by Kari Huskey and James Frazier This month we hit the road up the Turnpike to a little town some of you may have heard of, Tulsa, Oklahoma. This trip reminded me of a line from the movie Gladiator when Maximus asks Cicero “ You don’t find it hard to do your duty?” Cicero responds, “Sometimes I do what I want to do. The rest of the time, I do what I have to.” This is one of those times that we did what we wanted to do, and it was fun. To be clear, I (James) am an OKC boy through and through, but Tulsa has become a welcome surprise for me and I think Kari would agree. So, let’s dive into this road trip that got out of control. This trip we have to break it down to a few different categories. There was so much to do in Tulsa that we barely scratched the surface, but that is to be expected from the second-largest city in Oklahoma. Yes, they are still right behind Oklahoma City, but they gained some cool kids points from us on this road trip. So buckle up, this is going to be a ride. It’s not for the faint of heart, but we believe in you.
Cocktail Lounges Hodges Bend is one of those places that you step into and immediately want to drop anchor and spend some time. Not only does the coffee aroma hit you, but the esthetics also draw you in. The back wall of the bar area is floor-to-ceiling beautiful woodwork, with a collection of bottles you rarely see in a bar this size. On the opposite wall is windows and exposed brick with a silver tin roof that takes you back in time. The menu is luscious with beautiful dishes and I am told the best burger in Tulsa. But alas, we started here for the cocktails, and I am so glad we did. We chose a couple of coffee-infused cocktails which were magnificent. Just what we needed to get the night started off right. We decided to have the Beignets as well and they paired perfectly with our coffee cocktails. The Saturn Room is one of those places that everyone tells you that you should go to, and when you get there you realize they were right. This is an island tiki lounge in the middle of downtown Tulsa. The tiki list is extensive and I was sad that we only had time for one because I could have melted into the grass hut bar inside this place. They do a fantastic job of transporting you to a place outside of time or cares, and that is what a true Tiki lounge should be. The drinks were amazing. The scare with tikis is that too many times they are just fruit juices with a little bit of rum or whatever the recipe calls for. These drinks were not that. Saturn Room has perfected the art of boozy tiki and for that, I salute them. Valkyrie hit my list because the name stood out and is fun to say. It was also among the list of places that all the locals suggested, and that I take seriously. When you walk in, the atmosphere screams that this is where you will get a 25
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