Tulsa Street Stories is an online journalism project of the News Gathering class at The University of Tulsa. The site publishes student journalism and personal reporting from TU communication students who gather interesting tales from Tulsa and Route 66, America's "Mother Road."
Stash is a locally owned trendy clothing and gift shop
located at 3734 S Peoria Ave Tulsa, OK 74105. When you walk into Stash you are greeted warmly by
the employees and can browse the collection of apparel, home décor, greeting cards,
jewelry and other items.
Stash believes
in supporting the local community and a selection of their merchandise has been
created by a handful of local designers and artists. They get new arrivals almost
daily so there is always something new to look at.
Their
women’s and men’s clothing has been voted Absolute Best of Tulsa and Tulsa People's Readers
Choice A List. They also have a collection of unique collegiate apparel so
you can show your support for OSU, OU, and of course TU!
If you walk into Thunderkick gym located in the Promenade mall you may find yourself very to be very surprised. What you find is a group of incredibly high level fighters who compete for a number of different promotions across the nation. This gym is reputed as one of the best if not the best MMA gym in Oklahoma.
At the helm of it all is Mr. Thomas Longacre. A native of both Sapulpa and the Creek nation Thomas started competing in martial arts at the age of seven. He found himself immediately hooked. He quickly became very good and won tournaments which led him to start competing at the national level in kickboxing. He fought for organizations such as Chuck Norris's league, Strike Force and Legacy Fights. Fast foreword to today he is a retired fighter with both a wife and newborn baby who coaches an elite group of fighters. He has ambitious plans to expand and still works another job in order to fulfill his passion of training over ten different fighters.
- A view of the mats
for more info go to: http://www.thunderkicktulsa.com/
If you're near the Tulsa Campus and are looking for your favorite Breakfast sweet then head down Harvard and right before you get to 21st street daylight donuts, across from Quik Trip, will be there to brighten your day. This is one of a few Daylight Donuts scattered around the greater Tulsa area.
sausage rolls alongside a chocolate covered donuts
With there just being a few you must be wondering what makes them different from any famous donut shop in the area. The difference is in the taste. The donuts are made fresh to order and custom to order. The store is known for their alphabet donuts so that you are able to create a special message for a great gift for the heart and stomach. they are also known for their different but delicious sausage rolls. If you're looking for an easy breakfast look no further than day light donuts.
Tattoos are life-long pieces of art on your body so why get something average. At the tattoo shop called Colour Studios, some of the best artists Tulsa has to offer can make your dream come true about getting a nice tattoo! The owner of the shop Daniel, Gulick, is not just a nice tattoo artist, he is also a great painter, sculptor and drawer. Most of his art work is mind blowing and can capture one's attention quick.
Daniel Gulick has traveled almost around the world creating amazing art work and has come up with outstanding ideas over the years. Daniel always brings positive vibes and can connect with anyone. While you laugh at Daniel's jokes the time is going to fly by like it is nothing.
Daniel free-handed my tattoos. I trusted him because of his background and knowledge of real tattoo art and the culture. All of my tattoos represent my family and my way of life. Daniel took his time and he created my tattoos and brought them to life. So if you want a great tattoo, stop by Colour Studios. They are located on 2012 E. 11th St.
The wonderful city of Tulsa have many burger joints around. Ty's Hamburgers is a great place and a
small enjoyable place to eat at. They opened up the restaurant in 1983. What makes them so unique is that they bring their own fresh meat everyday and also spin their own potatoes every day to make the curly Q fries which is tasty to your stomach.
Ty's Hamburgers have one of the shortest menu in the city. They have tasty choices of quarter-pound or one-third-pound regular hamburger that you can make it into a cheeseburger or hickory burger and hickory cheeseburger. Which all of it is cheap prices. Also bacon is extra and a side of curly fries with a burger.
Hickory Cheeseburger with Bacon and Fries
I had sat down with a customer, and he said "He goes here most of the time, I kid you not, one of the best burger place in Tulsa." Ty's Hamburgers is slowly but surely emerging their way up to the top of the market of where to eat at.
In the video they have a game room which you can play pool and enjoy yourself with the person or people you came with.
In
a beautiful day, going outdoors and meet some friends is a good choice, so Tulsa
Zoo can provide so much fun when you travel there to know more new animal
friends and enjoy a wonderful holiday.
