Oktoberfest is the best Tulsa festival for people watching.
There is one important quality that bumped it over Tulsa State Fair people watching: drunk people are funny. Everyone was everybody's friend; everyone danced the chicken dance; everyone was smiling and chatty - it was great. They had an impressive selection of beer including 3 varieties from Boulevard, Shiner bock, Stella, and a dark lager from that German brand that starts with a W (sorry, it's escaping me now). If you, like me, aren't a big beer drinker, go anyway! Designated Drivers get free water and soda, you can get some bratwurst or strudel, and you can watch (and party with) some of the friendliest, happiest festival-goers in Tulsa.
Best: The guy in the German band whose job it was to yell randomly during the songs. I'm pretty sure he was wearing three sets of suspenders, and yelled excitedly into the mic no matter what song was playing. Also, you can bring your dog!
Worst: A pint is $7, yikes!
Showing posts with label Tulsa living. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tulsa living. Show all posts
Sunday, October 25, 2009
Monday, October 12, 2009
Festival Fail
Don't ever go to the Stone Bluff Wine Festival. We went with the Ibanezes this weekend and we all agreed it was awful. First of all, you have to pay $5 per person just for the privilege of standing on their muddy lawn looking at the few things there are to do. You can only look, because each of those things to do charged an additional fee. Other wine festivals that have an entry fee at least give you free food or five free tastings or something. Stone Bluff didn't even provide something to taste from. You had to buy a poorly made, ugly wine glass for $4 and then pay $1 per scanty taste of wine. They probably made more money off of a tasting bottle than they would have just selling it regularly. Also, the volunteers that poured the wine were extra cranky and getting any information out of them about the wines you were tasting was like pulling teeth...from an annoyed buffalo. Yikes!
Finally, in our opinion, the wine was bad. They were all too sickly sweet and syrupy, like when you don't add the appropriate amount of water to your Kool-Aid. Their dryest wine, the Syrah, was okay but is what we usually consider a middle-of-the-road wine. The Terre Rouge tasted like your grandmother's perfume and smelled worse.
If ever you find yourself heading out to Stone Bluff, do yourself a favor, turn left rather than right and visit the Lavender Hills Vineyard instead. They were awesome. We pulled up and they said, "Here are the four wines we are tasting for free today. We even have cups you can use!" Their wines fit our preferences much better, having flavors other than sugar. Their Sweet Red was delicious, not too sweet, and had nice spicy flavors. As the lady said, "You could drink this wine all day. You could get drunk off this wine. I am." Loved her!
Inside their store, they had wine-a-ritas (wine slushies) and gave us generous free samples. Plus, they are also a lavender farm so they had bundles of lavender, soaps, and lotions for sale that all smelled awesome. The Ibanezes bought three bottles of wine, I bought some lavender, and we all left feeling much better about our afternoon.
When Josh and I have our vineyard, we know whose example we'll follow.
Finally, in our opinion, the wine was bad. They were all too sickly sweet and syrupy, like when you don't add the appropriate amount of water to your Kool-Aid. Their dryest wine, the Syrah, was okay but is what we usually consider a middle-of-the-road wine. The Terre Rouge tasted like your grandmother's perfume and smelled worse.
If ever you find yourself heading out to Stone Bluff, do yourself a favor, turn left rather than right and visit the Lavender Hills Vineyard instead. They were awesome. We pulled up and they said, "Here are the four wines we are tasting for free today. We even have cups you can use!" Their wines fit our preferences much better, having flavors other than sugar. Their Sweet Red was delicious, not too sweet, and had nice spicy flavors. As the lady said, "You could drink this wine all day. You could get drunk off this wine. I am." Loved her!
Inside their store, they had wine-a-ritas (wine slushies) and gave us generous free samples. Plus, they are also a lavender farm so they had bundles of lavender, soaps, and lotions for sale that all smelled awesome. The Ibanezes bought three bottles of wine, I bought some lavender, and we all left feeling much better about our afternoon.
When Josh and I have our vineyard, we know whose example we'll follow.
Friday, October 2, 2009
Scots vs. Greeks
Two weeks ago we went to the Scottish Games (SGs) and last weekend we went to the Greek Festival. I'm just going to declare right now that Greeks totally win this battle.
The SGs got a little pricy as we had to pay for parking and an entry fee. Not so with the Greeks! (But Susan told me that if you ride your bike in the back way to River Park they let you come in to the SGs without paying).
The park where the SGs were held was waaaaay too big for the little amount they had going on, which made it look sparse and unexciting. They did have a Master-Scotch-Drinker there (really, he's one of five in the world) giving lessons about scotch and tastes for $15 which was easily the best part of the festival. The games were remarkably unexciting. I could only watch people pitch bags of oats and throw telephone poles for so long before I lost interest. There was a herding contest that was pretty cool, though.
