LIFE ON TULSA'S INDIANAPOLIS STREET

As I stepped out of my car and into a big pile of yellow and orange leaves, two kids greeted me.

“Would you like to buy some beef jerky, or a candy bar?” one of them asked.

I didn't.

After my visit with the kids, I began my walk down the long sidewalk. Indianapolis Street is located near Harvard and Eleventh Street. I picked this quiet neighborhood because it looked so diverse and interesting.

I drew in a deep breath of the crisp cold air; it smelled of fall leaves and acorns. The homes along Indianapolis Street are small and meticulous, some nicer than others.

One house in particular stood out to me. The house, which sits inside an iron fence, is a dark, algae-green color and decorated with numerous yard decorations. Two large trees and several bird feeders sit in the yard.

The four steps leading from the sidewalk onto the property guide you to patchy grass. The house has six big windows, in where I saw a gray cat sitting on the inside window ledge.

Directly across from the "algae" house is a white house with a burgundy cement porch. Four college boys live there. Luckily, one was stepping out of his car while I was around.

“How long have you lived in this house?” I asked him. The tall young man with curly blond hair replied, “About three months. We all moved in at the beginning of the semester.”

I asked him why they chose to live here. “It’s less that five minutes from campus which is nice, and this was one of the few four bedroom homes we could find,” he explained.

I thanked him and continued to walk down the street. As I came to the end of the sidewalk, I noticed a couple homes had decorative lights complimenting the trees and various aspects of the houses.

This end of the neighborhood was more chic and “homey.” The two kids I met earlier lived here. They were playing in the yard on their bicycles.

“We like our neighborhood because there’s lots of kids to play with,” the little girl said. She hopped back on her bicycle and peddled up to the other end of the neighborhood, the boy following closely behind.

--Lindsey Naylor