The castors in the zoo
Tulsa
Zoo is one of the most interesting place in Tulsa which located in Mohawk Park, and there are
more than 10 areas with different species ready to show up for every visitor.
Since 1927, Tulsa Zoo is continue to add more projects and expand scale in
order to provide more abundant interesting programs and animals to visitors,
such as the zoo is rebuilding the elephant area named Lost Kingdom, it will
bring more interesting feeling to people in the near future.
Compare with other
places, Tulsa Zoo gives me more expectation, because I can observe animals in
different seasons, and animals will have different behaviors, so the zoo is
always change, just like the residents in there are always showing their new lifestyles.
Jim's Coney Island & Never On Sunday located on S. Tulsa has been dishing out coneys and later on Greek Food for over 66 years by the same family and the food has not lost its charm.
Their menu includes Greek foods such as Souvlaki or skewered meat, the classic Greek gyro and side items such as Tabouli and Greek Feta. The other side of the menu has their classic coneys with chili and cheese.
The inside of the building had the sense of walking back into the past with old Greek paintings aligning the walls and small statues aligning the archways. With this aesthetic, there was rough tables that have been used for many years.
Classic Gyro on Pita Bread
If in the mood for good Greek food or a hankering for a coney, Jim's Coney Island & Never on Sunday will be good for you.
Let the Music Fill Your SOUL By Brooke Berryhill Soul City is one of the many interesting places on the historic Route 66. It is different from other places because of the funky art designs in and outside of the building along with music that is played there regularly by local artists and bands. It is also one of Tulsa's few places where you can buy unique apparel and "uncommon goods."
Front Entrance of Souls City
Partial view of inside Soul City
I asked one of the costumers how he felt about Soul City and he said, "this is a wonderfully spirited place where art, music, and smiles can unite. Truly grateful for the sense of family and the safety it gives to bring young ones to begin their dream!"
From the mural on the side of the building, drawing you in, especially at night, the building is oozing with a unique surprising style and soul of its owners. I would definitely suggest this place to any person in the area if they are wanting to escape the real world and enter a Tulsa wonderland.
Beginning next week, TU student journalists will be posting new stories about the neighborhood on this site.
The first assignment is a simple one: to get student writers off campus and into the community and to make some observations about the people and places of midtown Tulsa, the neighborhood where TU is located.
This exercise is something of a warm-up assignment, not a formal news story, so students are free to break the rules. No need to follow the inverted pyramid here and first-person stories are encouraged.
In short, I'm looking for short but interesting stories that bring out the color and character of the greater TU neighborhood. Happy hunting—this could be fun.
By Benjamin Hatfield The “Sand Box” in the
Middle East may be thousands of miles away from Tulsa’s Route 66, but for a
United States Marine and newly qualified member of the Marine Special
Operations Committee, who asked not to be named for reasons of confidentiality, the realities of war are still fresh in his mind.
The uniform of the unnamed United States Marine
The 22-year-old from N.C.
attended high school at the Marine Military Academy in Harlingen, Texas. He graduated
in 2009 and his experience pushed him to enlist in the military. He began basic
training in Paris Island, N.C., shortly after. “At the time, it was the hardest
thing I’d ever done, physically and mentally,” he said. “Basic training
instilled discipline, and self-confidence in terms of my abilities. The
military teaches you there is nothing you can’t do.”
He completed basic
training in the summer of 2009 and then spent 6 months at the Calif. School of
Infantry. After he completed infantry school in 2010, he was immediately deployed
to Afghanistan. “I was nervous to be deployed, not knowing what to expect,” he
said. “However, I had completed several months of training and was ready to do
my job.” However, within a few weeks his convoy was hit with an IED(Improvised
Explosive Device) in Afghanistan’s Helmand Province and his unit took
casualties. This is when reality set in and emotions ran high. As time went on, he began to have a constant fear and suspicion of local people, making the experience even more stressful.
During his deployment a large amount of boredom was broken up by tedious patrols and sporadic
firefights. At the base, or “in the wire,” he downloaded movies, played video
games, and worked out. When I asked him about the “Sand Box,” he said, “There’s
no brief way to explain Afghanistan, but it shaped who I am as a person.
Afghanistan hasn’t changed in decades, it’s a culture of war.”
