Thread: Tribute to Ray Ackerman: Renaming our OKC Blvd to The Big Friendly Boulevard

Oh please no

Originally Posted by metro

Oh please no

Well that settles it then.

Why not Ray Ackerman Boulevard?

The Big Friendly just doesn't seem quit right.. Just my opinion though.

"The Big Friendly" has been floating around for a while but has never gotten any traction.

I think the general consensus was that most people found it lame (with no offense to The Admiral, who was an amazing man).

I wouldn't mind Ackerman Boulevard or Ackerman Park or something honoring the man, but anything with "the Big Friendly" gets a resounding no from me.

Pardon my ignorance but who was this Ray Ackerman? I 120% agree with metro.

Originally Posted by OKCisOK4me

Pardon my ignorance but who was this Ray Ackerman? I 120% agree with metro.

See post #1.

Originally Posted by Bellaboo

See post #1.

Its Monday..thanks lol

Ray is the one who renamed the river the Oklahoma River. Where do you think the idea came from to name the boulevard the Oklahoma City Boulevard? I guess if you are truly wanting to honor him then we accept the name...as bland as it is.

I think Ackerman Boulevard would be appropriate. "Big Friendly Blvd" gets a "Please no" from me though. That is possibly the most contrived name of all those suggested yet.

I don't even know what to call the term Big Friendly without hurting someone's feelings. Such a horrible name, I don't know how anyone could come up with that concept. Considering lots of our streets are named after civic grandfathers or sports guys, I think a last name is more appropriate than a nickname!

Meh. I can see why he liked it. I'm also a big fan of living just a little outside your comfort zone. Not letting some things get to you. I can think of worse names.

I'd suggest you drop the Boulevard though. Name it strictly, Big Friendly.

"Big Friendly" would sound pretty weird over police scanners...

Uhmm....with all due respect to the late Mr. Ackerman, no.

I can't help escaping the notion that we'd immediately starting seeing BBates regularly taping at any street named "Big Friendly."

If you don't mind, I'd like to use this thread as an opportunity to present a question for thought.


What processes must we follow that would produce the occasional landmark or iconic object that citizens and even the world, come to endear.

Look at objects like the Eiffel Tower. Many citizens thought it was a joke. Demanded it be torn down. At some point or in some cases, we have to recognize that future generations will look back on our retro decisions and come to wholly different conclusions. And that is perfectly okay.

Exhibit A:

"We, writers, painters, sculptors, architects and passionate devotees of the hitherto untouched beauty of Paris, protest with all our strength, with all our indignation in the name of slighted French taste, against the erection…of this useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower … To bring our arguments home, imagine for a moment a giddy, ridiculous tower dominating Paris like a gigantic black smokestack, crushing under its barbaric bulk Notre Dame, the Tour Saint-Jacques, the Louvre, the Dome of les Invalides, the Arc de Triomphe, all of our humiliated monuments will disappear in this ghastly dream. And for twenty years … we shall see stretching like a blot of ink the hateful shadow of the hateful column of bolted sheet metal"

So food for thought for my dear citizens and especially my urbanist friends. Don't take urbanism so seriously that you become obstructionists and prevent your city from breaking enough rules and choosing to be goofy enough that it never becomes an endearing and unique place that people will love. I can't tell you how many times I've seen a building or a piece of art and had an initial negative reaction only to watch said object eventually grow on me.

Big Friendly will make people smile. Just saying it in the context of giving someone directions will cause everyone to smirk or smile. And maybe that was Ray's idea all along?
All that being said, I do like "themes" when it comes to roads. If we are going to go with 'City Fathers' (not original but generally easy to make happen), then that's okay too.

Enjoy the topic of odonyms or street names, I'd suggest starting with the Wikipedia article: Street or road name - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. I like the Themes section.

It is no wonder that some of the best places to live in the world are cities always are willing to tinker and never take themselves too seriously.

Exhibit B:



http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesi...er-seine-paris

Sid, I have to respectfully disagree. I'm not sure if it's because I think Oklahoma City has been devoid of respect from outsiders for far too long or if it's a personal inferiority complex or something else entirely, but I think the name of the boulevard should be a little more stately and/or eloquent. I just don't feel like Oklahoma City has reached a point where we should consider goofiness in the naming of what is hopefully an iconic boulevard. While I do agree that no city should ever take themselves so seriously that they miss out on the opportunity to have something unique, I don't think the boulevard is the place for such goofiness at this time (i.e. go left at the Eiffel Tower on Big Friendly Blvd just doesn't work for me).

Respectfully, no.

The Big Friendly Boulevard sounds like a show on Nick Jr.

No worries. And I am not saying we should just making sure we are not all dismissing the idea because it doesn't fit within our utopian view of OKC. That's all. I welcome a healthy public conversation about it.

Originally Posted by sidburgess

It is no wonder that some of the best places to live in the world are cities always are willing to tinker and never take themselves too seriously.

Exhibit B:



Trampoline bridge could let you bounce across the Seine | Art and design | guardian.co.uk

Lemme guess, this bridge must be called "Big Flagellum"...

The big friendly flagellum..

Originally Posted by sidburgess

Big Friendly will make people smile. Just saying it in the context of giving someone directions will cause everyone to smirk or smile. And maybe that was Ray's idea all along?

Sid,

I understand, I think, the angle you're approaching this with and I agree. Look at how ridiculous some mascots, NBA uniforms, or other representative things seemed initially. They (some of them) caught on and became more than just a historical reference or vanilla symbol. They stood out from the norm and became something special to a lot of people. The Big Easy...the big easy what? Sounds silly, but it works. Friendliness IS something that sets OKC apart from a lot of metros.

I'm not altogether sure about "The Big Friendly", but it may well work. The parallel to "The Big Easy" tag might be too transparent, though.

Originally Posted by Thundercitizen

Sid,

I understand, I think, the angle you're approaching this with and I agree. Look at how ridiculous some mascots, NBA uniforms, or other representative things seemed initially. They (some of them) caught on and became more than just a historical reference or vanilla symbol. They stood out from the norm and became something special to a lot of people. The Big Easy...the big easy what? Sounds silly, but it works. Friendliness IS something that sets OKC apart from a lot of metros.

I'm not altogether sure about "The Big Friendly", but it may well work. The parallel to "The Big Easy" tag might be too transparent, though.

Thanks. "Big" certainly isn't claimed by anyone. Big Ben, Big Easy, Big Apple, Big Dipper, Big Bang....