There were dancers at both festivals, and they were pretty similar in that there's a lot of fancy foot-work, but not a lot of torso movement. The Greeks totally win this round because the Scottish dancers looked bored while their feet were a-tapping, but the Greek dancers were hooping and hollering and having a great time.
There wasn't much at the Greek Festival aside from food. But let's be honest and say that's why you go to the festival anyway. We didn't try any Scottish food at the SGs because it was all so expensive. That and it was sold state-fair-style along with indian tacos, so it didn't seem very authentic. At the GF you could watch the Greek ladies making your food right there. They had Spinach Pies for $1, Greek Coffee for $1, and Honey Puffs (awesome) 8 for $2 (the lady gave us 10!). The gyros, shish kabobs, and lamb were all more expensive, but totally worth it if you want to spend the money.
Lastly, the Scots may have turned the tables if they didn't discriminate and say only Scottish breed dogs were allowed. We saw that and didn't bring Ada, even though the Scots and Japanese are best friends. Seriously, Japan is the only other country Scotland will allow to call their whisky "Scotch." We didn't bring her, but we should have because I saw Rottweilers in there. Are those Scottish? (No.)
The SGs got a little pricy as we had to pay for parking and an entry fee. Not so with the Greeks! (But Susan told me that if you ride your bike in the back way to River Park they let you come in to the SGs without paying).
The park where the SGs were held was waaaaay too big for the little amount they had going on, which made it look sparse and unexciting. They did have a Master-Scotch-Drinker there (really, he's one of five in the world) giving lessons about scotch and tastes for $15 which was easily the best part of the festival. The games were remarkably unexciting. I could only watch people pitch bags of oats and throw telephone poles for so long before I lost interest. There was a herding contest that was pretty cool, though.
There were dancers at both festivals, and they were pretty similar in that there's a lot of fancy foot-work, but not a lot of torso movement. The Greeks totally win this round because the Scottish dancers looked bored while their feet were a-tapping, but the Greek dancers were hooping and hollering and having a great time.
There wasn't much at the Greek Festival aside from food. But let's be honest and say that's why you go to the festival anyway. We didn't try any Scottish food at the SGs because it was all so expensive. That and it was sold state-fair-style along with indian tacos, so it didn't seem very authentic. At the GF you could watch the Greek ladies making your food right there. They had Spinach Pies for $1, Greek Coffee for $1, and Honey Puffs (awesome) 8 for $2 (the lady gave us 10!). The gyros, shish kabobs, and lamb were all more expensive, but totally worth it if you want to spend the money.
Lastly, the Scots may have turned the tables if they didn't discriminate and say only Scottish breed dogs were allowed. We saw that and didn't bring Ada, even though the Scots and Japanese are best friends. Seriously, Japan is the only other country Scotland will allow to call their whisky "Scotch." We didn't bring her, but we should have because I saw Rottweilers in there. Are those Scottish? (No.)
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Pint Nights
Monday is Pint Night at McNellie’s, which means if you order a pint of their featured beer, you get it in a custom glass that you get to keep! Depending on the beer, we’ve spent anywhere from $2-5 on a pint. Josh decided that his med school class should go to every pint night this year - even to last week's that featured Miller High Life (seriously? Out of the hundreds of beers that McNellie’s sells?)! So on Mondays, somewhere between 5 and 7, you can find five or so fourth year medical students (and me) relaxing with a usually tasty pint. You can find a list of the upcoming pints here.
It’s not as crowded as $3 burger nights (Wednesdays. Totally delicious.), so you don’t have to worry about getting there early to make sure to get a seat. Just come when you can, enjoy the company, enjoy the snacks (may I recommend the sweet potato fries?) and if you like, enjoy the beer.
I should probably confess that I don’t drink carbonated beverages, so I usually just have a sip or two of Josh’s pint. But even for weirdos like me, pint night is a good time!
It’s not as crowded as $3 burger nights (Wednesdays. Totally delicious.), so you don’t have to worry about getting there early to make sure to get a seat. Just come when you can, enjoy the company, enjoy the snacks (may I recommend the sweet potato fries?) and if you like, enjoy the beer.
I should probably confess that I don’t drink carbonated beverages, so I usually just have a sip or two of Josh’s pint. But even for weirdos like me, pint night is a good time!
Monday, July 27, 2009
Admiral Twin
A couple weeks back, Josh took me to the ultimate Tulsa experience: The Admiral Twin Drive In Theater
Once a popular hangout for Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and the Karate Kid, the Admiral Twin is still open for business and enjoys a sort of landmark status. It costs $7 per person, which is less than the regular old theater, and you get to see not one, but two movies for your ticket. Once there, we backed the truck into a space and used an old battery powered tape deck/radio thing to pick up the theater’s radio frequency. We filled the truck bed with pillows and blankets and were quite comfy during our two movies. A plane flew overhead once or twice making it hard to hear, but that wouldn’t have been a problem if we’d been in our car like most people. As it was, it wasn’t enough to be unpleasant or make us miss anything important.