Here is a video of a firefight in Afghanistan. The marine featured in this story was actually part of this intense few minutes as his unit is pinned down and taking fire.
Although it was difficult
for him to retell some of his defining moments in action, he was able to gather
his thoughts and recall something he has had to live with after returning home.
“As far as something I’ve
had to live with, it is the first time I had to use my rifle,” he said. “We
were flanking this town and our job was to cover the guys in front. A man in
black was running through a poppy field, an old man, but military age. We told
him to stop, but he didn’t. I fired three shots and he went down. He added
later, “I broke down and cried. It was hard. He died on the way back to base in
the medevac.”
Another duty his unit
performed was clearing houses in local villages. He said this was by far the
most terrifying experience, especially when taking point.Taking point entails being the first one in
when securing an area.The door is
kicked down and from then on you are vulnerable to a wide variety of threats;
gunfire, explosives, or men wearing bomb vests. One experience in particular
stood out.
“I was taking point
clearing houses. I didn’t want to give the responsibility to anyone else. My
fire team leader decided to take my place…and the next house we entered there
was a man with a vest.” His fire team leader would not survive. Holding back
tears, he added, “He saved my life.”
He left Afghanistan after
8 months and returned to N.C. He then qualified for educational leave and came
to the University of Tulsa while still remaining on the Individual Ready
Reserve. After attending TU for 2 years he was called to deploy to Afghanistan
again; back to the Helmand Province where many of his comrades lost their lives.
This time he was part of
the VSP(Village Security Platform) to protect local villages and served
attached to a reconnaissance unit as a ground liaison. For most of his second
deployment, his unit was constantly under attack by an enemy they could not see
until they went on the offensive.
In the 12 months he was
deployed, there were six casualties in his unit. However, he received a metal
for saving the lives of multiple others.
His convoy was in a tight
spot amongst some buildings and he spotted men down a street peeking around a
corner investigating his unit. He warned his comrades to fall back and took out
the potential threats. Later, upon further investigation, the men had an RPG(Rocket
Propelled Grenade) and intended to fire upon the marines.He would receive the Navy and Marine Corp
metal for Combat Valor.
The Navy and Marine Corp metal for Combat Valor
Working alongside a
reconnaissance unit made him very interested in reconnaissance work, and while
he was still in Afghanistan he applied for reconnaissance school.He would be accepted and upon his return to
the states he immediately went to Coronado, Calif., to begin reconnaissance
training. His 3 months in reconnaissance school were very intense. “It showed
me that it was an exercise of will power, pushing yourself every day,” he said.
“I woke up and went to sleep wondering why I was there. It was the hardest
thing I’ve ever done in that it is a big deal to make it through.”
Following reconnaissance training,
he went to Fort Benning, Ga., for jump school and received his jump
certification. Then he attended combat divers school in Va. and received his divers certification. At that point, he
had completed all the qualifications needed to serve on a reconnaissance team.
He recently came back to
Tulsa to visit friends. However, he will deploy to an undisclosed location on
May 12. This will be a tactical deployment lasting 3 to 4
months. He was recently promoted to Cpl. and now leads his own firing team.
In
a year and a half his service obligation will be completed and he will either reenlist
or return to the Individual Ready Reserve. He has also been working on an
online degree and may pursue officer candidate school after he returns from the
“Sand Box” later this year.
Tulsa may not be well-known for barbeque but Capp Crowder, former TU football player, brought his hometown knowledge and love for barbeque to Tulsa. Capp’s is located on East 11th Street just a mile away from the University of Tulsa.
Capp's on East 11th Street
Tulsa is known for many remarkable things, but barbeque was not one of its recognizable features or attractions. Capp grew up in Kansas City where barbeque was well-known and some of the best food in the country. Through Capp’s relationships developed in Tulsa he chose to open a BBQ joint close to campus and bring a bit of home to his college town.
Capp’s offers your standard barbeque meats such as pulled pork, brisket, ribs, and turkey. Capp’s focuses on a casual atmosphere with delicious classic barbeque. The room is covered with football pictures of past Tulsa players and the other sports memorabilia that appeals to many Tulsa football players and coaches and encourages school pride.
Great BBQ like this needed to be shared with the rest of Oklahoma. Capp’s just recently opened a new location in Okmulgee to expand his business and share the rich taste of Kansas City inspired barbeque.
