Day 6: Boots, Banh Mis, and Basketball in OKC

A brief respite from the road to catch the big game in town

The fatigue started hitting me today. Waking up felt noticeably heavier. The long days on the road were starting to catch up. After slowly rising in the morning, I made my way downstairs and met Mitchell, who was having breakfast in the lobby. We had a decision to make - would we push on east and squeeze in a trip to the Ozarks, or would we stay in town for a highly anticipated NBA Western Conference Finals Game 1. This was no ordinary game - it was the first WCF meeting of two of the future future faces of the league, Anthony Edwards (Ant Man) of Minnesota and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (SGA) of Oklahoma City. As a basketball fan, it was a special series to be able to witness in person. It was hard to turn that opportunity down when our hotel sat mere blocks from tip off. It was also a nice opportunity for me to take a beat - the last 5 days had taken a lot out of me. The previous night I had crashed harder than any of the others. It may be nice to keep the car in valet for a day and just relax. It was settled - we were going to Game 1.

The game was not until 7:30, so we had some time for leisurely activity. Once again, we were blessed with excellent weather — in peak tornado season. The week prior, a tornado had ripped through downtown St. Louis, causing some real damage. Golf-ball sized hail apparently came through OKC around the same time, denting cars and smashing windows. Crossing Tornado Alley in late Spring was definitely risky business for Mage and I, but the Weather Gods were clearly favoring me throughout this journey. Some light clouds dotted a warm blue sky leaving an unobstructed sun beating down on us. Oklahoma may have been the hottest place all trip, with temperatures reaching 90F by late morning. We began our saunter towards the OKC Bombing Memorial on a recommendation from my Grammy - as she said it was both beautiful and solemn. It was also the top recommendation on most travel guides.

On our walk, we hoped to find an electronics store to charge my computer - in my typical fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants manner, I had not brought a Mac charger on my trip, as I had lost it in a hotel in Lansing, MI a couple weeks prior. Up til now, I had been relying on other people’s chargers (friends, businesses, strangers, etc.) to keep my computer alive. For someone who was committed to writing every day, it was a pretty high-risk endeavor. I only later learned that Mage’s built-in charger worked for my laptop - if only I had tried that sooner. We were unsuccessful in our search for a charger, but we stumbled across a Lucchese - a high end Italian-Western leather goods, boot, and hat brand. It’s kind of like the Loro Piana of Western wear - the finest hides and craftsmanship applied to cowboy apparel. Mitchell and I marveled at the meticulously crafted and delicate work - the rep in the store was a skilled seller, giving us a full survey of the store from the hats to the boots to the home goods, to the custom builds. The custom builds were truly amazing - complex tapestries of animal hides and textures that could run customers as much as $20,000. A little bananas for a pair of boots, but these things were truly works of art. The hats were simply divine - some of the best I had ever seen or put on. Too bad they started at $2,000. Maybe someday. I had to pull myself out of that store before making any decisions I would later regret. We continued on to the memorial.

Grand stone arches with rectangular metal paneling invited us into the space. A message was inscribed above the entryway, reading “We come here to remember those who were killed, those who survived, and those changed forever. May all who leave here know the impact of violence. May this memorial offer comfort, strength, peace, hope, and serenity”. The attack was perpetrated in 1995 by an American named Timothy McVeigh, who served in the military and felt abandoned by the US Government, so chose to orchestrate a large-scale attack on a government building to send a message to the world. This attack had hundreds of casualties and deaths and shook the nation. The building housed a daycare center in addition to government offices and claimed the lives of a number of children. His trial exhibited little to no remorse, and rather continued to provide justification for the necessity of the movement and message. I won’t get too political here, but these kinds of justifications for indiscriminate violence in the name of a political cause continue to circulate in today’s current events - most recently in this Washington DC Shooting. It definitely hit close to home.

On the inside of the entrance archway, the time 9:01 - the time of the bombing, was inscribed in large font. When I looked across the still pool of water traversing the memorial, the opposing archway read 9:03, which was when the bombs stopped and the healing began. This message was powerful — showing how while healing is a long process, sometimes spanning lifetimes and generations, it can begin right away. This reminds me of the way the infamous 9/11 attacks on my home city of New York are discussed. The healing is still not remotely over, but it began that day, with the entire city banding together to deal with the aftermath and support one another. Before barely stepping onto the memorial grounds it was an emotional experience. We walked along the water, which was lined with 168 empty chairs, representing the lives lost - including small ones for the child victims, ugh. The serenity of the park allowed for an emptiness that could be filled with reflection. Mitchell and I sat there for a long time. It was a nice place to be on a beautiful day, despite its solemn nature.

After leaving the exhibit, we started making our way back towards the hotel to regroup and get a quick workout in. On the way back, we walked past Lucchese. I couldn’t resist. I was able to find a more reasonable pair (not that reasonable) of ostrich hide dress boots and ended up pulling the trigger. When in Oklahoma City, I guess. I think they’re pretty sweet. Let me know what you guys think.

