AMERICANWAY

of the state — as evidenced by the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum and the American Quarter Horse Association World Championship Show, which will be in OKC for the 39th consecutive year from Nov. 7 to 22. Other attractions, however, are unexpected. Okla- homa City is the home of the U.S. Olympic Canoe/Kayak team, which trains at the OKC National High Perform- ance Center on the Oklahoma River. "It's hard to imagine rowing in Oklahoma City," Carrier admits, "but we've got arguably the finest rowing venue in the country." The city is also proud of the diversity of its museums, which range from Science Museum Oklahoma to the Amateur Softball Association National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum to the Oklahoma City Museum of Art. But the museum that symbolizes the city's character is the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum that is dedicated to "those who were killed, those who sur- vived and those changed forever," by the bombing. It is built on the same site where the bombing occurred. "It's the heart and soul of Oklahoma City," says Kari Watkins, executive director of the museum. "It's one of the largest attractions for visitors in this state." While the bombing was a tragedy of monumental pro- portions, the response by the citizenry was heroic and is captured in the museum, which comprises three floors of visual and interactive exhibits. It's a powerful experience to go through the museum with feelings that range from outrage at the crime, to horror at the death and devasta- tion, to admiration at the response of the residents. It is equally moving that Thunder management rec- ommends that all new players visit the museum to under- stand what the city went through and how people who are season ticket holders and neighbors responded. NBA and college teams also often take tours. The story resonates with everyone who goes to the museum. "We have visitors every month from all 50 states, and we've never had less than 30 countries represented here during a month," Watkins says. "We have 96 or 97 coun- tries every year. They may be in Oklahoma City for an- other reason: a game, an event or a horse show. But they want to stop here and go through the museum." ince the implementation of maps in the '90s, Oklahoma City has created many reasons for tourists to visit. Besides sports, museums and a thriving Bricktown area (which can be experienced nicely on a 45-minute sightseeing cruise on the water canal), visitors can enjoy the 119-acre, 2,000-animal Oklahoma City Zoo, the 17-acre Myriad Botanical Gar- dens, Frontier City amusement park and horse racing and gambling at Remington Park. For those who want the authentic Western experience, on Mondays and Tuesdays there is a live cattle auction in the Stockyards. Only a couple of blocks away from where cattle are sold is their final destination — the venerable Cattlemen's Steakhouse, where beef has been expertly cooked since 1910. For a more modern experience, the Boathouse Dis- trict features the SandRidge Sky Zip, which sends thrill seekers 700 feet across the Oklahoma River. Those who sur vive that with their stomach still calm can head 3 miles north to the S&B Burger Joint, which features "The King" — a burger with bacon and peanut butter For first-time or would-be visitors, the diversity of Oklahoma City might be surprising. Yes, it is home to a variety of events involving cowboys and horses. But it is also home to the Flaming Lips, an alternative rock band whose frontman, Wayne Coyne, sometimes sits courtside at Thunder games. The Civic Center Music Hall has featured productions of Beauty and the Beast and Les Misérables this year. Every summer, there is a well- attended Reggae Festival in Bricktown. And the Thunder is such a draw now that at one game last season, rapper and business mogul Jay Z (who is also Durant's agent) a nd his w ife Beyoncé, the Gra mmy Awa rd- w inning singer, attended a game. The MAPs program is now more than two decades old, and the decision of Oklahoma City citizens to invest in themselves continues to pay dividends. "I knew we were doing the right thing," Norick says, "but could I have projected all of this? Of course not. I knew it would be successful, but to be at the level it is now is amazing." JAN HUBBARD is a senior editor for American Way. He had little interest in zipping across the Oklahoma River, but the bacon-and-peanut-butter burger was a no-brainer. Oklahoma City Thunder www.nba.com/thunder Oklahoma City Museum of Art www.okcmoa.com Oklahoma City Zoo www.okczoo.com Oklahoma State Fair Park www.okstatefair.com Amateur Softball Association National Softball Hall of Fame and Museum www.asasoftball.com Cattlemen's Steakhouse www.cattlemens restaurant.com Civic Center Music Hall www.okcciviccenter.com Cox Convention Center www.coxconvention center.com Frontier City www.frontiercity.com KD's Southern Cuisine www.kdsbricktown.com Mickey Mantle's Steakhouse www.mickeymantle steakhouse.com Myriad Botanical Gardens www.myriadgardens.org National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum www.nationalcowboy museum.org National Memorial & Museum www.oklahomacitynational memorial.org Nonna's Euro-American Ristorante and Bar www.nonnas.com Remington Park www.remingtonpark.com Ronald J. Norick Downtown Library www.mls.lib.ok.us/mls/ mls_library/dn.htm S&B Burger Joint www.sandbburgers.com SandRidge Sky Zip www.boathousedistrict.org/ adventures/sky-zip Science Museum Oklahoma www.sciencemuseumok.org The Stockyards www.stockyardscity.org Toby Keith's I Love This Bar & Grill www.tobykeithsbar.com If You Go OKLAHOMA CITY S "It became obvious to me that before we could talk to anyone about coming to town and building a plant, we had to make it a place where they would want to live and where they would want their employees to live." 78 O C TO B E R 2 01 4 A A .CO M/A M E R I C A NWAY

• Cover