Rating Tulsa - How'd they do?

[Jason Bryant]

Sorry,But you are, by saying this. If the People that have legitimate reasons, problems with the event being held in Tulsa , and are put into your “a fan base will never be satisfied with anything “ this justifies Tulsa is as good as any location to have the  Championship. 

That’s quite the leap and isn’t what I said or implied.

[Idaho]

 @Jason Bryant experience  goes way beyond this message board.  This message board is not the end all for a person to form an opinion about wrestling. With  Twitter, instagram, facebook, team message boards, national message boards, direct interaction with groups of fans through the press, and actually covering the NCAA tournament, Jason's interactions about venues goes way beyond the posters on this forum and even their experience at different locations. I am sure he's heard more complaining about every topic connected to wrestling than the average fan. 

There will always be those who complain about a location and others who love a location. It's the nature of things just like any topic. If you don't realize that wrestling is sometimes it's own worst enemy, then you haven't been around wrestling as more than just a fan. 

 

[LJB]

it is embarrassing how soft some people are...

[TexRef]

@Jason Bryant How good/bad was Oklahoma City? I know that has been several years ago, but it didn't seem too bad.

[Wrestleknownothing]

A prior employer provided free lunch every day. My favorite complaint was, the food is awful and there is not enough of it.

[Jason Bryant]

[mention=17]Jason Bryant[/mention] How good/bad was Oklahoma City? I know that has been several years ago, but it didn't seem too bad.

OKC is pretty high on my list of great places that have hosted. Enjoyed it both times I’ve attended. Facility was top notch, clean, food open late for those who work late, solid night life, much of it was walkable. I wasn’t yet working in my current capacity the last time through, but I had minimal issues, other than the limited flight options like Tulsa (only not as extreme).

[gimpeltf]

1 hour ago, Jason Bryant said:

OKC is pretty high on my list of great places that have hosted. Enjoyed it both times I’ve attended. Facility was top notch, clean, food open late for those who work late, solid night life, much of it was walkable. I wasn’t yet working in my current capacity the last time through, but I had minimal issues, other than the limited flight options like Tulsa (only not as extreme).

The first few times they hosted (80s, 90s) it wasn't very good. New facility and Bricktown have made it a good place now. I remember from the 80s there was only one restaurant open- at the end of a long tunnel very far away (a lot of the town life is underground). Nobody told the town about the event. Hotels were a long walk way.

[BobDole]

16 hours ago, scourge165 said:

St Louis is...AWESOME. They have done the best job IMO. If it's in STL, I'm going. If it's in NYC again I'll go(MSG and Wrestling was just...so unique and cool).

St. Louis is trash. The downtown area has gone downhill over the last 15 years. Union Station used to be filled with activity and now it is an empty warehouse. The first few times going was nice, but the city needs vast improvements.

[ionel]

33 minutes ago, gimpeltf said:

The first few times they hosted (80s, 90s) it wasn't very good. New facility and Bricktown have made it a good place now. I remember from the 80s there was only one restaurant open- at the end of a long tunnel very far away (a lot of the town life is underground). Nobody told the town about the event. Hotels were a long walk way.

 

9 minutes ago, BobDole said:

St. Louis is trash. The downtown area has gone downhill over the last 15 years. Union Station used to be filled with activity and now it is an empty warehouse. The first few times going was nice, but the city needs vast improvements.

so ... things change ... good to know

[Danny Deck]

I feel like there are some verifiable drawbacks to Tulsa that have to be conceded. 

1. Flights were hard to come by and expensive. Tulsa has the fewest flights for any city that has hosted recently. Prices were also exacerbated by nationwide issues. 

2. Hotel rooms were also hard to come by. The city itself has stated it needs another convention style hotel near the arena. I haven't seen an actual room count comparison between Tulsa and recent host cities, but I think it's reasonable to assume there are fewer.

I think both of these things are improving, but they did make this event harder to get to. I'm hopeful Tulsa improves on both counts regardless of if it's a host city again or not. 

I really don't know about the issue with restaurants and bars. I feel like there are lots of both in downtown. I only ate down there between sessions on Saturday, but we walked a half mile, were seated immediately and the food and drinks all came out quickly. Then went to a brewery on our walk back toward the arena for the finals which wasn't that busy so we were served quickly there as well. 

I'm not exactly doubting anyone's experience, but I don't know that they're universal. And it's more fun to complain than to say "it was fine."

