2023.03.17—Blake Shelton Concert

This weekend had all the promises of being a fabulous weekend. Our plans were to go to Oklahoma City (OKC) on Friday afternoon with Chet and Amy, meeting up with Chuck and MaryAnn for dinner and then to see Blake Shelton at the Paycom Center in downtown OKC. We are with awesome friends doing what we enjoy, having a good time. Guaranteed to be a fantastic weekend!

Dinner—Joinery Speakeasy

We got checked in at the AirBnB off of North Blackwelder Avenue about a block from NW 16^th Street. It was a quaint little neighborhood with lots of local shops and restaurants within walking distance of the house. We dropped out luggage, freshened up and headed for downtown OKC.

Chuck and MaryAnn met up with us in a parking lot close to Paycom. We had seen a place that we all wanted to try on a previous trip, so we decided to eat there. It was the Joinery. In the basement of the Joinery is a modern-day speakeasy.Obviously, Prohibition is no longer an issue, but they carry on the tradition of secrecy and exclusivity, which adds to the fun.

We shared some toasts and ate dinner before walking to Paycom.

Concert—Paycom Center

“Back to the Honky Tonk” tour with Blake Shelton was everything we expected. There were two up-and-coming artists who opened up for Blake; Carly Pearce and Jackson Dean. They did a great job. We are looking forward to watching their careers.

Then Blake hit the stage. If you have ever seen Blake live, you know it is a blast! Great music, Blake’s humor, GWEN. Gwen Stefani (Mrs. Blake Shelton) joined him on stage for a couple of songs. She even wore a red flannel shirt over her outfit to show her commitment to the redneck way of life.

Nightcap—Up-Down OKC

After the concert, Chuck and MaryAnn headed home and we headed back to the AirBnB with plans to meet up in the morning and hang out. The neighborhood was the happening place, so we went to check it out. We ended up at a little place called

2023.03.18—Shopping and Exploring OKC

There was no real agenda for today. We were just hanging out and having a good time. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner was a must, but what happened in between these was just living in the moment. (These are always the best times!)

Breakfast—Syrup

The next morning, we met Chuck and MaryAnn for breakfast at Syrup downtown. This is a MUST!

Shopping—OKC Farmers Market

After breakfast we went to the OKC Farmers Market. It was like most any other local market. There were homemade foods, homegrown produce, local meats, etc. We sampled (and purchased) some microgreens and local-sourced beef jerky, too.

We ran into Chuck’s barber while we were there. He was a neat guy. I see why Chuck only went to him.

At the back of the market was a flea market with individual shops. There was everything from a vintage Playboy magazine collection to LP’s, and every collectable you could imagine. I saw a set of toys that I wished I would have bought. It was three large action figures in the Marx Toys “Best of the West” series. One was Jane West, the other two from the Fort Apache Fighters series, Geronimo and General Custer. My brother had the Geronimo action figure when he was little. I remember playing with it. I am kicking myself for not getting them.

Lunch–Guyutes

One thing we like doing when we travel is to find a local restaurant that has been featured on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives with Guy Fieri. (Maybe we should do a blog on all the Triple D restaurants we have tried. 🤔) Guyutes in OKC is one, so we decided to try it out. It was amazing!

We had several different items and shared. I ordered the Pig Lips, which was bacon and basil goodness wrapped cherry tomatoes, drizzled with a balsamic teriyaki glaze and an avocado puree. O-M-G!!!! Someone ordered the signature Guyute which was featured on Triple D. We also shared the Chimi-Choroo, Disco Biscuit, Peace in the Middle East, and the triple dip. My first drink was the China Cat. It was delic! It was a perfect mix of Gin, St. Germaine’s Elderflower, lemon, cucumber, and soda. A must try when in OKC.

After lunch we spent the rest of the afternoon driving around OKC looking around at different places. We decided to hang out at Chuck and MaryAnn’s playing games for the evening. Chuck had just gotten a new pinball machine for his collection. (I think he just wanted to kick our butts at it.)

Our lunch was late, so we were not very hungry for dinner. We stopped at The Study for drinks and to take a break from exploring OKC. It is an eclectic little place in the Paramount Building on West Sheridan. It is a cool place to hang out and visit. After drinks, we went upstairs to grab dessert to take back to Chuck and MaryAnn’s. Perets Coffee & Dessert Bar is a great place to check out when in Downtown OKC.

We spent the evening playing pinball and video games in the home arcade. None of the rest of us did very well on the pinball game.

2023.03.19—Breakfast and Home

The weekend was coming to a close and time to head back home. We met Chuck and MaryAnn for breakfast. We stopped at Trader Joe’s, then home.

Breakfast—Hatch

Breakfast was at Hatch Early Mood Food downtown. The restaurant is located in the old Buick Building at the corner of NW 10^th Street and N. Broadway. They have great breakfast drinks and tasty food.

There is a beautifully restored 1935 Buick 66C Convertible on displayed in the foyer. It was beautiful.

Promises kept…Another wonderful weekend, with spectacular friends!