After my questionable impulse purchase, we got back to the hotel and got a quick pump in. On these long trips it’s hard to find a good workout, so when the hotel has a gym I had to take full advantage. Otherwise its push-ups and crunches on the hotel room floor (when I’m not wading through 12 miles of river - that was definitely a good workout). We had to earn the calories for our subsequent meal, which I was VERY excited for.

We took a short walk over to a well known Vietnamese cafe called Riviere Modern Banh Mi situated a short walk away from the city center. Most Vietnamese immigrants settled in California and Texas after the Fall of Saigon in 1975, but over 10,000 migrated to Oklahoma City and have maintained a vibrant community in the neighborhood of Little Saigon. Mitchell had told me before the trip that there would be some pretty amazing authentic spots sprinkled throughout the city, but Riviere seemed to stand out from the rest, blending traditional cooking with modern flair. I arrived on the scene with voracious hunger, and well prepared after a ferocious battle with the world largest steak dinner. We started with some fuel - Vietnamese coffee that were the perfect blend of sweet, rich, and incredibly strong. I wanted to get some writing done while there, so I needed the boost. We also ordered an assortment of food - two Banh Mi’s - one Pho’Rench Dip - a sweet-and-spicy short rib Banh mi with pho broth for dipping, and a Banh Jovi - a playful take on a Vietnamese Philly Cheesesteak. I also had to get a traditional pho with handmade noodles and short rib (gotta hit my protein!) for good measure. Nothing disappointed - we had died and gone to heaven. Our waitress said the Banh Jovi was her favorite and I think it was mine too. The beer cheese and thin beef on a Banh Mi roll was nothing short of magical.

After spending at least 3 hours at Riviere writing, eating, and talking politics, philosophy, and sports with the staff, we walked off the massive, but well-earned, carb load back to the hotel and freshened up for the game. Getting to see Shai and Ant go head to head in an arena that is referred to as Loud City was a real treat. In a game as big as OKC has been a part of since the Kevin Durant era, we would see how loud Loud City really is. In short - it was fucking loud. Almost annoyingly so. Our hotel was a short 5 minute walk to the arena. In a city that was eerily quiet just hours earlier, the town was bursting with energy. Fans poured in from the city’s rural suburbs and crawled out of their urban cocoons to support the team. It really was a humdrum town outside of game nights, and the stark contrast was something that reminded me a bit of Detroit’s downtown. It’s getting better, but these emerging cities are still trying to figure out how to stimulate urban activity outside of these episodic events.

As we arrived at the stadium, we were handed these hard paper signs with built-in folds that turned into fans that would make a loud grog as we shook them. As we emerged to our quasi-nosebleed seats ($170 a pop, not bad at all for a game of this stature in the modern NBA), we heard tens of thousands of grogs in unison as the fanbase revved their engines for tip-off. It was loud by design, and they owned it. This wasn’t the annoying part of the loudness, though — the fans took this reputation very seriously. Our section was clearly the family-friendly season ticket holder section. Parents let their young daughters scream at the top of their precious little lungs without restraint, and the talented finger-whistlers were letting ‘em fly with a piercing ring. The screams and whistles were so damn loud my ears burned. It’s their town, I told myself. There was no getting in the way - we had signed up for this.

Game 1 was not one to write home about. It was sloppy and low-scoring. Anthony Edwards had a lackluster performance and the offense had to rely on the number 2 man Julius Randle to run the offense, which is generally a failure-mode for the Timberwolves. It was close in the first half, but OKC opened up a lead in the second half and never really looked back. Shai had a decent game, and in typical Shai fashion, scored a good chunk of his points on well-engineered shooting fouls and free throws. It was a strong statement win out of the hometown team, but not the most memorable watch from an unbiased basketball fan perspective. Nonetheless, I am grateful to have been there, enjoyed seeing a new arena, and it’s always fun to draft off the energy of a hometown victory.

We came home hungry and tired - on the walk back, I ordered us some Thai food from a well-reviewed spot on Uber Eats. Directing the delivery driver to the hotel was a saga that my exhausted, stoned mind could barely comprehend, so I let Mitchell drive the bus on this one. While we waited, we made friends with a buffalo statue outside the hotel and got some pretty hilarious photos. In other words, we made the most of it. And, honestly, the Pad Thai was worth the wait. Much better than I would have expected. Oklahoma City food surprised me in a really positive way. Who knew?

Anyway, after a final feeding, we got ready for bed. I had my longest drive of the trip ahead the next day, and after Mitchell got an impromptu business opportunity in Chicago the following day, he would be bidding me adieu in the early morning and I would be continuing on the journey solo. Although our time together was cut short, was good getting to spend some quality time together in a lesser-known city that Mitchell knew well.