[CHROMEBIRD]

22 hours ago, KCMO2 said:

Most people will love KC next year.  The T-Mobile Center is an easy 20 minute drive from the newly refurbished airport, right off the intersection of 2 interstates, and right in the middle of the Power and Light district.  They hosted Big 12's a few years ago and did a great job.  Can't wait!

https://www.powerandlightdistrict.com/

 

Is this the old Country Club Plaza area in KC? Also if anyone is a T-Mobile phone customer keep your eyes peeled for perks as we get closer to 2024 Nationals. If the KC T-Mobile Center is like the one in Vegas, there are some pretty good benefits for subscribers like free parking, access to pre-sales ticketing, seating upgrades, "premium" event passes, private entrance, and other stuff. It varies by event.

[ionel]

37 minutes ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

Is this the old Country Club Plaza area in KC? Also if anyone is a T-Mobile phone customer keep your eyes peeled for perks as we get closer to 2024 Nationals. If the KC T-Mobile Center is like the one in Vegas, there are some pretty good benefits for subscribers like free parking, access to pre-sales ticketing, seating upgrades, "premium" event passes, private entrance, and other stuff. It varies by event.

No its the newer downtown area, plenty or parking garages & outdoor restaurants & bars, streetcar that now goes up north to Riverwalk-market and almost all the way south to Plaza, lots of additional  options along streetcar route.  

Edited April 5, 2023 by ionel

[scourge165]

2 hours ago, Danny Deck said:

I feel like there are some verifiable drawbacks to Tulsa that have to be conceded. 

1. Flights were hard to come by and expensive. Tulsa has the fewest flights for any city that has hosted recently. Prices were also exacerbated by nationwide issues. 

2. Hotel rooms were also hard to come by. The city itself has stated it needs another convention style hotel near the arena. I haven't seen an actual room count comparison between Tulsa and recent host cities, but I think it's reasonable to assume there are fewer.

I think both of these things are improving, but they did make this event harder to get to. I'm hopeful Tulsa improves on both counts regardless of if it's a host city again or not. 

I really don't know about the issue with restaurants and bars. I feel like there are lots of both in downtown. I only ate down there between sessions on Saturday, but we walked a half mile, were seated immediately and the food and drinks all came out quickly. Then went to a brewery on our walk back toward the arena for the finals which wasn't that busy so we were served quickly there as well. 

I'm not exactly doubting anyone's experience, but I don't know that they're universal. And it's more fun to complain than to say "it was fine."

This was why I didn't go with the usual group I go with. We were gonna stay at a friend of a friends house with 6 guys and...it just wasn't worth it to me. That and we were driving down, so it would have been another long drive to Tulsa. 

[KCMO2]

27 minutes ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

Is this the old Country Club Plaza area in KC? 

No, that's a different part of town about 10 minutes away.  It's also not the Kemper Arena hood where 2003's were held.  It's a fairly new (2008) entertainment district in the downtown.  Lots of stuff within walking distance, and it's serviced by KC's free streetcar.

[CHROMEBIRD]

Nice. The riverboat casinos might be an interesting diversion, too.

[Offthemat]

Tulsa has casinos. 

[Gus]

I went to Tulsa for the Big 12's and thought that the BOK was a good venue to watch wrestling. Tulsa was an easy place to drive. The traffic was not bad at all. As mentioned by some, the Cherry Street Kitchen was delicious. Downtown Tulsa near the BOK did seem like a bit of a ghost town, which was a little strange. There are areas just outside of downtown that are nice with restaurants and shops but not a ton downtown near the BOK. Overall, I thought it was a good experience and would go back. I was able to drive in/out of Tulsa so did not have to deal with expensive flights.   

[Fudge Tunnel]

17 hours ago, KCMO2 said:

No, that's a different part of town about 10 minutes away.  It's also not the Kemper Arena hood where 2003's were held.  It's a fairly new (2008) entertainment district in the downtown.  Lots of stuff within walking distance, and it's serviced by KC's free streetcar.

 

Across the street (literally) from the T-Mobile Center is KC Live - an open air, covered, 2-level area surrounded by 10 or so bars/restaurants (see pic below).  Within a couple of blocks of the arena are well over 20 other bars, probably closer to 30.  And it's KC, so prices for drinks and food should be fairly reasonable.

