OKC (Oklahoma City) One-Day Trip

One night in 2016, I dreamed that I went to a jazz bar in Oklahoma alone—listening to music and sipping a specialty drink. Since then, I’ve had this weird, soft spot for the place 🎶. It was the weekend, and my friend Jijige (a nickname) left the destination up to me. So, I decided: let’s go to OKC! We set off from Dallas, and our first stop was Pho Lien Hoa—an amazing Vietnamese pho spot. Poor Jijige, though: I said, “Let’s order different things,” so they had to settle for noodles instead of pho. But honestly, this place’s pho was so delicious 😋! Stop 1: Cowboy Museum The museum is actually pretty big, with lots of exhibits about cowboy history and Native American culture 🤠. The outdoor displays are perfect for photos 📷—I snapped a few shots for Jijige, but when they saw them, they joked their “eyes went dark” (they thought the photos were silly 😂). I bought fridge magnets and postcards for friends here, but I was surprised—Oklahoma’s sales tax is quite high, and the stuff wasn’t cheap either 💰. Stop 2: Memorial Museum This museum honors the victims of the bombing that happened on April 19, 1994, at 9:01 AM. Inside, there are countless interviews with survivors, tributes to the victims, and realistic reenactments of the bombing scene: twisted window blinds, computers with shattered screens, and watches and clocks frozen forever at the exact moment the explosion happened ⏰. One survivor said in an interview that they attended 10 funerals in a week—three in a single day… The victims weren’t just adults working in the government building; there were also many 2-year-old kids, because the second floor had a daycare center 👶. Outside, in the park, there’s a wall covered with items left by family and friends of the victims. I saw a letter—written by a victim’s three children and husband, probably over a decade ago. It said: “I’m married now. My younger brother is a sophomore in high school and already learned to drive. We’re all doing well. We love you forever, Mom.” I completely broke down in tears . All us ordinary people want is to just live peacefully, right? Stop 3: Lake Hefner Lighthouse To be honest, this spot didn’t really impress me… But it did remind me a little of the lighthouse in Vladivostok. I dragged Jijige to stand with me in the wind for 10 minutes—the wind was strong and the sun was scorching ☀️, so Jijige kept urging me to leave. After that, we drove back to Texas and stopped at a random In-N-Out Burger—so tasty 😋! Though their “Animal Style” fries didn’t seem as good as the original ones, in my opinion. Later, someone asked me if I went to watch the Thunder’s NBA Game 7. I had to Google what that was 🤣—I’m not into NBA at all! But I guess that was the biggest thing happening in OKC those days. As for my impression of Oklahoma: it’s pretty average. Not many people, feels quiet and laid-back. The downtown area only has a few tall buildings. Whether you’re living there long-term or visiting for a short trip, it’s a pretty boring place—unless you’re a Thunder fan, of course 😜. Shoutout to Jijige: they drove 6 hours today and didn’t complain about me once. Well done! 👏 #OklahomaCity #Oklahoma #OKC #OneDayTrip #USRoadTrip #TravelDiary