We can say it now.. add Oklahoma City to the list of favorite USRT destinations, along with places such as Indianapolis, Memphis and Montreal.

This city is fast becoming a true tourist destination, thanks to downtown neighborhoods such as Bricktown, with its historical heritage combined with exciting new entertainment and fun venues. And now Oklahoma City is a true 4 sport franchise destination, thanks to joining the ranks of NBA cities with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

OK, OK, I’m not going into detail as to how the team got here, save to reference that this team was once the Seattle Supersonics. I’ll save that rant for Pete. But a few years back this city became the temporary home of the New Orleans Hornets, when Hurricane Katrina obliterated that city. OKC then showed that they were ready for prime time, and now they have a team to call their own.

Since we last visited here, we see that the Ford Center has undergone tremendous renovations and upgrades. Plush padded seats throughout the building, tiled washrooms, snazzy new 360 degree ribbon boards and HD scoreboard. But what has not changed is the energy in the building. Fans here are passionate, greeters at the top of the stairs leading to the 300s welcome and high five fans and lead them to “Loud City”. Music bumps, cheerleaders, the fierce Bison mascot, and other crazy fun on the court keep the fans entertained and clapping along throughout.

This venue earned a high score when we did the official profile for the OKC Hornets. No doubt the Thunder will retain their status as one of the elite NBA venues in our rankings. Speaking of which, we can now rub the “asterisk” off the Ford Center. Yes we were boasting that we have been everywhere, and we did visit here when the Hornets were in town, but truth be told we had not seen the Thunder play until tonight, and were holding off this visit until we could combo it with the Dallas Cowboys new stadium visit.

As for the game, the Thunder put on an offensive show tonight, with show stopping dunks and great playmaking, and when it was over had themselves a 127-108 win over the Washington Wizards.

Couple side stories here.. Gary and The King were in town once again, Gary actually arranged for the tickets. We all enjoyed a great dinner at Brix sports restaurant in Bricktown. These guys are just the best and they will be heading to Austin tomorrow for the Texas Kansas showdown. We will meet up again come Sunday in Arlington at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

After the game a young fella who is only known as “Thunderman” no we could not ferret out his secret identity, caught up with us in the concourse, calling us out and saying “Hey you guys are the Ultimate Sports Road Trip!” Turns out he and his mom Neelie are big fans of the USRT and have followed our journeys on our web site. We exchanged pleasantries and emails and took a group photo.

We walked out into the warm Oklahoma night, just shaking our heads. It never ceases to amaze us that there are people everywhere who know of us and what we do and whenever these chance meetings take place we are truly awed and humbled.

Good times! Good times!

Day 2 is in the books… up early tomorrow as we point our car southward back to Texas. It is a 2:30 PM kickoff at Kyle Field in College Station for the USRT, as Texas A&M hosts Baylor in a Big XII showdown. Until then!

We promised Thunderman his moment of fame here at WNYMedia, so here he is, along with his mom Neelie and Gary and Pete.

Here in Oklahoma City, there is a neighborhood on the fringes of downtown called “Bricktown”. It is a mix of historic old buildings, supported by infill development subject to strict architectural guidelines, all connected via a below grade canal which meanders through the district, offering paddleboats and water taxis to ferry visitors around

The buildings are skewed towards fun and entertainment, with nightclubs, brewpubs, restaurants, retail stores, joined by residential uses, hotels, large retail hubs, a movie multiplex, including a (memo to Tim Tielman – please insert high pitched girly shriek here) Bass Pro.

Their AAA ballpark, AT&T Bricktown Ballpark anchors the district, and the Cox Convention Center and Ford Center, home of the NBA Oklahoma City Thunder, are all closeby.

We were astounded seeing how much new development has occurred since our first visit here in 2006. More importantly, Bricktown can offer a plethora of design guidelines and ideas for Buffalo’s Canalside to follow. Here in OKC, they are light years ahead of Buffalo in terms of making their historic district a reality. Here’s hoping we can catch up. Fast.

If you’re too young to remember Kevin Maguire, I feel sorry for you.  He was a beast and he simply loved to fight.