Parking down there will be tricky on Thursday and 1st session on Friday, but Friday night and all day Saturday should be a breeze.  Parking in midtown/Westport/the Plaza and taking the streetcar will probably be the best bet.  

 

 

[VaEagle]

I thought the BOK Center was fine.  I actually liked the venue and once we found the better food vendors, all was good.

But downtown Tulsa was a major disappointment.  The people I met downtown were very nice, so it pains me to say this, but the downtown area was depressing - with very few locals to be seen, closed shops, few bars and restaurants.  Maybe its been that way for a while or maybe covid shutdowns hit them really hard - I don't know.  We eventually found some better places to eat/drink on the outskirts of the city, but that's not the same as having a lively area downtown.  I've been to 6 tournaments now, and Tulsa is the only venue to which I will not return.  

[Fadzaev2]

On 4/5/2023 at 12:38 AM, Jason Bryant said:

St. Louis the last two times definitely wasn’t what it was in 04-05 and 08. 2021 was an outlier since nothing was really back up to speed yet. I hear STL is getting an update, but the last time it was there with fans was full of issues the location hadn’t previously had. NYC was fantastic on a number of accounts. Checked most of the boxes I look for in an event, venue, etc. But those who are used to driving next to the arena, parking and not moving for 4 days didn’t like it. I’ve been going for over 20 years … been to 51 college wrestling national championships across all divisions. People also tend to b*tch at me about stuff that’s wrong anyway … so maybe I’m catching more of it than most? I mean, one example is fans texting me that the brackets in the concourse aren’t updated. That sucks, but not something I can fix … I’ve heard every complaint under the sun about nearly every facility and location we’ve been in … and STL isn’t immune to that criticism either.

43 NCAA's for me/36 in a row, maybe 3/4 on the floor, the rest as a spectator (early years and presently)  I like St. Louis perhaps the best....least favorite Albany.....tight room on the floor, and The BOK for several reasons.  For the most part, I wasn't critiquing the event....too busy working and or enjoying my favorite time of year.  On second thought a couple other good venues were on college campuses, so they don't count as I guess they are "ineligible".

Edited April 6, 2023 by Fadzaev2

[Southend]

10 hours ago, Fudge Tunnel said:

Across the street (literally) from the T-Mobile Center is KC Live - an open air, covered, 2-level area surrounded by 10 or so bars/restaurants (see pic below).  Within a couple of blocks of the arena are well over 20 other bars, probably closer to 30.  And it's KC, so prices for drinks and food should be fairly reasonable.

Parking down there will be tricky on Thursday and 1st session on Friday, but Friday night and all day Saturday should be a breeze.  Parking in midtown/Westport/the Plaza and taking the streetcar will probably be the best bet.  

 

 

No comparison to Tulsa 

[Southend]

10 hours ago, VaEagle said:

I thought the BOK Center was fine.  I actually liked the venue and once we found the better food vendors, all was good.

But downtown Tulsa was a major disappointment.  The people I met downtown were very nice, so it pains me to say this, but the downtown area was depressing - with very few locals to be seen, closed shops, few bars and restaurants.  Maybe its been that way for a while or maybe covid shutdowns hit them really hard - I don't know.  We eventually found some better places to eat/drink on the outskirts of the city, but that's not the same as having a lively area downtown.  I've been to 6 tournaments now, and Tulsa is the only venue to which I will not return.  

You said not return. I have 5 others say the same. 

[LJB]

10 minutes ago, Southend said:

No comparison to Tulsa 

this truth...

i really like KC downtown area and always have...

[ionel]

1 minute ago, LJB said:

this truth...

i really like KC downtown area and always have...

I'm guessing you were not there in the late 80s, it was dead like a lot of downtowns.

[LJB]

1 minute ago, ionel said:

I'm guessing you were not there in the late 80s, it was dead like a lot of downtowns.

to be fair, you are right...

iwent there early 90s for a show and it was a shit hole...

i just forgot about it...

but have spent several weekends there for various reasons since late oughts and loved it...

the graffiti there is in incredible...

garlic mama chiken...

the last time i was there was during the boogie bug days...

was at the place that has been shown above...

so many girls of my preference running around...

it was sensory overload...

shut that place down then stumble raced my buddy back tot the hotel... 

got lost...

got swung on by a homeless man i guess i startled...

next day the best hair in wrestling tried to big dik me...

one of my better traveling experiences all in all...