locally. We also loved Edit on S. Peoria. When on S. Peoria (and not on a Sunday or Monday when they're closed,) you have to visit Weber's Root Beer Stand, which is supposedly the birthplace of the hamburger. The root beer is pretty killer too. There's also a great antique store just down the block called I-44 Antique Mall,at 5111 S. Peoria Ave.

Get your kicks on Route 66. We drove out towards Will Roger's birthplace (below), and found this amazing Blue Whale of Catoosa. 

We loved our high calorie meal at the Hammett House in Claremore, not far from the Dog Iron Ranch. Do get the onion rings, and do order dessert. Even if that's all you do.

We were fascinated by the child portraits on the walls of the Hammett House. Apparently its the work of a local portrait photographer and this is just advertising for them, and artwork for the restaurant. 

Antiquing is pretty good in these parts.

This is downtown, where there are numerous amazing deco buildings. This however is a mini version of the World Trade Center, done by the same architect. 

Amazing key lime pie from Queenie's, a locals' favorite spot for breakfast or lunch in Utica Square, an outdoor "mall" in the best sense of the word. It's where Miss Jackson's is, and a fantastic old school grocery store called Petty's Fine Foods. Good for walking around on a cold or rainy day. In between Utica Square and the Brookside neighborhood turn off of S. Peoria and drive up and down the side streets--such beautiful homes. This is the area where the Philips Museum is...

Other notes that I just don't have pictures to go with...

Coney Islander hot dogs
Cain’s Ballroom
Woodward Park for a walk and playground...
Gilcrease Museum (closed Monday)
Shop along Cherry Street, Utica Square, Brookside area which is Peoria between 31st and 45th streets
Atlas Grill downtown for breakfast (amazing salsa verde)
Juniper’s Restaurant: closed Sunday and Monday 3rd and Elgin downtown
Cancun for great Mexican
The Tavern: in the Brady area—deviled egg trifecta. Bacon popcorn.

Valkyrie for cocktails (right by the Tavern, but won't let kids in). 

Mod50s Modern owner is Maurice Powell 2921 E. 15th St (great mix of 20th century design and art—Heller plates, Creative Playthings rocking horse)
Stonehorse Care in Utica Square: delicious meatloaf "truck stop style" that they serve on mash and spinach huge shared 1 between 2 adults
Chimera in Brady area: coffee, cocktails
Generations: 4810 E. 11th St good antiquing on Rt. 66
American Heritage Antiques in Jenks 

Miss McGillicutty’s Antiques in Jenks 

Blooming Hill Farm

Just an hour from NYC is one of my favorite farms ever—Blooming Hill. It's about 5 miles off or Highway 17, just past the Woodbury Commons Outlets. Besides growing the most beautiful organic produce, they also serve a nice breakfast and lunch. You can eat indoors or outdoors, weather depending, and there's a nice creek that all the kids gravitate towards. While you're waiting for lunch, they grill up whatever is in season and offer endless amounts of samples.

Natura Cabana, DR

A friend of ours recommended the Natura Cabana property in the Dominican Republic, when we were talking about how hard it is to find really non-commercial properties, that are easy to fly into. This completely fit the ticket. We landed into Puerto Plata, after a very quick (3 hours and nonstop) Jet Blue flight from JFK. A taxi that the hotel had booked was waiting for us, and within a half an hour we were walking into our beautiful bungalow. It was a three bedroom, since that was what was available, and they charge just by the person--which was $90 per person, and $40 per child, and includes breakfast. The bungalow was really well appointed, the beds comfortable enough, and the bathroom lovely, although the water pressure was non-existent, and there was no way we were going to take a bath, since it would have taken hours to fill up. Never mind, there was a pool (although not heated, Clara didn't mind), and the Caribbean right in front. I was able to sit in the hammock on the front porch, while Clara played on the wooden swingset out front, right next to the very cute treehouse. The beach was beautiful, with lovely little purple and pink shells, and although the water was rough in spots, it didn't have a strong undertow. The food was really good, and very homemade, with its only drawback being that it took a long time to come out. In fact, our friend who sent us there told us that we should order, then come back 45 minutes later. Since we knew that going in, it wasn't a problem. We would order dinner, then grab a couple of mojitos for us and pineapple juice for Clara, head to the beach, and swing on the silk rope swing. We didn't do any yoga when we were there (it's known for it), and we didn't do any surfing in the nearby Cabarete Beach...but we did do a drive to Sosua, 10 minutes away, which is a very raw and not touristy spot, which has a lot of fish shacks, bars, and stalls selling a little bit of everything you'd expect—but the one thing to look out for and bring back—are the amber necklaces. If you need a long weekend getaway, this is a good option, and if you want a longer time away, I'd pair it with a stay at La Catalina, about another 40 minutes further up the coast.