Best: Cheaper, bigger, and more comfortable (in a truck bed at least) than a boring multiplex.
Worst: Starts after dark (obviously), so you have to stay up pretty late to see both movies.
Once a popular hangout for Tom Cruise, Matt Dillon, Patrick Swayze, Rob Lowe, Emilio Estevez and the Karate Kid, the Admiral Twin is still open for business and enjoys a sort of landmark status. It costs $7 per person, which is less than the regular old theater, and you get to see not one, but two movies for your ticket. Once there, we backed the truck into a space and used an old battery powered tape deck/radio thing to pick up the theater’s radio frequency. We filled the truck bed with pillows and blankets and were quite comfy during our two movies. A plane flew overhead once or twice making it hard to hear, but that wouldn’t have been a problem if we’d been in our car like most people. As it was, it wasn’t enough to be unpleasant or make us miss anything important.
Best: Cheaper, bigger, and more comfortable (in a truck bed at least) than a boring multiplex.
Worst: Starts after dark (obviously), so you have to stay up pretty late to see both movies.
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Mid Year Resolution
I want to be a better blogger. My blogging has been sparse and dull lately, and I think I know how to spice it up. Most who know us know that Josh looooooves Tulsa. After living here for a year, I think it’s great too! It has lots of parks and trees, beautiful art deco buildings downtown, and some pretty cool stuff to do. Since this may be our last year here, Josh and I have decided to make the most of the city and do all the “Tulsa” things. I will then post a helpful review of the event, restaurant, or shop on my blog. Helpful to whom? I’ll figure that out later. So without further adieu, I give you:
The Porter Peach Festival
We went on Saturday, July 18, because that was the day they gave away free peaches and ice cream, which were delicious! Porter is only about a half hour drive for us and very easy to get to. The town isn’t quite equipped to handle the influx of traffic for the festival, so the intersections (all stop signs) got rather backed up. We paid $5 to park in the first available yard and walked past all the cars waiting to drive the 3 blocks to closer parking. The festival is pretty small, but the free peaches were delicious, the booths were fun to look at, and they had lots of places to sit and enjoy your fair food. There was a country band playing that was pretty good. Their sound was balanced and everyone was good at their instrument, so it was nice to sit and listen to their cover songs. An hour and a half is plenty of time to see all there is to see and go through the free peaches line (twice).
Best: Free peaches and ice cream, of course! Also, you can bring your dog (we didn’t know, poor Ada)!
Worst:There were actually no peaches for sale at the PEACH Festival. We didn’t bother driving to the nearby orchard where they were sold, but my friend Susan did and brought some to work for me. It turns out they are yummy!
Smitty’s Western Store
We went through Coweta on the way back from the Peach Festival, and stopped by Smitty’s to look at boots. Josh and I are getting each other cowboy boots for our anniversary since the third year is the leather gift year. They had more boy boots than girl boots, but since they had exactly what I wanted for 75% off, the smaller selection was okay with me. I mostly wanted to mention them because the lady was so nice and helpful and really fun to talk to. Plus, what a deal! Thanks Smitty’s!
The Porter Peach Festival
We went on Saturday, July 18, because that was the day they gave away free peaches and ice cream, which were delicious! Porter is only about a half hour drive for us and very easy to get to. The town isn’t quite equipped to handle the influx of traffic for the festival, so the intersections (all stop signs) got rather backed up. We paid $5 to park in the first available yard and walked past all the cars waiting to drive the 3 blocks to closer parking. The festival is pretty small, but the free peaches were delicious, the booths were fun to look at, and they had lots of places to sit and enjoy your fair food. There was a country band playing that was pretty good. Their sound was balanced and everyone was good at their instrument, so it was nice to sit and listen to their cover songs. An hour and a half is plenty of time to see all there is to see and go through the free peaches line (twice).
Best: Free peaches and ice cream, of course! Also, you can bring your dog (we didn’t know, poor Ada)!
Worst:There were actually no peaches for sale at the PEACH Festival. We didn’t bother driving to the nearby orchard where they were sold, but my friend Susan did and brought some to work for me. It turns out they are yummy!
Smitty’s Western Store
We went through Coweta on the way back from the Peach Festival, and stopped by Smitty’s to look at boots. Josh and I are getting each other cowboy boots for our anniversary since the third year is the leather gift year. They had more boy boots than girl boots, but since they had exactly what I wanted for 75% off, the smaller selection was okay with me. I mostly wanted to mention them because the lady was so nice and helpful and really fun to talk to. Plus, what a deal! Thanks Smitty’s!
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