Coming to Tulsa, it appeared to be a few things: a sleepy town with not much to do; a booming town with an amazing night life where something always happened on the weekend; of course, a diamond in the rough. One thing’s for sure is that Tulsa is full of surprises, and its rich history is still intact today.
Just down the road, you can sit back, relax and savor the food at Tally’s, a diner just on the corner of Yale and the Historic Route 66. The restaurant opened to the public on Friday, Nov. 13 in 1987 to cater to the people’s desires of simple comfort food that they can share with their friends and families. The diner is in a retro style, paying homage to the 1950s and 1960s. Though vintage, it is certainly not archaic. The food is superb — ranging from classic dishes to specialty dishes and burgers that come with an ice-cold Dr. Pepper, hot-salted fries and a delightfully frothy milkshake. If you really want to make it your own, you can dress your hamburger up with other toppings, get onion rings or get a cheesecake. You can hardly go wrong; it’s just great food through and through. On their website, Tally’s shared that their mission was to do three things, “1. Treat every person who enters the diner just as you would like to be treated, 2. Serve plenty of good wholesome food at a reasonable price and 3. Never use anything but the highest quality of food available.” They have certainly kept to that goal since they’ve been opened. You can also buy shirts and hats so you’ll have something to remember from the diner.
Treading along memory lane, another place to try is Hideaway Pizza, which, like Tally’s, has kept the idea of serving good food and putting the public in a good mood since 1957. The food is comforting, ranging from specialty pizzas and salads to sandwiches and so much more. The variety is off the charts. Besides the food, they have memorabilia — such as getting a colorful, collectible plastic cup and hand crafted tie dye shirts. Hideaway Pizza is one of those ever expanding holes in the walls that you want to have in your neighborhood. The tavern style hangout makes you feel like you are straddling both the current time as well as the latter half of the last century.
After a great time at the two restaurants mentioned previously, you can catch a movie over at Cinema Circle. The place pays homage to the Golden-Age of Cinema, showcasing classic movies, art-house movies and documentaries that you usually wouldn’t catch at any current movie theatre. It originally opened in the 1920s, and though it has made a few modern adjustments, you’ll still feel like you are in an old Hollywood or like you are on the edge of having a coming-of- age moment. Either way, you’ll find yourself looking for some hidden gems in a quaint environment with great deals for college students. For instance, on Tuesdays they have $2 movies. If you can’t make it to a movie because of schoolwork, as long as you have your student ID, you can get discounted tickets. In that case, grab your buddies, find a movie and debate what you should get at the concession stand; regardless, you’ll have a great time.
If you are feeling a little more adventurous, try going to the Admiral Twin Drive-In. There are so many great perks to this amazing outdoors movie theatre. You can buy tickets online without having to physically wait outside, you can watch the movie in the comfort of your car, you can be as loud as you want and it’s a great way to unwind and relax into the weekend. The drive-in will take you back to the days of old. As you wait for the movie of choice to project on the big screen, you can hear old love songs before hearing the movie. If you get hungry, don’t worry. They have a concession stand booth where you can get the likes like at Cinema Circle. If you are really in the mood to have dinner while watching a film, they have options, so you’ll be set for the night.
No matter what you do, you will definitely have fun. I highly recommend going to these places for your next celebration or date night.
