Out and about

Since I still have nothing to report on the progress of our house or the roof, I thought I would share a few photos of some buildings in Oklahoma City. Over the weekend, I celebrated my 29th birthday (again). In honor of such an occasion, my husband got me a day at a spa and then we stayed the night in the newly renovated Skirvin Hilton.

When one thinks of Oklahoma, he or she probably thinks cowboy hats, waving wheat, and F5 tornados. He or she probably doesn't imagine it as real visitors' attraction. However, OKC is quickly redefining itself by blending the old with the new and they are doing a fabulous job of it.

The Skirvin Hotel, for instance was originally opened in 1911 and has housed guests such as Nixon and Truman. In 1988 its doors closed and remained that way for 15 years. In fact, when I moved to Oklahoma back in '97 the Skirvin, although beautiful, was vacant and basically in shambles. I have read in some places that it is/was haunted...that is, if you believe in that kind of thing.

Anyway, the doors were reopened in 2007 after extensive and well thought out renovations. Surprisingly the Hilton took great strides in preserving the building's character by restoring the hotel's original exterior finish and by installing historically accurate windows.

The Skirvin is not the only building in OKC that is seeing the benefits of this quickly growing city's rehab. Buildings all over town have been able to reclaim their former glory.

Of course, there are still a few buildings that still need some TLC...